Ravensburger Verlag, which offers German-language children's and YA books as well as games, puzzles. and arts & crafts and includes wooden toy company BRIO and toy and board game company ThinkFun, has bought a majority stake in NordSüd Verlag and NorthSouth Books.
NordSüd is Switzerland's largest publisher of children's books and founded NorthSouth in 1989 as its English-language imprint. NorthSouth is known for picture book classics such as The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, Little Polar Bear by Hans de Beer, and The Mouse Adventures series by Torben Kuhlmann, along with recent titles, including The Three-Year Tumble by Dayeon Auh and A Chest Full of Words by Rebecca Gugger and Simon Röthlisberger. NorthSouth also has a Spanish-language imprint, Ediciones NorteSur, and is distributed by Simon & Schuster.
Dr. Anuschka Albertz, group managing director books+ at Ravensburger, said, "NordSüd stands for extraordinary picture book art and stories that inspire generations. We look forward to setting new trends together and further strengthening the fascination with picture books worldwide. A cooperative and trusting partnership on equal footing is particularly important to us."
Herwig Bitsche and Nina Grünberger, co-CEOs of NordSüd, said, "We are united by a strong brand awareness and an international orientation. For NordSüd and its creative minds, this partnership brings many new opportunities. We are also looking forward to a lively and trusting exchange."