Candlewick Press

History

Sebastian Walker launched Walker Books from his spare bedroom in his London home in 1978. Walker Books grew and he founded Candlewick Press in 1992. Candlewick Press opened with only six employees and now has more than one hundred.

Publications

Candlewick was first known for picture books but expanded to include board books, novelty books, e-books and middle-grade and young adult fiction and non-fiction. Candlewick is an important children's book publisher thanks to publications such as a series known as the Ologies; Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart's pop-up books; the Judy Moody and Stink franchises from author Megan McDonald and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds; Guess How Much I Love You; Martin Handford's Where's Waldo? books; Lucy Cousins' Maisy books, and National Book Award winner The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 1: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson. "Candlewick Turns Sweet 15: Picture books, then fiction prove a winning formula". Judith Rosen. January 26, 2007. Publishers Weekly, volume 254, issue 5, 01/29/2007. Retrieved 2012-04-13. Candlewick's books continue to be in demand as demonstrated by recent The New York Times bestsellers I Want My Hat Back and This Is Not My Hat (also winner of the 2012 Caldecott Medal) by Jon Klassen and Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis.

Candlewick Press is home to author Kate DiCamillo, having published her first novel, Because of Winn-Dixie (a Newbery Honor Book), along with The Tiger Rising (a National Book Award finalist), The Tale of Despereaux and Flora & Ulysses (Newbery Medal winners), The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner), the Mercy Watson series and Tales from Deckawoo Drive series of early readers, and The Magician's Elephant. Candlewick also published a novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina, who became the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

M. T. Anderson, author of the award-winning Octavian Nothing series of speculative historical fiction, is another of Candlewick's authors.

The Walker Books Group is made up of Candlewick Press, Walker Books UK and Walker Books Australia. In May 2020, the group was acquired by Trustbridge Global Media.

Imprints

Templar Books

Templar Books is Candlewick's first imprint and is a partnership between Candlewick Press and Templar Publishing in the UK. This imprint publishes picture books, novelty books and board books. Notable titles include Jonny Duddle's The Pirates Next Door and Levi Pinfold's Black Dog, which received the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2013.

Big Picture Press

Big Picture Press was launched in the Fall of 2013 and publishes illustrated and high-quality books for readers of all ages. The imprint was developed by Templar Publishing in the U.K. as an alternative to digital publishing. Notable titles include Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski, and the Welcome to the Museum series.

Candlewick Entertainment

Candlewick Entertainment was launched in Spring 2014 to publish media-related children's books and TV and movie tie-ins, including Peppa Pig.

Candlewick Studio

Candlewick Studio was launched in Fall 2016 and publishes design-centric books with creators such as Ingela P. Arrhenius, élo, David Ellwand, Aaron Becker, and Carme Lemniscates.

MIT Kids Press and MITeen Press

The MIT Kids Press and MITeen Press imprints, launched in Fall 2021, are an innovative collaboration that pairs the expertise, reach, and creativity of both Candlewick Press and the MIT Press. The imprints offer lively, fascinating, and far-reaching writing on STEAM topics for young people and young adults.

References

References

1. (2010). "Sebastian Walker and Walker Books: A Commercial Case Study". New Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship.
2. LSCHULTE. (2014-01-27). "2013 Caldecott Medal and Honor Books".
3. "About us - Welcome to Walker Books Australia".
4. "Trustbridge Global Media Acquires Walker Books".
5. Eccleshare, Julia. "Gardner, Pinfold Win 2013 Carnegie, Greenaway Medals". Publishers Weekly.
6. Rosen, Judith. "Candlewick to Launch Big Picture Press". Publishers Weekly.
7. Rosen, Judith. "Candlewick to Add Media-Centric Imprint". Publishers Weekly.
8. Rosen, Judith. "Candlewick to Launch Imprint in the Fall". Publishers Weekly.