Keith Richards, daughter team for ‘Gus & Me’ children’s book
“Keith Richards†and “children’s book†may sound like the starting point for a “Saturday Night Live†sketch, but in fact the Rolling Stones songwriter and lead guitarist, who delivered a bestselling memoir in 2011 with “Life,†is now set to write a children’s book slated to publish in September.
“Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar†will be a collaboration between Richards and his daughter, Theodora Richards, who is supplying the illustrations for the picture book that relates the story of Keith’s introduction to music by his grandfather, Theodore Augusts Dupree, who had played in a jazz big band.
In delving into the relationship between grandparent and grandchild, Richards said in a statement, “I have just become a grandfather for the fifth time, so I know what I’m talking about. The bond, the special bond, between kids and grandparents is unique and should be treasured. This is a story of one of those magical moments. May I be as great a grandfather as Gus was to me.â€
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It’s the first book for Theodora Richards, who was named after her great-grandfather and is the daughter of Richards and his wife, Patti Hansen. “To be able to explore my father’s relationship with his grandfather was a gift in itself,†she said in the same statement. “The things that I’ve learnt during this whole process have just been life affirming.â€
“Gus & Me†is scheduled for publication on Sept. 9 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and it is to be published simultaneously in hardcover and e-book editions. The hardcover will be packaged with a CD that includes bonus content.
“Who wouldn’t welcome the opportunity to meet Keith Richards as a young boy?†Little, Brown Books for Young Readers executive vice president and publisher Megan Tingley said. “‘Gus & Me’ invites readers to be in the room at the electrifying moment that Keith holds a guitar in his hands for the first time.â€
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