Gecko Press is an independent publisher of children's books based in
Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
. The company was founded in 2005 by Julia Marshall, formerly of Appelberg Publishing Agency, winner of the Storylines
Margaret Mahy Medal 2021.
Gecko Press publishes English translations of popular books from countries including France, Taiwan, Sweden, Japan, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. Gecko Press also publish 2–4 original titles each year.
Authors and illustrators
Gecko Press has published and translated a wide range of children's book authors and illustrators. These include:
*
Barbro Lindgren
Barbro Lindgren (born 18 March 1937) is a Swedish writer of children's books and books for adult readers. For her lasting contribution as a children's writer, Lindgren was a finalist for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in ...
*
Dorothée de Monfreid
Dorothée de Monfreid (born 1973) is a French author and illustrator. She worked as a graphic designer, before beginning to work on children's books. She is best known for illustrating ''I Really Want to Eat a Child''. In addition to her work on ...
*
Eva Eriksson
*
Frida Nilsson
*
Gavin Bishop
Gavin John Bishop (born 1946) is an author and illustrator, from Invercargill, New Zealand. He is known for illustrating books from prominent New Zealand authors, including Joy Cowley and Margaret Mahy. Bishop's first published picture book ...
*
Gitte Spee
*
Grégoire Solotareff
Grégoire Solotareff (born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1953) is a French artist, writer and illustrator of children's books. Solotareff practiced as a doctor from 1978 to 1985, before beginning his career as an illustrator with Hatier. The publicatio ...
*
Joy Cowley
Cassia Joy Cowley (; born 7 August 1936) is a New Zealand author best known for her children's fiction, including the popular series of books Mrs. Wishy-Washy.
Cowley started out writing novels for adults, and her first book, ''Nest in a Fall ...
*
Kate De Goldi
Kate De Goldi (born 1959) is a New Zealand novelist, children's writer and short story writer. Her early work was published under the pseudonym Kate Flannery.
Early life
De Goldi was born in Christchurch in 1959. She is of mixed Irish and Italia ...
*
Margaret Mahy
Margaret Mahy (21 March 1936 – 23 July 2012) was a New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. Many of her story plots have strong supernatural elements but her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growi ...
*
Michal Shalev
*
Rose Lagercrantz
Rose Lagercrantz (born in Stockholm in 1947) is a Swedish writer for children and adults.
Her first book was published in 1973, and she has since had her work translated into English, German, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Russian and Slovak.
Boo ...
*
Stéphanie Blake
Stéphanie Blake (born 1968 in Northfield, Minnesota) is an author of children's stories who lives in Paris. She had been published by Random House, ''l'école des loisirs'' and Gecko Press.
Her works have been translated from French into E ...
*
Timo Parvela
Timo Parvela (born 19 May 1964 in Jyväskylä) is a Finnish author of juvenile fiction.
Parvela matriculated from secondary school in 1983 and graduated from Jyväskylä Teacher Training College in 1988.
*
Ulf Nilsson Ulf Nilsson may refer to:
* Ulf Nilsson (author) (born 1948), Swedish writer
* Ulf Nilsson (ice hockey) (born 1950), Swedish ice hockey player
*Ulf Nilsson (politician) (born 1945), Swedish politician and Member of Parliament
*Ulf Nilsson (sailor) ...
*
Ulf Stark
Ulf Gottfrid Stark (12 July 1944 – 13 June 2017) was a Swedish author and screenwriter (he adapted several of his own books for film and wrote the screenplay for the 1999 film ''Tsatsiki, morsan och polisen'').
Stark has collaborated with the ...
Books
Gecko Press publishes fiction and non-fiction books for children. Some of its most successful books to date include:
Duck, Death and the Tulip, which has also been adapted as a stage production and short film, and Poo Bum by
Stéphanie Blake
Stéphanie Blake (born 1968 in Northfield, Minnesota) is an author of children's stories who lives in Paris. She had been published by Random House, ''l'école des loisirs'' and Gecko Press.
Her works have been translated from French into E ...
.
Awards
Since it was established, Gecko Press has been internationally recognised. Prizes include:
*2018 – Shortlisted, New Zealand Book Awardsfor Children and Young Adults - ''The Longest Breakfast''
*2017 – Best Publisher winner at the New Zealand Book Industry Awards
*2017 – Winner, Best Picture book at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, for ''That's Not A Hippopotamus!''
*2016 – Nominated for
Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation
The Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation was a literary prize awarded in the United Kingdom from 1996 until 2017 to the translator of an outstanding work of fiction for young readers translated into English.
The award was given e ...
for ''Detective Gordon: The First Case''
*2013 – Best Children's Publisher of the Year in Oceania at
Bologna Children's Book Fair
The Bologna Children's Book Fair or La fiera del libro per ragazzi is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world.
Since 1963, it is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy. It is the meeting place for al ...
*2012, 2011 – Finalist, New Zealand Thorpe-Bowker Publisher of the Year
*2010 – Runner up, New Zealand Thorpe-Bower Publisher of the Year
*2010 –
New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governm ...
Children's Choice Junior Fiction award for ''Friends: Snake and Lizard'', by Joy Cowley
*2010 – Winner Creative Gold Wellington regional business Gold Awards
*2009 – Finalist, Wellington regional business Gold Awards
*2008 – Winner, New Zealand Thorpe-Bowker Publisher of the Year
*2008 – Sunday Star-Times NZ Children's Publisher of the Year
*2008 –
New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governm ...
Book of the Year for ''Snake and Lizard'' by Joy Cowley
References
{{reflist, 2
External links
Official Gecko Press website
Children's book publishers
Publishing companies established in 2005
Book publishing companies of New Zealand
New Zealand companies established in 2005