Zeltner

Zeltner (Hebrew: צלטנר) is an Israeli independent publishing house focused on children's and young-adult literature. It was founded in 2003 by Dorit Zeltner, a lawyer, who began by sourcing suitable books from around the world for her four-year-old daughter and translating them 'especially for her'. Over the years the hobby became her main occupation, and she personally handles the entire production and distribution process, resulting in a long, closely supervised production cycle for each book. This hands-on approach is reflected in the house's self-definition as a 'workshop for children's books' (בית מלאכה לספרי ילדים). The publisher's catalogue centres on picture books and illustrated titles that deal with universal values of reconciliation and friendship, equality and opportunity, consideration and forgiveness, and above all love of humanity. Zeltner deliberately publishes original and translated biographies for children of 'people whose life stories have become a spiritual asset in the history of the world and the country' — figures such as Louis Braille, Louis Pasteur, Helen Keller, Janusz Korczak, Golda Meir, Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai appear among the tags on its website. In line with this ethos, the house also works on publishing books in Arabic, aiming to educate children toward shared life and dialogue with others. Production at Zeltner is environmentally conscious: books are printed on recycled paper or paper produced through environmentally friendly processes, and the bags used for the books are glued by hand using reused materials. The house also runs workshops connecting art and work with the land, and operates an illustrators' incubator in its studio, inviting illustrators to work on site and contribute illustration to the studio's projects. The hand-gluing of bags is done by people with special needs, which the publisher describes as both a contribution to environmental quality and a way to support their integration into society. Zeltner is a small, privately held company. Its website functions as a shopfront and editorial hub, featuring recent titles, author and illustrator tags, submission guidelines for manuscripts, and contact information. The publisher's list includes titles such as 'The Tail of Shibu', 'Mo of Mia', 'When You Find the Right Stone', 'Grand Hotel — A Hotel of Feelings' by Lydia Brankowitz, and 'Why Not?'. Zeltner's books have appeared on the Israeli Ministry of Education's 'Book Parade' (מצעד הספרים) list, including the 2018–2019 edition.

Zeltner was founded in 2003 by Dorit Zeltner, a lawyer, as an outgrowth of a personal project: finding suitable books from around the world for her four-year-old daughter and translating them 'especially for her'. Over the years this hobby became her main occupation. She handles the entire production and distribution process herself, which produces a long production cycle for each book and is reflected in the publisher's self-description as a 'workshop for children's books' (בית מלאכה לספרי ילדים). From the outset the house concentrated on children's and young-adult literature, with a catalogue built around picture books and illustrated titles. Its editorial line emphasises universal values — reconciliation and friendship, equality and opportunity, consideration and forgiveness, and above all love of humanity — which the publisher presents as the right ground for dialogue and shared life with others. In this spirit Zeltner publishes original and translated biographies for children of people whose life stories it regards as a spiritual asset in world and local history; figures such as Louis Braille, Louis Pasteur, Helen Keller, Janusz Korczak, Golda Meir, Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai appear among the tags on its website. The house also works on publishing books in Arabic. Production is deliberately environmentally friendly: books are printed on recycled paper or paper made through environmentally friendly processes, and the bags used for the books are glued by hand from reused materials. The hand-gluing is carried out by people with special needs, which the publisher frames as both an environmental contribution and a way to support their integration into society. The house also runs workshops that connect art with work on the land, and operates an illustrators' incubator in its studio, inviting illustrators to work on site and contribute illustration to the studio's projects. Zeltner remains a small, privately held Israeli publisher. Its website serves as both shopfront and editorial hub, listing recent titles, author and illustrator tags, manuscript submission guidelines and contact details. Recent posts on the site include 'The Tail of Shibu' (12 May 2026), 'Mo of Mia' (13 November 2025), 'When You Find the Right Stone' (29 June 2025), 'Grand Hotel — A Hotel of Feelings' by Lydia Brankowitz (8 April 2024) and 'Why Not?' (28 November 2024). Zeltner titles have been included on the Israeli Ministry of Education's 'Book Parade' (מצעד הספרים) list, including the 2018–2019 edition.

• 2026

  'The Tail of Shibu' is posted on the publisher's site (12 May 2026).

• 2025

  'When You Find the Right Stone' is posted on the publisher's site (29 June 2025).

• 2025

  'Mo of Mia' is posted on the publisher's site (13 November 2025).

• 2024

  'Grand Hotel — A Hotel of Feelings' by Lydia Brankowitz is posted on the publisher's site (8 April 2024).

• 2024

  'Why Not?' is posted on the publisher's site (28 November 2024).

• 2018

  Zeltner titles appear on the Israeli Ministry of Education's 'Book Parade' list for 2018–2019.

• 2003

  Zeltner is founded by Dorit Zeltner as a children's book publishing house.

Independent, craft-oriented children's publisher emphasising universal values, environmental responsibility and social inclusion.

• The Tail of Shibu

• Mo of Mia

• When You Find the Right Stone

• Grand Hotel — A Hotel of Feelings

• Why Not?

1. 1צלטנר | Zeltner - ספרים לילדיםzeltner.co.il
2. 2אודות צלטנר - צלטנר | Zeltnerzeltner.co.il
3. 3Zeltnerwikidata.org
4. 4צלטנרhe.wikipedia.org