Christina Perri Transforms Her Biggest Hit Into A Children’s Book

It has been over a decade since Christina Perri dropped the unforgettable tune that will probably still be sung a thousand years from now.

The singer-songwriter recently transformed one of her biggest hit songs, “A Thousand Years,” into a children’s book — a tribute to the younger generation and her adorable daughters.

Christina Perri joined forces with renowned illustrator Joy Hwang Ruiz to create the upcoming book named after her famous song. It will go on sale on April 1, 2025, marking a new era for the artist.

In a new interview, Perri opened up about why she chose to transform “A Thousand Years” into a children’s book. She reflected on the song’s journey, noting she never expected the 2011 hit to grow as much as it did.

“What’s kind of amazing about the whole situation is when I wrote this song, I was only 24. As I grew up, it was like all the listeners and the fans of this song grew up, and then they all started getting married,” Perri explained, noting she believed her song would die off as a wedding jam.

“Now everybody started having babies, and everyone is playing this song for their babies. And then I myself started having babies, so it’s all been like organic timeline like in my actual life,” she told PEOPLE, adding:

“I decided to make lullaby albums because that’s what I’m singing to my girls, and so I make a lullaby version of ‘A Thousand Years,’ and now everybody’s playing that on TikTok.”

After the lullaby version of “A Thousand Years” went viral on Tiktok, the next step for Perri was to make it something children could continue to enjoy as they got older. In her words:

“It just happened so naturally, and everybody feels so grateful that this song has been a thread in the story of so many people’s lives. So it kind of felt like the most natural thing to do to make it a kid’s book.”

The idea came from Perri’s motherhood experiences, noting she was “constantly reading books with my kids.” She shares daughters Pixie Rose, 22 months, and Carmella, 6½ years old, with her husband Paul Costabile.

Perri also raved about her partnership with the illustrator Hwang Ruiz, noting she drew images based on her daughters, including Carmella’s bunny. “When she sent in her pitch, my girls were there. It was so meant to be that she became the illustrator,” she gushed.

“She made it so that Carmella’s bunny is on every page, so you can look for the bunny, which my daughters loved when we opened the book. Joy did such an amazing job. I’m just in love with her work,” the singer chimed, noting that other characters in the book featured little nods to her family.

Besides having children connect with her upcoming book, Perri hoped her older fans would appreciate “A Thousand Years” new form. “I’m forever lucky to get to sing it or turn it into a children’s book. It just feels so cool,” she declared.

The children’s book isn’t the first time Perri has created something for daughters. The Blast reported that she made an album for her late daughter, Rosie, who was tragically “born silent” on November 24, 2020.

She announced the news in an Instagram post, revealing the album’s name as “Songs For Rosie,” with its first single titled “Here Comes The Sun.” Perri implored fans to honor her late daughter, partly writing:

“I hope you enjoy these songs that we’re singing for her. I hope you play them to your families in her honor. I hope you’re inspired to think of anyone you may keep in your heart and, most of all to, Rosie, our darling girl, we love you forever. come find us again soon.”

Dealing with the loss of her daughter was a challenging period for Perri, with The Blast noting she got candid about her grief in an emotional interview. The singer said:

“There was so much anger and pain and sadness. And there were days I couldn’t even see a future version of me.”

Months after the tragic incident, Perri discovered she had a treatable blood-clotting disorder that could have influenced her miscarriages. However, she wasn’t “angry at doctors” for not finding the cause sooner but chose to raise awareness about the issue.

Looking at how far Christina Perri has come since the heartbreaking loss of her daughter, she certainly deserves “A Thousand Years” worth of happiness.