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HarperCollins Children’s Books launches new imprint Kumusha Books
HarperCollins Children’s Books has launched a new imprint, Kumusha Books, curated by publisher Ken Wilson-Max.
Publishing established authors and illustrators alongside “a steadfast commitment to seek new voices from different communities”, Kumusha Books aims to be a “globally inclusive, empathy-led, commercial list of high-quality books for children highlighting similarities over differences and reflecting the rich make-up of culturally diverse places".
The name Kumusha comes from the Shona language in Zimbabwe, meaning "ancestral home", which the publisher says “is the concept describing the place you are from or tied to, rather than where you live".
The list will include fiction and non-fiction, ranging from baby to chapter books, and will debut at this year’s Bologna Book Fair with six titles: four concept books and two picture books, for publication in 2024.
The first two picture books to headline the list include The Book of People Like Me by Joelle Avelino, a story of belonging that describes a young boy’s experience of life as he asks a big question: "is anyone else like me?" and Two People Can by Zimbabwean poet, children’s author and screenwriter Blessing Musariri and US illustrator Tisha Lee, “an accessible, hopeful and beautiful story about Bobby and his Mum, who help each other to deal with their loss and look forward together".
Wow! What a Day and Wow! What a Night are a pair of modern concept books illustrated by UK-based Italian illustrator Alberta Torres and Look Out Hungry Snake and Look Out Hungry Lion are two "playful and funny" hide-and-seek, lift the flap books about the food chain by Irish illustrator Paul Delaney.
Wilson-Max said: “Setting up an inclusive list for a global publishing company comes with an ambition to make positive and meaningful change to how we are all represented in books for children. Our approach encourages collaborations between people of different backgrounds driven by shared or common experiences, from the teams who produce the books to the authors and illustrators who create them.
“It’s a huge and exciting challenge to move the idea of diversity publishing forward so that it can attach itself to the larger concepts of equality and belonging, the key components of an inclusive society.”
HarperCollins Children’s Books and Farshore executive publisher Cally Poplak said: “We are passionate about ensuring all children can see themselves in books and be inspired by the variety of experiences and perspectives from around the world. This means ensuring diversity across the list – from picture books to YA and everything in between. Kumusha Books, led by the wonderful Ken Wilson-Max, is an exciting new step to fulfilling this ambition.”
