Margulies to publish a kids' book

The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies is trying her hand at children's books with Three Magic Balloons, a picture book to be published in May 2016 by Random House Books for Young Readers.

The story is adapted from one written by her father, Paul Margulies, and discovered among his papers by Julianna after his death last fall. Paul Margulies was an award-winning advertising executive — he created the famous "Plop Plop Fizz Fizz" Alka-Seltzer ad — who also wrote children's books. Three Magic Balloons is inspired by stories their father told Julianna and her sisters as children.

It's the tale of three sisters who visit the zoo with their father every Saturday. When their dad offers them a treat at the end of the day, the girls decide instead to buy food for the animals. The balloon man notices their kindness and gives each girl a balloon and tells them, "Tie these to your bed at night — and something quite wonderful will happen."

The book will be illustrated by Grant Shaffer, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker.

"My father had published two children's books, Gold Steps, Stone Steps and What Julianna Could See," Margulies said in a statement. "As children, my sisters and I loved all his stories, and there were many. Right after his death in October, Rachel, Alexandra and I found some of the stories he had written for us. We collectively decided that Three Magic Balloons was worth sending out to publishers, if we could find the right illustrator."

After her father's death last fall, Julianna Margulies wrote a remembrance for Adweek that might remind some of Mad Men's Don Draper:

"My father always thought it was ironic that people swooned when they found out that he was the genius behind the famous ad campaign for Alka-Seltzer," she wrote. "I grew up not really understanding his fame in the advertising world because he never allowed us to watch television. I knew he had a big job, a job that took us to different countries. Ad agencies hired him as their creative director and boasted to have him as their leader. He was the man, after all, who had come up with 'I can't believe I ate the whole thing! ' "