Candlewick Press, established in 1992 and located in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area ...

, is part of the Walker Books group. The logo depicting a bear carrying a candle is based on Walker Books's original logo. 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 one hundred. 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 Robert James Sabuda (born March 8, 1965) is a children's pop-up book artist and paper engineer. His recent books include retellings of the stories of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and ''Alice in Wonderland''.New York Times, 2006 Early life Rober ...

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 ''Guess How Much I Love You'' is a British children's book written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram, published in 1994, in the United Kingdom by Walker Books and in 1995, in the United States by its subsidiary Candlewick Press. T ...

''; Martin Handford's

Where's Waldo? ''Where's Wally?'' (called ''Where's Waldo?'' in North America) is a British series of children's puzzle books created by English illustrator Martin Handford. The books consist of a series of detailed double-page spread illustrations depicti ...

books;

Lucy Cousins Elizabeth "Lucy" Cousins (born 10 February 1964) is an English author and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her books featuring Maisy Mouse, but she has also published other children's books, such as ''Jazzy in the Jungle'' ...

Maisy Mouse ''Maisy'' is a British animated children's television series produced by King Rollo Films, PolyGram Visual Programming, and Universal Pictures Visual Programming. The show is based on the book series of the same name by Lucy Cousins. The ser ...

books, and

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

winner ''The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 1: The Pox Party'' by

M. T. Anderson Matthew Tobin Anderson (born November 4, 1968), is an American writer of children's books that range from picture books to young adult novels. He won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2006 for '' The Pox Party'', the first o ...

."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 ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

bestsellers ''

I Want My Hat Back ''I Want My Hat Back'' is a 2011 children's picture book by author and illustrator Jon Klassen. It was Klassen's first book as both author and illustrator. The book was published by Candlewick Press in September 2011. It is notable for its dark en ...

'' and ''

This is Not My Hat ''This Is Not My Hat'' is a 2012 American children's picture book by the author and illustrator Jon Klassen. The story is told through the unreliable narration of a little fish, who has stolen a hat from a big fish and how the big fish reacts ...

'' (also winner of the 2012 Caldecott Medal) by

Jon Klassen Jon Klassen (born November 29, 1981) is a Canadian writer and illustrator of children's books and an animator. He won both the American Caldecott Medal and the British Kate Greenaway Medal for children's book illustration, recognizing the 2012 ...

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 ''The Tiger Rising'' is a 2001 children's book written by Newbery Medal winning author Kate DiCamillo. It is about a 12-year-old named Rob Horton who finds a caged tiger in the center of the woods near his home. The book was a National Book Awar ...

'' (a

finalist), ''

The Tale of Despereaux ''The Tale of Despereaux'' (, ) is a 2003 children's fantasy book written by Kate DiCamillo. The main plot follows the adventures of a mouse named Despereaux Tilling, as he sets out on his quest to rescue a beautiful human princess from the ra ...

'' and '' Flora & Ulysses'' (

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

winners), ''The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane'' (a

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

winner), the

Mercy Watson series ''Mercy Watson'' is a series of chapter books written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. Mercy Watson is the fictional pig who stars in the series. Mercy Watson is called a "porcine wonder" by Mrs. and Mr. Watson. She loves t ...

and ''Tales from Deckawoo Drive'' series of early readers, and ''The Magician's Elephant''.

, author of the award-winning ''Octavian Nothing'' series of speculative historical fiction, is another of Candlewick's authors.

Toon Books Toon Books is a publisher of hardcover comic book early readers founded by Françoise Mouly. With titles by such creators as Geoffrey Hayes, Jay Lynch, Dean Haspiel, Eleanor Davis, and Mouly's collaborator and husband, Art Spiegelman, Toon Books ...

was an imprint of Candlewick Press from 2010 to 2014. Nosy Crow was an imprint of Candlewick Press from 2011 to 2022. In 2019, Candlewick won six American Library Association Youth Media Awards including a

for '' Merci Suárez Changes Gears'' by

Meg Medina Meg Medina is an American children’s book author of Cuban descent whose books celebrate Latino culture and the lives of young people. She is the 2023 – 2024 National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature. Medina is the recipient of the 2 ...

, a

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...

honor for ''Alma and How She Got Her Name'' by Juana Martinez-Neal, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator award for ''The Stuff of Stars'' illustrated by

Ekua Holmes Ekua Holmes (born in 1955) is an American mixed-media artist , children's book illustrator, and arts organization professional. Holmes' primary method of art making is mixed media collage, by layering newspaper, photos, fabric, and other materia ...

, a Stonewall Book Award for '' Julián Is a Mermaid'' by Jessica Love, a Schneider Family Book Award for ''Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship'' by Jessica Kensky, Patrick Downes and illustrated by Scott Magoon and a Margaret Edwards Award for

M.T. Anderson Matthew Tobin Anderson (born November 4, 1968), is an American writer of children's books that range from picture books to young adult fiction, young adult novels. He won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2006 for ''The Pox ...

. 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.

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 The Kate Greenaway Medal is a British literary award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) ...

in 2013.

Big Picture Press

Big Picture Press landed 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 a reissue of ''Nina's Book of Little Things'' by

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...

Candlewick Entertainment

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

Candlewick Studio

Candlewick Studio 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.

Walker Books US

A new division of Candlewick Press, Walker Books US, launched in Fall 2018 and focuses on publishing fiction, graphic novels, and illustrated books for children and teens.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Book publishing companies based in Massachusetts Companies based in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Somerville, Massachusetts American companies established in 1992 Publishing companies established in 1992 1992 establishments in Massachusetts Children's book publishers