Date Published: 19th July 2017
Today, Barrington Stoke announced a brand new children’s title from the pen of Alexander McCall Smith. Hari and His Electric Feet, written by Alexander McCall Smith and illustrated by Sam Usher, is a joyful, warm-hearted story of a young boy and his unusual talent. Hari is a dreamer with a gift. He spends the few coins he earns washing cars on cinema trips to watch (and learn from) his beloved Bollywood films. Then one day Hari’s fancy footwork is spotted by Mr Ram, a man on a mission to resolve conflicts near and far. Hari so entrances everyone with his magical moves that soon he is dancing all over the world and, wherever he goes, his electric feet bring harmony. This is a delightful book to treasure and to share.
Hari and His Electric Feet will be published in February 2018, joining Barrington Stoke’s Conkers: middle-grade fiction that celebrates the very special alchemy that is interwoven word and picture.
Alexander McCall Smith reads from The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Picture by Chris Watt
2018 marks Barrington Stoke’s 20th anniversary and Hari and His Electric Feet will be a key title for this birthday year.
Alexander McCall Smith commented on Hari and His Electric Feet:
“It is a delight to be publishing again with Barrington Stoke. This new book, which is set in India, gave me great pleasure to write, and I am particularly pleased that the publishers have secured such a fine illustrator to do the illustrations. This is a book about dance and the power of dance – what better setting can there be for a story like that than the land that has given us Bollywood?”
Emma Hargrave said of the acquisition:
“When Hari and His Electric Feet arrived, it had us all jumping for joy. It’s a treasure of a story—with characters that dance off the page and a beautifully depicted Indian backdrop—told with Alexander’s unique wit, wisdom and generosity of spirit. We were thrilled, too, by the authentic atmosphere of Sam Usher’s lively illustrations. We commissioned Sam just after his own Indian adventure. From sketchbooks full of people, places and details, he brought this feel-good story to vibrant life. We have every confidence that Hari and His Electric Feet will have Alexander’s many fans, young and old, jumping for joy too.”