Queridos Amigos,
Of the many readers who find their way to Restless Books, to me the most important—and the ones for whom our impact is the most lasting—are young people. They are the inspiration for our award-winning imprint Yonder, which publishes picture books, chapter books, and young adult fiction from Japan, Estonia, Mexico, Russia, Greece, Israel, Finland, India, Palestine, and scores of other places. Young readers are our future. The broader the menu we build for them, the more attuned they will be to a restless world.
Pledge $75 to receive an illustrated Yonder tote
Also, the audience of a Yonder book is two-fold: the child who reads it, and the adult who gives it to them as a gift or as a recommendation, or who opens its pages to share a bedtime story. This was the inspiration for Chuchu Wang, author of Rus and Moose, to illustrate a new Yonder tote bag for those who donate $75 or more to our current fundraiser:
“I chose the possum because it feels like a wonderfully warm symbol of family and caregiving. Possum mothers are often seen carrying and caring for many babies at once, which makes them a particularly charming image for parent-child relationships. I also feel that this connects nicely with Yonder’s encouragement of parents and children to discover and enjoy books together.”
We need your help to expand the palate of these tender, crucial readers. The mission of Restless Books—to translate writing about a world in motion where immigrants play a crucial role—prioritizes this audience.
This month, I hope to raise $50,000 for Yonder to publish the extraordinary books we already have on deck. Our five upcoming titles were carefully selected from the countless submissions we received in the last six months. Given the expense of artwork, quality paper, and expert printers, a picture book costs approximately $25,000 to produce—about twice as much as a regular book.
Happily, for those of you with a lifelong passion for children’s and YA books, we are also launching a Yonder Readers Club (YRC). Like our vigorous Restless Readers Club, your annual membership of $10 per month gets you four Yonder books delivered each year; one chosen by you and three of the imprint’s new releases. Donors of $250+ will receive a year's membership for yourself or a loved one, with our thanks.
As in the past, a generous anonymous funder—an angel always looking out for our well-being—has pledged $10,000 for this Yonder campaign if we can raise four times that amount by December 2, 2026. Please help us reach our goal. You can donate any amount to Yonder or choose to support a specific book.
Here's what we have coming up, and what is still needed:
The Fantastic Bus (Denmark): This magnum opus from Jakob Strid, Denmark's most celebrated living children's author, was fifteen years in the making. Wildly ambitious and elaborately detailed, it’s an illustrated saga for readers of all ages that marries the visionary fantasy of Hayao Miyazaki with the classic world-building of Richard Scarry. The story follows a young bear named Taku whose friends and family live on the fringes of Ahnstarr City. Suffering from industrial pollution and facing eviction from their shanty town, the community teams up to build an enormous bus and set out in search of a legendary saffron lily that holds the cure to their maladies—but the road ahead is a dangerous one. Bold, imaginative, and instantly iconic, The Fantastic Bus has sold over 125,000 copies since its 2023 release in Europe, where it was hailed by press as "the new Harry Potter." This is our biggest project to date, and we ask your help to make its urgent environmental message available at an affordable price. We need $25,000.
Chop Chop: The Brave Little Earthling (Finland): To support the printing of a timely picture book with a sweet protagonist who faces the challenges of an increasingly automated workplace (and an embattled wider world) without losing hope. We need $7,500.
The Curse of the Archer Witch (Japan): To support printing and publicity of a middle grade Japanese fantasy novel from the award-winning author Sachiko Kashiwaba, Restless's bestselling author. We need $5,000.
Rock, Paper, Scissors (Argentina): To support the printing and interior layout of a YA novel set on the eve of Argentina’s Dirty War, in which the author explores the limits of cross-class friendships amid increasing repression. We need $5,000.
The Child Who Tames the River (China): To support the printing and interior layout of a beautifully illustrated picture book set against the backdrop of the Liangzhu culture (3300- 2250 BCE) in ancient China. We need $7,500.
Depending on the size of your donation, we have all kinds of gifts:
$75+: New Yonder tote bag featuring an original illustration by Chuchu Wang, author of Rus and Moose
$250+: Tote bag + 1-year membership in our new Yonder Readers Club
$1,500+: Tote bag + YRC membership + recognition on the copyright page of a forthcoming Yonder book
$3,000+: Tote bag + YRC membership + dedication page of a forthcoming Yonder book (only available for Chop Chop before November 19th)
Please consider giving generously to the young readers of tomorrow, and doing so by December 2nd.
1,000 gracias,
Ilan Stavans,
Publisher
Restless Books
