The Shins’ James Mercer Pens Debut Children’s Book

James Mercer is adding another creative outlet to a milestone year for the Shins. The singer/songwriter has announced Book of Dreams, his first children’s book, due March 2, 2027, from Random House Studio. Inspired by conversations with his daughters, the 40-page picture book explores the mysterious, funny and emotionally complex worlds children inhabit while they sleep through rhyming verse and vivid illustrations by longtime collaborator Jacob Escobedo.

“Dreams were something my daughters and I talked about all the time,” Mercer says. “I wanted this book to capture the feeling of moving through those strange nighttime worlds where anything can happen and emotions feel larger than life. Working with Jacob brought the whole thing into a place that felt even more vivid and alive than I originally pictured.”

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The project reunites Mercer with Escobedo, whose visual work has long been intertwined with the Shins and Broken Bells through album artwork, music videos and creative direction. The book will also be accompanied by a forthcoming lullaby written and performed by Mercer, extending the story beyond the page, while the audiobook edition will be narrated by the musician himself.

According to Random House Studio editor Maria Correa, Book of Dreams embraces every side of childhood imagination. “The book doesn’t shy away from the darker side of dreams—it empowers children to see themselves as the authors of those wildly creative stories,” she says. “At its heart, this is a project about imagination and the emotional lives of children.”

The announcement comes as the Shins continue celebrating their 30th anniversary following a very quiet period. As previously reported, the band is offering a limited-edition 7-inch featuring the previously unreleased 1996 recordings “The Living End” and “All Messed Up,” and will tour for the first time in four years this fall on a North American outing with Weezer.

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