Jean Jullien illustrates John Lennon’s Imagine lyrics for a book “to inspire a world at peace”

Jean Jullien has illustrated Imagine, the first picture book set to John Lennon’s original lyrics. The book has a foreword by Yoko Ono Lennon and was created in collaboration with Amnesty International to “inspire a new generation to imagine a world at peace”. It will be published on 21 September to coincide with the UN’s International Day of Peace.

The book follows a pigeon “as she sets out on a global journey to spread a message of peace and friendship among birds from around the world, of all shapes and sizes”. Publisher Frances Lincoln Children’s Books has also released a trailer (below) animating Jean’s charismatic bird characters, showing the pigeon hopping off the tube and going on his travels.

A website dedicated to the project, also decorated with Jean’s illustrations and created by The Creative Corporation, allows people to share a message of peace. You can read some of the messages, including written ones from Richard Curtis and Juliet Stevenson, and illustrated ones by Cressida Cowell and Ross Collins.

Juliet Stevenson commented: “This book is a beautiful visual version of John Lennon’s cry for peace and harmony. Its message for humanity has never been more urgently needed than now.”