Children's Books

Dorling Kindersley’s children's list is extensive and provides a fantastic wealth of knowledge for children, toddlers and babies. The books contain all the core values of the DK brand: outstanding information combined with magical illustration and design; they are both beautiful and useful. There is something for every child whatever their interest or level of ability. The children's list grows ever stronger with refreshing revisions of backlist titles as well as innovative new series for the next generation of new young readers. DK's ability to anticipate the trends and the changing world that children live in today maintains DK's position at the forefront of popular children's non-fiction publishing.

With regards to children's reference DK has had phenomenal success with the outstanding Eyewitness Books series. When the series first appeared in 1988 it not only began DK's in-road into children's publishing, but it started a revolution in the field itself. The books carry all the classic DK hallmarks - they are bright, exciting and informative - and though now much imitated, they are never bettered. The unique lexigraphic design, an explanatory combination of words and pictures, made the series an instant success. Since then the list has grown stronger and stronger. The series is the bestselling non-fiction children's series ever, and by 2001 it had sold over 45 million worldwide in 33 different languages. The series continues to grow and captures new readers all the time; the appearance of the series in paperback and with new livery will enhance this.

Following on from this is a new focus on younger children from the ages 5-8. The Eye Wonder series is specifically designed for an age group that is beginning to explore and inquire. Using accessible vocabulary and amazing photographs these first information books will encourage younger children to open their eyes to the world outside them. The 5-8 year olds are also catered for with a large number of colorrful and invaluable activity books by Jane Bull. Young minds will be inspired by the huge range of fun projects suggested in these books. Topics covered include cooking, magic, Halloween and Christmas.

There are a large number of activity books for older children as well whether they are into space rockets, dinosaurs or science. DK has always recognized the need for children to experiment creatively and have reinvented children's activity books by producing a range of fantastic packs combining books with hands-on projects, experiments and models. The success of The Ultimate Robot Kit which flew out of the bookstores at Christmas 2001 reflects this need, and DK is constantly exploring different ways in which to expand the area.

Children's reference is also hallmarked by the range of stunning encyclopedias and dictionaries, starting with the DK Illustrated Family Encyclopedia, through to those on space, dinosaurs and space. In this range of titles DK's aim is to provide as much information in an exciting, accessible and visual way as possible. The new encyclopedia and dictionary design is innovative and imaginative, bright and colorful and will draw children in no matter what the subject.

DK continues to build on its already strong licensing list. There are books on every type of superhero from Superman, Batman and Spiderman through to less muscular heroines with a whole selection of titles featuring Barbie. The relationship DK has with Disney grows ever stronger with the publication of books that tie-in with many of the new Disney movies. The publication of A Life Like Mine in association with UNICEF will follow the success of previous DK/UNICEF titles - Celebration; Children Just Like Me - and strengthens the relationship between DK and one of the most important global organizations. A Life Like Mine is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and gives a unique and uplifting insight into the lives of children throughout the world.

DK has also been working with Pearson Education to create a wealth of invaluable materials for schools. The integration of DK design values within these publications is a priority for Pearson. DK is already working with a number of educational bodies to ensure that their material is unrivalled. The DK Readers, 130 books designed by DK, are compiled by literacy experts and cover four levels from beginner to proficient readers. Photographs and illustrations are combined with age-appropriate stories to capture the child's interest and to encourage reading alone. Along with the already existing Carol Vorderman home-study maths, english and science books, DK will focus on other key subjects such as geography in the future.

In the area of pre-school books DK is improving and building on its already successful series. The future lists will put a stronger emphasis on books for the very young which will ensure that every child in the 0-5 year age range will be catered for. The My First... series of titles, the strongest DK pre-school brand, will be updated, revised and expanded. This best-selling series of learning books now includes a variety of novelty formats - touch-and-feel, lift-the-flap, sticker and bath books - and is designed to stimulate young children's curiosity and optimize learning through exploration and play. This series has been highly acclaimed and The My First Word Book has so far sold 1.75 million copies worldwide (2001). Old favorites like the P.B.Bear range will be expanded with a specific focus on the 3-5 year olds. The P.B.Bear Read Alone titles are specially designed for newly independent readers and those children preparing for school. Alongside this several new, more innovative and interactive series will be created. The Baby's World series (2002) shows DK at its best with bold, bright and colorful pages. The books focus on the things babies love to do and will delight 0-2 year olds with images of their familiar world. The Lift-the-Flap series is an exciting range of titles introducing key concepts such as numbers, colors and shapes to young children using interactive flaps to reveal hidden pictures and words. Full of color photographs, the books reflect the child's everyday surroundings and simple word labels encourage early reading skills.

DK's pre-school titles retain all the classic DK hallmarks but have a refreshingly bright and modern feel. New ideas combined with new formats and new design maintain DK as one of the most popular pre-school publishers.