Benj Pasek and Justin Paul to Release Children's Book AXL THE AXOLOTL IS NOT A FROG with J.P. Brammer

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, acclaimed songwriting team known for projects like Dear Evan Hanson and The Greatest Showman, are heading into new territory with their children's book Axl the Axolotl Is Not a Frog.

Written by columnist and author J.P. Brammer (¡Hola Papi!) and presented by the songwriting duo, the illustrated book follows Axl the Axolotl, who, on the first day of school, discovers he is the only one of his kind there. Amid a world of fish, lizards, and frogs, Axl must find where he belongs and learn to love his differences. 

“We are so excited to introduce Axl to the world alongside writer JP Brammer and illustrator Vanessa Morales, two extraordinary storytellers who have brought this character so vividly to life in Axl the Axolotl Is Not a Frog,” Pasek and Paul told People, who were the first to report the news of the book.

"We hope this character and the world he inhabits inspire readers of all ages to embrace and celebrate the things that make them uniquely themselves, in this first of hopefully many Axl stories to come." The book will be released by Flamingo Books on April 14, 2026, and is now available for preorder here.

Pasek and Paul are the Tony Award-winning songwriters behind such shows as Dear Evan Hansen, Dogfight, and A Christmas Story. For the screen, they wrote songs for La La Land, The Greatest Showman, Spirited, and Only Murders in the Building. Other recent projects include Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Disney's live-action remake of Snow White, and the upcoming The Greatest Showman stage musical.