About
Across languages and across borders, stories are magic. Storytelling connects us to each other and to who we are. Our innate appreciation for story is part of what makes us human.
​
In the hands of a child, a book is a portal to infinite possibility. When a beautifully crafted story engages a child’s natural curiosity, their world expands, as does their sense of self. In this way, a colorful stack of books carried home from the library or bookstore creates ripples of connection and inquiry.
​
These are the types of books that Blue Dot Kids Press creates. We publish stories that connect us to each other—and to the home we call Earth.
With irrepressible hopefulness and courage, we aspire to empower the next generation of global citizens with empathy, resilience, creativity, and the shared value of nature and its stewardship.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena… There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.
—Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994
Sustainability
Blue Dot Kids Press believes that business can be a force for good not only in content but also in creation. We prioritize sustainability in everything we do. The materials that compose our books are ingredients you can feel good about having in your classroom, library, and home.
Our books are printed with vegetable inks on responsibly sourced paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council™.
​
From the sale of every book, we donate to environmental causes through our membership with 1% for the Planet.
​
Through our annual Earth Day Initiative with our partner One Tree Planted, readers have the opportunity to plant trees—over 1,500 trees planted to date!
​
We continually work with our partners and suppliers to reduce our environmental impact, thinking about our entire supply chain, including our printers and distribution network.
Founder
Heidi Hill: Founder, Publisher, and Acquiring Editor
​
Blue Dot Kids Press founder, publisher and acquiring editor Heidi Hill grew up in Northern California amid stacks of picture books, Sundays spent reading in the grass. Heidi’s family instilled in her a love of reading, the necessity of contribution, a reverence for the outdoors, and a persuasive dose of entrepreneurialism.
Heidi interspersed postsecondary education with international travel, including teaching English in both Nepal and Spain, and ultimately earned a BA in journalism as well as an MBA. Now, Heidi maintains this international perspective, alongside her curious son and Kiwi husband, by working from both the San Francisco Bay Area, USA and Wellington, New Zealand.
Heidi’s professional experience includes leadership roles spanning publishing, media and marketing with Pearson Education, eBay Marketplaces, Dolby Labs and Active Interest Media.
​
In 2018, Heidi began work in earnest on what would be the organic next step in her pathway: launching Blue Dot Kids Press, a children’s book publishing house devoted to captivating stories and spectacular illustrations that build relationships to the natural world and our global community.
Team
​
Summer Dawn Laurie: Consulting Editor-at-Large
Summer Dawn Laurie has worked at Chronicle Books for both the marketing and editorial departments for children’s titles and at Tricycle Press, the children's imprint of Ten Speed Press. As a senior editor, Summer worked on over fifty published books across varied genres—picture books, board books, novels, activity books, fiction, and nonfiction for young people up to age twelve. She is now an independent editor, working to strengthen each word her clients write and helping guide them along the often labyrinthine route to publication.
Summer is also a children’s specialist at independent bookseller Books Inc. She spent five years as the founding chair of the NCIBA (Northern California Independent Booksellers’ Association) Children’s Alliance. Summer currently sits on advisory councils for both BAC Group and the ABC Group of the American Booksellers Association. Summer lives in San Francisco, California.
Michelle McCann: Consulting Editor-at-Large
​
Michelle McCann is a passionate children’s book editor, art director, and writer with thirty years of experience. She has worked on every genre, from board books to young adult novels.
​
Michelle has worked for small, regional presses and big, national houses including Sasquatch Books, West Margin Press, and Simon & Schuster/Beyond Words Publishing. She has also written twelve award-winning children’s books of her own and taught children’s book publishing to graduate students at Portland State University for thirteen years. Michelle lives in Portland, Oregon.
Starred Reviews
