In 2014, Elia was nearly sued by the Penguin Group for her book We Go To The Gallery, a satire of the popular Peter and Jane series. (The book is dark, weird, and painfully funny; you can read tidbits here.) Penguin claimed that Elia's work, independently made and published in an initial pressing of 1,000 copies, infringed on their copyright of the original series. They ordered her to stop selling the book and to destroy any remaining copies she owned.
As you might have guessed, a lot of artists, writers, and human beings thought that was a little far-reaching. But Penguin's voice (and wallet) was bigger, and Elia was—as far as I can tell—elbowed out of the mild and non-threatening success her work had earned her. If that weren't bad enough, a year after issuing their cease-and-desist to Elia, Penguin began a new series of Ladybird books for adults on topics like "dating," "the hangover," and "the mid-life crisis." I haven't read any of these books, but I have a more than slight suspicion that the ideas were copped from Elia.
All is right in the world.
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