DK Acquires Phonic Books
(August 2022)
Global publisher DK has acquired Phonic Books, a leading UK specialist education publisher. Bertoli Mitchell is delighted to have advised the founders of Phonic Books throughout this process. Terms have not been disclosed.
The acquisition is a key part of DK’s wider growth strategy as the publisher builds on its 48 years of unparalleled experience in producing award-winning books that have delighted, fascinated and educated children for generations.
Phonic Books was founded in 2006 by Wendy Tweedie, Tami Reis-Frankfort and Clair Wilson, three special needs teachers passionate about teaching all children to read. Using their collective expertise they set about developing the phonic reading books that, as teachers, they found were lacking.
From an initial ten 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.
The acquisition follows DK’s entry into the education market with the launch of DK Learning in April this year. DK Learning 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-CEO of DK, said: “We are excited about Phonic Books joining the DK family, 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 founding mission; of wanting to make the world and how it works more accessible.”
Clair Wilson, one of the three founders of Phonic Books, said: “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.
“It was very clear to us from the beginning that DK both understood and shared our passion to create exciting books that will help all children access and explore the world around them through reading.”
Research has shown phonics is the most effective method for ensuring students learn how to decode words. This is especially important for students with reading difficulties such as dyslexia, who may need more practice with these foundational skills to become fluent readers. 1 in 5 children are believed to have Dyslexia.
Since 2013, all LEA primary schools in England have had a statutory requirement to teach synthetic phonics in Years One and Two.
The above is the public announcement on close of the transaction. Please see client testimonials to read what our clients say about our work in this transaction.