SOMETIMES CALLED A MODERN "CURIOUS GEORGE", the Gaspard & Lisa children's book series by wife-and-husband team Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben has been translated into approx. 15 languages - including Swedish and Norwegian (Kasper & Lisa) - and sold over a million copies. The clever first-person narrative by Gutman and the characteristic bold acrylic paintings by Hallensleben have made Gaspard & Lisa an established brand with over 60 licensees - hugely successful in Japan - and an animated television series is also in development for international launch in 2010.

© Chorion Ltd. / Anne Gutman & Georg Hallensleben / Hachette Livre

The first Gaspard & Lisa book was published in French in 1999 and there are currently 35 books from Hachette, with new titles regularly being produced. In Japan, a powerful merchandising program has been developed, including a Gaspard & Lisa branded store in Yokohama and a dedicated Japanese web site at http://www.lisagas.jp. Core target for the original program is adult women with infants and children up to 5 as a secondary group.

A Gaspard & Lisa animated television series of 52 x 11' minutes is in development with French broadcaster TF1, planned for debut in 2010.

Gaspard and Lisa are two six-year-olds - something between rabbits and dogs - who live in a realistic Paris environment together with their families. They interact naturally with humans and other animate beings in a variety of settings and situations - everyday adventures, followed by little catastrophes. The Paris of Gaspard & Lisa is a recognizable world of tiny cobbled streets, waterways, beautiful gardens, twinkling lights and golden domes, and the couple also travels to many other cities and countries to enjoy, admire and learn more about the world.

Lisa is a little lady and Gaspard a pure-hearted boy. The two have been friends ever since they swapped scarves at their first day in school. Everything makes them curious and they experience adventures at home as well as abroad, always with the inevitable "catastrophe" moment that delight readers of all ages. Unique art and design; well-written humorous adventures with lots of travel to different environments; innocence, curiousity and drastic plot twists have made Gaspard & Lisa an international publishing phenomenon.