I Am Saeed
Our tenth story, I Am Saeed, written by Aleya Sharif Zadeh, illustrated by Vanessa Bong and translated by Maryanne Mino, is a beautiful childhood story about unlikely friends: “When I was ten years old, my...
Introducing
Campfire Stories
Short-form stories that celebrate each and all of us. Delivered to you, online or in print, monthly. Proudly supported by the City of Melbourne.
About
Stories that bring us closer
Campfire Stories is a project by Small Fires, a social enterprise making toys, books and games that spark curiosity and celebrate diversity. After releasing our debut picture book in 2020, we've been dedicated to creating stories that joyfully bring us closer together. Through Campfire Stories, we're working with emerging artists, writers and translators to create beautiful short-form stories that celebrate the richness of our languages and cultures. We're proudly and gratefully supported by the City of Melbourne, without who, this project wouldn't exist. For the first 12 months, our stories will be all about celebrating the diversity of those who call Naarm (Melbourne) home.
My Kind of Hero
Our ninth story, My Kind of Hero, written by Christine Chanty, illustrated by Zara Shrestha and translated by Mayuko McMillin, is a story about a mother and daughter proudly sharing their culture: “Scroll, scroll,...
Join Our Campfire
Experience each captivating story for free by joining our mailing list or immerse yourself in the magic with a limited edition print.
Limited Edition Prints
Frequently Pondered Questions
How often are stories released?
Since August 2022, we've released one new story every month! Usually this happens on the third Thursday of the month. Sometimes the publishing stars don't quite align with our deadlines and it's a little later. No matter the timing, there'll always be a new heart-warming story each month.
Where are the stories published?
Making the stories accessible to everyone is really important to us. So each story is freely available online. If you join our mailing list we also send each new story to your inbox when it's released - how easy is that?!
We also release limited edition printed copies of each story. Either through a subscription or a one-off purchase, you can get each story, beautifully in ink, delivered to your hands (or to those of someone you love).
Who writes and illustrates the stories?
We work with emerging writers and illustrators from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to produce our stories. Our aim is create stories that represent the richness of our communities, so we actively seek out writers of all ages, religions, cultures, genders and backgrounds!
We share more information about the creatives behind each piece over on our Instagram and in each story.
Do you pay your creatives?
Definitely! We work with our authors, illustrators and translators on a paid basis. This is thanks to the generous support of the City of Melbourne, who have funded the first 12 months of this project.
What language are the stories available in?
Each story is published in two languages: English and the author's language of choice.
So far, we've got a diverse lineup of languages that include Ukrainian, Arabic, Japanese, Swedish, Indonesian, Chinese, French, Italian, Farsi, Sinhalese and Bangla.
Join Our Campfire
Become a digital subscriber and get heart-warming stories delivered to your inbox every month.