Introducing Nightlight Stories!
A New Chapter for Children's Books
How is it March already? We’re continuing to celebrate our 10th anniversary all year long and this month, we’re all abuzz (sorry, had to) to announce … the launch of Nightlight Stories, our children’s book imprint. And with March 3 recognized as Read Across America Day and March designated as National Reading Month, the timing couldn’t be better!
Starting in 1930, generations of middle-class children became readers with Dick and Jane primers featuring simple stories about the lives and experiences of a stereotypical American middle-class, white family in their suburban home. Nearly one hundred years later, the world is more complex than Dick and Jane could have ever imagined. Nightlight Stories is committed to publishing titles that reflect, embrace, and celebrate the diverse world we live in, knowing that representation is key to engagement, especially for children.
“Nightlight Stories believes in the power of books and their ability to not only entertain but to encourage empathy, understanding, and acceptance. Representation is another critical focus, providing a safe place for all young readers to feel seen, validated, and empowered,” said Jen Wahi, president and CEO. “We have immense pride in the children’s books we’ve published at Mission Point Press and are excited by our new environment for those authors.”
The Bug's Beginnings
It should come as no surprise that folks at Mission Point Press are readers. Which means, yeah, as kids we had our noses buried in books. Lots and lots of books. While we always welcomed children’s book authors, in 2024 we decided to create an imprint with a dedicated team to support their work.
As so often happens, successful outcomes come about through collaboration. Our graphic and web designer Terese DiMercurio shares, “Jen Wahi reached out to me with a need to refresh the Mission Point Press brand for its 10th anniversary, and to develop a brand identity for the new children’s book imprint. As a mom to four-year-old Silas and one-year-old Milo, I was thrilled by the opportunity, even more so when she shared the imprint’s vision. My wife and I are very intentional about the books that we bring into our home. While having two moms, or a myriad of different family types is becoming more common, it’s still viewed as being different. We want our sons to have stories that acknowledge that they’re seen and valued and that their family is important.”
The refreshed Mission Point Press brand features a North Star—a nod to our guiding the way for authors on their publishing journey, and that image snuck itself into the Nightlight Stories firefly mascot, to illuminate the path for children's book authors. The Nightlight Stories color palette is a vibrant and kid-friendly version of its parent palette, and celebrates the vivacity with which children see the world around them.
As work progressed, collaboration continued. Armed with a folder of his mom’s logo sketches, Silas polled his preschool classmates and the clear winner was the little firefly. “He was so excited to come home and announce, ‘All my friends picked the firefly; we named them George!’ We just love the idea of our bright firefly following authors on their journey, and leading kids to the world of reading.”
Nightlight Spotlight
As we get ready to welcome authors and publish their titles with Nightlight Stories, we wanted to share a few notable children’s books published by Mission Point Press. These are just a few of the incredible authors we’ve partnered with and the wonderful stories they’ve crafted. Have your own story to tell? A vision to share? Reach out—we’d love to talk with you!
Emerson the Brave, My Cancer Journey from A-Z by Emerson Hoogendoorn
Through a child’s eyes: a story of inspiration, courage, and hope in the face of cancer.
Emerson Hoogendoorn was diagnosed with cancer at the age of six. For a school project in fourth grade, she wrote an ABC book about her hospitalizations. She thought it would be cool to publish her story and her teacher, Ms. Kovacs, helped make her dream a reality. When Emerson turned eleven, her disease returned. In July 2024, Emerson lost her battle with cancer. This book is her story.
“I'm Emerson the Brave but I wasn’t always known as that. My name is Emerson Hoogendoorn. I was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of six when I had just finished kindergarten. I had to do many hard and challenging things and I wanted to show kids that it can be scary but you can do it because I did. This book is about my journey with cancer and the hard yet fun and exciting experiences that I’ve had through it. I wrote this book hoping to inspire kids to be BRAVE and to inform all the kids and even adults how things that happen in the hospital aren’t always scary.”
Ready to Light the Way?
If you're ready to be a part of this illuminating imprint, start your journey today by submitting your manuscript to Mission Point Press.