Gecko Press Blog

Welcome to a combobulation of articles from our favourite thinkers, stories from behind the scenes, lists of good books, Gecko Press news and things that amuse us from time to time.

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Highlight reviews from around the world

Inside the Suitcase

As we look ahead with anticipation to the books we will be publishing next year, we’re also reflecting on what readers from around the world had to say about our books in 2021. Highlights include a New York Times gift guide selection, two Times Children’s Books of the Week in the UK, Kirkus Reviews starred… Read more »

The particularities of translating children’s books

Woman looking at the condensation on the window

A good translation is all in the detail; the result often reflects the amount of effort put in to giving every word its due and making the multitudes of small decisions that can make or break the book. A good translation will not be rushed.

Book list: Silent children’s books

Aleph cover

In this month of noise, we’ve made a list of silent books.

We were very pleased to have three Gecko Press books selected for the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) 2021 silent book collection, with Aleph by Janik Coat chosen as an Honour Book.

Gecko Press Guaranteed Good Gift Guide

Christmas tree

It’s a fun time of year to choose books, so we’ve chosen some favourites, for everyone from peek-a-boo toddlers to speedy preschoolers and adventure-loving book-gobblers.

Hello from next year!

Julia, Rachel and Emma with 2022 books

All publishers become used to working with a sort of temporal displacement. Books take at least six months to get from finished manuscript to book…

Book list of good ideas from our 2021 books

Pablo

Looking back on what we published in 2021 we noticed some unexpected recurring themes. They turned out to be a pretty good list of ideas so we’ve collected them here.

The Uprising: Q&A with Eirlys Hunter

Portrait of Eirlys Hunter

As a child I was obsessed with the idea of flying and of seeing the world from above. That was related to my passion for maps—and of books with maps in.

Fantasy or ‘real world’ in children’s fiction

illustrated map of a fictional river valley

When you experience your real life as dull and predictable, a book is a portal to adventure, to excitement, to dreams, experimentation and possibility.

Book list: Novels in verse

No One Is Angry Today (c) Marc Boutavant

Novels in verse are a bit like graphic novels, in how quickly they can be consumed, and in the way you have to join some of the dots yourself.

Day in the Life of Giselle Clarkson

Giselle holding The Tiny Woman's Coat

Hello! I’m Giselle, the illustrator of The Tiny Woman’s Coat. I live in a small town near Wellington in New Zealand. I work from home in the corner of a room…

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