Details Unveiled About U.S. Publication of Archbishop Desmond Tutu's Children of God Storybook Bible During Worldwide Launch at Cape Town Book Fair

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Annette Bourland, senior vice president and publisher with Zonderkidz™, will join Nobel Peace Prize Winner -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu -- and other publishing partners to provide details about the U.S. publication and worldwide launch of Tutu's first children's storybook Bible at the Cape Town Book Fair in Cape Town, South Africa on July 30th at 11 a.m.

The Children of God Storybook Bible, written by Tutu, retells more than fifty of his best-loved stories from the Old and the New Testament. This Bible artfully highlights God's desire for all people to love one another and to find peace and forgiveness in their hearts.

Joining Archbishop Tutu and Annette Bourland for the international launch will be Ivan Siegelaar, musician; Lynn Franklin, of Lynn C. Franklin Associates, Ltd., Archbishop Tutu's literary agent, and foreign rights agent for this project on behalf of Lux Verbi; co-publisher Stephan Spies from Lux Verbi.BM; plus a children's choir from South Africa.

"I am honored to participate in this worldwide event and share details about the scope of publishing required for a project of this magnitude," said Annette Bourland, adding, "The various stages of publication development have spanned more than a year-and-a-half."

Bourland's remarks will highlight such steps as manuscript preparation,  creative direction, research, marketing, and proofing required for this children's Bible to meet the U.S. publishing deadlines. The Bible is scheduled to release from Zondervan's warehouse in July for delivery to retail stores throughout the nation. Publishing month is August in the U.S.

The worldwide launch event is designed for members of the international book trade, media and invited guests visiting the Cape Town Book Fair to hear firsthand about what makes the Children of God Storybook Bible unique. It is designed to help children read the Bible not as part of a system of belief to know the theology of the Bible and doctrines of the different churches, but to help them understand Christianity as a "Way of Life." Archbishop Tutu is expected to give his perspective about why this is a "global" Bible for children.

"One of the greatest things about the Children of God Storybook Bible is that this is a global effort and it celebrates the church family worldwide," said Annette Bourland.

Written for children between the ages of four and seven, it is being dubbed as the "biggest children's Bible project the world has seen." All told, ten publishers worldwide have already signed up to be part of this exciting publication, and the number is growing. Publishers include:  English --  HarperCollins UK, Zonderkidz, Lux Verbi; World Spanish  --  Vida/Zondervan; The Netherlands/Dutch --   Jongbloed; Denmark/Danish --   Forlaget Alfa; Brazil/Portuguese  --  Editora Vida Melhor S.A.; Italy/Italian  --  Arnoldo Mondadori S.p.A.; Germany/German  --  Pattloch Kinderbuch.

The Children of God Storybook Bible will be available in multiple languages: Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa, Zulu, English, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Danish.

About the Illustrators

Twenty of the finest artists from around the world have been selected to illustrate the stories. In an attempt to create the first truly global Bible for children, the artists have been invited to portray the stories with the style and richness of their own culture. Their stunning color illustrations allow readers to experience the Bible stories as if they were there  --  with Adam and Eve in the garden, with Noah on the ark, with Abraham in the desert, and with Jesus on the mountaintop.  (Contact Zonderkidz for names and photos of illustrators.)

Scope of U.S. Product Availability

Zonderkidz is publishing the Children of God Storybook Bible in a hardcover, jacketed edition (ISBN: 9780310719120) for $18.99, along with additional product. An Ebook, ePub (ISBN: 9780310578338) will be available for $9.99, and an Audio Download, unabridged, (ISBN: 9780310578345) also will be available for $15.99.

Visit www.zondervan.com on the Children of God Storybook Bible product details page to view a special book trailer featuring Tutu or go to childrenofGodBible.com to watch a free video featuring Tutu reflecting on the project and to download two of the stories read by him.

Zonderkidz, a division of Zondervan, and Harper Collins, inspires young lives through imagination and innovation. As the leader in Christian children's communications, it produces bestselling and award-winning Bibles, books, board books, graphic novels, audio, video, and digital products that awaken the hearts and touch the souls of kids under 16 and the people who love them, from family members to educators. Zonderkidz is the publisher of the NIrV (New International Reader's Version) Bible translation, the 3rd-grade reading level edition of the NIV that is ideal for children and those who speak English as a second language. Visit Zonderkidz on the Internet at www.zonderkidz.com.

SOURCE Zondervan