Our Story
Publishing—especially when it involves putting content into the hands of children—impacts people’s worldviews, for better and worse. It’s a responsibility I’ve always taken seriously. In the past 20 years, I’ve helped create, publish, redirect, brand, and build lists for other companies. I’m proud of that work, but I’ve always felt like I was missing something. Missing the opportunity to share how I see the world and what I feel matters most.
As I’ve discussed this dream over the past few decades, I didn’t realize how much my own children were listening to my words. But on a late-autumn drive to visit family, while I was deep in windshield-time thoughts about next steps in my career, my daughter, Reese, spoke up: “Mommy, you should start your own company already. You talk about it all the time. Just do it. You can name it Kind World Publishing and make books about all the ways we want to help save the world.”
I remember the moment so vividly—where we were on the interstate, how serious her little face was as I looked at her in the rearview mirror, with her little brother, Axel, sleeping next to her. The way she said the name clicked in my brain. I recall a surprising sense of excitement on my part, of trepidation, of telling her “it takes a lot of work to start a company” and “that name is probably already taken” and “what would you want to publish anyway?” Reese had answers for everything; she was all in. And I guess I was too. That conversation took up the rest of our drive, and we’ve been talking about it ever since.
In launching Kind World Publishing, I want to bring to life the hopes from that long drive. I want to help create a positive future for not just my kids, but children everywhere. I want to bring together my career experience with my desire to share my beliefs and values. I want Reese to have a place where she can express her feelings, questions, and dreams. And where those feelings, questions, and dreams can be discussed.
If there’s one collective takeaway over the past few years, it should be a greater understanding of the power of words: how they can be weaponized, yes, but also how words can create hope. Words can heal. Stories can build bridges we very much need right now. Let’s make this world a kinder place to live in—for ourselves, for our children, and for our future.
Meet Patricia
Founder and CEO Patricia Stockland is a seasoned executive in children’s publishing. Prior to starting Kind World Publishing, she led change and growth initiatives as publisher for Capstone, VP and editor in chief for Lerner Publishing Group, and editorial director for Red Line Editorial, among other roles. She’s authored more than 80 books and edited and concepted numerous others. Her expertise spans creative work and continual improvement across operations. She has a secret love of metadata and a not-so-secret love of baked goods, which she shares with her family in Minnesota. Connect with her on Twitter (@pstockland) and LinkedIn.
Meet Reese
Reese loves animals. She would like the world to be a kinder and better place. And she would also like some more chocolate. She loves how authors and illustrators use their imaginations to create special stories for readers. Her own imagination is part of how Kind World Publishing came to be.