Ladybird Books

Ladybird Books is a London-based publishing company, trading as a stand-alone imprint within the Penguin Group of companies. The Ladybird imprint publishes mass-market children’s books. The company traces its origins to 1867, when Henry Wills opened a bookshop in Leicestershire. Within a decade he progressed to printing and publishing town guides and street directories. He was joined by William Hepworth in 1904 and the company traded as Wills & Hepworth.

Around 1915, Wills & Hepworth published their first children’s books, under the Ladybird books imprint. From the start, the company was identified by a ladybird logo that has since undergone several redesigns, the latest of which was launched in 2006. The classic pocket-sized mini-hardback Ladybird book (four-and-a-half by seven inches) was first produced in 1940 for a series of animal stories. The full-colour illustrations on each spread and the appeal of Bunnikin, Downy Duckling and other animal characters were an instant success. Early books had a standard 56-page format, chosen because a complete book could be printed on one large sheet of paper, which was then folded and cut to size without any waste. It was an economic way of producing books, enabling the books to be retailed at a low price for almost 30 years at two shillings and sixpence (12.5p).

Today Ladybird Books are based in London with a small team in Nottingham. They continue to publish a variety of titles; from books for babies, to reading schemes, home learning and National Curriculum titles, activity books as well as classic and modern stories.