IVP expands its reach to kids ages four to eight with the October 12 release of the new children’s picture book, Saint Nicholas the Giftgiver by Ned Bustard. This marks the first of seven children’s books IVP will publish over the next twelve months within the new IVP Kids imprint.

With a little over seventy days until Christmas 2021, the release of Saint Nicholas the Giftgiver helps kids and parents alike better understand why we give gifts at this time of year, sharing a message of discipleship and explaining the history and legend of a man who was moved to action by his faith.

“Ned Bustard has a great gift for joining whimsy and gravity in a way that appeals to both children and grownups alike. This wonderful book will serve parents well as they seek to preserve the mystery of Christmas for their children without grounding it in fantasy. And any time spent with Ned’s brilliant illustrations is time well spent,” says Russ Ramsey, pastor and author of Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art Through the Eyes of Faith.

Through his own unique illustrations and poetic rhyme, Bustard seeks to spark a conversation between children and caregivers about the greatest gift ever given and the greatest gift ever received. In his closing letter to his readers that encourages this kind of dialogue, Bustard writes, “We love because God—the greatest Giftgiver—first loved us.”

IVP Kids is an imprint that presents themes like justice, spiritual formation, and discipleship, that have always been cornerstones of IVP throughout its nearly seventy-five years. These topics are now being offered in a kid-friendly way.

While this is the first dedicated kids’ line in the history of IVP, a few IVP books were published for children in the late 1970s, namely John White’s Archives of Anthropos series and John Bibee’s Spirit Flyer books. With more than ten million in print, the well-known and beloved booklet My Heart, Christ’s Home by Robert Boyd Munger was also turned into My Heart, Christ’s Home Retold for Children in 2010.

New IVP president and publisher, Terumi Echols, said of the new children’s imprint, “IVP Kids is a critical part of our future. It would be my hope to increase the line to reach other age groups and languages. This new line is a much-needed resource for parents who are reading to and teaching their children about who they are as Christians, their place in God’s kingdom, and the impact they can have on our culture.” 

“IVP Kids is a natural brand extension of our vision of Christian discipleship in all of life,” said Justin Paul Lawrence, IVP senior director of sales and marketing. “Children’s books go much further and can often reach into smaller specialty stores. We’ve seen greater focus on books on hard topics in the mainstream book market, and I believe that IVP Kids books can enter into some of those conversations with the riches of God’s story supporting our words.”

IVP Kids will release three additional titles in 2021 with access to online downloadable activities for families.

• The O in Hope by Luci Shaw, November 2, 2021
• The Celebration Place by Dorena Williamson, November 9, 2021
• Isaiah and the Worry Pack by Ruth Goring, November 9, 2021

Three more titles are slated to be published in 2022:

• Josey Johnson’s Hair and the Holy Spirit by Esau McCaulley, May 10, 2022
• Little Prayers for Ordinary Days by Flo Paris Oakes, Katy Hutson, and Tish Harrison Warren, May 31, 2022
• All Will Be Well by Lacy Finn Borgo, October 4, 2022.

IVP Kids editor, Elissa Schauer, said, “IVP inhabits a unique space in the world of publishing, and we hope that IVP Kids is able to do so as well. Everyone at IVP is looking forward to sharing these books with our readers! Our hope is that children and families would enjoy reading together, and that the content of these books would spark meaningful conversations for years to come.”