PAGE TURNERS

For preschoolers, the world is their oyster when it comes to books – and it shows in a buoyant sector which flourished during the pandemic and is still riding high.

“In 2022, the preschool books market remained incredibly buoyant – still not slipping back to pre-pandemic levels. Against this positive backdrop Ladybird had a strong year supported by our varied offering,” says Leanne Gill, publishing director at Ladybird. “Our Bluey success, in particular, gave us cause to celebrate. We’re so excited to have her on our Ladybird list and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Our Hey Duggee World Book Day book – Hey Duggee: The World Book Day Badge - reached number one in the UK chart which was fantastic to see.

“We’re also thrilled to have Gretel the Wonder Mammoth by author-illustrator Kim Hillyard shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize this year. In addition to this, we had That’s Not My Name by Anoosha Syed and the Baby Touch series shortlisted for Teach Early Year Awards.”

Stephanie Barton, publisher at Macmillan Children’s Books, tells a similarly positive story. “The overall preschool publishing sector has grown substantially since 2019 and we saw double digit growth ourselves in 2022 across Campbell Books, our specialist imprint for babies and toddlers, and through our Macmillan Preschool list,” she tells PPS.

Globally, growth came from established brands such as early learning books from Rod Campbell (Dear Zoo) and Tales from Acorn Wood by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

Stephanie continues: “Campbell Books’ banner line: ‘Books you can play with; Toys you can read’ underpins our publishing approach for the littlest children where we aim to create playful interactive reading experiences with a soft learning approach and to support parental needs.

Campbell Books continued to grow last year in the UK and globally, with our Big Steps series leading the way, including bestselling titles such as No More Nappies, No More Tantrums and No More Dummies.”

New for 2023 is Babies Laugh…, a new brand created with developmental psychologist Dr Caspar Addyman, a leading expert in what makes babies laugh. “We will launch with Babies Laugh at Peekaboo, with its unique grab-handle format and based on the game which is proven to be the absolute winner in terms of making babies laugh, and a five-button sound book Babies Laugh at Everything,” says Stephanie.

For Sweet Cherry Publishing, big launches are due this year for CBeebies hit show Numberblocks and Alphablocks, while it will also be introducing the first books to the market for Colourblocks. “Including the bestselling Numberblocks Annual, we will also be introducing First Words, First Colours, First Shapes and First Letters,” says Maya Maraj, head of licensing and commercial at Sweet Cherry. “We’ve had a lot of fun building our new publishing programme with the show creators, Blue Zoo.”

Maya admits that the cost-of-living crisis is a real consideration in the book sector, with Sweet Cherry aiming to make accessible books for all audiences. “We are lucky to be able to partner with our sister company, Books2Door, to bring our licensed titles to as wide an audience as possible,” she adds. “With the right brands, the sector is in fine health and although we have to work harder and harder, there are still great successes to be had in this sector. The educational element in books means they stand up better during tougher economic environments.”

Matthew Reynolds, md at Little Brother Books, believes that preschool is a unique category as it is bought by parents and not by children. “They have to try and judge what kids want, which is always hard to do,” he admits. “We were delighted to have two amazing new brands with CoComelon and Blippi leading our preschool range, as well our Gigantosaurus and World of Dinosaurs. CoComelon has to be our biggest instant success from day one, with strong retailer listings and good sales to back it up.”

SCREEN-FREE FUN

In the preschool magazine space, Kennedy Publishing has seen its portfolio go from strength to strength, particularly with the acquisition of Baby Shark magazine in 2022.

“Our preschool portfolio continues to thrive in the most competitive category, particularly in licensed evergreens such as Fireman Sam, Octonauts and Peter Rabbit which are supported by strong TV programming and toy lines. Our own title, Everything Dinosaurs, also continues to be a bestseller,” offers Sophie Prewett, assistant head of editorial at Kennedy Publishing.

“We are always listening to our readers and publishing with sustainability in mind, which is why we launched a wooden fishing set on Baby

Licensed To Thrill

“Thoughtful use of licensing is key to succeeding in this competitive market,” comments Kennedy Publishing’s Sophie. “We focus on identifying brands that have engaging stories behind them and heritage or evergreen brands that can be invigorated with a fresh outlook and approach. We also always consider how our readers will respond to the property – if it’s trusted by children and adults alike then we know we can build quality products on that foundation and nurture their success for years to come.”

For Ladybird’s Leanne, licensing is “absolutely key” in preschool publishing: “In many cases, our licensed books address useful topics to support parents around their children’s key milestones. For example, we recently

Shark magazine last year. We are delighted to be a leader in this field and will continue to trial sustainability initiatives in 2023 and beyond.”

New launches on the horizon from the company include Go Jetters in April and Milkshake magazine from May.

The magazine sector isn’t without its challenges though, as Julie Jones, md at Redan Publishing, acknowledges, calling 2022 another “disruptive year” with unforeseen challenges testing the company’s resilience. However, one highlight was picking up The Eco Award at the Progressive Preschool Awards for its Fun To Learn Peppa Pig Bag o’ Fun Magazine.

“Our focus is on resurgence now, and we are anticipating a more stable 2023,” Julie comments. Redan has a new launch coming up in the primary aged girl’s category and it is currently trialling a number of properties in its compilations and is hoping by the end of the year that one or two of these will become a more permanent feature.

Julie continues: “The sector has suffered in the last 12 months, but we are starting to see sales stabilise and hope that this trend continues published Peppa Pig: George’s Potty which focuses on George’s potty-training journey. Little ones will hopefully be more enthusiastic about trying to use a potty when one of their favourite characters is doing this too.” throughout 2023. The cost-of-living crisis is, of course, having an impact but as analysts predict a turnaround in 2024 we continue to innovate and develop in 2023 while delivering quality and good value for money.”

Macmillan’s Stephanie agrees that young children develop strong attachments to their favourite characters and they become a “reassuring extension” to their world. “New preschool shows like CBeebies’ recent release Vegesaurs, a unique and humorous take on dinosaurs, also helps promote a healthy eating message, while Milkshake’s Odo, a comedic and warm story of a little owl with big ideas, teaches children that the most important thing you can do is to believe in yourself,” she adds.

Sustainable Focus

Siobhan Galvin, commercial director at Story House Egmont, agrees that 2022 saw demand slow and costs increase across the board. However, despite this, the company managed to outperform the market, delivering value growth against a backdrop of year on year decline for the category.

PAW Patrol is a key priority in 2023, with the brand marking its tenth anniversary. Story House Egmont’s PAW Patrol magazine continues to be the number one title in the preschool sub-segment, says Siobhan, and the number one title in the market overall. Other priorities include Thomas the Tank Engine magazine, with Siobhan commenting: “We have successfully published Thomas for more than 30 years, and with continued investment in the brand, it goes from strength to strength.”

Sustainability, as in other sectors, is now a major focus, and listening to consumers and what they want in this area is key. Siobhan continues: “Our research suggests that parents’ concern regarding sustainability is not necessarily about the materials used, but more about the quality. They want covermounted toys which are good quality, have longevity and deliver play value. While we are committed to reducing our use of plastic where we can, we are focused on improving the durability and play value of our covermounted toys.

“Alongside other publishers, we have invested in Recycle to Read, an ambitious programme designed to make toy recycling easier while supporting schools and reading.”

So what ingredients does a successful preschool book or magazine need? Little Brother Books’ Matthew adds: “Simply put, it needs to capture parents’ attention with brands and titles that they know their kids will love. Then we need to make the content as fun and engaging as possible for kids to enjoy.”

Story House Egmont’s Siobhan offers: “Firstly, great characters which are known and loved by children. Secondly, engaging content which primarily entertains but also supports early learning. And thirdly, a good quality toy which is designed to be used repeatedly, enriches the content and supports child development through the power of play.”

Redan’s Julie expands on this, saying: “The chance to win exciting prizes through competitions and the opportunity to get in touch and be a part of the magazine on the club pages. We have to market to both children and parents so having trusted content is also key.”

Sweet Cherry’s Maya concludes: “Making books that are easy to read, accessible and offer added value are the most important ingredients. They should always embody the essence of both the brand and the age of the reader and should, of course, offer a little magic, too.”