Designer Eleanor Bowmer signs multi-book deal with Bloomsbury
Designer Eleanor Bowmer has signed a multi-book deal with Bloomsbury, with the first two books part of a board book series called Makes Me Happy, scheduled for publication in September 2026, followed by a Little Star Signs series for babies, with all 12 zodiac signs publishing simultaneously in January 2027.
Senior designer Emma Hobson and senior commissioning editor Emily Ball at Bloomsbury Children’s Books acquired rights to a licensing partnership for a multi-book deal with world rights in all languages directly from Eleanor Bowmer. Beyond the initial raft of publishing, further books are scheduled for the coming years, the publisher says.
Playtime Makes Me Happy! and Christmas Makes Me Happy! are the first two books in the series, while the zodiac series “extends an iconic element of Eleanor’s existing product range into a new series for the very youngest readers.” Based in Manchester, Bowmer’s home and gift brand is stocked in stores including Next, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis, M&S and Selfridges.
Ball said: “Eleanor’s work is rooted in colour, creativity and joy, so we are overjoyed to be bringing that energy and passion to our new publishing partnership with her. Positioning her as a vibrant and uplifting new voice in the pre-school market, we know readers will be drawn into Eleanor’s warm and playful world – just as we have been. As a remarkable creative force and talented entrepreneur, it is a privilege to collaborate with her on such positive, joyful books – books we hope will inspire a love of reading for first readers and make everyone who encounters them smile. Beginning with pre-school, this partnership marks the start of a wider programme we look forward to developing with Eleanor, with even more publishing to come!”
Hobson added: “I’m so delighted to be collaborating with Eleanor Bowmer. As an admirer of her designs for years, watching her brand grow and expand into new realms, it feels like a real privilege to transform her joyful, vibrant work into books that will bring even more colour and excitement to little readers everywhere.”
Bowmer said of the deal: “It honestly feels like such a pinch-me moment to be working with Bloomsbury. As a mum of two, and having grown up around education with teacher parents, reading has always felt really special to me. It’s where imagination starts and where so many core memories are made. I still remember that feeling of getting lost in a book as a child, and now I get to share that same magic with my own children. To be creating something together that can become part of other families’ everyday moments is incredibly meaningful, and I’m so excited to see where it takes us.”
