At first glance, using hefty works of literature as an inspiration for board-book primers may seem an oxymoron. But a closer look reveals the well-synchronized playfulness and sly sophistication of Gibbs Smith’s BabyLit series, which introduces children to bits and pieces of classic novels long before they enter a classroom. The Utah-based publisher is celebrating the 10th anniversary of BabyLit, which along with its spinoffs and add-ons, has close to 95 individual titles currently in print, has been translated into 12 languages, and has sold more than two million copies in North America alone.
The series was the brainchild of Suzanne Taylor, a 23-year veteran of Gibbs Smith, who now serves as the company’s chief creative officer. “More than a decade ago, I noticed that there was a resurgence of interest in classic literature—and an interest in finding new ways to explore it and respond to it,” she recalled. “And the idea of redefining the notion of classics to share them with babies occurred to me—it was really a lightning-strike moment!”
Her idea also ignited the enthusiasm of two “very talented” other Gibbs Smith staffers—Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver—and BabyLit was conceived. “It was kismet,” Taylor said. “Our team of three created BabyLit, based on the premise that babies are brilliant—they come to us much smarter than we give them credit for. Our job is to coax the brilliance out of them.”
Given that impetus, the BabyLit team first devised savvy baby primers which, Taylor explained, represented “a more diverse way of teaching child concepts.” The series’ creators mined beloved classics to find kid-pleasing, plot-driven motifs to explore, as evidenced in such offerings as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Camping Primer, The Odyssey: A Monsters Primer, and Around the World in 80 Days: A Transportation Primer, all written by Adams and illustrated by Oliver.
A List Takes Shape—and Morphs
Adams underscored the unique synergy between BabyLit titles and the classics on which they’re based. “This is an unusual series of board books in that it takes big, weighty classics and makes them for the littlest readers,” she said. “But it’s important to note that these books are not retellings. A retelling of Anna Karenina for a three-year-old would be ridiculous! [In a shrewd paring-down, BabyLit’s tie-in to Tolstoy’s 1877 masterpiece is Anna Karenina: A Fashion Primer.] The series features primers that teach age-appropriate concepts for babies, but use the characters, settings, and storylines of classic novels to do so. When the books are working at their best, they are functioning on two levels—for the child and also for the adult.”
Over the past decade, BabyLit has grown its author and illustrator roster and the list’s range of targeted age levels and formats to encompass BabyLit Storybooks, slightly longer stories for readers ages three to five; Lil’ Libros, a bilingual Spanish-English line; two board-book biography series, Little Naturalists and Little Poet; alphabet and counting books by Greg Paprocki; All Aboard! travel guides to such child-appealing destinations as the National Parks, London, and Paris, created by Hailey and Kevin Meyers; puzzles and games inspired by classic lit; and playsets with punch-out characters and settings to enable readers to re-enact the stories.
This fall, the publisher will add four books to the BabyLit catalogue: two Little Naturalists titles, Wangari Maathai Planted Trees and George Washington Carver Loved Plants, both written by Kate Coombs and illustrated by Seth Lucas; and two nature-themed concept books by Greg Paprocki: B Is for Bison: A National Parks Primer and Trees: A Count and Find Primer.
Gibbs Smith has also expanded its scope of relationships with various book creators, publishers, and organizations, including the southern California-based In a World with Books, a provider of free books to underserved children, to which the publisher will donate product whose value equals 5% of in-person or online bookstore BabyLit sales in 2021.
Forecasting BabyLit’s next 10 years, Taylor hinted at “doing some fun things” in the future, adding, “People can depend on us to continue to go beyond the borders of traditional children’s books and provide content to help turn our brilliant babies into brilliant contributors to our world. Creating the BabyLit brand has been wonderful, and we will continue to go full steam ahead—and leave no creative stone unturned.”
Adams believes it is a publishing path well worth pursuing. “I love that we are giving the classics to readers at the earliest age—making them theirs,” she said. “The hope is that when children encounter the actual classics as young adults and adults, they will already have an affinity for them and will go on to embrace those books in their lives. You’re never too young to fall in love with the classics.”
