About EK Books
Books with Heart on Issues That Matter
Published in five countries at once
Australia
New Zealand
United Kingdom
United States
CanadaIn Australia and New Zealand we are distributed by Simon & Schuster. Our books are in bookshops and libraries worldwide.
Since 1991
Our parent imprint, Exisle Publishing, was founded in 1991. EK Books followed in 2013. Three decades in publishing has taught us to value our creators and the relationships we build together. We proudly back our titles well past their first season — and our authors well past their first book.
The issues others leave alone
There’s no shortage of charming picture books. There is a shortage of books that say: this hard thing has a name, and you are not the only one.
Acceptance and belonging. Neurodiversity. A grandparent with dementia. A parent who isn’t coming back. A new country, a new school, a body with a mind of its own. Our authors and illustrators come from teaching, psychology and speech pathology, and they know how to make something unfathomable feel small enough to hold.
Made by people who care
Every EK book is written and illustrated by a human being. Our authors bring lived experience and proven expertise to our books. Our illustrators are some of the most skilled in the trade.
We go to the world
We take our list to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair year after year. Our books are read in more than a dozen languages.
All of our titles get a simultaneous release across all our territories; every review, award and invitation fuels the next, maximising reach. We back our authors worldwide.
Recognised, again and again
Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year. The Wilderness Society’s Environment Award for Children’s Literature. CBCA Notables, Foreword INDIES finalists, Rubery Book Award winners.
Come and have a look
Tools for life, disguised as very good picture books.