Gecko Press

Women Who Connect the World of Books to Readers

August is celebrated annually as Women In Translation Month. This is the time when we turn specific attention—and give gratitude—to the women writers  and the women translators who make possible access to stories from many languages to readers who can access them only in their own home languages. Professional translation is an art, just as […]

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Kids using magnifying glass examoning grassy area

Perfect Pair: Un-Bee-Lievable Bug Books

Summertime brings with it many wonderful things. In most places you get longer days, warmer weather, and no matter if you like them or not…more bugs! Outside our doors there is an entire society of fantastic critters going about their day in a miniature world that could easily go unnoticed to the untrained eye. This

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Antique eyeglasses in a heap

Look Here! These Books Are Spectacular!

Sometimes it appears that attention from many quarters comes to rest on one theme or an object with unanticipated universal agreement that this is the IT topic for the moment. This year in kids’ books we’re seeing that happen with—eyeglasses! In books that come to us from Spain, the Netherlands via New Zealand, the United

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Bank Street Books Announces Newest Best Children’s Books of the Year

The newly released list from Bank Street College of Education reflects their Children’s Book Committee’s choices from 2023’s publications. Bank Street’s seal of “best” is recognized by librarians, teachers, teacher training programs, and parents as a gold standard guide to children’s books. The selection committee is composed of more than two dozen members who are

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Fairy Tales, Folktales, Oh, My!

But wait, there’s a difference?! OF COURSE I would know they’re all different, right?  I’m a whole adult human, a teacher, a mother, a writer.   I’ve read thousands of fairy tales and folktales.  Surely SURELY I know the difference! Well, when faced with trying to articulate which is which and what is why off the

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Tales in Tune:  Music and Picture Books

Fusing the delights of music and story is a powerful way to teach basic concepts as well as explore deeper ideas and emotions.  Over my nearly 30 years of teaching young children, I’ve set a LOT of knowledge to simple tunes: the names of continents, oceans, countries and states, math concepts, simplified steps of the

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Jackets of all 39 books on the 2024 Outstanding International Children's Books list

Celebrating International Children’s Books

Each January, the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) announces their Outstanding International Books list during a meeting at the American Library Association conference.  The latest list, reflecting books published or released in 2023 and chosen by a committee of USBBY members, has just been released and we are delighted to find

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interior image from Migrants

Seeing Migration Experiences in Recent Picture Books

For most of humanity’s existence on Earth, people have migrated from one place to another as individuals, as family groups, and as entire cultures. Today’s humans can find themselves migrating out of need—escaping war, poverty, and danger to seek a place to call home–or moving in search of better jobs, or to help care for

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Covers for Look Up High! from Pajama Press, Kind Crocodile from Gecko Press, History FACTopia from What On Earth

It’s the Most List-i-ful Time of the Year!

From late November onward toward the year’s end, everyone’s making and/or following lists: what to gift, what to put on your own wish list, or gift yourself right now and add to your growing to-be-read pile. Because we work with so many international kids’ book publishers, our interests in lists is definitely global. We’ve found

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