Deal Announcement: The Kingdom of Tigers
HarperCollins Children’s Books has signed The Kingdom of Tigers, a picture book debut by author Felicity Yeoh and illustrator Megan Snyders. It will feature an afterword from the author’s aunt, award-winning actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador, Michelle Yeoh.
Editorial director Holly Tonks bought world rights to the text from Hannah Sheppard at the Hannah Sheppard Literary Agency, and secured the illustrations, alongside art director Candice Turvey, directly from Snyders. The book is out in paperback under the Kumusha Books imprint of 2 July 2026, ahead of International Tiger Day on 29 July 2026.
“The Kingdom of Tigers weaves a poignant tale of survival and hope. As deforestation threatens their home, a tiger and her cub embark on a perilous journey to find safety. When they become separated, the cub must brave the wild with the friends he meets along the way, to return to his mother and find the sanctuary he dreams of.”
Tonks said: “This text stopped me in my tracks when I first read it. I was utterly captivated by the way Felicity presented the plight of the harimau with such passion and lyricism. This feeling is something that has been beautifully reflected in Megan’s stunning illustrations. A book about everyone’s right to sanctuary feels incredibly timely and I cannot wait to publish this outstanding debut pairing.”
Full article by Lucy Nathan at BookBrunch (paywall)
We’ve got some roarsome news today… HarperCollins Children’s Books will publish The Kingdom of Tigers, a picture book debut by author Felicity Yeoh and illustrator Megan Snyders on 2 July 2026, just in time for International Tiger Day on 29 July 2026. The author’s aunt, award-winning actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador, Michelle Yeoh will write the afterword.
News, Hannah Sheppard Literary Agency
Delighted to announce that my debut picture book, THE KINGDOM OF TIGERS, will be published by Kumusha Books next summer!
It's illustrated by Megan Snyders @megan.snyders, whose stunning sample artwork moved me to tears! This is Megan's debut as well - she's an incredible new talent and it's been awesome watching her bring the story to life through her meticulous research and beautiful paintings. The book also includes a letter from my inspirational aunt, Michelle Yeoh @michelleyeoh_official, about the importance of biodiversity and preserving the lush rainforests of our family's home state, Perak, Malaysia, which is the setting for our story: a brave tiger cub leading the search for a forever home.
It was Aunty Michelle's idea to write about Malaysia's endangered harimau tigers, but then the story turned into a dream of a safe home for everyone. For people like me, growing up as part of the Chinese diaspora, home isn't just where you live, it's the home you hear about in stories, and dream of for yourself one day. We were delighted that THE KINGDOM OF TIGERS found its own home at @harpercollinsch, thanks to my wise and wonderful agent Hannah Sheppard @hannah_litagent, and Dapo Adeola @dapsdraws and Ed Vere @ed_vere, who read an early draft at a @booktrust workshop and gave me such generous encouragement and insights. Thanks also to my picture book Jie Jie @evawongnava for her advice and support!
I can't wait to introduce readers to THE KINGDOM OF TIGERS, brought to life by Megan's breathtaking paintings. It's been an incredible experience working on this story with the superstar team at Harper Collins: my incredible editor Holly Tonks @hollytonks, and gorgeous creative director Candice Turvey @candiceturvey.
When we met the Kumusha team and Ken Wilson-Max @wilsonmaxken explained that "Kumusha" means ancestral home, or homeland, I felt a real thrill - the feeling of coming home.
