Acquisition Announcement: Mo’s Stick, an imaginative picture book by Fiona Lumbers

Posted in Acquisition Announcement on Wed, 30 July at 9.29 am

Little Tiger has acquired Mo’s Stick, an imaginative picture book by Fiona Lumbers. 

Art director Charlie Moyler and Editorial director Lauren Ace acquired world rights, all languages, for two picture books from Jodie Hodges at United Agents. Mo’s Stick will publish in hardback in April 2026. 

When Mo’s favourite stick goes missing, the little mouse is bereft. The other sticks on offer simply will not do. As Mo explains, these other sticks cannot achieve all of the wonderful things the original was capable of. But is it truly the stick which is special, or could it be Mo’s wild and wonderful imagination which made it so? 

A charming new pre-school character whose first adventure is a celebration of creativity and imagination. 

Charlie Moyler said: 

Fiona Lumbers is a beacon of joy in British publishing. She has established herself as a fundamental pursuer and champion of pre-school creativity and kindness – and both are infectious. We are thrilled to be bringing Mo, Fiona’s sweetest new character, to bookshelves from next year, and hope to grow a series that imbues this wonderful author-illustrator’s child-centered playfulness with pitch perfect simplicity that speaks to toddlers and carers alike. 

Fiona Lumbers said: 

I am so thrilled to be publishing Mo’s Stick with the fabulous team at Little Tiger. It has been a complete joy to work so collaboratively with Lauren Ace and Charlie Moyler to build such a colourful world for my little mouse to inhabit. I cannot wait for readers to explore Mo’s world and wild imagination. 

Little Tiger will publish Mo’s Stick in April 2026, with book 2 to follow in Spring 2027.  

Fiona Lumbers has drawn on anything and everything from an early age and always insisted she would be an artist when she grew up. Fiona moved to London in 2000 to study for an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art. A combination of her obsession with picture books and the arrival of her first son led her down the path of illustration and she hasn’t looked back since. Nothing makes her happier than splashing watercolours and inks and conjuring up new characters – often influenced by the exploits of her two sons. Fiona is the illustrator of the bestselling Luna Loves… series, written by Joseph Coelho, and wrote and illustrated the critically-acclaimed Clem and Crab. 

Instagram: @fiona_lumbers