The folks from independent publisher Sourcebooks, headquartered in Naperville, Ill., arrive at BEA with plenty to celebrate. For the first time in its history, the company this spring had three titles appear on a New York Times bestseller list in a single week. Landing on the newspaper's picture book bestseller list the week of March 26 were a trio of titles published under the Sourcebooks Jabberwocky imprint: Kristi Yamaguchi's debut children's book, Dream Big, Little Pig! illustrated by Tim Bowers; and Jennifer Fosberry's My Name Is Not Isabella and My Name Is Not Alexander, both illustrated by Mike Litwin.
Launched in spring 2007, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky publishes board books, picture books, chapter books, and tween novels. Released in March, Yamaguchi's Dream Big, Little Pig! about an irrepressible young pig named Poppy who pursues her goals despite repeated setbacks, now has more than 100,000 copies in print.
"Breaking through this spring with Dream Big, Little Pig! has felt remarkably appropriate," says Todd Stocke, Sourcebooks v-p and editorial director, "because in Sourcebooks' children's book story—as in the story of Poppy the pig—there were some who told us, ‘This isn't for you, try something else.' Like Poppy, we persevered and found what we are great at." Yamaguchi will continue Poppy's story in a follow-up picture book due next spring.
Other highlights of this spring's Jabberwocky list include Trouble at the Zoo and Rescue! the two launch titles of the Bindi Wildlife Adventures series by young wildlife conservationist Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin.
Previous Sourcebooks Jabberwocky top-sellers are Elise Paschen's Poetry Speaks to Children; Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat, edited by Nikki Giovanni; The Greatest Moments in Sports by Len Berman; and I Love You More by Laura Duksta, whose You Are a Gift to the World was released in April.
Heading up the imprint's fall list are I Believe in You by Marianne Richmond; The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Gary Rubinstein and Mark Pett, illus. by Pett; Reasons to Be Happy by Katrina Kittle; and Horrid Henry Wakes the Dead by Francesca Simon, illus. by Tony Ross, the latest addition to this series that has sold more than 16 million copies in 27 languages.
Several authors will be appearing at the Sourcebooks booth (4356) during BEA. Today, Leanna Renee Hieber will autograph ARCs of Magic Most Foul at 2:30 p.m. Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m., Kittle will sign ARCs of Reasons to Be Happy. Visitors to the booth can also pick up an array of finished books and ARCs throughout the convention.
