Beret Publishing

05/22/2026

Earlier this week, Beret Publishing became a 3x Telly Award-winning organization for our online series, Beret Tales: Animated Interviews with History’s Greats. And honestly, we're still sitting with the weight of what that means.

What started as an idea around a kitchen table has now been recognized nationally in the categories of Social Impact, Education & Discovery, and Animation.

There were moments while building Beret where the vision felt almost too big to explain:

- A multimedia publishing house.
- Books with music and Braille.
- Animated interviews with overlooked historical voices.
- Educational storytelling designed to help children feel seen.
- Bringing musical greats and their compositions back to life.

And yet… here we are.

To every person who supported Beret Publishing, Beret Dreams Studio, and Beret Tales along the way, thank you. Truly.

This recognition belongs to everyone who believed meaningful stories for children could still matter in a loud world.

Anddddddd we’re just getting started :) Cheers Beret family!

05/20/2026

We're now 3x Telly Award Winners!! Thank you so much !!

05/20/2026

We’re still pinching ourselves over here…

Today, Beret Tales: Animated Interviews with History’s Greats won 3 Telly Awards:

Silver — Social Impact
Silver — Education & Discovery
Bronze — Animation

Out of 13,000+ entries submitted globally this year, we are honestly blown away.

What started as a dream to create meaningful educational storytelling centered on overlooked cultural voices for children has now been recognized on a national stage.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Beret Publishing, Beret Dreams Studio, and Beret Tales along the way. This moment means more than we can fully express.

And special thank you to our incredible team, collaborators, families, and supporters who believed in this vision from the very beginning. And last but certainly not least, thank you thank you thank you to the and its governing board!

Tonight we celebrate. Tomorrow we keep building.

LFG.

05/13/2026

We’re honored to share that our Founder & CEO, Crystal L. Stein, was recently featured on MPR’s Little Moments Count podcast.

During the conversation, Crystal highlighted Winifred Atwell from the Echoes of Excellence collection and shared how touch, sound, and visuals work together to support early brain development, memory retention, and inclusive learning experiences for children of all abilities.

The episode also explored the research-driven mission behind Beret Publishing: helping counter historical erasure by introducing children to the stories and legacies of overlooked Black classical composers and cultural giants including Vicente Lusitano, George Bridgetower, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Florence Price, and Winifred Atwell.

At Beret Publishing, we believe children deserve stories that engage their senses, expand their understanding of the world, and reflect the richness of history and human creativity.

We’d love for you to tune in and listen to the full episode — and be sure to stay until the very end for a special surprise code just for listeners!

🎧 Listen here:
[Little Moments Count Podcast Episode]https://www.littlemomentscount.org/radio-podcast

Thank you to the and team and Minnesota Public Radio (MPR)for creating space for conversations around literacy, accessibility, representation, and learning.

It’s a perfect day to read®.

05/07/2026

Huge congratulations to All the Stars in the Sky, winner of the Children’s Literature category at the Minnesota Book Awards!

Congratulations to author Art Coulson and illustrator Winona Nelson on this well-deserved recognition.

As the proud sponsor of the Children’s Literature category, it was an honor for us at Beret to celebrate the storytellers helping shape the next generation through imagination, creativity, and meaningful storytelling.

We also want to recognize this year’s outstanding finalists in the Children’s Literature category:

• Revolutions Are Made of Love by Tami Charles, illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara
• Dear Acorn by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
• Saturday Morning at the Shop by Keenan Jones, illustrated by Ken Daley
• All the Stars in the Sky by Art Coulson, illustrated by Winona Nelson

To all of the authors, illustrators, and creators recognized this evening across every category, congratulations on an incredible celebration of literature and storytelling here in Minnesota.

It’s a perfect day to read®

05/04/2026

This week, we are honored to celebrate the incredible voices shaping the future of storytelling at the Minnesota Book Awards.

As the sponsor of the Children’s Literature category, this moment means so much to us. These stories inspire young readers to dream bigger, think deeper, and see themselves in new ways.

To this year’s nominees, we are cheering you on. Your work matters more than you know.

Wishing you the best of luck. We cannot wait to celebrate with you.

It’s a perfect day to read®

04/23/2026

Tune in to 94.1fm WFNU 94.1 FM Frogtown Community Radio TODAY at 5pm CST to hear our CEO Crystal Stein chat with Katey DeCelle in partnership with MPR and Little Moments Count about our work here at Beret Publishing! Thank you for having us!

Tune in today at 5PM!

Crystal Stein of joins WFNU Frogtown Radio (94.1 FM + WFNU.org) to share her story, from giving up a career in finance to creating groundbreaking children’s books that spotlight overlooked composers in history!

Her innovative board books go beyond storytelling. Each one features music from a different, often overlooked, historical composer, with Braille and written word telling this composers story, alongside beautiful illustrations.

Spanning the 15th to the 19th centuries, this inaugural collection celebrates brilliant musical voices whose contributions helped shape history but have too often gone unrecognized.

Through music, poetry, and creative storytelling, these books inspire curiosity, inclusivity, and a lifelong love of learning.

Don’t miss this conversation about representation, accessibility, and reimagining how children experience classical music ❤️

Listen live at 94.1 FM or stream online at WFNU.org

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04/10/2026

We’re honored to once again serve as the official sponsor of the Children’s Literature category for this year’s Minnesota Book Awards.

Stories shape how children see themselves and how they see the world.

This category represents more than books. It represents imagination, identity, and the voices that will define the next generation.

To this year’s honored authors, congratulations. Your work matters more than you know. We encourage you to explore the finalists, support their work, and join us in celebrating the power of children’s literature.

Tickets and event details available through the - it'll be a beautiful evening - check them out!

It’s a perfect day to read®

04/07/2026

Took a little time to bring this one together, but worth the wait.

This is what it looks like when storytelling becomes an experience.

A room full of young readers, leaning in, asking questions, making connections, and discovering stories they may have never heard before.

Through Beret Books, we’re bringing forward voices that history didn’t always center, and placing them right where they belong, in the hands of the next generation.

And moments like this matter.

One young reader walked away with a brand new violin and a month of lessons. Another with the full Echoes of Excellence collection.

Opportunities. Exposure. Possibility.

A special thank you to Margaret MsMargaretlive Sullivan and the EdAllies organization, our incredible videographer , and for helping make this experience possible.

Grateful for the energy in the room.

And just getting started.

It’s a perfect day to read!

03/25/2026

Today's the day!! See you at SunRay tonight!