Rosie Colosi lives in New Jersey and is a reporter for TODAY Parents. She has bylines in The Atlantic, The Week, MSNBC, and PureWow, and she has written 33 nonfiction children's books for Scholastic, Klutz, and Nat Geo Kids. Once upon a time, she played Mrs.
Musical icon Julie Andrews prioritized family storytime when she was raising young children, so it seems 'practically perfect' that she has collaborated with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, on writing almost three dozen picture books for children.
Their latest book, “Waiting in the Wings,” comes out on April 23. In a phone interview with TODAY.com, the women enthusiastically discuss their partnership, both at work and at home. As a young mother, Andrews says that even when she was on location for work, she would read a book to her five children every night. “To see them all gathered around and looking forward to hearing a book, especially one that we’re all passionate about; that is such a joy as a mum,” she said. Picture books aren't the only family collaboration. Tony Walton, Andrews' first husband, was nominated for an Academy Award for his 'Mary Poppins' costume designs. He also illustrated some of the picture books that Andrews and Hamilton wrote. Andrews made several films with her second husband, Blake Edwards, a director. Andrews made her own directorial debut in a production that was produced by the Bay Street Theater, which was co-founded by Emma Walton Hamilton and her husband, Stephen Hamilton, a food and beverage director and photographer. But wait, there's more! The Hamiltons have two children who are also embarking on creative pursuits. Hope Hamilton made her professional debut in Bay Street Theater's 2021 production of 'Camelot,' and she is now a sophomore at Sarah Lawrence University. Hope's older brother Sam Hamilton is an accomplished filmmaker and editor. As a sound engineer and podcaster, he helps his mom and grandmother when they have to record audio for their projects. 'We kept it in the family,' Andrews says, adding, 'The lovely thing is it saves hair and makeup in the morning. It's such a fun collaboration for us all, and he's awfully good at it.' Joining the family business Andrews says that when Hamilton was a child, they 'made books together as mum and daughter for Emma to take to her dad who was in New York.' 'He would send back an illustration or something. So it brought us all together as a family,' she says. Those first homemade books were a precursor to the women's professional writing partnership in the last 25 years. 'Quite often you'll see an electric company or a plumbing company named 'Smith and Son,'' Hamilton says. 'I think quite often people join the family business.' 'Especially when you're exposed to it growing up,' Andrews adds. Both Andrews and Hamilton say there are 'seldom' differences of opinion when they pair up to write a book. 'We speak a kind of shorthand because we're family and because we've been doing it for so long, and we have a shared sensibility because we know each other so well,' explains Hamilton. 'Everybody knows that the best idea wins.' 'We might debate something, but when it clicks for one or the other of us, and we see the sense of it, we go in that direction and it's actually very pleasurable,' Andrews says. 'Nothing else seems to matter when we're writing it.' The most difficult part of the creative process, the women say, is simply making time to collaborate amid all of their other professional commitments. Hamilton teaches full-time at Stonybrook University, and Andrews has been busy voicing Lady Whistledown on Netflix's 'Bridgerton' series, among other projects. The Andrews family tradition When asked what legacy they hope to pass on to their children and grandchildren, both women immediately respond with 'a love of the arts.' 'Music, theater, art ... anything we can do to bring children closer to enjoying the creative arts. You're better than explaining that than I am, Emma,' Andrews says to her daughter. Without missing a beat, Hamilton says that a child raised in a household steeped in creative arts will be 'more confident, a better problem solver, more likely to succeed in school and in life ...' 'More likely to vote,' Andrews prompts. 'Later in life, more likely to vote, more likely to be philanthropic,' continues Hamilton, urging families to listen to music, share books together and go to the theater whenever possible. 'Those traditions have been going back generations for us.'
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