Lee & Low Books has acquired Shen’s Books in a deal that adds to the company’s list of multicultural children’s titles. Shen’s Books, founded as a retailer in San Francisco in 1985, published its first book in 1997. Its books emphasize cultural diversity and tolerance, with a focus on introducing children to the cultures of Asia. Titles include Cora Cooks Pancit, about a girl cooking a favorite Filipino dish with her mother; and the Cinderella series, which features retellings of the Cinderella story from cultures around the world. The purchase involved the acquisition of about 30 titles.
Lee & Low will maintain Shen’s Books as an imprint with plans to publish both backlist and new titles. In early 2014, Lee & Low will release seven reprints and one new title, Summoning the Phoenix, a collection of poems about Chinese musical instruments by Emily Jiang, illustrated by April Chu. Lee & Low editorial director Louise May will oversee the Shen's Books imprint.
The purchase of Shen’s Books follows last year’s acquisition of Children’s Book Press, another California-based multicultural children’s book publisher. Since the purchase, Lee & Low has brought over 85% of Children’s Book Press’s backlist titles back into print, with several more planned for the upcoming year.
