Many years ago, National Braille Press began publishing children’s books in print/braille. We do this by finding the most interesting and engaging children’s picture books and attaching a transparent sheet of braille on top of each printed page. This innovative technique, now adopted by many publishers around the world, allows families to share stories together.

We hear all the time from our loyal customers how much they enjoy the potential togetherness that these unique books create: blind grandparents who read books to their sighted grandchildren; sighted parents who read books with their blind child; and siblings who get to sneak away and share books together.

As Walt Disney once said, “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” Having access to the most creative children’s book writers of our time is a spark to literacy and fuel for the imagination of early braille readers. It’s why we created the Children’s Braille Book Club, a monthly subscription program that sends a new “treasure” each month to children all over the United States; and the Great Expectations program, which provides picture books in braille, along with free online activities for blind children to further explore the concepts in the book.

See what two authors recently had to say after their books were chosen for these programs:

In April of 2016, NBP produced Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty as part of the Great Expectations series.

“My books have been translated into many languages from Mandarin to Welsh to Hebrew to Russian, but by far my favorite edition is the Braille version of Iggy Peck, Architect. The National Braille Press has brought this book to an audience that might not have found it otherwise. Together with the accompanying Famous Landmarks book by Tactile Vision Graphics, Inc., this edition opens the world of architecture to kids who have their own ways of interpreting the world around them. One day, these books could lead a kid who identifies with Iggy Peck's passion for architecture to become a great architect and change architecture forever!”

—Andrea Beaty

 

In December of 2016, NBP produced Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein as part of the Children’s Braille Book Club.

 

“I am always honored when someone takes the time to translate my work. Braille is a code that makes the work available to a whole new audience! How exciting.”

—David Ezra Stein