Making A Difference: An Interview With Free Spirit Publishing
Former classroom teacher and gifted-education specialist Judy Galbraith founded Free Spirit Publishing in 1983 as a way to address the real-life issues that her students faced.
Judy Galbraith
While adults have a wide selection of self-help books, where are the books that can help children grow, face challenges, and develop new skills?
Focusing on titles for children, teens, and the adults who care for them, the Free Spirit Publishing catalog currently has over 300 award-winning books that cover topics about connecting through technology, managing emotions, and developing empathy and understanding for peers.
Founder Judy Galbraith was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about what topics and titles she is excited about today, as well as what readers can get excited about next!
Can you tell us a little bit more about the mission of Free Spirit Publishing, and what makes it unique from other publishers focusing on content for kids?
Our mission, for almost 40 years, has been to help children and teens think for themselves, overcome challenges, and make a difference in the world. Our focus from the beginning has been to address the social and emotional needs of young people. We also offer resources for educators to help them differentiate for the broad spectrum of student abilities in their classrooms and schools. Characters in our illustrated children’s books have always reflected diversity which is something many other publishers have only recently focused on. We cover a broad range of topics including helping children to deal with stress and anxiety, develop social skills, build resilience and a growth mindset, goal setting and more.
What would you say is the best part of your job at the helm of Free Spirit Publishing?
I feel privileged to work with incredibly smart, talented, and dedicated people. From staff to authors and illustrators I’m surrounded by people who truly care about helping young people to not just survive, but to thrive. Even when I’ve had a difficult day I always feel good about the work we do and what we have to offer.
Do you see any changing themes or topics in children’s publishing that have emerged over the past year or so?
Children need more help now than ever as they’re experiencing record levels of stress, anxiety and trauma. They’ve lost ground in terms of achievement and in terms of their social relationships. Those challenges aren’t going away anytime soon and our resources offer timely tools that help.
What has it been like to work with the DropCap team?
I love working with DropCap as they make our rights deals seem easy (I know they’re not). Anytime people do work for me I’m thrilled. Our rights revenue has continued to grow exponentially thanks to DropCap.
What are some titles that readers can look forward to in the coming year?
I Love You All the Time
We’ve started a new series called All the Time which is for ages 2 – 6. The books reassure children that they are loved and loveable no matter the ups and downs of the day. The first two in the series are I Love You All the Time and You Have Feelings All the Time. We’re adding another title to our popular Laugh & Learn series which is How to Take the GROAN Out of Grown-Ups (and Get Along!). A much-needed teacher resource coming up is Big Conversations with Little Children: Addressing Questions, Worries, and Fears.
And as a final fun question: can you tell us about your experience as a sailor?
I didn’t take up sailing until I was in my 40’s but I quickly fell in love with it. I took sailing lessons and soon bought my own boat which was a beautiful 26- foot O’Day Outlaw and I kept it up on Lake Superior. I have many, many wonderful memories (and a few scary ones) of sailing on the big lake and in the British Virgin Islands. One thing I discovered about sailing is that there’s always something new to learn…you’re never “finished.”