Coles announces world-first Little Treehouse collectables

Stikeez are gone and now Coles have announced their new range of mini collectables will be 24 pocket-sized books from the famous Treehouse series.

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Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton have huge imaginations but right now the world-renowned author and illustrator duo are thinking small.

The creators of the award-winning Treehouse book series have collaborated with Coles to produce 24 pocket-sized books as part of the supermarket giant’s latest collectable campaign.

The Coles Little Treehouse books will be available in stores from Wednesday (July 29) with every $30 purchase.

Children's author Andy Griffiths with two of the Coles Little Treehouse books. Picture: David Caird

Griffiths and Denton – who have been using lockdown in Victoria to finalise their 130-Storey Treehouse – said the collectables were a celebration of the soon-to-be 10-book series.

“A lot of the Little Books will feature favourite characters from over the years and give them a chance to really shine,” Griffiths said.

SEE ALL 24 NEW TITLES BELOW

“There will be a couple of feature tours, one through the treehouse, some new episodes, including an elephant on a bicycle which is a sneak peek of a character you will see later in the year when the 130-Storey Treehouse comes out.”

With more than 10 million copies of their books sold in Australia, 80 children’s choice awards and 10 Australian Book Industry Awards, the key to success for this famous pair has been to always allow their inner child to run amok.

The Little Treehouse Book Collection case. Picture: David Caird

“Humour is everything,” Griffiths said. “I’ve always written for my own amusement and as a secondary school teacher in my late 20s, I saw kids struggling with books that weren’t written for their time.

“When you’re beginning reading, we forget how much effort each word and sentence can be to decipher. Fortunately, I met Terry very early on and his drawings were the key to that. With his drawings, it saves me hundreds of words spent on descriptions.”

Griffiths said their books were created to inspire children to break the rules in their imaginations so they wouldn’t in the real world.

“In our books, they’re completely imagination inspired where there are no limits, there are no rules and you can dare yourself to think of the silliest, most dangerous thing and there are no real-world consequences,” he said.

The 24 titles in the new Little Treehouse Book Collection. Picture: David Caird

Coles CEO Lisa Ronson said the world-first collectable campaign aimed to encourage a lifelong love of books.

“The original Treehouse book series means so much to Aussie kids... it was an easy choice when looking for stories that would capture the imagination,” Ms Ronson said.

“We all remember the excitement that Little Shop created for customers of all ages and we really wanted to create that same level of excitement for reading – because we know that enjoying books on a regular basis leads to improved literacy skills, better educational outcomes and happier children.”

Coles will also launch its first picture storybook competition on Wednesday, encouraging kids to develop their own fictional book which will attract prizes and book donations to schools and remote Indigenous communities through Coles’ partnership with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.