Avenue Publishing is the publisher behind the Binky Bear series of books: Binky’s Big Adventure, Binky in Trouble and Binky Goes to London. We are based in the beautiful Hampshire countryside, near the picture perfect Georgian town of New Alresford, 7 miles from Jane Austen’s house at Chawton and 7 miles from the historic city of Winchester.
We are in the gentle valley of the Itchen River, which slowly meanders the twenty or so miles down to the Solent at Southampton. By then it is a wide expanse of water but by us it is a rippling chalk stream flowing through watercress beds and visited by egrets and kingfishers. The milestone outside our headquarters says 52 miles to London so there is a closeness to a great city, a fast rail link to our cool capital but here at the turn of a heel you can find yourself on an ancient footpath and wander miles out of earshot of any traffic across rolling hills. This gentle backdrop is where Avenue Publishing began.
The Binky Bear books are unique photographic picture books. They are inspired by the countryside and by historic iconic settings and by a fundamental wish to make reading a desirable, entertaining, multi sensory experience. A story that is described in rhyming verse and illustrated with photographs then becomes a day out with special friends and family members; memories are made, relationships are developed and all the time children are learning. The genius of the Binky Bear books is the beautiful hand drawn maps which bring alive Binky’s various adventures when they are read at bed time and then provide all the ingredients for a wonderful day out in each location.
We are delighted to say that our next Binky Bear project is getting under way and we are scoping out initial ideas ready to pitch to one of our major retailers. These are exciting times for Avenue Publishing.
