Everyone has a story to tell, and some people need help telling it. Far too many stories go unpublished and unshared. We're working to help change that.
Our mission is to help authors bring their stories to light with professional editing, design, and good exposure to the marketplace. Through Belle Isle Books, we offer personal guidance and accessibility, encourage authors to actively participate in the publishing process, and produce high-quality books that exhibit editorial quality of the highest caliber.
We treat the publishing process as a partnership because when the book comes off the press, we want our authors to be confident and successful.
Our mission is to help authors bring their stories to light with professional editing, design, and good exposure to the marketplace. Through Belle Isle Books, we offer personal guidance and accessibility, encourage authors to actively participate in the publishing process, and produce high-quality books that exhibit editorial quality of the highest caliber.
We treat the publishing process as a partnership because when the book comes off the press, we want our authors to be confident and successful.
New and Upcoming Releases
ABCs of Oystering on the Chesapeake Bay
Written by Susan Swift
Illustrated by Heather Cockrell
The ABCs of Oystering on the Chesapeake Bay is a fun and educational book that teaches kids and adults alike all about oysters using the alphabet. Each letter introduces a new word and idea, from how oysters grow and what they eat, to how people catch and use them. Readers learn that oysters help keep the Chesapeake Bay clean by filtering the water, and that they are an important part of the Bay's ecosystem.
The book explains how oystermen and women collect oysters using boats, dredges, and tongs, and how oysters have been used by people for thousands of years. It also shares fun facts, like how oysters grow in underwater reefs, what a pea crab is, and why oysters are “eXtra” important to the environment!
This A-to-Z guide is filled with simple facts, cool vocabulary, and other interesting information about oysters and the Bay. It’s perfect for young readers who want to learn more about nature, sea life, and how we can help protect our environment.
This is the second book in the author and illustrator’s Life of a Waterman series, following the release of The ABCs of Crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay.
Illustrated by Heather Cockrell
The ABCs of Oystering on the Chesapeake Bay is a fun and educational book that teaches kids and adults alike all about oysters using the alphabet. Each letter introduces a new word and idea, from how oysters grow and what they eat, to how people catch and use them. Readers learn that oysters help keep the Chesapeake Bay clean by filtering the water, and that they are an important part of the Bay's ecosystem.
The book explains how oystermen and women collect oysters using boats, dredges, and tongs, and how oysters have been used by people for thousands of years. It also shares fun facts, like how oysters grow in underwater reefs, what a pea crab is, and why oysters are “eXtra” important to the environment!
This A-to-Z guide is filled with simple facts, cool vocabulary, and other interesting information about oysters and the Bay. It’s perfect for young readers who want to learn more about nature, sea life, and how we can help protect our environment.
This is the second book in the author and illustrator’s Life of a Waterman series, following the release of The ABCs of Crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay.
The Trouble with Milo Minus
Written by Julie Ellis Williams
Illustrated by Bill Dussinger
Milo Minus is always negative. After all, he is a math symbol for subtraction—making something less than what it originally was. He is a bully! He has no friends and no intention of changing—until, one day, BAM! An unexpected event with another minus sign results in them becoming new math symbols, spreading positive feelings to Milo and all those around him!
Illustrated by Bill Dussinger
Milo Minus is always negative. After all, he is a math symbol for subtraction—making something less than what it originally was. He is a bully! He has no friends and no intention of changing—until, one day, BAM! An unexpected event with another minus sign results in them becoming new math symbols, spreading positive feelings to Milo and all those around him!
One-Week Odyssey: A Blackwater Lake Cozy Mystery
Written by Carolyn Brodeur
Kat Normand, a seasoned portfolio manager of community associations, never expected to trade her busy career for the mysterious lakeside town of Blackwater Lake. But when the homeowners association offers her a six-figure salary, a cozy home, and the role of general manager, it feels too good to pass up—even if the HOA barely seems to exist online.
Soon, Kat discovers her predecessor vanished without a trace, and the residents are harboring secrets they won’t easily share. With the help of her quirky assistant Babs and Jet, her loyal English Springer Spaniel (who may be more than he seems), Kat sets out to unravel the unsettling mysteries hiding beneath the town’s polished surface—before she disappears, too.
Kat Normand, a seasoned portfolio manager of community associations, never expected to trade her busy career for the mysterious lakeside town of Blackwater Lake. But when the homeowners association offers her a six-figure salary, a cozy home, and the role of general manager, it feels too good to pass up—even if the HOA barely seems to exist online.
Soon, Kat discovers her predecessor vanished without a trace, and the residents are harboring secrets they won’t easily share. With the help of her quirky assistant Babs and Jet, her loyal English Springer Spaniel (who may be more than he seems), Kat sets out to unravel the unsettling mysteries hiding beneath the town’s polished surface—before she disappears, too.
At a Snail’s Pace: A Stroll Around the Garden Through Poems
Written by Kim Fisher Wynn
Illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye
Gardening and poetry come alive in this whimsical account of a day in the life of a garden. From the rising sun to the setting moon, through the eyes of a lowly snail to the view of fanciful fireflies, read and watch this garden blossom through the beautiful imagery and majesty of poetry.
Illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye
Gardening and poetry come alive in this whimsical account of a day in the life of a garden. From the rising sun to the setting moon, through the eyes of a lowly snail to the view of fanciful fireflies, read and watch this garden blossom through the beautiful imagery and majesty of poetry.
Perfectly Polly
Written by Chandra Tracey
Illustrated by Valentina Copeland
Polly Possum aspires to be splendid. Spectacular, even! The problem is, from Polly’s point of view, she’s too plain a possum to be at all appealing. Now, Polly has a plan to put herself out there! She will put on a performance, play all the parts, and pretend she’s practically anything except her pedestrian persona. Yet as the presentation proceeds, Polly approaches an epiphany: perhaps people don’t perceive her as a plain possum after all!
Illustrated by Valentina Copeland
Polly Possum aspires to be splendid. Spectacular, even! The problem is, from Polly’s point of view, she’s too plain a possum to be at all appealing. Now, Polly has a plan to put herself out there! She will put on a performance, play all the parts, and pretend she’s practically anything except her pedestrian persona. Yet as the presentation proceeds, Polly approaches an epiphany: perhaps people don’t perceive her as a plain possum after all!
Mabee at the Market
Written by Allen Edgar Rogers
Illustrated by Whitney Hill
Mabee at the Market is a gentle, beautifully illustrated story about a little girl facing big feelings in a new place. When Mabee’s trip to the market becomes a bit overwhelming, she learns how a simple plan, staying calm, and looking for help in the right places can get her through the gauntlet!
Illustrated by Whitney Hill
Mabee at the Market is a gentle, beautifully illustrated story about a little girl facing big feelings in a new place. When Mabee’s trip to the market becomes a bit overwhelming, she learns how a simple plan, staying calm, and looking for help in the right places can get her through the gauntlet!
Teddy Lou, Bell Guru
Written by Chris Demeropolis
Illustrated by Sara Fox
With fun rhymes and bell chimes, follow young Teddy Lou as he explores his fascination with bells. When Teddy questions whether bells have strange smells, he must leap to learn more and even work out a scientific solution to ensure his safety. But will our favorite bell explorer find his answer before the bell rings?
Illustrated by Sara Fox
With fun rhymes and bell chimes, follow young Teddy Lou as he explores his fascination with bells. When Teddy questions whether bells have strange smells, he must leap to learn more and even work out a scientific solution to ensure his safety. But will our favorite bell explorer find his answer before the bell rings?
Steel Slides and Yellow Walls
Written by Alicia Swain
In Steel Slides and Yellow Walls, Alicia Swain navigates the labyrinthine journey women undergo to form their identities. Through a feminist lens and distinctive voice, her collection veraciously portrays the trials that forge women into sagacious, resilient adults. From contemplation of how to balance mental health despite knowing what tribulations are sure to come, to the title poem’s exploration of how traumatic memories can continue to haunt in the most unexpected situations, Swain offers a look at the diverse experiences that mold women into the tenacious beings they are.
Praise for Steel Slides and Yellow Walls:
"In Alicia Swain’s debut poetry collection, a woman’s voice calls out of the darkness. With intelligence and precision, she speaks of her own trauma, yes, but also of the earth’s, of our society’s, of womankind’s. Deft with metaphor and lyricism, Swain’s poems conjure figures of fierce resolve, speaking against silence with courage. These poems are the sound of a soul pouring forth in order to make and remake a world. A moving first book."
-Colleen Abel, author of Remake and Deviants
In Steel Slides and Yellow Walls, Alicia Swain navigates the labyrinthine journey women undergo to form their identities. Through a feminist lens and distinctive voice, her collection veraciously portrays the trials that forge women into sagacious, resilient adults. From contemplation of how to balance mental health despite knowing what tribulations are sure to come, to the title poem’s exploration of how traumatic memories can continue to haunt in the most unexpected situations, Swain offers a look at the diverse experiences that mold women into the tenacious beings they are.
Praise for Steel Slides and Yellow Walls:
"In Alicia Swain’s debut poetry collection, a woman’s voice calls out of the darkness. With intelligence and precision, she speaks of her own trauma, yes, but also of the earth’s, of our society’s, of womankind’s. Deft with metaphor and lyricism, Swain’s poems conjure figures of fierce resolve, speaking against silence with courage. These poems are the sound of a soul pouring forth in order to make and remake a world. A moving first book."
-Colleen Abel, author of Remake and Deviants
The Doodle Tree
Written and illustrated by Betty Bott
The Doodle Tree is about a young person exploring the art form of doodling. Sitting in a tree with a pad on their lap, the child feels free to make marks on the paper. They explore different ways to use the pencil to create different types of lines. The child lets their inner self take control of the pencil. There is no concern for making mistakes, no place for perfection, and no judgment. There is a connection between the natural world the child is experiencing and the expressive marks on the child’s paper. The child’s doodles create a tree.
On the last page, the reader is invited to explore their creativity by picking up a pencil to doodle. This book is meant to free the reader of preconceived ideas of doodling and drawing. There are no rules and no limits. Doodling is a visual expression of our inner self that allows our mind to open to new possibilities, to be free of judgment, and to let our imaginations flow in new directions. Doodling is for everyone. Pick up a pencil and discover how doodling can be a freeing, relaxing, and fun journey for you.
The Doodle Tree is about a young person exploring the art form of doodling. Sitting in a tree with a pad on their lap, the child feels free to make marks on the paper. They explore different ways to use the pencil to create different types of lines. The child lets their inner self take control of the pencil. There is no concern for making mistakes, no place for perfection, and no judgment. There is a connection between the natural world the child is experiencing and the expressive marks on the child’s paper. The child’s doodles create a tree.
On the last page, the reader is invited to explore their creativity by picking up a pencil to doodle. This book is meant to free the reader of preconceived ideas of doodling and drawing. There are no rules and no limits. Doodling is a visual expression of our inner self that allows our mind to open to new possibilities, to be free of judgment, and to let our imaginations flow in new directions. Doodling is for everyone. Pick up a pencil and discover how doodling can be a freeing, relaxing, and fun journey for you.
