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Two women are working on their laptops at a desk. Publishing house, small business, work from home.

Shop Small: Cali's Books Story  

This weekend, we're giving a shout-out to the awesome small businesses working hard to bring you unique products for the holiday season. Let me share the story behind Cali's Books!

With no previous experience in book publishing, my goal was to create beautiful sound books I could enjoy with my kids and share with other families around me. It all started from the garage in my new home base, Los Angeles. Cali's Books is one of the 3.7 million small businesses in the USA. Fast forward, and now Cali's Books has grown into a fantastic team of twelve!

Before Cali's Books...

I was born in Paris and grew up with parents who were avid readers. On my mom's side, my grandparents are from Martinique which is a beautiful island in the Caribbean. Despite both my parents and my brother being medics. I went for engineering and later stepped into the world of investment banking. Then, I met my husband, Michael and we decided to move to the US. That's how I ended up in LA!

While juggling banking and my work at Disney, our family expanded with two little bundles of joy. Inspired by my French childhood, I wanted to share musical board books with my children, Margaux and Julien. So, I turned my garage into a workspace, crafting and shipping books with love.

My First Books!

Two girls are reading musical books. Publishing house, small business, work from home.

The first books were all about singing – classics like Patty Cake that became instant hits.  Sing with me was the original book cover and included our all time favourites like Patty Cake. Still our most popular book yet, Patty Cake was the first of many more nursery rhyme sound books to come. Collaborating with the incredible Clara Spinassi, we fine-tuned and expanded our collection, introducing bilingual songs in various languages. 

The family grew up so fast!

A family of 4 is posing and smiling. Publishing house, small business, work from home.

As my kids grew, so did the book themes – from The Wheels on the Bus to I Love My Body. With family scattered worldwide, we spend precious moments in France, Greece, Martinique, and LA. Thinking ahead to my kids' next reading adventures, I introduced recordable books, blending classic fairy tales with modern technology.

The Cali's Books family isn't just about the stories; it's also about the amazing team of twelve, mainly women, passionately running the show – from design to shipping, we’re all proud to be part of this team, making dreams a reality.

That's the Cali's Books journey! We hope you love the books as much as we love creating them. Connect with us on socials, through email, or drop your thoughts in our reviews.

Love,

Cali 💛

Previous article How Sound Books help your child develop, learn, and thrive
Cali's Books, founder, about us, why I love books, children's books

Hi! I'm Cali, Founder of Cali's Books

“I’ve loved books since childhood and wanted to transmit this enthusiasm to my children”

I'm a mom of two young children who trained as an engineer and worked in investment banking and at Disney. A French of Caribbean origin (Martinique to be precise!), I grew up in Paris. Los Angeles is now the place I call home!

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