Charlesbridge Publishing

Charlesbridge is a small, family-run publisher of about 50 titles per year (according to the Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market 2016, 80% of those are from unagented authors). Nonfiction makes up about 60% of their list. (source)

From their website:
"Charlesbridge publishes high-quality books for children, with a goal of creating lifelong readers and lifelong learners. Our books encourage reading and discovery in the classroom, library, and home. We believe that books for children should offer accurate information, promote a positive worldview, and embrace a child's innate sense of wonder and fun. To this end, we continually strive to seek new voices, new visions, and new directions in children's literature."

Charlesbridge accepts unsolicited submissions. You'll find submission guidelines here. Be sure to check out their blog, too!

We especially loved many of their nonfiction titles and noticed a real commitment to diversity. According to SCBWI's The Book, they are seeking "innovative nonfiction."

Getting to know Charlesbridge Publishing

Charlesbridge Goes for the Silver (Publisher's Weekly)

Editorial Director – Yolanda Scott

Interview from 2006
Interview from 2013
On hooks
Video on what she does at Charlesbridge (at 2:40)

Senior Editor – Alyssa Mito Pusey
On diversity

Editor – Karen Boss

Associate Editor – Julie Bliven
On writing outside your culture

Art Director – Susan Sherman

Books we had on hand (*indicates books we read):

*Will’s Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk (2016); Written by Jane Sutcliffe; Illustrated by John Shelley; Edited by Alyssa Mito Pusey; Interview with the author

Living Fossils: Clues to the Past (2016); Written by Caroline Arnold; Illustrated by Andrew Plant

The Inventor's Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford (2015); Written by Suzanne Slade; Illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt; Edited by Alyssa Mito Pusey

*Trapped!: A Whale's Rescue (2015); Written by Robert Burleigh; Illustrated by Wendell Minor; 1107 words

*I'm New Here (2015); Written and illustrated by Anne Sibley O'Brien; Edited by Julie Bliven

*John Muir Wrestles a Waterfall (2015); Written by Julie Danneberg; Illustrated by Jamie Hogan

*Groundhog's Dilemma (2015); Written by Kristen Remenar; Illustrated by Matt Faulkner

Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play (2015); Written by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook; Illustrated by Andy Robert Davies

Poppy's Best Paper (2015); Written by Susan Eaddy; Illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet; Edited by Alyssa Mito Pusey; 1083 words

*Me and My Dragon: Christmas Spirit (2015); Written and illustrated by David Biedrzycki

*A Crow of His Own (2015); Written by Megan Dowd Lambert; Illustrated by David Hyde Costello; 608 words

Spit & Sticks: a Chimney Full of Swifts (2015); Written by Marily Grohoske Evans; Illustrated by Nicole Gsell

Wangari Maathai: The Woman who Planted Millions of Trees (2015); Written by Franck Prévot; Illustrated by Aurélia Fronty

The Impossible Voyage of Kon-Tiki (2015); Written and illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray

Feathers: Not Just for Flying (2014); Written by Melissa Stewart; Illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen; 1115 words

Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons (2014); Written by Alice B. McGinty; Illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt; 951 words

Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas (2014); Written by Natasha Yim; Illustrated by Grace Zong; 1040 words; Goldy Luck's Arduous Path from Vision to Reality

Under the Freedom Tree (2014); Written by Susan VanHecke; Illustrated by London Ladd; 668 words; Interview with the illustrator; And here's the author's perspective

*Imani's Moon (2014, Mackinac Island Press); Written by JaNay Brown-Wood; Illustrated by Hazell Mitchell

Friends for Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony & Frederick Douglass (2014); Written by Suzanne Slade; Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell; 1116 words

Leo Loves Baby Time (2014); Written by Anna McQuinn; Illustrated by Ruth Hearson; 99 words

Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle (2014); Written by Cheryl Bardoe; Illustrated by Alan Marks; 1346 words

Breaking News: Bear Alert (2014); Written and illustrated by David Biedrzycki; 550 words

Alphabet Trucks (2013); Written by Samantha R. Vamos; Illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke; 295 words

The Cat With Seven Names (2013); Written by Tony Johnston; Illustrated by Christine Davenier; 1104 words

*The Cart That Carried Martin (2013); Written by Eve Bunting; Illustrated by Don Tate; 742 words

Here Come the Humpbacks! (2013); Written by April Pulley Sayre; Illustrated by Jamie Hogan; 2349 words

Spring Blossoms (2013); Written by Carole Gerber; Illustrated by Leslie Evans; 478 words

War Dogs (2013); Written and illustrated by Kathryn Selbert; 1594 words

Bambino and Mr. Twain (2012); Written by P.I. Maltbie; Illustrated by Daniel Miyares; 1685 words









At our next meeting, on Saturday June 11, we will read books published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.