Originally specialising in school books, L'école des loisirs has expanded to become one of the two largest French publishers of children's books. The company has been entirely dedicated to children's books since 1965.
It has a backlist of over 3.500 titles and publishes some two hundred and fifty new titles per year (eighty per cent of these are original titles), many of which have been recipients of children's literary prizes. The firm credits its 'success to our respect for children and our close relationship with teachers, particularly through our school book clubs.'
L'école des loisirs began publishing children's books with translations from all over the world, and its backlist includes French and foreign authors of international fame. L'école des loisirs further pursues its interest in foreign markets by opening subsidiaries in Europe: Germany (Moritz Verlag), Spain (Editorial Corimbo), Italy (Babalibri), and an imprint in Belgium (Pastel).
