Muddy Little Boots Publishing was founded in 2020 by author and creative, Andy Hussey.

Our mission is to create inclusive books that are easy to read and beautifully illustrated. The overarching concept and theme for our books is “the great outdoors” and appreciation of nature. We want little ones to pop on their muddy little boots and go exploring. We want them to look… and then look again at nature.

We want to encourage inquisitive minds.

Where it all began…

The ‘seed of the idea’ had been floating around Andy’s head for years. For much of his creative career he had worked with like-minded individuals and organisations that had the same passion for the countryside, nature and conservation. It was just a matter of timing and bringing these skills and individuals together! It took the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) and the first lockdown period for things to really come to fruition. He wanted something positive to come out of this period.

Following a self-initiated photography project entitled #OneWalkWildlife, conversations took place as to how children’s books could have a positive impact on society; how they could raise awareness of nature and how they should appropriately reflect society and be more inclusive. Muddy Little Boots Publishing and the first book ‘There’s No Deer Around Here’ was created, a story that explores deer coming closer to urban areas due to the lack of cars on our roads during the lockdown period. And the rest they say is history!

Sustainability

We care about nature and the world we live in and we want to keep our impact on the environment to a minimum. We are also realistic and want to ensure we are profitable so we can continue delivering books to our loyal community. This remains a fine balance and one that many small businesses struggle with. We are constantly reviewing our practices to see where improvements can be made.

We have a strong relationship and constant dialogue with our printers, Wells Print. They help guide us on best printing practice and environmentally friendly papers. For more information regarding printing and Wells Print, visit our blog post by clicking here.

Mindfulness

Having worked with Ruth Davey from Look Again for many years, we were delighted that she agreed to help us with this project. Whilst promoting exploration of outside spaces and nature, we really wanted to encourage good mental health. Our books are for adults as much as they are for children and in our debut book, There’s No Deer Around Here we have included subtle mindfulness themes, as well as a list of mindfulness activities, to enjoy individually or as a family.

Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.

We didn’t want to be as prescriptive as this reads and we therefore have worked with Ruth to provide more subtle, age-appropriate themes that don’t impact on what, at is core, is just a lovely read for little ones! We see value in being away from technology and being immersed in nature. Our books encourage our audience to look, and then look again at their surroundings, seeing value in encouraging inquisitive minds that are clear from anxiety and stress. We believe that teaching little-ones basic mental health coping mechanisms, even at a young age, can only be a good thing.

Authors and illustrators

We love collaborating with like-minded creative individuals and we are always on the look-out for new talent. We use instagram to engage with illustrators and creative writers. In recent times we have worked with Bath Spa University and in-particular their children’s publishing course to ensure our books are age-appropriate and really hit the mark! Special thanks must go to Holly Tonks for her kind help and support.

Every book is very much a team effort. To find out more regarding our valued team, please click the link below:

Are you an aspiring children’s author looking to write the next best-seller or a illustrator wanting to bring a story to life, we’d love to hear from you!

Special Educational Needs

We are constantly looking to improve and produce books that can be appreciated by all, that is why we are working with our SEN specialist, Alexandra (Wink) Whitman, producing books that are legible, easy to understand with supporting “read-to-me” content.

Charitable causes

Wherever possible, we like to work with charitable organisations that represent the same beliefs and values as us. We use our stories to promote charitable causes and create awareness of nature. We often start the creative process by engaging a charity, allowing them to feed in to the narrative and themes. For our debut book, we had the pleasure of working with The British Deer Society to ensure our book was factually correct and raised awareness of deer conservation.

If you are a charity, private organisation or individual with an idea or desire to create a children’s book, please get in touch.