It's Season's Readings with The Creative Company!

Happy December, parents, librarians, book fanatics, writers, and readers of all sorts! #SeasonsOfKidLit is thrilled to celebrate another holiday season with you. And what better way to kick off our winter-themed fun than with The Creative Company and its partners Amicus, and Black Rabbit Books? No matter what holiday you celebrate this month, you've come to the right place - editors Rebecca Glaser, Alissa Thielges, and Kremena Spengler are here with us and have totally got you covered with their book recommendations! Want to know more about these amazing publishers and the books they offer, PLUS want a chance to win one of three book giveaways? Read on...

Q: Thanks so much for joining #SeasonsOfKidLit for our holiday celebration. We’re absolutely thrilled to have The Creative Company, Amicus, and Black Rabbit Books with us for a whole new season - winter.

Readers, if you recall, we've had the wonderful team at Black Rabbit Books join our Trick-or-Treat celebration previously. To check out those interviews, click here and here.

We are joined today by editors Rebecca Glaser, Kremena Spengler, and Alissa Thielges.

Rebecca, can you tell us a little more about The Creative Company as a whole, and each of its partners/imprints and how they differ from each other?

A: The Creative Company is an independent, family-owned publisher that has been based in southern Minnesota since its beginning in 1932. Creative Education, our series nonfiction imprint for grades K–12, is known for high-quality publishing that uses a traditional approach for books on sports, science, and other informational topics. Our Amazing Animals and Creative Sports team books have become bestsellers. Creative Editions publishes board books and unique, thought-provoking picture books that are great for older readers. A poetic personification of the winter season, our recent title Mother Winter goes walking "on the longest cold night," inviting the reader along to experience chill winds, icy ponds, white snowdrifts, and other quiet wonders.

Amicus, launched in 2010, also has two imprints. Amicus Learning publishes series nonfiction for grades K–3 and zeroes in on social and emotional learning with narrative and interactive text. Our unique Amicus Illustrated line uses narrative nonfiction with high-quality art, diverse characters, and first- and second-person stories to make learning inclusive for all. Our bestselling My Life With… series tells stories of real kids dealing with difficult situations. Amicus Ink publishes board books and picture books for ages 0-8, with stories told from a child’s-eye view . . . and sometimes from a baby dinosaur’s view! 

In 2006, Black Rabbit Books was established with the mission to get kids to fall tail-over-ears in love with reading. We publish series nonfiction on high interest topics and use vivid photos, infographics, and easy-to-read text to entice reluctant readers. We're not afraid to be a little zany, a little wild, and a whole lot of fun, and you'll see just that in our Bolt!, Bolt Jr., and Hi Jinx lines. This year we’ve added a nonfiction line for middle school readers called Top Rank, and a fiction line called Black Rabbit Tales, which features graphically rich stories that will convince kids to put down screens and pick up books.

Very cool! Thanks so much for this background. Readers, can we take a moment to admire the new logo for Black Rabbit Books?…because seriously - it's amazing!

Q: Alissa, we LOVE BRB (of course!) and know they have a lot of spooky books on their list. But BRB definitely publishes a variety of books for any season. For those looking for a dose of sweetness to read and gift this winter, what would you recommend?

A: You’re in luck! We just released a new series called Holiday Crafter that includes Make Your Own Christmas Crafts. Kids can deck the halls with emoji snowmen, reindeer ornaments, and candy cane cheer. These DIY decorations, gifts, and games will help create the perfect Christmas celebration with friends and family, whether they’ve been naughty or nice. My favorite is the reindeer ornament—it’s so cute to hang on a tree!

Each craft has easy-to-follow instructions so kids ages 8 and up can work independently to spread holiday cheer. And the whole series works as a special gift for your do-it-yourself crafters, with books for Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and even birthdays, to help celebrate throughout the year.

This series pairs great with our ever-popular Holiday Recipe Box, where kids can follow step-by-step

recipes to create holiday-themed food. Make sure to check out The Christmas Cookbook for holiday recipes!

These both sound adorable!

Readers, check out some of the spreads from the books and other amazing books available from Black Rabbit Books.

Q: Rebecca, Amicus has such unique books - including STEM titles! What would you suggest as gifts this holiday season from the Amicus partner?

A: If you have littles, I’d suggest the Baby Dinosaurs series! These sturdy board books are fun to read with ages 0–4, and parents and grandparents won’t get tired of reading them again and again. The author, Julie Abery, is a master of telling a story through rhyme. The baby dinosaurs (Baby T. Rex, Baby Stegosaurus, Baby Spinosaurus and Baby Diplodocus) have just enough adventures to hold a toddler’s or preschooler’s attention span. Plus, the stories are based on what paleontologists know about these dinos!

As a HUGE fan of dinosaurs, we must say, these are literally the cutest!

Readers, check out these spreads as well as other books available from Amicus.

Q: Kremena, The Creative Company has an entire series of holiday-themed reads as part of the Seedlings Series. Can you share more about the Seedling Series and why this series would make a perfect gift and/or addition to classrooms? 

A: The 12 titles in Seedlings Holidays are inclusive, introducing both holidays celebrated by the world’s major religions and holidays with a more secular flavor. The books are written in a friendly, inviting voice. The photos are colorful and striking, creating a festive mood. For such short books, these titles pack a surprising amount of information about each occasion’s history, traditions, and other features. The text is both enriched and made more accessible by the infographics and strong front and back matter.

Readers, check out the spreads from these beautiful books and some other titles of theirs too.

Q:  Rebecca, what’s the best way to get your books? 

A: I’m glad you asked because I often feel like we’re a hidden treasure!  You might find a few of our titles in independent bookshops or at your local library. You can buy directly from all our imprints at www.thecreativecompany.us. We’re also on Amazon. Librarians and booksellers should contact their favorite sales rep or wholesaler. Use promo code FREESHIP for free shipping on direct orders from our website. Code valid through December 31, 2024.

Thanks so much for sharing this! We have a lot of holiday shopping to do and can't wait to shop with you.

Q. Rebecca, many of us are writers and we're dying to know how you find your writers. Can new writers break in? 

A: Yes, absolutely! We have a robust nonfiction list covering many different topics and reading levels, and we often need authors to fill work-for-hire assignments. Please see our submission guidelines at https://thecreativecompany.us/pages/submissions.

Thanks again Rebecca, Alissa, and Kremena, for joining us and sharing all of these titles with us. It was such a pleasure celebrating the holidays with you!

Q: Would you like to leave a sweet treat for our readers?

Team: Yes - We will give away a bundle of books! Diwali from The Creative Company, Baby T. Rex from Amicus, and Make Your Own Christmas Crafts from Black Rabbit Books. 

WOW - Thanks for such a fabulous treat!

Giveaway Details: Readers, to enter to win one of these three books, 1) share this post on social media and 2) leave a comment below to thank The Creative Company for stopping by - and let us know which book you're interested in, too! Holiday-themed pictures and GIFs are welcomed and appreciated.

BONUS: Those who leave a comment on and share all of our holiday posts on social media, tagging Heather Macht and Lynne Marie, will be eligible to win their choice of either (1) of (3) SpeedPasses from RYS or critiques from Heather or Lynne Marie.

Heather Macht Tags: X: @AuthorHMacht, IG/Threads: @heatherauthormacht, Bluesky: @authorhmacht.bsky.social

Lynne Marie Tags: X: @Literally_Lynne, IG/Threads: @literally.lynne.marie, Bluesky: @

@literallylynne.bsky.social

Giveaway winners will be drawn on or about 12/15!

Books will be shipped in the US only.

About this terrific trio of publishers:

The Creative Company

Across four generations of family participation, we have never been a company that chases the latest trends or bows to industry formulas. We remain an independent publisher committed to crafting internationally sought-after picture books and superb core-material nonfiction for readers of all ages. Pick up a Creative book, and your eyes and fingers will recognize the difference. High standards, high quality, high reward.

Amicus

Amicus is a publishing company devoted entirely to helping amazing kids learn, grow, and play through the love of great books. Since 2010, Amicus has been a trusted resource for high-quality titles across a wide range of topics and reading levels.

Black Rabbit Books

Back in 2006, we had a wild idea: what if every kid could fall head-over-heels in love with reading? We knew it wouldn't be a cakewalk—we had to compete with screens, after all! But we were on a mission to change the game, so we had to get extra creative—and even a little bit sneaky.

Our secret formula? Mind-blowing content that jumps off the page and does cartwheels, paired with eye-popping photography and infographics that make young imaginations do backflips.

We're not afraid to be a little zany, a little wild, and a whole lot of fun. (Psst—and kids will be learning the whole time, but shhhh. That can be our secret.)

Making kids put down the screens and pick up books? Magic, right? You might say we pulled a rabbit out of a hat with this one.

To purchase books from The Creative Company, click here.

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