Look What I Found…

Lerner books follow me everywhere. A few weekends ago I stopped at my local Saint Paul library (yes, the most shocking place to discover a Lerner book…but hear me out) and in the midst of browsing the history section I happened to come across a suspiciously skinny, suspiciously tall volume. My radar immediately told me that this was a mis-shelved children’s book, and sure enough, when I pulled it off the shelf, this is what I saw.

And this is what the bottom of the title page said:

Yep, it was a children’s book all right–a now (alas) out-of-print children’s book published by a no longer existing imprint of Lerner Publishing Group. In 2001, the book’s year of publication, I was more or less in its target audience, which I admit only because I really wish I’d been able to read it then. I would’ve loved it.

Anyway, I love it now. And I love that virtually anytime I am talking to friends outside of publishing about anything, there will come a point in the conversation when I say excitedly, “We have a book about that!”* (I’m sure this gets annoying after a while, but that is insufficient to deter me.) I love that the books we publish often are as eye-opening and fascinating for me as they’re meant to be for elementary and high school students.**

I love that Lerner books follow me everywhere. I hope they keep it up.

*Examples include but are not limited to robots, storm chasers, George Washington’s face, hipster fashion, whistle-blowers, Emma Stone, urban exploration, concussions in football, and, of course, colonial America.

*For instance, I was not aware that fried beaver tail was something people used to eat. Sounds like the sort of food that could make a comeback at the Minnesota State Fair.