I received a box the other day, from what appeared to be a major online retailer. I remember thinking, “Wow, the Little Pickle Press book is coming from [that place]? How cool for them!”

If you haven’t heard of Little Pickle Press, you aren’t alone. They’re new. Spring of 2009 new. But, I don’t think that should stop you from reading further about the publisher (ripped directly from their “About Us” page):

Little Pickle Press LLC (“LPP”) is a 21st Century publisher of high quality, high impact media for children. Founded in Spring 2009, LPP brings a fresh approach to an industry in need of change.

We cultivate partnerships with our artists a little differently than other publishers by sharing more control, rights, limelight, and royalties with them. We publish and promote our family of authors, illustrators, and their works through a breadth of services, which we believe yields the finest crop of new talent and distinctive products for our formative audience of children.

We also do our printing and distributing a little differently than other publishers. We print on only recycled paper, use soy inks, and ship in green packaging predominately direct to our customers to minimize the harmful impact on the environment. Think of it as growing a cucumber, without pesticides and fertilizers, then selling that cucumber at the local farmer’s market.

Finally, we support children a little differently than other publishers…we not only make it our mission to provide healthy, wholesome, exciting books, e-books, and other media for “little pickles,” we also donate 10% of all book purchases to non profit partners dedicated to helping children in great need.

Our new way of publishing may cost us a bit more, but we know it’s worth it to support our family of artists, to protect our environment, and most importantly, to enrich our “little pickles.”

I opened the box, pulled out some recycled packaging (hooray!) and a children’s book titled What Does It Mean To Be Global? by Rana DiOrio and Illustrated by Chris Hill. The whole “don’t judge a book by its cover” idea definitely does not apply to this book. The artwork on the cover is beautifully reflective of artwork many parents have come to appreciate in children’s books.

Before showing the book to my own kids, I had to test it for “quality assurance,” kind of like I play with test their toys before I let them play. There is no simple way to say how fantastic this book is. Its fantastic in its message, its answer about what “global” means. It shows children of all race, color, religion and gender playing side by side and explains how wonderful it is to have such diversity, and that it is a good thing to be able to not only learn about other cultures, but to have friends who are different than what “we” may be used to. Simply speaking, its a handbook for peace, written for children, and I feel a bit honored to have a copy.

My four-year-old twins loved the book. They’re big into pointing out girls and boys right now, so all of the different children were a big hit for them. My nine-year-old was really impressed with the story, the illustrations, and especially, the animals. He may be slightly older than the demographic, but he liked it, regardless. After we had read it twice, I asked him, “are you global?” and he paused, smiled, and said, “yes!”

That’s all I needed to know

Living in the Washington, D.C., area, I am happy that my children will grow up to experience the different cultures around us, its one of the reasons I want to stay here. This book reflects that spirit, beautifully: a spirit of community and appreciation for our similarities and differences. If that was not enough, ten percent of the purchase price of the book (not just the profit!) will be donated to the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Go buy this book, donate it to your library, send it to friends and keep a copy for yourself. While you’re at it, go and become a fan of Little Pickle Press on Facebook.