Walker Books Australia celebrates 20 years and affirms faith in picture books with new campaign

Sydney, Australia: Walker Books Australia has launched a new campaign to celebrate its 20-year anniversary. The We Believe in Picture Books campaign - www.webelieveinpicturebooks.com.au - aims to create an online space devoted to picture books and the people who love them. 

Beginning in March, the We Believe in Picture Books campaign will run until August, where it will culminate in an official celebration to coincide with the Walker Books Australia 20^th birthday anniversary. During the six-month campaign the blog will regularly share videos, guest posts and pictures from Walker authors, illustrators, staff and other picture-book lovers. Booksellers, teachers, librarians and the public are also encouraged to contribute.

Walker Books Australia’s Managing Director and Publisher, Sarah Foster, said that it made sense for Walker to single out the picture book to celebrate Walker’s 20-year anniversary.

“When Walker Books Australia was founded 20 years ago our roots were firmly in the beloved picture book.  Renowned for its logo of the bear carrying a candlestick, the Walker Books Group can boast worldwide recognition of its picture book bestsellers, Where’s Wally?, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, the Maisy series and Guess How Much I Love You, through to Australian authors such as Bob Graham and Jeannie Baker,” Ms Foster said.

Speaking on the humble beginnings and continued development of the company, Ms Foster added:

“Walker Books Australia was founded in 1993, working for the first few months from the kitchen table of my home before launching with a team of nine from an office in Glebe.

“In 1998, the company moved to our current home in Newtown, Sydney and in 1999 set up a branch in New Zealand. Later in 2011, Walker Books Australia bought the local imprint Black Dog Books and now, at the time of its 20^th anniversary, Walker Books Australia employs a staff of 35 and will be publishing over 80 titles from Australian and New Zealand authors and illustrators in 2013.”

Walker Books Australia’s continued commitment to picture books is evident as the company celebrates recent back-to-back wins for Picture Book of the Year in 2011 (Mirror by Jeannie Baker) and 2012 (A Bus Called Heaven by Bob Graham) at the prestigious Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Awards. Presented annually by the CBCA, the awards celebrate outstanding contributions to Australian children’s literature. 

“The Walker Books Group has been bringing the best of books to children for over thirty years. In 2013, we remain as committed as ever to publishing the highest quality picture books on the market,” Ms Foster says.