Best known for its adult titles for DIYers on gardening, crafts, animal raising, and cooking, Storey Publishing in North Adams, Mass., has begun introducing project-driven books in the same categories for kids. Rather than create a separate children's imprint, Storey's books for kids are catalogued and sold alongside those for their adult counterparts. "The big premise for us," says Storey president Pam Art, "is that we're not going to diverge too far from adult categories. If we stay in the same categories, we can sell them into the same accounts and keep them in alignment with our message: practical information in harmony with the environment."
At its booth (4152), Storey is showcasing two fall children's books that fit Art's criteria, one on farming and the other on horses—My First Farm Friends: Books in a Barn, written and illustrated by Betsy Wallin, is Storey's first set of board books, and Pop-Out-and-Paint Horse Breeds: Create Paper Models of 10 Different Breeds by Cindy A. Littlefield. "We've seen an interest in our books from a new generation, and some are young parents," says editorial director Deborah Balmuth, explaining the decision to expand into publishing for the very young. With My First Farm Friends, wannabe farmers can play with the barn box that holds all four board books describing a typical day in the life of a chicken, goat, cow, and pig. There are also four standup animals that can be used with the barn.
Pop-Out-and-Paint Horse Breeds, which is geared to children ages 8–12, contains templates for body types of 10 different breeds, which can then be painted with distinctive markings and glued together to create a standup figure. A mane and tail can be fashioned from embroidery floss or yarn. Like My First Farm Friends, it's part of Storey's effort to incorporate an activity into each of its children's books.
