Snuggle Up As Jan Brett Gives A Sneak Preview Of Her Cozy Forthcoming Book

Musk oxen are the new sloths are the new unicorns, you heard it here first. Jan Brett has spent the past year painting a musk ox for her upcoming book, Cozy, named for the main character. Musk oxen, or umingmak, are an arctic animal with an incredibly soft coat of qiviot (Brett has used it to knit), and Cozy, you will see, is a character set to rival Hedgie, Brett's famous hedgehog, for popularity.

Brett performed a reading of her upcoming book as a part of Operation Storytime, Romper's cry for help during the voluntary shut-in, which was answered by children's book authors and illustrators across the country.

There is a reason that Brett's book tours attract crowds by the wagonload — she is a natural storyteller, and loves to share details about how her books come about (one a year, usually). She researched Cozy at a musk ox farm in Alaska, where her daughter lives. Again, you're going to be seeing musk oxen on sweaters, coozies, throw pillows. Mark my words!

You can expect to see Cozy out later this year, when there should also be one of Brett's famed bus tours with her husband in tow (I highly recommend.) In the meantime, you can find all the authors and illustrators sharing their books in an online storytime by searching #OperationStorytime on social media, or looking at our roundup on the site.

And don't forget to snuggle up!