Legendary punk rocker Joey Ramone is the subject of a children’s book that speaks to “all the kids who feel a little different.” The book is titled Gabba Gabba We Accept You: The Wondrous Tale of Joey Ramone, and will be released on June 27th via the record label Drag City.
The 51-page book, which can be pre-ordered via Amazon or the Drag City website, was written by Jay Ruttenberg and illustrated by Lucinda Schreiber. An official description reads as follows:
“Calling all parents lost in Kids Book Land! Gabba Gabba We Accept You is a children’s picture book telling the story of a misfit kid who grew up to be a punk rock hero. The challenging times that Jeffrey Ross Hyman endured before becoming Joey Ramone speak to young folks navigating the complexities of growing up, via teachable punk stuff: being your own person with your own compass, embracing uniqueness, etc. Jay Ruttenberg & Lucinda Schreiber light the tale righteously with plain-spoken language, lyrical graphic design and colorful illustrations, finding unexpected depths on every page.”
Ruttenberg added, “My daughter just turned 11, so I’ve spent recent years in children’s book land. I think I’ve read her 97 books about Abraham Lincoln and 12,984 about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It occurred to me that a lot of the life lessons I’ve been trying to teach her weren’t learned through my family or school, but through punk stuff: the importance of being your own person, following your own radar instead of a group’s, embracing uniqueness, etc. The Ramones, and in particular Joey, seemed like the perfect embodiment of that.”
Meanwhile, the late Ramones frontman is also the subject of an in-the-works Netflix movie, I Slept With Joey Ramone, starring Pete Davidson and based on the book of the same name by the punk icon’s brother, Mickey Leigh. However, production may be on pause as a legal battle ensues between the estates of Joey Ramone and Johnny Ramone.
See the cover artwork Gabba Gabba We Accept You: The Wondrous Tale of Joey Ramone below.
Content shared from consequence.net.