Acquisition Announcement: The Elementals by Love Ssega and Erika Meza

Posted in Acquisition Announcement on Wed, 22 October at 9.47 am

Little Tiger has acquired The Elementals – an adventure-filled young fiction series from Love Ssega, illustrated by Erika Meza.

Senior Commissioning Editor Mattie Whitehead acquired world rights for four books directly from the author. Pip Johnson, Senior Designer, acquired illustration rights from Claire Cartey at Holroyde Cartey.

Moana meets the Famous Five – The Elementals is perfect for readers in search of adventure!

Wanzu and his friends will do whatever it takes to keep Sealand – their island home – safe. They all have magical powers connected to the four elements: Air, Water, Earth and Fire. But curious and playful Wanzu hasn’t discovered what his power is yet…

When storms threaten to flood the island, Wanzu leads his friends on a rescue mission. Their quest takes them to magical places, where they learn how to stop the water taking over their home. But will they be able to make it back to Sealand and save the day in time? And will Wanzu ever discover his power?

Mattie Whitehead said: “It has been an extremely special process working with Ssega on The Elementals. With his creative talent and environmental knowledge, paired with passion and care, Ssega has created a magical world full of kindness, adventure (and some fun melodies!) in which children can take the lead. Perfectly brought to life in Erika Meza’s beautiful artwork, Wanzu and the Elementals will be ready to set sail in 2026!”

Love Ssega said: “It is a dream to have this work put out, so I want to thank Mattie Whitehead and the Little Tiger team for believing in this. We need stories of positivity, the marvels of nature and the power of young minds working together, fuelled by imagination. The Elementals would not come to life without stunning illustrations from Erika Meza, which bring the playfulness, joy and humour to the world. So I can’t wait for readers to join us on this first journey!”

 Erika Meza said: “Collaborating with Ssega in bringing his world and characters to life has been a gust of fresh air, and to do so with the Little Tiger team has turned it into an exhilarating experience. The text is fun, intriguing and empowering, and it is my hope that readers of all ages will find themselves reflected in these characters, whether it’s a water baby, our hero – or a Beaver Queen.”

Little Tiger will publish book 1, The Elementals: Wanzu Sets Sail, in April 2026, with book 2 to follow in August 2026, and books 3 and 4 to publish in 2027.

Love Ssega (Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka) is an award-winning musician, performing artist and storyteller who has received international recognition for his work. It is this storytelling that brings him to write his debut fiction series THE ELEMENTALS. Love Ssega was the founding songwriter and frontman of Clean Bandit.

 His life and writing draws on East African Ganda and Bantu stories from his parents, to wide-ranging life experiences from sugarcane research in Haiti to cultural collaborations in Guangxi, China. Love Ssega was selected to host for the official culture talk at United Nations COP26 Climate Conference. He is proudly the founder of the arts-led clean air movement LIVE + BREATHE, has featured in The New York Times Climate Forward. Love Ssega has creative relationships with the National Gallery (UK) and Philharmonia Orchestra and is currently Associate Artist of Southbank Centre.

Instagram: @lovessega

Erika Meza was born in Mexico and, after learning to draw, travelled across the sea to find a nest of her own in South London, where she now lives with her partner, her cat and her little puffling. She’s brought to life books like My Two Border Towns, Stop! That’s not my Story! and Seven Sisters, and is the author and illustrator of To The Other Side.

Instagram: @ErikaDraws