A challenge for publishers is to continue to be brave in what we choose to publish. Gecko Press has always chosen books that are not mainstream, that are curiously good and that look at the world in ways that surprise us. It is tempting to start looking towards the soft books that are likely to sell in droves. But if ever there was a time to not publish safe, it is now.
I am particularly fond of books which feature kind characters, especially when those books are for children and young people. Here are some that are new and some that have been part of my life for a long time.
I’ve lived my whole life with Joy Cowley’s stories and was totally stunned when I was invited into the Gecko Press office and asked if I’d like to illustrate a collection of them. I felt pretty daunted, but also very excited and I couldn’t wait to start drawing.
New parents hear advice about what’s best for their baby on a daily, even hourly basis. One popular piece of advice is “Read to your baby!” Yet no one ever seems to tell new parents how. It’s not easy to read to a baby, especially a newborn. I remember the first time I tried to… Read more »
We are excited to announce that The Visitor has been named a Best Illustrated Book of the Year by The New York Times/The New York Public Library
In her warm and engaging talk ‘The Power of Story’, Joy Cowley will draw on a lifetime’s experience of inspiring children to read.
The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Books of 2018 by The School Library Journal. One of them is Inside the Villains by Clotilde Perrin.
