DK and Walker unveil 'stay at home' initiatives

DK and Walker have unveiled new initiatives to support families, readers, authors and illustrators during the coronavirus pandemic.

DK has launched a new Stay Home Hub which brings together the very best content, authors and experts from across DK's broad publishing list. Meanwhile Walker has unveiled Stay Home with the Walker Bear which seeks to encourage families to engage with books and stories in their homes, as well as support authors and illustrators with alternative modes of promotion.

DK's Stay Home Hub offers resources for people of all ages, with a focus on home learning tasks for children and activities for adults. There is also advice for parents who are home schooling, cooking recipes and exercise tips.

DK c.e.o. Carsten Coesfeld said: "This is a challenging time for many of us, and I hope that making our content accessible to parents, care-givers, adults and children while they are staying at home will be one small step where DK can make a difference, as we all come together to play our part in this crisis.”

Stay Home with the Walker Bear seeks to inspire parents, booksellers, teachers and librarians looking for inspiration and ideas around books and reading from home.

The hub includes activity sheets, teacher's notes and videos. Walker will also share a weekly list of book recommendations and a YouTube playlist of author and illustrator video content and virtual events.

Walker's virtual events already kicked off last week with a live launch for Anthony Horowitz's Nightshade. In response to the global trend for placing bears in windows to encourage children to go on “bear hunts” on their daily walks, Walker has also updated resources online, including a cut out bear to place in your window.

Rosi Crawley, senior PR manager, said: "While these times are certainly challenging for marketing and PR teams throughout publishing, it’s vital to Walker that we continue to support our authors and illustrators and promote their books in the most creative ways we can, as well as engaging families educating at home with our beloved books and characters.”

Many other publishers and charities are also seeking to support parents, teachers and readers during this time by providing free home schooling resources.