blue manatee press

04/01/2025

Howdy readers!

We are thrilled to be attending and exhibiting at the Texas Library Association (TLA) conference in Dallas this week. It’s a fantastic venue and had the opportunity to meet lots of kindly, dedicated, librarians, educators, grandparents and booklovers. Here’s a picture of our booth with our dedicated co-manatees-in-chief. 

Tomorrow will be a full day of booth conversation, networking and a special author signing of Billie the Brain, in advance of a sequel coming in the Fall, Billie the Brain Learns to Read!

03/08/2025

March 10-16 is , inviting us to join Billie the Brain to muse and marvel about all of the amazing a-Billie-ties that our brains make possible. Also, the importance of brain research and ways we can keep our and our loved ones' brains healthy!

Learn more from Billie the Brain in her lovely book, available from blue manatee press and distributed by : https://www.bluemanateepress.com/billie-the-brain

02/14/2025

Happy Valentine's Day from our kind-of-blobby, devoted, superstar friend, Hank the Heart! February is also American Heart Month - a time to keep yours healthy, remembering HANK: Helpful, Active, Nutrition, Kindness!

Read and share in English or Spanish in these fun & fascinating books, available at local bookstores, libraries, Amazon and IPG: Independent Publishers Group!

01/08/2025

Screen-Free Until Three! We are enthused to share this clip from this morning's featuring BMP author of the Baby Unplugged series, Dr. John Hutton, discussing recent brain-based research based at Cincinnati Children's involving children and screen time, and helpful advice for families.

01/05/2025

Happy Birthday and kudos to our Blue Manatee Press Affiliate of the Month Cheryl Swift Jones! Cheryl’s can-do spirit, teamwork and devotion to helping children and families has been evidenced by her warehouse work and sharing books and good cheer with the Alzafar Shriners in Mexico, SW Texas and beyond. Thank you and happy reading, Cheryl!

01/03/2025

Ring in the new year with reading! It's never too early to start, though reading with babies can be messy. That's why BMP founder Dr. John Hutton developed the SHARE/STEP method, to help make this as fun and interactive as possible (though there still will likely be chewing, drooling and squirming). Read about it in this blog post from our partners, !

Dr. John Hutton, pediatrician and author, breaks down his research-driven SHARE/STEP Method, focused on incorporating shared reading into daily routines.

11/18/2024

Blue Manatee Press loves the Alzafar Shriners, who love helping children! Featured is kindly Cheryl Swift Jones providing copies of our bilingual "Seasons" series to kids at Shriners Children's Texas in Galveston, in the spirit of the holidays. Reading builds brains and bonds year-round!

A cornucopia of BMP titles in Spanish here: https://www.bluemanateepress.com/spanish-language

11/11/2024

Honored to SHARE our books with hospitalized children and families in Mexico City, courtesy of kindly, dedicated friends at Alzafar Shriners, notably the incomparable Cheryl Swift Jones. This includes Hank el Corazón and COMPARTIR, which encourages interactive, nurturing (fun!) reading.

10/07/2024

As Halloween and Thanksgiving approach, visions of not-so spooky, festive feasts emerge. Who better to sip and dine with than Mr. Pumpkin, brought to us by

Enjoy this fun book trailer here: https://youtube.com/shorts/RT4-igQ0hWs?si=N2q8qlpM2Sv_8vzv

Available now from Amazon and refined bookstores everywhere!

10/04/2024

Please pause to reflect: October is Safe Sleep Awareness Month. While progress has been made since the initial Back to Sleep campaign in the 1990s, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is still the #1 cause of post-neonatal death in the US, approximately 1,400 babies tragically lost per year.

While many factors are unknown, research clearly shows that there are safe sleep practices that help reduce risk. These are shown in our new book for parents, Bedtime Baby, Safe and Sound, by Dr. John Hutton and Leah Busch, available in English and Spanish. Learn more on our website: https://www.bluemanateepress.com/bedtime-baby-safe-sound

09/04/2024

We're thrilled to announce the release of a new book for families that conveys updated AAP and CDC recommended safe sleep guidance: Bedtime, Baby, Safe and Sound. Written from an infant's perspective, this sweet, rhyming book reunites the author-illustrator team of Dr. John Hutton and Leah Busch, who also created the best-selling predecessor, Sleep Baby Safe and Snug, and other titles in the Love Baby Healthy series.

With a gentle, child-centered approach, a bold color palette reflecting family diversity, and enhanced science-based recommendations, Bedtime, Baby, Safe and Sound is intended to help reduce the risk of SIDS while encouraging shared book reading from infancy.

Here are some recent reviews:

"This soothing yet urgently informative bedtime board book by pediatrician Hutton, the fifth in his Love Baby Healthy series, offers parents a peaceful read-aloud for safe nighttime routines. Leah Busch pairs that message with tranquil watercolor illustrations that mirror the peaceful, hushed environment so necessary for bedtime. Production grades: A."
— Publishers Weekly Review

"With simple, rhyming text, bold colors and diversity well-represented, I recommend this book for clinicians, safe sleep advocates and families to share and help reduce the risk of SIDS while encouraging nurturing reading routines at home."
— Dr. Rachel Y. Moon, MD, Pediatrician, Safe Sleep Expert and Researcher at University of Virginia

Available now via IPG: Independent Publishers Group at Amazon, bookstores and libraries nationwide (if not - please ask for it!), and for non-profit health and literacy organizations (in English, Spanish, Bilingual) via our non-profit partner, All About Books. Contact us at blue manatee press for more information!

08/30/2024

Bienvenido, Hank el Corazón! Caliente off the presses and arrived in our warehouse today - a new Spanish translation of our award-winning picture book, Hank the Heart. Children and families can learn how the heart works, how hearts can be different, how doctors and others can help and how to stay heart-healthy. Penned by Drs. John Hutton and Ryan Moore and illustrated via artists at the MediaLab at Cincinnati Children's, distributed by IPG: Independent Publishers Group and available at bookstores and e-commerce sites soon.

Happy Heartfelt Labor Day weekend!

07/01/2024

Honored to share this engaging Scrolling2Death podcast featuring host Nicki Reisberg and Manatee-in-Chief Dr. John Hutton, discussing digital media and children.

A screen time discussion with pediatrician & researcher Dr. John Hutton

06/29/2024

Big, exciting week at the blue manatee press warehouse! Thanks to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for partnering with us to provide over 14,000 children's books to families who need them!