| "Too innovative to take on" Finds a Home! TOON Books , the foremost publisher of easy-to-read comics and graphic novels for young readers will become an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers (ABFYR). As Sally Lodge announced on Feb. 1, 2022 in a PW newsletter, "TOON Books Makes a Move to Astra" : "TOON Books was launched in 2008 by publisher, designer, and editorial director Françoise Mouly, who has also been art director for the New Yorker since 1993. She explained that she founded the company after pitching her concept of telling engaging stories through humor and art “to every publisher in town and they all rejected it as a wonderful idea but far too innovative to take on.” Committed to her belief that comics are a “gateway drug to literacy,” Mouly struck out on her own and lined up celebrated book creators from around the world, including Eleanor Davis, Liniers, Jeff Smith, and Art Spiegelman (her husband and frequent collaborator) to apply their talents to kids’ comics. The titles on the resulting TOON Books list have garnered such accolades as the Theodor Seuss Geisel, Eisner, and BolognaRagazzi awards, and have earned spots on numerous annual Best Books lists." “TOON has established a reputation as the foremost publisher of comics for early readers and, with its graphic novels for middle graders, rounds out the offerings from ABFYR’s now seven very distinguished children’s book imprints in a most organic way.” -Leying Jiang, COO, Astra Publishing House About Astra Publishing House Astra Publishing includes Astra House , dedicated to publishing the best adult nonfiction and fiction writers from the US as well as from around the world; the newly formed Astra Books for Young Readers (ABYR) featuring seven children’s book imprints: Astra Young Readers, Calkins Creek, Hippo Park, Kane Press, mineditionUS, TOON Books, and Wordsong; and Astra Magazine , an international literary magazine, launching in April. “TOON will continue to release four or five titles annually, but our goal is to build that to have bigger and better reach. TOON books are all about using kids’ natural affinity for the symbolic language of comics, to get everyone, even the most reluctant readers, to develop a passion for reading. With the help of Astra’s start-up spirit and its rock-solid infrastructure of publishing industry veterans, we’re eager to expand from a niche publishing house and bring our beloved titles to an even wider audience.” -Françoise Mouly, TOON Founder and Editorial Director “Board books, picture books, nonfiction, history, poetry, early readers, middle grade, young adult, and now comic books and graphic novels, ABFYR offers something for literally every young reader’s age and interests.” -Leying Jiang, COO, Astra Publishing House Check Out Sets of Your Favorite TOON Titles in Our Online Store! Level 1 Sets (Ages 3-6) Level 2 Sets (Ages 6-7) Level 3 Sets (Ages 7-8) Graphics Sets (Ages 8-12) Shop our award-winning titles in beautiful hardcover and affordable softcover formats. Shop the toon store |
"Too innovative to take on" Finds a Home! |
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TOON Books, the foremost publisher of easy-to-read comics and graphic novels for young readers will become an imprint of
Astra Books for Young Readers (ABFYR). |
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As Sally Lodge announced on Feb. 1, 2022 in a PW newsletter, "TOON Books Makes a Move to Astra": "TOON Books was launched in 2008 by publisher, designer, and editorial director Françoise Mouly, who has also been art director for the New Yorker since 1993. She explained that she founded the company after pitching her concept of telling engaging stories through humor and art “to every publisher in town and they all rejected it as a wonderful idea but far too innovative to take on.” Committed to her belief that comics are a “gateway drug to literacy,” Mouly struck out on her own and lined up celebrated book creators from around the world, including Eleanor Davis, Liniers, Jeff Smith, and Art Spiegelman (her husband and frequent collaborator) to apply their talents to kids’ comics. The titles on the resulting TOON Books list have garnered such accolades as the Theodor Seuss Geisel, Eisner, and BolognaRagazzi awards, and have earned spots on numerous annual Best Books lists." |
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| “TOON has established a reputation as the foremost publisher of comics for early readers and, with its graphic novels for middle graders, rounds out the offerings from ABFYR’s now seven very distinguished children’s book imprints in a most organic way.” -Leying Jiang, COO, Astra Publishing House |
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Astra Publishing includes Astra House, dedicated to publishing the best adult nonfiction and fiction writers from the US as well as from around the world; the newly formed Astra Books for Young Readers (ABYR) featuring seven children’s book imprints: Astra Young Readers, Calkins Creek, Hippo Park, Kane Press, mineditionUS, TOON Books, and Wordsong; and Astra Magazine, an international literary magazine, launching in April. |
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“TOON will continue to release four or five titles annually, but our goal is to build that to have bigger and better reach. TOON books are all about using kids’ natural affinity for the symbolic language of comics, to get everyone, even the most reluctant readers, to develop a passion for reading. With the help of Astra’s start-up spirit and its rock-solid infrastructure of publishing industry veterans, we’re eager to expand from a niche publishing house and bring our beloved titles to an even wider audience.” -Françoise Mouly, TOON Founder and Editorial Director |
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“Board books, picture books, nonfiction, history, poetry, early readers, middle grade, young adult, and now comic books and graphic novels, ABFYR offers something for literally every young reader’s age and interests.” -Leying Jiang, COO, Astra Publishing House |
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Check Out Sets of Your Favorite
TOON Titles
in Our Online Store! |
|
Shop our award-winning titles in beautiful hardcover and affordable softcover formats. |
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|
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