Lee & Low Books
An independent American children's publisher centered on culturally diverse books and authors.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Lee & Low Books is an independent American children's book publisher founded in 1991 by Chinese American entrepreneurs Philip Lee and Tom Low. The company was established in response to what its founders viewed as a shortage of children's literature portraying people of color, contemporary social experiences, and culturally specific communities. Rather than treating diversity as a narrow specialty, Lee & Low built its publishing program around picture books and educational materials that broaden the range of children, families, histories, languages, and communities represented in books for young readers. The company issued its first publishing list in 1993. Its debut title, Baseball Saved Us, attracted early attention through a full-page review in The New York Times Book Review, giving the young publisher visibility beyond the specialist market. Lee & Low initially concentrated on picture books, a format that remains central to its catalog, while later adding selected middle-grade and young-adult works. Its list has included fiction, biography, history, social-issue books, folklore, poetry, bilingual titles, and materials for beginning readers. Lee & Low operates through a group of focused imprints and publishing programs. Arcoiris publishes Spanish-language and Spanish-English bilingual books, including Spanish editions of selected Lee & Low titles. Bebop Books, established in 2000, develops leveled early-reader materials in English and Spanish for educational use. Tu Books, launched as Tu Publishing in 2009 and subsequently developed within Lee & Low, publishes middle-grade and young-adult science fiction, fantasy, and mystery with protagonists of color or settings influenced by non-Western cultures and folklore. The Children's Book Press name and backlist were brought into the company in 2012, preserving a catalog associated with multicultural children's publishing. The company has also sought to influence the wider publishing industry. In 2000 it established the New Voices Award, which supports unpublished writers of color who are seeking to publish a children's picture book. The award includes a cash prize and a potential publishing contract for the winner, while an honor award provides additional recognition. In 2015, Lee & Low partnered with St. Catherine University and researcher Sarah Park Dahlen on the Diversity Baseline Survey, an effort to measure representation across the publishing workforce and among reviewers. The survey reported that the U.S. publishing workforce was overwhelmingly white, helping provide quantitative support for long-running discussions about structural inequity in the industry. Lee & Low has published work by authors and illustrators including Joseph Bruchac, Pat Mora, Ed Young, Lulu Delacre, Ted Lewin, Betsy Lewin, Carole Boston Weatherford, David Diaz, George Ancona, Greg Neri, and Kaylani Juanita. Its books have received recognition from organizations including the American Library Association, the International Reading Association, and the New York Public Library. The company remains a privately held, independent publisher whose identity is closely linked to representation, multilingual access, and culturally responsive children's literature.
History
Lee & Low Books was founded in 1991 by Chinese American publishers Philip Lee and Tom Low. The founders identified a gap in American children's publishing: many books were centered on white characters, animals, or fairy-tale settings, while comparatively few addressed contemporary life and the experiences of people of color. The company therefore began as an independent children's publisher with diversity and representation at the center of its editorial mission. Lee & Low published its first list in 1993. Baseball Saved Us, one of its first books, received a full-page review in The New York Times Book Review and helped establish the company as a publisher with national visibility. The early list was primarily composed of picture books, a format that allowed the company to reach young readers through family stories, history, biography, community life, and culturally specific perspectives. Over time, the catalog expanded selectively into middle-grade and young-adult publishing. In 1994, the company began issuing Spanish-language translations and Spanish-English bilingual editions under the Arcoiris name. This program extended the reach of the catalog to Spanish-speaking families and classrooms. In 2000, Lee & Low created Bebop Books, an educational imprint producing leveled readers for beginning readers in both English and Spanish. The company also established the New Voices Award in 2000 to encourage writers of color who had not previously published a children's picture book. The prize combined recognition with a possible route into commercial publication. Tom Low's sons Jason Low and Craig Low joined the company in 1997. Philip Lee retired in 2004. The company continued to develop specialized publishing programs, including Tu Publishing, founded in 2009 by editor Stacy Whitman. Whitman joined Lee & Low in 2010 as editorial director of the new imprint, which became Tu Books. Its focus was middle-grade and young-adult science fiction, fantasy, and mystery featuring protagonists of color or worlds informed by non-Western folklore and culture. In January 2012, Lee & Low acquired the backlist of Children's Book Press, a former nonprofit publisher, along with existing author and illustrator contracts. The Children's Book Press name was subsequently revived as a Lee & Low imprint. The transaction strengthened Lee & Low's position in multicultural children's publishing while preserving access to an established body of books. The company has also contributed to research and debate about representation within the publishing business. In 2015, Lee & Low partnered with St. Catherine University and Assistant Professor Sarah Park Dahlen to conduct the Diversity Baseline Survey. The project distributed surveys to publishing employees and book reviewers, examining race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. Its results indicated that the publishing workforce was overwhelmingly white, reinforcing concerns that the industry's personnel and gatekeeping structures did not reflect the diversity of the readership it served. Lee & Low's authors and illustrators have included Joseph Bruchac, Pat Mora, Ed Young, Lulu Delacre, Ted Lewin, Betsy Lewin, Carole Boston Weatherford, David Diaz, George Ancona, Greg Neri, and Kaylani Juanita, among others. Books from the list have received recognition from major library and educational organizations, including the American Library Association, the International Reading Association, and the New York Public Library. In 2021, Lee & Low acquired Cinco Puntos Press, another independent publisher associated with multicultural literature. Through its main list, imprints, awards, translations, educational materials, and acquisitions, Lee & Low has remained an independent children's publishing house focused on expanding whose stories are available to young readers.
- 2021
Cinco Puntos Press acquired
[1]Lee & Low acquired the independent publisher Cinco Puntos Press.
- 2015
Diversity Baseline Survey conducted
[1]The company partnered with St. Catherine University and Sarah Park Dahlen to survey representation in publishing and reviewing.
- 2012
Children's Book Press backlist acquired
[1]Lee & Low acquired Children's Book Press's backlist and existing author and illustrator contracts, reviving the name as an imprint.
- 2010
Tu Books becomes part of Lee & Low
[1]Stacy Whitman joined Lee & Low as editorial director of the new imprint, which developed as Tu Books.
- 2009
Tu Publishing founded
[1]Stacy Whitman founded Tu Publishing, a precursor to Lee & Low's Tu Books imprint.
- 2004
Philip Lee retires
[1]Co-founder Philip Lee retired from the company.
- 2000
Bebop Books and New Voices Award established
[1]Lee & Low launched the Bebop Books educational imprint and established the New Voices Award for unpublished writers of color.
- 1997
Jason and Craig Low join the company
[1]Tom Low's sons Jason Low and Craig Low joined Lee & Low.
- 1994
Arcoiris program begins
[1]The company began publishing Spanish-language translations and Spanish-English bilingual books under the Arcoiris name.
- 1993
First publishing list released
[1]Lee & Low issued its first list, and Baseball Saved Us received prominent early attention in The New York Times Book Review.
Products and positioning
An independent, diversity-focused children's publisher emphasizing books by and about people of color, multilingual access, culturally specific communities, and perspectives that have historically been underrepresented in mainstream children's publishing.
Picture books and children's literature · 1993
Main Lee & Low Books list
The core list is centered on picture books for young readers, covering contemporary family and community life, history, biography, folklore, social issues, and experiences of people from historically underrepresented racial and cultural communities. The company has also published selected middle-grade and young-adult titles.
Bilingual and Spanish-language publishing · 1994
Arcoiris
Arcoiris publishes Spanish translations and Spanish-English bilingual editions of children's books. The imprint extends Lee & Low's representation-focused catalog to Spanish-speaking families, bilingual households, and educators.
Educational early readers · 2000
Bebop Books
Bebop Books is an educational imprint founded to produce leveled books for beginning readers. Its materials are published in English and Spanish and are designed for classroom and early-literacy settings.
Middle-grade and young-adult fiction · 2009
Tu Books
Tu Books publishes middle-grade and young-adult science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. Its editorial brief emphasizes protagonists of color and settings inspired by non-Western folklore, histories, and cultural traditions.
Multicultural children's publishing imprint · 2012
Children's Book Press
The Children's Book Press name and catalog became part of Lee & Low after the company acquired the former nonprofit publisher's backlist and existing contracts in 2012. The imprint preserves and develops books associated with multicultural children's publishing.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Diversity Baseline Survey
United States
Lee & Low partnered with St. Catherine University and Sarah Park Dahlen to collect demographic information about publishing employees and book reviewers. The survey examined gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability.
Outcome. The results documented an overwhelmingly white publishing workforce and supplied widely cited evidence for discussions about diversity and structural access in the industry.
- 2000New Voices Award
United States
Lee & Low created the New Voices Award to encourage writers of color who had not previously published a children's picture book. The winner receives a cash prize and a standard publication contract; an honor recipient receives a smaller cash award, although an honor award does not itself guarantee publication.
Outcome. The award became an ongoing talent-development and acquisition program, with several honor titles also subsequently published.
Brand decisions
2021
Acquire Cinco Puntos PressM&ABackground
Cinco Puntos Press was an independent publisher with a strong association with multicultural and socially engaged literature.
Action taken
Lee & Low acquired Cinco Puntos Press.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Lee & Low's catalog and independent publishing footprint.
2012
Acquire Children's Book Press assetsM&ABackground
Children's Book Press had ceased operating as an independent nonprofit publisher but had an established multicultural backlist and outstanding author and illustrator relationships.
Action taken
Lee & Low acquired the backlist and existing contracts, then revived Children's Book Press as an imprint.
Aftermath
The acquisition preserved access to the former publisher's catalog and reinforced Lee & Low's role in multicultural children's publishing.
2009
Develop a speculative-fiction imprint for young readersStrategyBackground
The company aimed to bring more protagonists of color and non-Western cultural influences into middle-grade and young-adult genre fiction.
Action taken
Tu Publishing was founded and later developed within Lee & Low as Tu Books.
Aftermath
Tu Books added science fiction, fantasy, and mystery to the company's diversity-centered publishing portfolio.
2000
Create an educational early-reader imprintStrategyBackground
Lee & Low identified a need for accessible early-reading materials that reflected diverse communities and could be used in English- and Spanish-language educational settings.
Action taken
The company founded Bebop Books to publish leveled readers in English and Spanish.
Aftermath
Bebop expanded Lee & Low beyond trade picture books into educational reading materials.
1994
Expand into Spanish-language and bilingual publishingStrategyBackground
The company sought to make its representation-focused children's catalog available to Spanish-speaking and bilingual readers.
Action taken
Lee & Low began publishing Spanish translations and Spanish-English bilingual books under the Arcoiris name.
Aftermath
The program became a continuing part of the company's multilingual publishing offer.
Recent events
- 2021
Lee & Low acquires Cinco Puntos Press[1]
M&A
The independent publisher acquired Cinco Puntos Press, expanding its catalog and presence in multicultural and socially engaged children's and young-adult publishing.
- 2015
Diversity Baseline Survey measures representation in publishing[1]
Other
Lee & Low partnered with St. Catherine University and Sarah Park Dahlen on a survey examining gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability in publishing.
- 2012
Lee & Low acquires Children's Book Press backlist[1]
M&A
Lee & Low acquired the backlist and existing author and illustrator contracts of the former nonprofit Children's Book Press, reviving the name as an imprint.
- 1993
Lee & Low launches its first publishing list[1]
Product launch
The company released its first list, with Baseball Saved Us receiving prominent early review attention.
Sources2 sources
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