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Watkins Media launches new children’s imprint Moon + Bird
Watkins Media has launched a new children’s imprint called Moon + Bird, which will publish books from picture books through to middle grade titles.
The publisher says the imprint will "draw on the strengths of the Watkins brand to focus on creating beautiful, groundbreaking books that encourage curiosity, resilience and inclusivity, and help kids manage their own feelings and find their own special path in life".
It will publish 10 to 12 books per year in hardback and paperback, with its first three books publishing in Spring 2025. These are: Nadia Finer’s Quiet Riot: True Tales of Softly Spoken Superheroes Who Changed the World (illustrated by Holly Farndell); Yussuf Rafik’s How to be an Eco Explorer: Fun Activities for Exploring Nature and Saving the Planet (illustrated by Holly Astle); and Bérengère Demoncy and Victoria Ruiz y Lopez’s The Magical Wheel of the Year: A Tale of the Pagan Festivals with Activities & Rituals.
Future projects with PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award Winner Michelle Cusolito (Diving Deep: Using Machines to Explore the Ocean and Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible), Scottish Book Trust Bookbug Children’s Picture Book Award winner Alastair Chisholm (Inch and Grub), and multiple award-winning author Helen Docherty (The Snatchabook and All the Things We Carry) and author-illustrator Claire Barker (Knitbone Pepper Ghost Dog and Picklewitch and Jack series) have also been signed.
Watkins and Nourish publisher Fiona Robertson will oversee the imprint, with editors Brittany Willis and Gemma Creffield also acquiring for the list. Joining Robertson in leading the imprint are 2023 The Bookseller Rising Star and head of marketing and publicity Laura Whitaker-Jones and head of design Karen Smith, who will guide their respective teams in building out Moon + Bird’s branding and visibility, with a particularly keen eye on the school, library and independent bookstore spaces.
Robertson said: “I’m really delighted that Watkins is launching its own children’s imprint, Moon + Bird! As a mum myself, I know what a huge impact books have on growing minds, and I’m so excited about this opportunity to translate what we do on the adult side of Watkins in terms of wellbeing, personal development, nature, Paganism, magic, folklore, legends, etc. into beautiful books that speak directly to young readers and open their eyes to our amazing world and their own incredible potential.”
Whitaker-Jones added: “We are so excited to be building a list of children’s books which will have the same positive impact as those on our adult list, so we wanted to maintain our brand values even in the naming of the imprint. The Moon + Bird logo features the ibis and crescent moon, which are the symbols of Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing, wisdom and magic. Thoth is the logo of our bookstore Watkins Books, and Thoth’s ibis and crescent moon also feature in the logo of Watkins Publishing. To use these symbols in the name gives us a tangible link to our bigger brand whilst still keeping it fun and accessible.” The new imprint’s website can be found here.
