by Ann Parker, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Last week I shared information that I collected on the role that small, independent book publishers play in publishing multicultural children’s books, particularly bilingual books. In this post I examine the contributions made by small presses and discuss some publishers who are committed to publishing quality children’s books that were originally printed in another country and often in another language.
Not too long ago, as a child growing up in Georgetown, D.C., I remember little Mom and Pop stores located on every corner. My friend Sarah lived near Mrs. Rosen’s store — so close that her mom would send us there on Saturday mornings to get breakfast. You had to ring the bell at Mrs. Rosen’s so she would buzz you in. We had another corner store closer to our home, where my 25 cent weekly allowance would buy a lot of penny candy.
Of course, the last twenty years or so have seen the rise of the “big box” store, stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Barnes and Noble, and the demise of many small, local businesses, including those corner stores I loved so much as a kid. Along with the markets and hardware stores went the small, independently owned bookstores. Many such wonderful booksellers have gone out of business here in Tucson in the last ten years. I’m sure your town has lost many local bookstores as well.
The good news is that while many small bookstores have closed, and many small book publishers have been gobbled up by big conglomerates, there is still a number of select independent publishers who continue to publish children’s books, particularly those aimed at children from different ethnic backgrounds, since this is a niche that the larger companies aren’t interested in due to the small market number. I wrote about several of these companies in my last blog: Children’s Book Press, Cinco Puntos, Piñata Books, and Salina Bookshelf. There are several other wonderful small presses in the U.S., including Lee and Low Books, Barefoot Books, Charlesbridge, Chronicle Books, and Just Us Books, to name a few.
How are these companies able to survive? And why should we care?
They survive for several reasons:
- They do not need to sell many copies of a book to make money (small companies can sell as few as 1,000 copies of a book to cover their costs; larger companies need to sell at least 7,500 copies).
- They can take more risks with authors or genres.
- They can more quickly respond to community needs or requests.
- They can guarantee quality literature.
- Many of their books win major awards.
I spoke with several authors who praised smaller presses because their editors spent more time looking for culturally authentic authors and illustrators and supporting the author and illustrator during the publishing process. For this reason, many teachers, librarians, and local booksellers trust these companies to publish quality, culturally authentic children’s books.
The companies I discussed last week chose to focus on publishing quality multicultural children’s books, particularly bilingual books, because they recognized a need for these books in their communities. They also weren’t competing with the conglomerate publishers for these niche markets. Similarly, there are two companies focusing specifically on publishing international children’s books: Kane/Miller Publishers and North/South Books.
Kane/Miller’s website describes the publisher as “specializing in award-winning children’s books from around the world. Our books bring the children of the world closer to each other, sharing stories and ideas, while exploring cultural differences and similarities.” Its international children’s books are published in English, but it does have several titles published in Spanish. Some of Kane/Miller’s outstanding books include No! That’s Wrong! (China) by author/illustrators Zuaohua Ji and Cui Xu, the hilarious story of what happens when a piece of laundry flies off the line and onto the head of a rabbit, Everyone Poops (Japan) by Taro Gomi (I believe the title says it all!), Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge (Australia) by Mem Fox, about a little boy who wants to know what happened to his grandmother’s memory and then helps her find it, and Why? (Slovenia) by Lila Prap, that provides answers to evocative questions about animals next to stunning illustrations.
North/South Publishers is the English-language imprint of the Swiss book publisher NordSüd. According to their website, “From the start [24 years ago], our aim has been to build bridges — bridges between authors and illustrators from different countries and between readers all around the world. Our Spring 2009 list brings you some of the most talented writers and illustrators from Switzerland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Finland, Austria, India, and Slovenia.” Some of their award-winning books include the Rainbow Fish series by Marcus Pfister and The Little Polar Bear series by Hans de Beer.
Many quality multicultural, bilingual, and international children’s books are being published by smaller, independent book publishers. They may not get the media recognition that larger companies get by turning their children’s books into brands, but they nonetheless survive in this time of hefty conglomerates. The smaller companies focus on publishing quality books rather than a quantity of books, since they can afford to publish –- and sell -– fewer copies of books than the big companies. These independent publishers continue to provide children with books that represent them in their own communities as well as books that provide them with a window into another child’s life.
Please visit wowlit.org to browse or search our growing database of books, to read one of our two on-line journals, or to learn more about our mission.
- Themes: Ann Parker
- Descriptors: Books & Resources, Debates & Trends, WOW Currents
I am a children’s book designer as well and I totally take your side of opinion here. You have a strong point of view. Thanks for sharing this.