LONDON, June 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

A UK fans' take on an American children's book icon, Where the Wild Things Are

Below are several stories behind this launch that that we hope interest you on this unique moment in publishing history:

• The original inspiration for Back to the Wild - Where the Wild Things Are - is 50 years old this year
• Maurice Sendak sadly died just over 1 year ago in May 2012
• June 10^th would have been his 85^th birthday - Back to the Wild is dedicated to the memory and great legacy of Maurice Sendak

What makes our project different in 2013?

• Our new poem includes an ecological awareness thread that was not part of the mass psyche in 1963
• For Children's book editors re: the inspiration for our work
• For the Business section re: Kickstarter & Crowd funding 

Geoffrey O. Todd (Author) and Rich Berner (Illustrator) have got together to produce a follow-up to the iconic American children's picture book Where the Wild Things Are. Selling over 19 million copies worldwide, it was first published 50 years ago in 1963. Maurice Sendak, the illustrator and author of the original, died in 2012, but he staunchly refused to entertain the idea of a sequel to his classic.

Click here and scroll down to hear Maurice Sendak on why there would never be a Where the Wild Things Are 2

Todd and Berner have just launched their own Back to the Wild picture book project through the US-based crowd funding site Kickstarter. They are aiming for contributions of £25,000 that will help to fund the creation of both soft cover and limited edition hardback versions of their illustrated poem that features an adventurous Sophie, the daughter of Max who was the boy at the centre of the 1963 original.

Click here for the full Back to the Wild on Kickstarter experience

"We know what we are taking on potentially, but we have both been fans of Mr Sendak's work for many years and it was his own words that made it clear that there was no possibility of a sequel, but he also encouraged people to take creative risks - hence Back to the Wild   is dedicated to Maurice Sendak, especially as June 10th would have been his 85th birthday too." 

Back to the Wild is part of a series of 'reboots' of other iconic stories - from David Finch, the Canadian artist who re-imagined the Dark Knight version of Batman that went on to the big screen starring Christian Bale, to Jonny Miller who plays an irascible Sherlock Homes, re-set in 21st century New York, Todd and Berner hope that their Back to the Wild Kickstarter approach will find favour with the Sendak faithful and beyond.

For information call Geof Todd on +44(0)7975-995250 or e-mail him at geof@toddcs.com.

SOURCE TODD CS Ltd