Kids Can Press is a
Canadian-owned publisher of children's books, with a catalogue of nearly 1,000
picture books and 500
e-books,
nonfiction, and fiction titles for toddlers to young adults.[3] The Kids Can Press list includes well-known characters such as
Franklin the Turtle.
Kids Can Press started in 1973 as an initiative from the
Ontario College of Art to take advantage of growing nationalism within Canada during the 1970s to provide locally relevant children's material. In 1986, the publisher became a privately owned business ran by Valerie Hussey and Ricky Englander.[1] In 1998, the company was purchased by Canadian animation firm
Nelvana for $6.1 million.[5] Englander left that same year.[1] In 2000,
Corus Entertainment acquired Nelvana and they have operated Kids Can Press ever since.[6] Hussey remained at the company until 2006, when she stepped down and Lisa Lyons assumed leadership.[1][7]
Kids Can Press books have received critical acclaim and numerous nominations and awards. Some highlights include:
Winning the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustration in 2011 for Cybèle Young's Ten Birds[8]
Franklin the Turtle series of stamps issued by Canada Post in May 2012, on the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first Franklin book[9]
Winning both Governor General's Literary Awards for children's literature in 2008 for
John Ibbitson’s The Landing (
English-language text) and
Stéphane Jorisch’s The Owl and the Pussycat (illustration)[10]
Some of the assets listed above are majority-owned, wholly-owned, by Corus Entertainment, or are under license. Refer to full
asset list for detailed information.