Publisher Profile: Levine Querido
The CBC asks Antonio Gonzalez Cerna, Marketing Director, questions about the publisher.
How did your publishing house start out?
Levine Querido is a relatively young publishing house, founded in 2019 by Arthur Levine. Despite being a new house, Arthur brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles at Scholastic and Knopf, where he was responsible for publishing many successful authors: J.K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, Emma Donoghue, Shaun Tan, Kelly Yang, Markus Zusak. Should I go on?
What is your publishing house most known for?
Our focus is on publishing the finest children’s books in the world. We particularly strive to champion diverse voices and stories — spotlighting underrepresented creators and characters.
Where in the country is your house based? What do you love about being based there?
Levine Querido is based in Hoboken, New Jersey. It’s a vibrant and creative city with a strong artistic community, which inspires us in our work. Plus, it offers easy access to “the City.”
What conventions and conferences does your publishing house usually attend?
We attend various industry events throughout the year, including ALA’s Annual Conference, the ABA’s Children’s Institute, conferences focused on children’s literature, and diversity in publishing like Kweli’s Color of Children’s Literature Conference. These events allow us to nurture relationships with influential librarians and booksellers.
How many employees does your house have?
We often say “Levine Querido is 5 people and 8 cups of coffee,” meaning we have a small, close-knit team. This allows for a more personal touch in our work with authors and illustrators. We publish a curated selection of titles, aiming for quality over quantity. The number of books published per season varies, but we typically focus on 10-15 new titles per season.
Which formats does your house prefer to publish?
We publish children’s books across a range of genres, from picture books to middle-grade to YA. We also love graphic novels, and books that are hard to categorize, as well as books for adults. Arthur has always championed translated works, which gives our lists an international texture.
What are some of your house’s publishing priorities over the next few years?
We’re dedicated to publishing high-quality books that spark children’s imaginations and leave a lasting impact. Our books, printed on premium paper (they are literally heavier), offer a tangible reading experience. We champion diverse voices and stories that celebrate inclusion and representation, reflecting the world we live in.
Which title has your house recently rallied behind?
A recent title we’re particularly excited about is Darcie Little Badger’s Sheine Lende— the Lipan Apache word for sunflower. It’s a powerful and timely story that is set a few decades before her Locus Award-winning debut, Elatsoe. Darcie is a superstar and everyone should be reading her work.
Which title does your house feel deserved more love than it got?
A title that deserves more recognition is Aiko and the Planet of Dogs by Swiss-French duo Ainhoa Cayuso and Christoffer Ellegaard and translated by LQ’s own editor, Irene Vázquez. It’s a “sumptuously illustrated” and laugh-out-loud story that deserves all the readers. Kids just love it!
Which upcoming titles is your house buzzing about?
If you’ve attended one of our preview events, you’ll know I’ve been buzzing about the upcoming release of Andrea Roger’s picture book debut, Chooch Helped. It’s a sibling story with a unique cadence and the art from debut Cherokee artist Rebecca Lee Kunz is like nothing else on the market. Spectacular. I can’t wait to share it with the world.
Which of your frontlist titles would be great for a school or public library?
Any of our frontlist titles would be excellent additions to school and public libraries. For instance, Cat Min’s The Shadow & The Ghost is a great fit for elementary school libraries, while Anton Treuer’s debut novel, Where Wolves Don’t Die is a captivating YA thriller with enough layers to satisfy any reluctant teen reader.
Which of your frontlist tiles would you like to see get more attention from bookstores?
We’d love to see photos of our Newbery winners like Daniel Nayeri, Darcie Little Badger, and Donna Barba Higuera on bookstore shelves. I call these authors the 3D’s. They bring a unique and engaging type of storytelling that bridges middle-grade and YA. They all deserve a wider audience. In fact, all three authors are going on a group tour in Fall 2025. Email me if you want them to visit your store, library, or festival. Watch this space!
Name a few of your favorite backlist titles that people should check out.
We launched our list in 2020 with Daniel Nayeri’s autobiographical novel, Everything Sad is Untrue. That book went on to become a National Bestseller and win the Printz Medal. It was our first Printz. We’re lucky to have three Printz honor authors on our list including Eric Gansworth’s Apple Skin to the Core, Sacha Lamb’s When The Angels Left the Old Country, and Moa Backe Åstot’s Fire From the Sky. 4 Printz Awards in 5 years is such a special achievement for us.
What else would you like to tell us about your house and the amazing work you all do?
One of the most important things we can do for the next generation is instill a love of reading – especially physical books. There’s something magical that happens when a kid is in their own room and they tune out the world and they zoom into a mystery or graphic novel — any book! Us book people — publishers, booksellers, librarians, and teachers — we provide an invaluable service to society. Books encourage dialog. Reading begets empathy. LQ will continue to bring you stories that center on the Black, Indigenous, AAPI, Latinx, and LGBTQA+ experience. Reading is the answer.
Thank you, Levine Querido!
