At ThinkPub 2026, held during the Brussels Book Fair on 27 March 2026, Agathe Jacon explains how L’École des loisirs develops digital experiences for children aged approximately three to six who cannot yet read independently. The publisher begins from a deliberate shift in identity: it understands itself not simply as a publisher of books, but as a publisher of stories that contribute to children’s intellectual and emotional development.
Digital formats are therefore treated as complements to printed books rather than substitutes. Screen time must remain age-appropriate and supervised, while screen-free audio provides an alternative for families. Each adaptation is considered individually, with authors involved in transforming their work for new formats. Rights, remuneration, technical expertise and production costs are incorporated into the process, while assets are designed for reuse across multiple channels whenever possible.
The resulting ecosystem combines proprietary products with widely used platforms. Subscribers receive audio, audiovisual, educational and interactive material through the publisher’s application. A dedicated story box provides more than 600 screen-free recordings, while other productions are distributed through Spotify, Audible and similar services. The KiLi application offers carefully selected audiovisual content, and YouTube introduces children and families to characters and stories before directing them towards the publisher’s more controlled environments.
Characters including Pop, Chien Bleu and Cornebidouille demonstrate how books, songs, recordings, short animation, filmed picture books, cinema screenings and physical experiences can reinforce one another. Jacon cannot establish a direct causal relationship between digital exposure and book sales, but the continued popularity of the printed titles indicates that these initiatives have not cannibalised books. Instead, audio and audiovisual encounters can embed stories in children’s everyday lives and guide families back towards shared reading.
Original French title: L’édition numérique pour les prélecteurs
