In fall 2022, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing will raise the curtain on Boynton Bookworks, an imprint devoted to the books of bestselling children’s author, cartoonist, and songwriter Sandra Boynton. Boynton Bookworks will be the new home for Boynton’s future titles as well as for her entire Little Simon catalog and titles previously published elsewhere—a move that gathers all the chickens, hippos, puppies, and other beloved characters from her extensive backlist under one roof for the first time.
Announcing the news today, Jon Anderson, president and publisher of S&S Children’s Publishing said, “Sandy’s work is deceptively simple and utterly original. Boynton Bookworks will be a showcase for her singular genius—she’ll hate my using that word, but it’s true!—and is the obvious next step in her remarkable career.”
Industry veteran Kelli Chipponeri, formerly of Chronicle Books and Running Press, is joining Boynton Bookworks as publishing director, and Mike Vago, most recently at Workman Publishing, will be the imprint’s design director. Jeff Salane, v-p and editorial director at Little Simon, will continue as Boynton’s editor. “And I’ll be in the Picard role,” Boynton joked in a statement about embarking on this new chapter. “I get to set an improbable course and say ‘make it so.’ Then the supremely competent crew takes it from there. I’m so stunned and grateful that Jon is giving me this wild opportunity.”
The inaugural Boynton Bookworks list will include two new board books, Pookie’s Thanksgiving and Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La!, and a deluxe redrawn and redesigned picture book edition of Hippos Go Berserk!, first published in 1977. Also in fall 2022, Boynton Bookworks will begin releasing new editions of 22 previously published titles including bestsellers Barnyard Dance! and Snuggle Puppy! and six children’s songbook/CD compilations featuring musical performances by B.B. King, Meryl Streep, and Stanley Tucci, among others.
