Lee and Low Books & Children's Book Press

The largest multicultural children's book publisher in the country, Lee and Low Books publishes "contemporary diverse stories" that all children can enjoy. They publish about 20 books per year. This month, we read books published by both Lee and Low Books and Children's Book Press, an imprint of Lee and Low Books.

The Lee and Low Books imprint primarily publishes illustrated books for ages 5–11. They also publish chapter books and middle-grade works for ages 8–12. Their focus for both age groups is on realistic fiction and nonfiction. (They do not publish folklore or animal stories.)

The Children's Book Press imprint publishes bilingual and multicultural books.


Both imprints accept unsolicited submissions. They "make a special effort to work with writers and artists of color and to encourage new voices." See their submission guidelines for more details. And be sure to explore their website. It's full of helpful links to articles that both writers and illustrators will enjoy, as well as a blog on "race, diversity, education, and children's books" called The Open Book.

Getting to know Lee and Low Books (source)

President – Craig Low


Publisher – Jason Low

On producing diverse books (2016)
Interview with Elizabeth Bird (2014)
On being an independent publisher (2013)

VP and Editorial Director (until March 1, 2017) – Louise May

Interview

Editorial Director (as of March 1, 2017) – Cheryl Klein
PW announcement
Website (Her website is terrific!)
The Magic Words

Editor: Jessica Echeverria

Interview (2016)

Assistant Editor: Samantha Wolf


Books we had on hand from Lee and Low Books (*indicates books we read):

*A Morning with Grandpa (2016); written by Sylvia Liu; illustrated by Christina Forshay; edited by Jessica Echeverria

Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas (2016); written by Gwendolyn Hooks; illustrated by Colin Bootman

The Three Lucys (2016); written by Hayan Charara; illustrated by Sara Kahn

Prairie Dog Song: The Key to Saving North America's Grasslands (2016); written by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore; illustrated by Susan L. Roth; edited by Louise May

Ira Shakespeare's Dream (2015); written by Glenda Armand; illustrated by Floyd Cooper; edited by Jessica Echeverria

Sunday Shopping (2015); written by Sally Derby; illustrated by Shadra Strickland; edited by Louise May

*Poems in the Attic (2015); written by Nikki Grimes; Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon; edited by Louise May

*The Story I'll Tell (2015); written by Nancy Tupper Ling; Illustrated by Jessica Lanan; edited by Jessica Echeverria

*Juna's Jar (2015); written by Jane Bahk; illustrated by Felicia Hoshino; edited by Jessica Echeverria

*Little Melba and her Big Trombone (2014); written by Katheryn Russel-Brown; illustrated by Frank Morrison; edited by Louise May

Twenty-two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank (2014); written by Paula Yoo; illustrated by Jamel Akib; edited by Jessica Echeverria; edited by Jessica Echeverria

The Hula-Hoopin' Queen (2014); written by Thelma Lynne Godin; illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton; edited by Jessica Echeverria

*King for a Day (2013); written by Rukhsana Khan; illustrated by Christiane Krömer

Books we had on hand from Children's Book Press (*indicates books we read):

Olinguito from A to Z/¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z! (2016); written and illustrated by Lulu Delacre; edited by Louise May

Rainbow Weaver/Tejedoro del arcoíris (2016); written by Linda Elovitz Marshall; illustrated by Elisa Chavarri; edited by Jessica Echeverria

*Marisol McDonald and the Monster/ Marisol McDonald y el monstruo (2016); written by Monica Brown; illustrated by Sara Palacios

*Mamá the Alien/Mamá la extraterrestre (2016); written by René Colato Laínez; illustrated by Laura Lacámara

*Maya's Blanket/La manta de Maya (2015); Written by Monica Brown Illustrated by David Diaz; edited by Louise May

Finding the Music/En pos de la música (2015); written by Jennifer Torres; illustrated by Renato Alarcão

Water Rolls, Water Rises/El agua rueda, el agua sube (2014); written by Pat Mora; illustrated by Meilo So; edited by Louise May











At our next meeting, on February 11, we will read books published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers.



Our next meeting....