Q&A with a Bluey Publisher
Jess Owen might not be a household name, but she is a big player in the world of Bluey. See why Jess has the best job ever!
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Some jobs are guaranteed to get a great reaction, and although your preschooler will be particularly impressed by a train driver, dog groomer or lolly shop owner, your whole family will want to know about Jess Owen’s job!
Jess is publisher of the Bluey books at Penguin Kids, which means she works with a team who creates the board books, picture books and activity books based on everyone’s fav series.
This is exciting for her four-year-old, while giving us stacks of Bluey stories to enjoy.
And if you’re wondering what it takes to make a Bluey book, and whether Jess gets to watch Bluey eps during work time, then read on!
This Q&A spills the beans, and also sneaks a peek at some new kinds of Bluey books that are coming soon.
Eeep!
Q&A with Bluey book publisher, Jess Owen
KindiCare: Families absolutely love the Bluey books, with over 10 million books sold across 100 titles since 2019. What was the first Bluey book you worked on?
Jess: I was very lucky to be part of the team who worked on the first three Bluey books for Christmas 2019: The Beach, Fruit Bat and Time to Play!
It was such an exciting time for the brand and it was a wonderful creative process, helping to develop the Bluey book aesthetic that has gone on to be so successful.
We’re really proud to have been the first Bluey products in the market, and since then, we’ve created lots of different ways to tell the stories, to keep fans engaged.
KindiCare: So, the big question is, do you get to watch Bluey eps for work?
Jess: I do! It’s unbelievable that it’s part of my job to watch Bluey at my desk!
And, of course, we watch it at home with my four-year-old, who loves any episode where Bingo’s doing something silly, like The Weekend or Bingo.
KindiCare: After so many years enjoying Bluey, which characters and episodes hold a special place in your heart?
Jess: Bluey is definitely one of my favourite characters, as it’s her world that these stories take place in.
I adore the storylines where she’s exploring ideas of empathy (like in Copycat and Grannies) and navigating friendships (like in Barky Boats and Pass the Parcel).
I also have a soft spot for Muffin.
There’s an underlying sweetness that comes with her chaos, and there’s definitely a lot of laughs when she’s in a story (like Charades and Granny Mobile).
And when it comes to special episodes, Baby Race and The Sign are absolute emotional roller-coasters – there are tears every time I watch these or read the books!
KindiCare: There’s definitely lots to love. So, how do you actually go about creating a Bluey book?
Jess: It’s a huge group effort for each book, and we collaborate with so many talented people. We work with BBC Australia and Ludo Studio for each book (as well as Bluey’s creator, Joe Brumm, on many of them too).
We couldn’t ask for a better team, and we start each title by discussing many, many different book ideas, with the episode storylines and characters at the core.
Once a title is set, we go through several drafts and rounds of feedback with the team before one of our fabulous designers adds the visual elements to the story (which are provided by the talented artists at Ludo Studio).
We then finesse and finalise everything; and the design work is an important part of the process, because we work in so many different formats: hardback picture books, board books, activity books, sound books, little library box sets, magnet books, chapter books, a comic-style graphic novel and more.
There’s also a lot of juggling.
We publish over 20 Bluey books a year, so we’re working on several titles simultaneously, while also keeping our sales and marketing teams up to date with what’s coming next. They’re the hard-working teams who promote the books and make sure they’re in stores for fans to discover.
And because we work pretty far ahead, we’ve started all of our books for 2026 and some for 2027!
KindiCare: It must be so fun creating these books for Bluey fans!
Jess: It’s definitely a dream job! And now that we have sold 10 million Bluey books in Australia and New Zealand, it’s astonishing to think that most households will have a Bluey book of some sort – that is such a privilege to be a part of.
KindiCare: How do people react when they find out that you’re a Bluey book publisher?
Jess: Lots of parents and kids are interested in the making process, but one of the incredible things about the Bluey world is that, actually, everyone is a fan, no matter their age.
I love hearing what people’s favourite episode is, and often we talk about how that could be turned into a book.
Meanwhile, my four-year-old thinks that I make the books mostly for her, which is very sweet, and shows how deeply the Bluey storytelling world reaches.
KindiCare: It sure does, and it sounds like there’s lots to look forward to in 2026?
Jess: Yes, it’s an exciting year ahead.
We’re publishing our first bath book in March 2026, which is adorable, and our first touch-and-feel book, Toys, is out in May 2026.
Tradies is coming in April 2026, and this picture book already has huge interest.
Then something that will guarantee a laugh from littlies is Puppets: Starring Unicorse. This board book is being released in June 2026, and it features a hand puppet of the most annoying (and hilarious) unicorn in the world!
