Michael Crawford Pens Foreword for New Children's Book

Tony and Olivier-award winner Michael Crawford has penned the foreword to a new children's book, "The Bravehearts of Bluebell Woods" hitting shelves in January to raise funds for the Bluebell Wood's Children's Hospice in North Aniston, England. 

BroadwayWorld.com checked in with Crawford, who told us that "It's a beautifully written story about supporting each other, quite relevant in today's world and 'specially with regards to the Bluebell Hospice for children that benefits from the proceeds."

The book includes the creations of six talented children who won a competition to name the characters. For information on how the book came together, click here.  

For information on the charity, and to pre-order the new book, click here for more information.

Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice provides care and support to families who have a child who has a life limiting condition and is not expected to live into adulthood. They support the whole family, both at their site in North Anston, and in families' own homes. There are only 40 children's hospices in the country, so the area that they look after covers all of South Yorkshire, North-East Derbyshire, North Lincolnshire and North Nottinghamshire.

According to the charity's web site about the new book "Bluebell Wood is a happy place..until a sly old fox sneaks up on it.

But the Foxmaster General is not the best spy in the world, and he soon finds out that the little band of woodland creatures are more than just good friends.

They are the Bravehearts of Bluebell Wood and they will do anything to protect their little wood from the Foxmastee General and his Rat Pack Army.

This hardback book for children has been written by Peter J Murray, famous for the best-selling Mokee Joe series.

Juggling both film and stage careers, Michael Crawford had established himself as one of London's finest leading men long before he opened as "the Phantom" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera beginning one of the most widely acclaimed and memorable performances in theatre history. Few stars are as widely connected to a single role as Crawford is to "the Phantom." His Los Angeles and Broadway performances earned an astonishing catalogue of critical recognition including the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and the Los Angeles Dramalogue Award and Drama Critics Award. Since leaving "Phantom" after nearly four years in the role in London, New York and Los Angeles; Crawford has become a multi-platinum recording artist and one of the worlds's most sought after concert and stage performers, playing to sold-out venues around the globe. In addition to his recent concert work, stage credits in London and on Broadway include Billy, Flowers for Algernon, Black Comedy, Dance of the Vampires and Barnum.

Michael Crawford's most recent theatrical appearance found him originating the role of Count Fosco in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White, for which he won both the Variety Club, and WhatsOnStage.com awards. For more information on Michael Crawford and his other charity work, click here to visit his official web site.