DAVID SALARIYA creates, designs, writes, and publishes books for children worldwide, promoting lifelong literacy, representation, and inclusion to a diverse audience. His notable achievement is his ability to create and design books that are both informative and engaging. Combining factual information with vibrant illustrations, brilliant design, and humour, David makes complex subjects accessible to young minds. He also writes under the names David Stewart and Max Marlborough, and is best known for the children’s book series: You Wouldn’t Want To Be…, Spectacular Visual Guides, A Very Peculiar History, and over sixty more series.

David Salariya founded his The Salariya Book Company in 1989, establishing the imprints Book House, Scribblers, and Scribo, which published award-winning titles ranging from picture books to young adult fiction for children and readers of all ages.

David has received the IPG Children’s Publisher of the Year Award, among numerous other accolades, including three TES (Times Educational Supplement) Book of the Year prizes. He also launched the Salariya Stratford Picture Book Prize to support emerging talent in publishing. David is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).

With a backlist of over 1,100 titles translated into 35 languages and published globally, the fiercely independent The Salariya Book Company collaborated with talented artists and authors, becoming a platform for producing high-quality children’s books that seamlessly blended education and entertainment. David sold his business to Bonnier UK in 2022. The books he created and designed are now being reprinted and published under Bonnier UK’s Hatch imprint.

Photograph by Charlotte Knee