Quvenzhané Wallis Hopes to Reach Young Readers With Her New Books

Quvenzhané Wallis the 12 year actress who has starred in the remake of the movie, Annie, and in the movies Beasts of the Southern Wild, Twelve Years a Slave, and the animated film, Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet will now turn her talents to publishing.  Publishers Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers have announced that they have made a deal with Miss Wallis to publish a chapter-book trilogy and a picture book to be released between January 2017 and Summer 2018. The picture book will be loosely based on her life experiences and the chapter books will be based on the adventures of a spunky talented third grader. The talented Wallis who is the youngest actress ever to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress hopes to reach readers ages six and older. “Reading is very important,” Wallis said. “It allows people to form a visual experience in their minds of what is going on in the story. I hope all readers enjoy using their imaginations along with me and take a journey into my books.”

Dawn Davis, VP and publisher of 37 INK, a division of Atria added, “The characters Quvenzhane has portrayed have an alluring mix of self-possession and vulnerability. We look forward to her bringing that same electric combination to the page. We also hope these books will help expand the diverse array of voices in the children’s book space.” 

The Beasts of the Southern Wild, the fantasy film that was a favorite at Sundance Film Festival can now be seen on demand TV. The story line follows the adventure of a young African American girl, Hushpuppy (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) who  survives an apocalypse in the Bayou of Louisiana.   Although a young girl stars in the leading role the storyline is for a much older audience. The film is rated PG-13. The director and producers of the film have invited everyone interested to the  TV premiere.

Read the following invitation:

“Join us on Friday, November 23rd for an evening of food, friends and film!

In celebration of the Beasts of the Southern Wild on demand release, we’re asking you to host a post-Thanksgiving Day Beasts watch party in your home! Get creative with leftovers, or if you want, we can send you our Bathtub inspired, community sourced recipe book for fun food fare! Need decorations? We’ll send you flyers and buttons to get everyone in the party the spirit!

It doesn’t stop there.  The Beasts team wants to join your Feast of the Southern Wild!  On Friday, Nov 23rd, between the hours of 9pm EST and 12am EST, director Benh Zeitlin, producers Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey and Josh Penn and our New Orleans based crew will join your party online!

Beyond our wildest expectations, Beasts has traveled the globe and now it’s coming to your home.  Help us share the film and continue the conversation with others!  Beasts will be available on the following platforms, Comcast, iTunes, DirecTv, AT&T UVerse, Verizon FiOS, Amazon, XBOX, Playstation, Vudu, and many more!

If you’d like to host a Beasts watch party, send us an email at beasts@beastsofthesouthernwild.com!”