We Wish Piccadilly Press a Happy 40th Birthday (2024)

By LoveReading4Kids | 8th July 2024

From graphic novels to future classics, Piccadilly publishes books aimed at readers aged 5 to 12 years old. And we are huge fans of theirs here at LoveReading4Kids. Their books empower readers to choose the books that excite them, offering a portal to limitless adventure and inspiring a lifelong love of stories! Piccadilly publishes everything from highly illustrated first chapter books to groundbreaking new stories for confident readers. Whether it's a fast-paced and funny graphic novel or an immersive fantasy world, there are choices for every kind of young fiction fan on the Piccadilly list. And we thank them for forty years of joy.

Here we chat to Ruth Bennett, Editorial Director of Piccadilly Press about this landmark occasion and how they are celebrating it.

Happy 40th Birthday, Piccadilly Press. Can you tell us about where it all started?
Piccadilly Press was started by the brilliant Brenda Gardner, who is an inspiring example of an entrepreneurial woman in publishing. It was her energy, enthusiasm and insight into publishing that shaped Piccadilly Press into the fabulous imprint that still exists today. Back then, Piccadilly Press was an independent publishing company and published a really wide range of titles – from picture books to children’s fiction right through to teen titles and parenting advice books for adults. There are several of those books that are still in print today, showing just how good Brenda’s eye for a great book was. In 2013, Piccadilly Press became part of Bonnier Books UK and so while it has become part of a larger organisation with the infrastructure to match, we have retained the creativity and enthusiasm for books that Brenda first sparked.

What an incredible achievement. You must have been reflecting on lots of wonderful times over the past few weeks. Any highlights?
We have so much wonderful publishing under our belts to be proud of – from Andy Shepherd’s bestselling The Boy Who Grew Dragons series, which has sold in twenty-five languages worldwide to Maisie Chan’s award-winning Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths. More recently, we have been thrilled to achieve our first two children’s UK number one bestsellers, with the second and third instalments in Stephen Mulhern and Tom Easton’s Max Magic series, illustrated by Begoña Fernández Corbalán – the fact that this book is reaching readers with its dyslexia-friendly layouts and positive message is truly magical!

And we see you have a shiny new logo and branding to celebrate too. What has driven that change?
We saw this 40th birthday as a great opportunity to present a fresh face for the Piccadilly list as we see it today. We wanted a logo that really embodied our belief that books are a portal to limitless adventure, and that invites young readers to take the leap into their imaginations. Our current publishing is playful and energetic, and we wanted a visual representation of this that would appeal to our readers and the adults in their lives. We feel so passionately about creating enthusiastic readers who will develop into the book lovers of the future.

What's next for you? What are you most excited about in the next 12 months?You know we love what you do here at LoveReading4Kids. Here's to the next 40 years, many happy returns!
Thank you so much! We have a wonderfully varied publishing programme for the next twelve months, showcasing our belief that children should have the opportunity to explore all different sorts of stories to discover what excites them. From brilliant graphic novels like Anzu and the Realm of Darkness by Mai Nguyen and Dadbot, a new laugh-out-loud series by Jack Noel to Murder for Two, a wonderfully fun and fresh mystery from Niyla Farook.

Our major Middle Grade debut, Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm by Ash Bond launched earlier this year. The hardback is absolutely gorgeous and would make a perfect Christmas gift! That series will continue, with the second installment publishing in April 2025 – keep your eyes peeled!

And finally, we know that Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot series already has many firm fans – we’re pleased to be reaching an even wider audience of young readers when the Dreamworks adaptation of the book lands in cinemas this autumn. Being familiar with a story or character from the screen can be a brilliant gateway to taking the plunge with a book - and getting kids to love reading is what it’s all about, as you well know!

@piccadillypress

@BonnierBooks_UK

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