You can’t escape children’s books by A-list actors – but I’m happy to read them to my kids

In recent years it seems that more and more celebrities are writing books for kids – with a glut of new releases coming soon – but, wonders Charlotte Cripps, do they aim at something deeper or are they just vanity projects?

Why are so many celebrities writing children’s books? (Getty/Amazon)

You know their name. You know their movies. But would you buy their children’s books? Elizabeth Olsen is the latest A-list actor to pen a bestseller for the younger generation. She is far better known for playing Wanda Maximoff in WandaVision and the Marvel Cinematic Universe than as a children’s author but her debut children’s book Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective is an instant New York Times bestseller this summer. Her child-friendly guide to processing anxiety, for four-to-eight-year-olds, was a team effort written with her musician husband Robbie Arnett.

“It all starts with kids,” Olsen tells me. “In early 2020, when the world was going into lockdown, we had a lot of conversations about culture and how to create something positive. Robbie was writing kid’s books, so we decided to collaborate, and Hattie was born. Having a character-driven story that addresses some of our worries felt timely but also timeless.”

The book centres on a worry-solving cat Hattie, who helps her animal friends with practical tools for coping on their first day of school, such as mindful yoga and meditation – activities that Olsen finds invaluable when she feels anxious.