If you existed on the internet this past spring, you might have heard the viral song “If I Were A Fish” by corook and their partner, Olivia Barton. The duo posted a video of the two of them singing the song on TikTok, amassing over 18.7 million views to date.
Now, the popular song has been turned into a picture book, published by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. corook and Barton wrote the book, and critically-acclaimed author/illustrator Mike Curato provided the book’s illustrations.
The book follows a similar premise to the song lyrics, giving readers a message of positivity and kindness while reminding everyone that it’s always best to be yourself.
“We are beyond excited about this book. It’s a complete dream come true. Our hope is for this book to be healing for young people and anyone connected to their inner child,” said corook and Barton. “We’re so grateful to Macmillan and Mike Curato for bringing our song to life in this way, and can’t wait to see everyone reading and singing along!”
“We are excited to collaborate with corook, Olivia and Macmillian and help bring the inspiring song lyrics of “If I Were A Fish” to new audiences and to celebrate corook’s heartfelt messages of self-confidence with readers everywhere,” said Vice President, Creative, Sony Music Publishing Thomas Krottinger.
On Dec. 11, corook, Barton and Curato will be celebrating the launch of “If I Were A Fish” at the Manhattan independent bookstore P&T Knitwear. The trio will have a moderated conversation with Stephen Daw (Pride editor at Billboard) about their inspiration, the book’s powerful message and the process of turning the hit song into a book in just over 5 months, and there will also be a live performance from corook and Barton.
Tickets for the event are available on Eventbrite.com for $23.91. Each ticket includes a signed copy of the book.
“If I Were A Fish” is available for purchase on macmillan.com.
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