Q: On your submissions process, we noticed you seek stories that promote an appreciation for nature and teach skills for global citizens. Can you tell us more about your mission and what inspired you to launch Blue Dot Kids Press?
A: Our name, Blue Dot Kids Press, is a nod to Carl Sagan's famous ode to our home, planet earth, the pale blue dot. A reminder to us all to preserve and care for our home.
With hopefulness and courage, we aspire to empower the next generation of global citizens with empathy, resilience, creativity, and the shared value of nature and its stewardship. Our books spark important conversations at home and in the classroom. We aim to illuminate diverse global voices and champion stories that cross borders and connect us all. Stories are powerful vehicles of empathy, and our books widen the lens of what it means to live on planet earth.
Last but not least, Blue Dot Kids Press believes that business can be a force for good not only in content but also in creation. All of our books are printed on FSC-certified paper with vegetable-based inks. We are a proud member of 1% for the Planet, and contribute 1 percent of annual sales to environmental causes.
Q: As a relatively new children’s book publisher, what do you hope for the future of children's publishing in general?
A: It is a very important moment in children's publishing right now. My hope is that we see more realistic fiction, featuring real people, published in the future. My hope is that more stories are published that inspire and educate rather than merely entertain. My hope is that more books are published not because they have traditional commercial appeal, but because they’re high-quality, important, and necessary. I also would like to see more publishers committing to printing on sustainably sourced and recycled papers. Although printing on FSC-certified paper with vegetable inks costs a premium, it is one step toward ending global deforestation and climate change.
Q: What's your favorite book from childhood?
A: Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Q: What are you currently reading, or a recent book you really loved?
A: Citizen Scientist: Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction, by Mary Ellen Hannibal and Hope in the Dark Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities, By Rebecca Solnit.
