Baker & Taylor's Paw Prints Publishing is launching Paw Prints Readers, an imprint for beginning readers. Each title in the publishing program is leveled by Fountas & Pinnell and Lexile Reading leveling systems. As with the all Paw Prints Publishing books, titles in the Paw Prints Readers line will be aligned to early learning and CASEL standards with their pillars in social-emotional learning. Titles will be available in English and Spanish in paperback, hardcover (paper-over-board), and e-book formats.
Paw Prints Publishing released its first list last year, focusing on young readers 3 to 8. "We saw tremendous success for our first batch of early readers last fall, and in both the institutional and consumer markets," B&T president and CEO Amandeep Kochar said. "We're thrilled to now showcase these series under their own beginning reader imprint, Paw Prints Readers, which we are confident will become a go-to brand for librarians, teachers, booksellers, and parents alike looking for quality titles in the early reader category that emphasize diverse voices."
The imprint will launch with seven titles in two new series in Fall 2023, with the already-established series Jeet & Fudge also being folded under the Readers brand:
The Liline & Pepper series by Samanka Dumond, illustrated by Christina Oyebade (level 1-2/ages 4-6) launches September 12 with Best Friends (#1) and A Morning with Grann (#2), introducing early readers to Liline, a Haitian-American kindergartener and her sassy cat Pepper. Haitian-Creole/English bilingual editions will follow in 2024.
The Jeet and Fudge series by B&T president and CEO Amandeep Kochar (level 2/ages 5-7) continues with The Dueling Lemonade Stands (#4), Find Yoga (#5), both on sale September 5, and Dance! Dance! Dance! (#6), on sale November 28. The series features a young Sikh boy named Jeet and his sidekick, chocolate labradoodle Fudge, on their adventures in both volunteerism and play.
The Queens of STEAM series by Mari Bolte (level 4/ages 7-9), which highlights diverse women in the STEAM field, launches with two titles being published September 26, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett: The Virologist Who Changed the World (#1) and Bertha Parker: The First Indigenous American Woman Archaeologist (#2). In January 2024 two more titles will appear: Dr. Carla Hayden: The First Woman Librarian of Congress (#3) and Mary Oliver: The Art and Life of a Bestselling American Poet (#4).