Behind the Books

The French edition of The Fox and the Crow is now available in both hardcover and softcover. Le Corbeau et le Renard follows a clever fox, a proud crow, and one very tempting piece of cheese. Through flattery and a carefully chosen compliment, the fox finds a way to get exactly what he wants. This classic fable has been told and retold for generations, but its lesson about pride, praise, and believing everything we are told remains just as familiar today. A Monarch Tales Picture Book Le Corbeau et le Renard is part of the Monarch Tales series , which introduces traditional fables to young readers through short, accessible stories and distinctive illustrations. The characters and scenes in this edition were created using modelling clay and mixed-media artwork, giving the fox, crow, and their woodland setting a playful, three-dimensional appearance. Une fable intemporelle sur un renard rusé, un corbeau vaniteux et un morceau de fromage. The book was written and illustrated by Jacqueline...

“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” — Warren Buffett Why Are Some Little Goodbyes Press Book Prices Changing? If you've been browsing the Little Goodbyes Press catalogue recently, you may notice that the prices of some books are changing. Changing the cost of our books is never a decision I make lightly. In fact, after IngramSpark sent their we are changing the costs of printing books (increased its printing costs earlier this year), I deliberately waited several months before making any changes as I wanted to see how those increased costs affected royalties across our different books and formats over time. For us, publishing isn't just about writing stories. It's also about making sure those stories remain sustainable to produce for years to come and that means pricing needed to be adjusted from time to time. Printing Costs Don't Stay the Same Like many businesses, print-on-demand publishers occasionally face increases in production costs. When the cost of ...

Exciting news!  Bye-Bye, les tétées is now available in both softcover and ebook editions. The French translation of Bye-Bye, Boobies has been available in hardcover for some time, and we are pleased to make the story accessible in additional formats for families, educators, and libraries. Like the original English edition, Bye-Bye, les tétées follows a young child as they navigate the transition away from breastfeeding. Told from the toddler's point of view, the book offers reassurance during a milestone that can bring many emotions for both children and caregivers. Creating a translated edition is about more than converting words from one language to another. Children's books rely on tone, rhythm, and meaning, all of which require careful consideration when adapting a story for a new audience. If you're interested in the translation process, you can also read our earlier post, Why Human Translators Still Matter in an AI World . Although I'm not fluent in French mys...

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." — John Muir There is something special about camping in the summer. From setting up tents and roasting marshmallows to exploring trails and falling asleep under the stars, camping creates memories that often last a lifetime. Whether your family camps every year or simply enjoys stories about outdoor adventures, these picture books celebrate the fun, friendship, and unexpected surprises that come with spending time in nature. A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee By Chris Van Dusen  Mr. Magee and his dog Dee head into the mountains for a relaxing camping trip, but a marshmallow-loving bear accidentally sends their camper rolling toward a waterfall. Filled with rhyming text, humour, and adventure, this camping classic is a fun read-aloud for summer or anytime. Buy on Amazon   Buy on Bookshop Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping by Melanie Watt Scaredy Squirrel likes to plan for every possible disaster, which makes camping s...

"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." — Gustav Mahler One of the best things about creating the Changing Traditions  series is discovering facts that I never knew myself and bringing them to life in these books. When I started researching Samhain: A Story About Halloween , I assumed pumpkins had always been part of Halloween. After all, these orange glowing jack-o'-lanterns seem just as much a symbol of the holiday as costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating. It turns out, pumpkins weren't the original Halloween lanterns at all. Long before pumpkins lined front porches across North America, people in parts of Ireland and Britain carved turnips, rutabagas, and other large root vegetables into lanterns. And that discovery sent me down a fascinating rabbit hole looking at all the different casts of these lantern carvings like the one below from Ireland.  A traditional Irish turnip Jack-o'-lantern from the early 20th century. Photographe...

 "Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." — Emilie Buchwald One of my favourite memories from elementary school is sitting on the carpet during story time and looking up at the book while the teacher read aloud. Long before I could read many of the words myself, I loved studying the illustrations on the cover, searching for details, and wondering what clues they might hold about the story inside. I'm sure that's  one reason I enjoy designing book covers today. A cover is often a reader's first introduction to a book. Before the first page is turned, before the story begins, the cover gives readers a glimpse into the world waiting inside. Over the different series I've worked on, these different books call for different approaches which was a bit of a surprise as I thought I would only do full wraparound covers for all my kids books. For my first book,  Bye-Bye, Boobies , I chose a wraparound cover. Rather than treating the front and back as se...