The name North-South, and the logo, an Inuit child eating a banana, both serve to express this mission. As the business of children's book publishing became more competitive, fewer foreign companies were willing cooperate with Nord-S d on publishing what now seemed risky books. When the Sidjanskis' son Davy took the helm at Nord-S d in 1976, he built on his parents' international efforts. It doesn't always happen, but it's a goal. Sometimes someone will say a book won't work in one language for some reason, so we don't do it in that language.
Editors have to have the freedom to do what they think is best.
This desire to maintain a worldwide publishing program has a great affect on Nord-S d's various publishing programs. Although each subsidiary is entrusted with creating books that will reach its particular audience, editors at each company look for stories and illustrations that will work internationally, and each gives input to the others. Many publishers avoid books that have animals as central characters, but North-South embraces them. Many publishers avoid books that have animals as central characters, but North-South embraces them. If we did a book that was fairly contemporary that, say, featured kids who were six or seven years old, the problem is that they have to exist in some world.