New York, NY—June 21, 2016—Simon & Schuster’s Children Publishing is excited to introduce BOOKMOM: Picks from a Publishing Parent, a new blog that offers parents reading recommendations from publishing insider Valerie Garfield, Vice President & Publisher of Little Simon and Simon Spotlight.

BOOKMOM is the brainchild of Garfield, who is also a mom to two young children. “When I had my first child I thought I had the ‘what to read’ part down, but I felt overwhelmed with the idea of introducing books in a way that would resonate and instill a lifetime love of reading,” said Garfield.  “I was overwhelmed with the choices and where to start. And I realized that if I was feeling lost as a publisher, what were other parents doing?  The purpose of this blog isn’t to curate a list of the best books or talk about the books that I’d read in a perfect world.  Instead, the blog is about being a parent who also happens to be a publisher and – parent to parent – talk about what has worked for me.”

From “How to Read a Book to Baby and Toddler” to “How to Read a Wordless Book,” Garfield offers a firsthand humorous perspective with valuable recommendations to parents who are not sure where to  start and are looking for guidance on how and what books to read to their children. Other posts include “What I Read When I Come Home from Work,” “Sometimes I Read Books I Hate,” and “Mama I Broke the Book.”

BOOKMOM will be a category on the Simon & Schuster sponsored blog “Tips on Life & Love” which has a large, dedicated audience and a robust weekly newsletter.  The blog launches today, with a first post entitled, “How to Read a Book to Baby and Toddler.” Readers can sign up for the newsletter on the Tips on Life & Love homepage.  Going forward, Garfield will publish a new post twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, recommending books across all publishers.

 

Jon Anderson, President of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, commented, “Valerie Garfield has seamlessly melded her experience as a children’s book publisher with her insights as a parent. The result is an informative, prescriptive, and humorous new blog that will help parents navigate the different stages of their child’s reading development. We are thrilled to be launching BOOKMOM.”

 

ABOUT SIMON & SCHUSTER CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, one of the leading children’s book publishers in the world, is comprised of the following imprints: Aladdin, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Beach Lane Books, Libros para niños, Little Simon®, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Paula Wiseman Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Simon Pulse, and Simon Spotlight®. While maintaining an extensive award-winning backlist, the division continues to publish acclaimed and bestselling books for children of all ages. In addition to numerous Caldecott, Newbery, and National Book Award winners, Simon & Schuster publishes such high-profile properties and series as Eloise, Olivia, Raggedy Ann & Andy™, Henry & Mudge®, The Hardy Boys®, Nancy Drew®, the Dork Diaries series, the Mortal Instruments series, Mike the Knight, and the original Cupcake Diaries and Creepover series. For more information about Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

Simon & Schuster, a part of CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com

 

Contact:
Jennifer Romanello
Jennifer.romanello@simonandschuster.com
212-698-2809