Little Bee Books has announced that Traci N. Todd joined the children’s book company this week as publisher. Todd brings more than two decades of industry experience to her new role; most recently she served as children’s publishing director at Workman.
“I resigned from that position [at Workman] in February to focus on my writing,” Todd said in a statement. (Her just-released picture book debut, Nina: A Story of Nina Simone, illustrated by Christian Robinson, has received warm critical praise, including five starred reviews.) “I hadn’t planned to even think about taking another job until next year,” she added, “but the opportunity to work at Little Bee Books was too exciting to pass up. The thing that struck me about [Little Bee CEO and co-owner] Shimul [Tolia] and the LBB team is their mission to create joyful books that make children feel empowered, affirmed, and seen,” she said. “Plus, I already had a few Little Bee books on my own shelves—always a good sign!”
Early in her career Todd worked in educational publishing with companies including McGraw Hill and LeapFrog. She then segued into trade publishing, editing picture books and nonfiction at Chronicle Books, manga and comics at VIZ Media, and licensed content and board books at Abrams.
Tolia said in a statement, “Traci’s understanding of the responsibility we hold as curators of children’s content along with her passion and enthusiasm for children’s publishing make her a great fit for the Little Bee Books team. We are thrilled to have her lead our publishing program in this evolving and growing world.”
Little Bee’s announcement about Todd’s hiring follows on the heels of news that Workman has named Todd’s replacement as children’s publisher: Stacy Lellos, who will join the company next month.
