Publisher Profile: Highlights Press
2025 marks the 10th anniversary of Highlights Press!
The CBC asks Rachel Barry, Marketing Director, questions about the publisher.
How did your publishing house start out?
Highlights Press began when a retailer approached us to create a series of books based on the beloved Highlights Magazine Hidden Pictures puzzles. From that initial program, we grew quickly—adding more puzzles, more activities, and eventually a full publishing list. Hidden Pictures puzzle books remain at the heart of what we do, loved by kids and trusted by parents everywhere.
What is your publishing house most known for?
We’re best known for puzzle and activity books—especially our perennially popular Hidden Pictures series. Over the past decade, we’ve expanded into board books, early learning, early readers, joke books, nonfiction, picture books, and innovative book-plus formats.
What sets us apart is our deep understanding of what sparks kids’ curiosity and challenges them to think in new ways. Whether it’s crafts, recipes, stories, or nonfiction, we encourage discovery, open-ended thinking, and creativity—inviting kids to bring their own magic to whatever they’re learning or making.
In our 10 years as publishers, one of our most wonderful lessons has been…
Listen to your readers. We have a unique, ongoing, and authentic dialogue with kids that started with our very first magazine issue and continues to shape everything we do. Each year, over 35,000 kids send us their stories, drawings, poems, jokes, and ideas—sharing what makes them laugh, what worries them, and what they wonder about. We respond to every child with encouragement. Our incredible editor, Chantel Grant, personally reads and replies to all of this kid-created mail.
How many books does your house aim to publish per season/year?
We publish about 30 titles each season—around 60 per year—and we’re growing. Our list is expanding beyond puzzles and activities to include more learning, story, and innovative formats.
Which genres does your house prefer to publish?
We are the #1 children’s activity book publisher, known for our Hidden Pictures puzzles. We also publish early learning, nonfiction, joke books, board books, and picture books.
What are some of your house’s publishing priorities over the next few years?
We’re expanding in the learning workbook space, growing our board book program, and developing more innovative book-plus formats. We’re also building new series that combine fun with skill-building for multiple age ranges.
Which title has your house recently rallied behind?
The Ultimate Science Cookbook for Kids (Feb 2025) was our first cookbook—and readers, librarians, and parents loved it!
Which title does your house feel deserved more love than it got?
The Big Book of Activities for Little Kids—a brilliant collection developed by early childhood experts and inspired by the award-winning High Five magazine. It includes over 200 screen-free activities for toddlers and preschoolers. Kids and grown-ups can use everyday household items to make lasting memories while they banish boredom and get the wiggles out.
Which upcoming titles is your house buzzing about?
Our new Who Am I? series, coming this fall, blends curiosity, fun facts, and interactive play in a way that kids and educators will love.
What else would you like to tell us about your house and the amazing work you all do?
Our mission is to support kids’ natural curiosity and creativity with books that inspire them to try, explore, and do. In our first 10 years, we’ve grown from puzzle books to a wide range of formats and topics. This spring, we took that mission into the kitchen with The Ultimate Science Cookbook for Kids—making science and cooking less intimidating and far more fun. As we enter our next decade, expect more innovative nonfiction, engaging board books, and exciting new ways to connect with families everywhere.
Thank you, Highlights Press!
