DK buys specialist education publisher Phonic Books

DK has bought specialist education publisher Phonic Books for an undisclosed sum as part of its wider growth strategy. 

The Bookseller understands there will be no changes to staffing or the offices of Wiltshere-based Phonic Books, which was founded in 2006 by special needs teachers Wendy Tweedie, Tami Reis-Frankfort and Clair Wilson, who wanted to develop phonic reading books to enable all children to read.  

From an initial 10 titles the range has expanded to nearly 300 today, available in more than 40 countries, with the company enjoying particularly strong growth in the UK, US and Australian markets, according to DK

The acquisition follows DK’s entry into the education market with the launch of DK Learning in April this year, which offers teachers a wide range of support resources, including curriculum-aligned books from the publisher’s wide-ranging catalogue, covering all subject areas. 

Paul Kelly, co-chief executive of DK, said: “We are excited about Phonic Books joining the DK family and its reputation in the teaching community is testament to the hard work of the founders and team. They have established themselves as a quality publisher of decodable content that supports the reading development of all children. 

“We believe DK is the natural home for Phonic Books which aligns perfectly with Christopher Dorling and Peter Kindersley’s founding mission; of wanting to make the world and how it works more accessible." 

Wilson added: "Reading is a process and it takes time, practice and a willingness to fail and keep on trying. Phonics is the power that gives children the scaffolding and the toolbox they need to decode text. The stories and illustrations in our books are designed to make children love what they’re doing so that they’ll want to keep on learning how to do it.”