In The Good News!

Mira and Story Farm Books are now part of the Minnesota Children's Press family! That makes us a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charity. Donate to become a member and get a free book!

Our mission is to mentor the youngest children age 5 and up) in rural Minnesota in writing, illustrating, publishing and selling books by kids to everyone!

We use our profits to support projects kids identify that increase community wellbeing.

And we're a winner! Our Pandemic Book Project, A Children's History of Grand Marais, Minnesota: Ice Cream & Fish is a top-3 winner of the 2021 Minnesota Author Project awards!

DONATE TODAY!

Read about Anne's belief in VITAMIN B (B for book) to nourish children's brains, minds, spirits. In  2019,  St. Paul Pioneer Press Book Critic Mary Ann Grossman interviews Anne here and in 2021, she interviews Anne again, here, about Minnesota Children's Press' success in engaging the youngest learners as writers, illustrators, readers.

BUY Mira's First Day   $15

Buy 2022 Sleep Special Mira's Big Day + Mira Pillow $45

Photo Credit: ©M.E. Kirwin, 2018.

2 book value pack $23

ABOVE  Science writer and children's book author Anne Brataas  in 2019  founded the first press in the U.S. dedicated to publishing works by children with her new non-profit, Minnesota Children's Press www.minnchildpress.org  Photo Credit: Scott Takushi ©St. Paul Pioneer Press 2019.

BELOW LEFT  In a bold and perhaps rash act of public reading, Anne reads aloud to baby Elliott during a snow storm at the European Christmas Market in Downtown St. Paul, December 2018.   As a strolling reader, Anne shared the wonder of the season, snow and story with families and pioneered all-weather read-alouds. They're really fun! Photo Credit: ©Christina Hadjiyiannis 2018​.
BELOW RIGHT Anne gave out Mira books for Halloween 2019 in Grand Marais if kids promised to read them aloud. All did promise, and in fact, started reading to their fellow Trick or Treaters! Photo Credits: ©Anne Brataas 2019.

Tap & See  the video below for a peek at the Fur Lab craft activity at our Read Aloud, Make Along With Mira workshop! 

​BOOK 1: Mira's Big Day of Wonder

Read aloud and wonder along as you nurture your child’s brain with this beautifully illustrated spoken, embodied story--one written to be read aloud by you when you are physically with the child, not delivered from disembodied screens powered by device processors that are so much a part of modern life.

Devices and screen life have their place, to be sure. But it is not with young children--they rewire the brain's connections, called synapses, in unhealthy ways.

​ Be present to your child. Read to and with your child. It's how you build the neuronal connections of the developing brain. Expand your own relationship with mirabilis--the Latin word for miracle--and the sense of what is possible in parenting, care giving and healthy growth for children. Read non-toxic paper books aloud with your child.

Nurture a child by reading aloud. You deepen your bond and help the child build a better brain for a lifetime of learning fueled by curiosity and wonder. 

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Taste the story. But only if it is a non-toxic book printed in the U.S. to meet health and safety standards.

Safe, happy, cozy, loved. This is a phrase you will read in the first pages of Mira books. It is also our fondest hope for readers and listeners to experience with Mira.

​All Mira books are written, illustrated, designed and published in the USA with children's physical, mental and spiritual well-being in mind.



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StoryFarm Children's Books
Non-toxic engaged reading for body, mind, spirit 

  StoryFarm Books' vision for the Mira series is clear and  simple: ​Grow minds, plant purpose.

Thank you to all who visited us at the Twin Cities Book Fair Oct. 13, 2018, at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds and at the WomenVenture's Market  on Oct. 12 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, and the November 8 national conference on children's brain development convened by the Minnesota Organization for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome . It is a national leader and pioneer advocacy group for research and public awareness about  children's neurodevelopment issues.
Thank you for your support for:
*motion-based, active learning 
*reading aloud www.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/06/24/aapnews.20140624-2to develop children's brains
*books published in Americawww.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/03/29/china-pollution-manufacturing-factory-health/99782622/ where health and safety standards help prevent neurotoxin exposure to young readers

Anne at Twin Cities Book Fair.

Kip at WomenVenture Book Sales.

Susan Carlson, former Minnesota First Lady, at children's brain health conference of the Minnesota Organization for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

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2022 Sleep Special of Mira Pillow and 1 Book, Mira's Big Day of Wonder $45

$45.00

(Paperback)

Level II Seedlings

​Seedlings stories are Level II picture books for preschool-kindergarteners to listen to as read-aloud stories and to begin to read themselves. Add a Mira pillow and let the snuggling begin!

Add to Cart

Seedlings stories are Level II picture books for preschool-kindergarteners to listen to as read-aloud stories and to begin to read themselves.
32 pages, watercolor, pen and ink--and bonus secret code and decoding key. Printed in Minnesota USA.

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Mira's First Day of Wonder

$15.00

(Board book)

Level I Podkins

Podkins stories are board books to be read aloud to your child from birth to age 2. For optimal brain development, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children not be exposed to screen-based activities for the first two years of life. Read Mira books!

Add to Cart

Podkins stories are Level I board books to be read aloud to children, birth to age 3. Offer 24 pages, full color watercolors. Printed in USA.

Source: Sawtooth Elementary School 4th Grade News, election edition,  Anne Brataas, Editor and Publisher. Stick Figure Artist: Kip Hathaway.