Mini Guppy imprint launches as Guppy Books celebrates its fifth birthday

Guppy Books is marking five years since Bella Pearson founded the independent publisher with the launch of the Mini Guppy, an imprint publishing illustrated chapter books.

The aim is that the imprint will be "bridging the gap between picture books and older reading books with entertaining and accessible illustrated chapter books for emerging readers".

The first Mini Guppy titles will publish in 2025 and see the launch of two new series, comprising Amelia Cheeseheart Investigates by Cat Weldon, illustrated by Nene Lonergan, and Fairytale Fixers by Myles McLeod, illustrated by Evgenia Golubeva.

Celebrations will continue in November with a party for Guppy Books authors, illustrators, contributors and supporters held in Oxford.

Pearson said: "It’s been a tumultuous five years in the world since Guppy launched in 2019, but I am so proud of our numerous achievements, with all thanks and credit going to our talented shoal of authors, illustrators and colleagues. As well as launching the Mini Guppy list next year, we are hugely excited to share our upcoming books for 2025 and beyond – roll on the next five years."

Guppy Books launched in September 2019 with Gloves Off by Louisa Reid and The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty. Last year, Nadia Mikail, the winner of the first annual Guppy Books Open Submission competition, won the Waterstones Overall Children’s Book of the Year with her debut novel The Cats We Meet Along the Way.

Pearson began her publishing career at Transworld Children’s Books, before moving to David Fickling Books in Oxford, where she spent 17 years in a variety of roles and moved up to publishing director. She won the Branford Boase Award with Jenny Downham for Before I Die (Penguin Random House Children’s UK), and has been shortlisted a further six times.