Segment Information - Schedule of segment reporting information (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
Nov. 30, 2021 USD ($)	Nov. 30, 2020 USD ($)	Nov. 30, 2021 USD ($) segment	Nov. 30, 2020 USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments \| segment			3
Revenues	$ 524.2	$ 406.2	$ 784.0	$ 621.4
Segment operating income (loss)	83.4	48.8	$ 51.4	(8.2)
Children's Book Publishing and Distribution
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of operating segments \| segment			3
Revenues	352.5	244.0	$ 468.3	336.3
Education
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of operating segments \| segment			1
Revenues	79.5	67.5	$ 159.6	121.1
International
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of operating segments \| segment			3
Revenues	92.2	94.7	$ 156.1	164.0
Operating Segments \| Children's Book Publishing and Distribution
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	352.5	244.0	468.3	336.3
Segment operating income (loss)	85.2	35.4	63.5	6.4
Operating Segments \| Education
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	79.5	67.5	159.6	121.1
Segment operating income (loss)	15.6	10.3	22.9	7.9
Operating Segments \| Overhead
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Segment operating income (loss)	(26.1)	(14.8)	(42.0)	(45.2)
Operating Segments \| International
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	92.2	94.7	156.1	164.0
Segment operating income (loss)	$ 8.7	$ 17.9	$ 7.0	$ 22.7

Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues.

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