First State Press

First State Press logoFirst State Press was established in 2015 by founder and president John Micklos, Jr. as an independent publishing house located in Newark, Delaware. Specializing in children’s and young adult literature, its titles so far are The Sound in the Basement and Beach Fun: Poems of Surf and Sand.


Written by John Micklos, Jr. and illustrated by Eric Hamilton, The Sound in the Basement (ages 4-9) follows young David’s adventures as he overcomes his fear of going into the basement alone by investigating the cause of the “moany, groany, chill-you-to-the-boney” sound he keeps hearing.

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Written by John Micklos, Jr. with photos by Lisa Joy Goodman, Beach Fun: Poems of Surf and Sand (ages 4-12) captures the magic of a visit to the beach.

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Written by John Micklos, Jr. and illustrated by Clive McFarland, One Leaf, Two Leaves, Count with Me! is a playful counting book (ages 3-6) that shares the colorful highlights of the four seasons in charming illustrations. Published by Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Young Readers Group, this newest of John’s books is sure to delight.

You can pre-order the book from Penguin here.


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