5 Years of Baby Ventures: A Retrospective and Look Ahead

(Feature photo by Allison Fitzsimmons)

We’re thrilled to usher in 2021 for many reasons, and one of them is definitely Baby Ventures™ turning the big five this spring! Since launching our indie board book company in 2016, we have met and collaborated with incredible people and entities – from community-minded indie bookstore owners to educators infusing diversity into their classrooms, and nonprofits working tirelessly to provide access to quality books for all children. And most of all, our amazing customers! We LOVE meeting you at story times, book fairs and art festivals—and nothing makes us happier than hearing that your little ones love our books. That gives us true joy and singular inspiration.

While some of you have followed us from the beginning (thank you!), for anyone new to us, we wanted to take this time to (re)introduce ourselves, share what inspires us, and highlight how we work to accomplish our mission to celebrate diversity and expand growing minds through reading. Read on to learn about our journey, and get a sneak peek of what is coming in 2021 and beyond!

Holiday Giving Campaign: You Shop, We Donate!

Happy #GivingTuesday! Today, we launch our Holiday Giving Campaign with a special initiative to bring the gift of reading to DC area kids in need.

Now until December 20th: For *every* purchase of any Baby Ventures product made on our website, we’ll donate a copy of our ABCs of Washington, DC board book to a local non-profit organization. The more you shop, the more we give!

Enjoy $3.99 flat rate shipping on all orders plus receive a free Gift of Reading bookmark we’ve designed especially for bookworm families! Click here to shop now.

Together, we can work to ensure that every child enjoys the gift of reading this holiday season!

Virtual Spring Story Time Part III: ABCs of Washington, DC

Happy Friday! We’re excited to kick off the weekend with the third book in our Virtual Spring Story Time Series!

Today, Baby Ventures co-founder and illustrator Lisa Hall is reading from our inaugural board book, The ABCs of Washington, DC. Gather your munchkins and click the video below to join Lisa as we take a literary tour of our nation’s capital.

BONUS: Keep little ones reading at home with their own copies of our books! Use the code SpringStorytime on our website to receive 20% off The ABCs of Washington, DC and all other titles. Only a few days remain – special promotion ends May 31st!

Happy reading!

Celebrating Hannah Oliver Depp on International Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day! At Baby Ventures™, we celebrate the remarkable women in our indie literary orbit – women who are trailblazing their own path and lifting up other women along the way.  

Today we’re thrilled to highlight avid book lover, early literacy supporter, and community builder Hannah Oliver Depp! Hannah is the owner and creative force behind Loyalty Bookstore – the beautifully revamped face of Upshur Street Books in DC’s Petworth neighborhood.

New editions of Baby Ventures’ ABC books now available!

Hot off the presses! We are thrilled to announce that Baby Ventures’ new editions of The ABCs of Washington, DC and The ABCs of Annapolis: Maryland’s Capital City are now available! What’s new in these editions? We’ve added fun phrases to each page to provide more learning opportunities and spark adventure-filled discussions with your budding bookworms! Plus, each book has several unique new illustrations that we hope will delight both little ones and adults alike. Here’s a sneak peek:

We Love our Customers: Meet Anne Weinheimer of @TwistedFleece!

Today is #gettoknowyourcustomersday! And we couldn’t be happier to spotlight one of our dearest and earliest customers, Mrs. Anne Weinheimer, who’s behind the beautiful handmade knits from @twistedfleece on Instagram! Anne kindly agreed to share a bit about herself as a knitter and spinner extraordinaire, her special bond to Washington, DC, and her lifelong love of reading. We couldn’t agree with you more, Anne – there can be no better gift than a good book, and we’re honored you feel that way about ours! 

At Children’s National Hospital in DC, Medicine comes with Magic

By Golzar Kheiltash, Co-Author

My friend, a hardworking and always smiling young woman, has had a pacemaker since she was a baby. Now in her twenties, she’s a dedicated nursing student with an ambitious goal upon graduation: to work in Pediatric Cardiology, at the same hospital that has been caring for her own heart condition since infancy: Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC.

Join us for Family Funday at the Gaithersburg Book Festival: May 19th!

Calling all bookworms, big and small! We’re excited to announce that Baby Ventures has been selected for the second year in a row to participate in the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 19, 2018! Since its founding in 2010, this Festival has become a top literary event for the whole family in the greater Washington, DC region, attracting hundreds of award-winning authors, poets and songwriters. From author readings to story time and sing-alongs for children, the Festival is the perfect outing for bookworms of all ages!

Q + A with Golzar and Lisa Featured on DC Blog

As co-founders of Baby Ventures, Golzar and Lisa were recently interviewed by Beltway Bambinos, one of the top DC mom blogs that provides insider tips on DC tot activities and events. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing our Baby Ventures story with founder Allison Birgfeld and discussing our ABCs of Washington, DC board book. Plus, we provided an exclusive announcement of our second book title, scheduled to release in February 2018!

Read the Q + A here for a behind-the-scenes look into Baby Ventures and be among the first to get a sneak peek of our second book (now available for pre-order!).

Happy winter adventures!

“C” is for Cherry Blossoms!

No ABCs of Washington, DC book would be complete without a colorful ode to DC’s iconic spring blooms: cherry blossoms!

Even before writing and illustrating the ABCs of Washington, DC board book, Baby Ventures authors and illustrator Lisa Hall and Golzar Kheiltash knew the letter C would represent cherry blossoms – those gorgeous, ephemeral blooms that bring our nation’s capital to life each spring and most famously, line the banks of the Tidal Basin overlooking the Jefferson Memorial.