Kite Edizioni was founded as an independent publishing brand for illustrated books in 2006, from a project by Caterina Arcaro, who remained a partner until 2019. A few years after its inception, in 2011, the publishing house, now well established, expanded into the French market, launching the imprint Passepartout. During those years, Valentina Mai took over the management of the group, imprinting her artistic vision on all collections and adding new series to the original project.
Currently, the publisher’s catalog includes more than two hundred Italian titles and forty French titles. Its mission is to offer, through the books it publishes, a literary and aesthetic experience, carefully selecting national and international authors and illustrators from around the world.
Each year, Kite Edizioni publishes about fifteen illustrated books, some of which are also released in the French market under the Passepartout imprint. Many of its titles have been acquired and translated abroad, in countries such as Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, France, Germany, Japan, Greece, Iran, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Spain, the United States, Taiwan, Turkey, and Hungary.
The publishing house has always viewed high-quality illustrated books as an opportunity and a tool to foster the emotional and cultural growth of readers of all ages—children, teenagers, and adults alike. Its goal is to publish books that rise to this challenge.
After ten years, Kite Edizioni is reborn and evolves in simplicity. The kite logo that has accompanied it until now remains symbolized by its spars, forming the “+” sign. More natures, because Kite Edizioni launches different editorial lines. More audiences, because it reaches children, young adults, and adults. More because more. The “E” of “Edizioni” is flipped, and together with the other “E” in “KITE,” it forms an open book. In the simplified version, the kite soars high, and its ribbon is the line traced over the name KITE. + KITE EDIZIONI, but also I KITE when we love KITE.
Passepartout is the imprint under which Kite publishes its titles in French. Passepartout (literally “goes everywhere”) should be understood as a key that can not only enter but also open different—and sometimes all—locks. At the same time, it refers to the passe-partout used in the art world, which frames, displays, and enhances artworks, giving them the prominence that defines them as such.
