Chronicle Books Blog

It’s almost the solstice, and here are a few of our favorite new books that inspire us to make our lives more free, easy and filled with summer fun.

Flour, too by Joanne Chang

Senior designer Alice Chau is looking forward to making some of the amazing salad recipes included in this gorgeous cookbook this summer. (But I get the feeling that her enthusiasm for this book isn’t limited to a single season!)

The Magnificent Chicken by Tamara Staples

The fascinating chicken portraits found in this unique photography collection inspire design assistant Anne Kenady to make plans to get out of the city this summer and visit a county fair.

The Art of Monsters University by Karen Paik

Every summer senior designer Neil Egan eagerly anticipates the release of the latest Pixar movie, and this year is no exception. Monsters University opens June 21, and he will be there!

Time and Tide by Christian Chaize

This is my favorite summer book. It makes me want to go to beach immediately. It actually makes me want to go to the beach in Portugal immediately, but I might have to settle for something a little closer to home. Frisbee on the sand in Alameda, anyone?

Brooke Johnson
Senior Designer

Last week, I took my three-year-old son to get his first library card. (Full disclosure: A friend told me that the library doesn’t charge late fees to children, while the fines on my card for the books he kept hiding around our house were breaking the bank.) He had a choice of five different card designs, and he picked the one that said, “READ.” It was a proud moment.

The library was packed on this Friday afternoon. Parents were sitting on the floor reading to preschoolers, toddlers were wandering around pulling board books out of colorful plastic bins, and older kids crowded around little wooden tables, engrossed in their books. Two middle schoolers chatted with the reference librarian like she was an old friend. My son was busy collecting a towering stack of picture books he’d never be able to carry to the door, and it all reminded me of how much I loved library visits as a child.

As Chronicle Kids celebrates 25 years of publishing, I’ve been thinking a lot about children’s books, the value of literacy programs, and why kids love being read to so much. We know that surrounding kids with books will make them smarter, but what are the intrinsic qualities of books that make them so important, so magical, so lasting? Why is reading a book to a child such a rewarding experience, and what can we do to keep our kids reading into adulthood?

I put out a query to my colleagues and friends online: Why do you read? More than 50 people responded, some with just a word or two, some with impassioned replies and a long list of reasons. One in three people said they read to escape, which struck me as an alarming commentary on the current state of our society. I compiled all the responses, then edited them down a shorter list:

25 Reasons to Read

1. To escape
2. To time travel
3. To exercise my imagination
4. To walk in someone else’s shoes
5. To learn something new
6. To get out of my head and into someone else’s
7. To learn a new word or remember an old one
8. To laugh
9. To quiet the mind
10. To dream awake
11. To find just the right words to say how you feel
12. To discover the world without leaving home
13. To not stare at a screen for 30 freaking minutes
14. To bring back memories and remind me of parts of myself I’d forgotten
15. To meet new people without having to actually get dressed
16. To get inspired and motivated
17. For the wonder and delight it brings to children
18. Because no one understands me quite like Jane Austen
19. So I can point out all the things they got wrong in the movie
20. To hear my own story in someone else’s words
21. To broaden my horizons and get a new perspective
22. To introduce my children to magic
23. “To find life, in all its possibilities.” —Claire Messud
24. To feel less alone
25. Because you never meet men like Mr. Darcy at the bar

There were many more, a lot of shared sentiments, and a few that were as funny as that last one but not entirely appropriate for a blog post related to children’s books. But this exercise made me curious to cast a wider net and ask many more people, Why do YOU read?

In honor of the Chronicle Kids 25th Anniversary, we’re launching a #25ReasonstoRead Twitter campaign. Share your reason to read on Twitter, and for every tweet with the #25ReasonstoRead hashtag, we will donate a children’s book to a young reader in need (up to 250 books). If you don’t have a Twitter account, you may also share your Reason to Read in the comments below.

Visit the 25th Anniversary website for author interviews, online excerpts, giveaways, and more. New surprises added each week!

Guinevere de la Mare
Senior Community Manager

Every May, stationers and paper lovers alike gather in New York City at the Javits Center for the National Stationery Show where exhibitors showcase their new creations and designs. As you might imagine, it’s a visual feast for the eyes. Year after year, I am overwhelmed and amazed by all the creative things these artists and stationers make. Here is a sampling of some of our favorite things that we saw at the show this year.

Blackbird Letterpress‘s die-cut notecards and state notebooks really caught our eye. I mean, c’mon, who wouldn’t want to receive a hug from that bear?

Dear Hancock‘s booth is always so fun and always has something wonderfully unexpected. This year the husband and wife team created a painted life-size desk that they setup in their booth! Their art is wonderfully humorous and unexpected as well, here are just a few of our favorite things we discovered in their booth.

The ladies at Egg Press have a style that is unlike anyone else’s and I so love their use of die-cut windows in their designs—so clever and fun! As always, such an inspiring booth to visit!

Ferme à Papier is Cat Seto‘s new line of notecards, and after getting sneak-peeks all week on Instagram, I was so excited to see them in person and they did not disappoint. I’m in love with her new style!

The Great Lakes Goods always has one of the most magical booths at the show. It’s a treasure trove of Rose’s hand-crafted delights. From packages of confetti and balloons to hand-painted feathers and award ribbons, every object she creates is sure to put a smile on your face.

A big congratulations to our friends at Hello!Lucky (authors of our Handmade Weddings and Pretty Please Stationery) for winning a Louie Award for Best Thank You this year. Congrats, you guys!!! As always, their booth was filled with their cheerful and sweet notecards… and a giant hot dog cut-out to take your picture with! (Thanks, Christina, for letting me take your picture!)

In addition to their amazing notecards, Hammerpress introduced an incredible array of die cut notecards and gift cards which were such standouts at the show. I love how Brady and his team really know how to push the color on their presses—such incredible work!

The ever-inventive Lea Redmond of Leafcutter Designs (and author of our World’s Smallest Post Service, My Museum, and Connexio) always has the cleverest of things in her booth. This year I could not get over her bags of Seed Money, paper coins embedded with seeds. Pure genius and so much fun!

Moglea‘s cards hand-dipped-dyed notecards really blew my mind. Love the kool-aid washes—such a clever twist!

Mr. Boddington’s Studio (author’s of our Every Day stationery line, yipee!) had so many new and wonderful things to discover in their booth that I’m not even sure where to begin. From the ex libris book plates, the gift wrap, the calendars to their growing line alphabet posters and iPhone cases—their attention to detail is unparalleled.

OneCanoeTwo‘s bold new calendars commanded your attention from across the aisle. I think that I literally ran into their booth to look at them! They also had a series of scenic postcard sets wrapped in baker’s twine that made me long to travel.

My francophile heart skipped a beat when I saw the new line of paper goods in Pei Design‘s booth this year! Oh là là, bien sûr!

Rifle Paper Co. (authors of our widely popular Botanicals line), as always, had the most glorious of booths. If I could live in a world surrounded by Rifle Paper Co. goods, I would.

Rigel Stuhmiller‘s illustrations of fruits, vegetables and animals really have this hand-crafted charm and the print quality was exceptional!

If you are looking for Downton Abbey with a modern twist, look no further! Sesame Letterpress combines vintage engraved art with modern neon colors for a fantastic and fresh look!

In addition to walking the show, we also have a booth where we showcase our new products and bestsellers. Our booth was bustling with activity this year and as a designer, it was so great to get to talk to buyers and our sales team about our upcoming titles and to see their candid enthusiasm for it!

And here are a few close-ups of some of our upcoming titles, Wishing Tree by Hello Hanna, Box World Adventures by Suzy Ultman, Big Ideas Notepad by Mary Kate McDevitt, and our latest and greatest punch-out format, Paper Chess Set.

Some of our Top 10 selling titles on the left and then our new stationery line with the V&A and our upcoming Art Deco Notebooks which have full-cover metallic foil on the covers, so decadent and divine!

Kristen Hewitt
Associate Design Director

Today we’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled food blog posts so we can attempt to create and decorate the ridiculously adorable treats as featured in the recently-released Cake Pops by Bakerella Cupcakes and Cake Pops by Bakerella Spring Chicks single project kits.

Those ribbons and tags are pretty darned cute, right?

Let us know what you love about Bakerella and cake pops—decorating them, embellishing them, eating them—by leaving a comment below. Five lucky people that post to the blog will be eligible to win both of these new single-project kits, along with copies of the bestselling Cake Pops by Bakerella, Cake Pops Holidays, and the Cake Pops Kit (Giveaway offer good in USA & Canada only; winners announced June 12th.)

Now, off to tackle making these CUTE cupcake and chick pops!

Peter Perez
Associate Director, Marketing

Subscribe to our monthly Cooking Newsletter.

Nathan Tan is the CEO of Forgetful Gentleman, a men’s stationery and accessories line, and the author of The Forgetful Gentleman, which offers advice on choosing the right suit silhouette, fostering the art of conversation, hosting a successful party, mixing a signature cocktail, working out like a Navy SEAL, developing creativity, and more.

In honor of graduation season, we asked Nathan to share some advice on digital etiquette. Read on for his do’s and don’ts—which can be applied whether you’re a new or not-so-recent grad.

DO:

DO conduct a periodic audit of your online presence to ensure the persona that you are projecting is an authentic representation of who you are or the person you want the world to see. Look at your social network profiles as a prospective employer, father-in-law, or parent. Check every photo that you are tagged in. Read old emails and text messages for politeness, clarity, and content. Take any necessary steps to ensure your virtual persona matches your real-life character and values. New web services like BrandYourself.com even allow you to control your online reputation via SEM, helping people find you, not the drug dealer who happens to share your name.

DO take advantage of social network targeted privacy settings or “friend” groupings to separate your nine-to-five from your five-to-nine.

DO review and proofread before hitting send/post. Digital communication is absent of facial expression, tone of voice, and body language and is therefore easily misunderstood. Proofreading is especially important on a mobile device where small keyboards, sensitive touchscreens, and diabolical auto-correct features can conspire against you. As a gentleman, be acutely aware that all communication is a direct reflection on you. Don’t let typos, malapropisms, or grammatical mistakes send the wrong impression.

DO be careful with apps that share information about what articles you read or which sites you visit. Your decision to read up on the latest celebrity rehab stint during work hours is questionable enough already without broadcasting your potentially embarrassing reading habits to the rest of the world.

DON’T:

DON’T shout by typing in all caps. If you want to add emphasis, underline, bold, or italicize the word(s) instead.

DON’T get too personal or overshare. Status updates and comments are meant for short, general statements and well wishes. Anything more personal needs to be taken out of public view to email or, better yet, offline communication.

DON’T tag or post pictures of other people that they themselves would not tag or post. When in doubt, ask permission first.

DON’T “friend” people you don’t know or hardly know. You can waste a lot of time on social media “rabbit holing” through the lives of people with whom you don’t really have any meaningful relationship. That time is much better spent deepening relationships that matter.

Albee Dalbotten
Associate Marketing Director, Entertainment/Digital

Subscribe to our monthly Pop Culture Newsletter.