Publisher Profile: Free Spirit Publishing
The CBC asks Deidra Purvis, Acquisitions Editor, questions about the publisher.
What is your publishing house most known for?
Free Spirit Publishing is best known for creating unabashedly pro-kid books that support young people’s social, emotional, and educational needs and for our unwavering commitment to helping young people navigate real-life challenges. For over 40 years, Free Spirit has focused on creating practical, positive, kid-friendly books that offer guidance from expert authors on tough topics such as anxiety, grief, depression, stress, conflict resolution, and more. Most books include additional back matter for adults to help them reinforce the book’s message and support the child reading it.
Today, as an imprint of Teacher Created Materials, Free Spirit has an award-winning list of over 450 books and continues to meet kids and teens where they are at and address what they’re experiencing. In addition to board books, picture books, Self-Help for Kids®, and Self-Help for Teens®, Free Spirit publishes parent and educator resources—all designed to help young people think for themselves, overcome challenges, and make a difference in the world.
How many books does your house aim to publish per season/year?
25-30 books per year!
Which genres does your house prefer to publish?
We focus on real-world, kid-centered books, both fiction and nonfiction. In fiction, we publish board books and picture books that feature children navigating authentic, relatable issues. Our nonfiction spans board books, early picture books, early readers, SEL picture books, and self-help for older kids and teens—covering topics such as social and life skills, stress management, conflict resolution, self-esteem, emotions, mental health, grief, and neurodiversity and disability.
We also publish educator and parent resources, including titles on teaching methods, behavior support, bullying prevention, learning differences, service learning, child development, special education, gifted education, and youth development.
What are some of your house’s publishing priorities over the next few years?
For our picture book list, we’re looking for important stories from historically underrepresented voices, stories featuring authentic representation of world religions, stories about kids with disabilities, and high-interest, lyrically written picture books about experiences and challenges personally relevant to children.
For nonfiction, we’re seeking strategy books supporting tough topics relevant to kids ages 4–8, 9–13, and 13+.
Which title has your house recently rallied behind?
We recently rallied behind Baby’s First Moments by Emily Barton, a six-book series of board books designed with high-contrast black-and-white illustrations. Recognizing an exciting need in the market, our entire team came together to envision a uniquely Free Spirit approach to this format, including our signature back matter, which has tips for parents to foster a lifelong love of reading and create warm memories. From concept to completion, it was a collaborative effort—everyone worked quickly and creatively to make these books adorable and developmentally meaningful. An incredible artist authored and illustrated the series, bringing warmth and charm to every page. The result is a set of precious, thoughtfully crafted board books that we’re proud to share with families.
Which title does your house feel deserved more love than it got?
Hello, Beech Tree! by Rasha Hamid, illustrated by Sofia Moore, is such an endearing book. It tells a sweet story about a kindergarten class in Brooklyn that pays homage to their beloved lost beech tree and takes action to plant a new one. It’s a meaningful story where even the youngest kids can see how they can impact the world around them, and the art is gorgeous. The author is a teacher in Brooklyn and wrote the story based on her own classroom.
Which upcoming titles is your house buzzing about?
Celebrate We Gullah Geechee (February 17, 2026) by Yvette R. Murray, illustrated by Tonya Engel. This book is a true work of art. The author is an award-winning poet, and it shows in this book. Using rhythmic and sensory-rich poetic text, five narrators take turns highlighting what they notice in their world, each focusing on one of the five senses and celebrating the Gullah Geechee Heritage Corridor. Through these sensory experiences, readers honor and learn about Gullah Geechee culture and traditions. Tonya Engel’s art is absolutely stunning—vibrant and textured—perfectly complementing Yvette’s poetic, celebratory text.
A Suitcase Full (August 18, 2026) by Maryam Kia and illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett is another gorgeous book that we’re buzzing about. In this heartfelt picture book, a young girl’s family is forced to flee Iran; Kimia must pack a single suitcase and say goodbye to her beloved grandmother, Nana-joon. As years pass, the family lives in several countries and states, and they finally find a new place to call home. Kimia’s new teacher assigns the class a special project—bringing a suitcase filled with meaningful objects—and Kimia finds a way to weave her past into her present, celebrating both her roots and her growth. Maryam Kia’s narrative text, based on her own childhood, tells a gorgeous story, and the art is stunning to match—creating a moving reading experience. We can’t wait to share!
Which of your frontlist titles would be great for a school or public library?
We’ve already received excitement from school and public librarians about the Disability Books for Kids series. This picture book series explores visible and invisible disability in the first person through the eyes of children, written from lived experience. The series aims to build allyship, challenge ableism, and celebrate differences. The books are lyrical, honest, and empowering for all readers—and each book is written and illustrated with the unique voice and style of the book’s author and illustrator pair. The first four books release in early 2026:
- More Than What Eyes See: A book about blindness by Miso Kwak; illus. by Thais Mesquita
- Uncommonly Curious, Eternally Autistic: A book about autism by Rasha Hamid; illus. by Rachael and Phillippa Corcutt
- My Life as an Asthmanaut: A book about asthma by Jake Lockett; illus. by Adriana Predoi
- I Spark Like Lightning: A book about epilepsy by Jenna Elyse Johnson; illus. by Sue Teodoro
Which of your frontlist titles would be great for a classroom? Which grade?
Santiago and Great Bear: A Friendship Written in the Stars by author-illustrator Lisa Johnston Hancock, is a perfect fit for classrooms. This vibrantly illustrated story starts when a young boy, Santiago, moves to the countryside with his family and wishes to the stars for a friend. The constellation Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, falls from the sky to keep him company. The book then follows Santiago as he tries to help Great Bear find a way back home. There are so many great lessons about friendship, kindness, and responsibility to explore while reading this book. The book also beautifully and cleverly features the cycles of the night sky as an essential plot element, making it a perfect fit to align with STEM lessons in grades pre-K to 1st grade.
The Best Good Thing, by Anna Housley Juster, illustrated by Andrea Onishi, is another great fit for classrooms. Written by a child mental health clinician, the story begins with a young girl who feels “smad”—sad and mad—after having a hard day at school. Her mother listens to the girl’s concerns and then encourages her to look for positives. Together, they start to notice small joys. This book is a perfect fit for pre-K and early elementary classrooms to support young children with emotional regulation when dealing with their own sad days.
Which of your frontlist titles would you like to see get more attention from bookstores?
The Outside Our Window board book series by Mélina Mangal, illustrated by Stella Lim, is incredibly delightful and belongs on the shelves of bookstores. The mission of the series is to encourage children and adults—especially those in urban neighborhoods—to explore, protect, and delight in nature. Each book focuses on one feature of the natural world (trees, birds, squirrels, wind, etc.), one sense (sight, sound, touch, smell), and one communication or relationship skill (family connection, social awareness). I love how each book so intimately appreciates the qualities of nature—tapping into toddlers’ natural curiosities and ways of seeing the world around them. The illustrations are also lovely. The newest books in the series—Wind Whirls—released in November 2025 and Flowers Bloom comes out early 2026, with more to follow.
Name a few of your favorite backlist titles that people should check out.
We have a strong backlist of picture books covering tough topics that support children during specific challenging moments in life, like grief, the incarceration of a loved one, parental divorce, and more. These books are incredibly important to our list and mission:
- What Does Grief Feel Like? by Korie Leigh; illus. by Mike Malbrough
- Dear Dad: Love, Nelson: The Story of One Boy and His Incarcerated Father by Margarett McBride; illus. by David Wilkerson
- Papa and Pearl: A Tale About Divorce, New Beginnings, and Love That Never Changes by Annette M. Clayton; illus. by Kimberley Barnes
- Sometimes Stormy: A story about finding calm and staying safe when someone you love drinks too much, written and illustrated by Amanda Davis
Thank you, Free Spirit Publishing!
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