Kristen Bell to Narrate Josh Gad’s New Picture Book: ‘The Only Person for the Job’ (Exclusive)
Gad’s debut children's book, ‘PictureFace Lizzy,’ will be published this fall
Jesse Grant/Getty; Listening Library
Kristen Bell and the cover of 'PictureFace Lizzy'Frozen stars Kristen Bell and Josh Gad are reuniting for another special project.
PEOPLE can exclusively announce that Bell, 44, will narrate the audiobook for Gad’s forthcoming children’s book, PictureFace Lizzy, out this year from Putnam Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. The audiobook will be released by Listening Library.
PictureFace Lizzy, which includes illustrations by Marta Kissi, tells the story of Eve, a young girl who wants the latest toy that all of her friends have: a doll called PictureFace Lizzy. Once Eve gets her wish, she must then figure out what to do once the rush of having something new wears off.
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'PictureFace Lizzy' by Josh GadThe PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Gad tells PEOPLE that Bell, who is also the author of her own children’s book, The World Needs More Purple, with co-author Benjamin Hart, was the perfect narrator for PictureFace Lizzy.
“The second I realized my voice is simply too deep to bring an adolescent girl to life, I knew that the only person for the job was my friend Kristen Bell,” Gad says.
“I am therefore so grateful that I was able to trick her into being the audiobook narrator of PictureFace Lizzy by telling her she was recording dialogue for Frozen 3,” he jokes of his and Bell’s forthcoming movie, set to be released in 2027.
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Josh Gad and Kristen Bell in 2017Gad previously told PEOPLE that he was inspired to write his book because of his own daughters, Ava and Isabella, who he shares with wife Ida Darvish, and how consumerism affected their lives.
“The book, for me, really became about balance,” Gad said. “I think it's really hard for parents and kids to just go, ‘Never. I'm never going to allow you to have this, and you're just going to have to live for the rest of your life, like a tween version of a monk.’”
Related: Josh Gad Announces New Memoir To Publish in 2025: ‘I Am Thrilled To Share My Stories’ (Exclusive)
“Instead, we found as parents that, ultimately, the best and healthiest way to confront these things, which are ubiquitous now, is by teaching our kids balance by giving them the foundation to build their creative output, and to give them the desire to want to tap into those things so that they don't just become dependent on this thing constantly in front of them,” Gad added.
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PictureFace Lizzy will hit shelves on Sept. 17 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.
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