Mar 10 2008
Little Simon, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, today announced the launch of Little Green Books, the first eco-friendly line of children's novelty and storybooks aimed at parents and children looking to learn more about the environment, debuting in stores in fall 2008. Little Green Books will launch with four titles, including two cloth books -- Little Monkey and Little Panda, as well as two eight-by-eight storybooks -- I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and The Polar Bear's Home: A Story About Global Warming. The follow-up list will include board books, storybooks, and novelty formats. The Simon Scribbles imprint will be publishing Little Green Books activity books starting in spring 2009. All titles will have a price point that is under 10 dollars, and marketing efforts will also be environmentally friendly.
The theme of Little Green Books will focus on improving the environment and preserving habitats, aiming to get little ones and their parents excited about going green. From recycling and replanting to creating an awareness of endangered animals and much more, Little Green Books plant the seeds for earth-friendly living at an early age. Each Little Green Book will include tips for kids on what they can do to become more "green" as well as a Hey, Kids! Did you know ... ? fact on every back cover. This kid-friendly fact will tie into the content of each story line. In addition to the themes of each story, the manufacturing of these books will be environmentally-friendly: Each book in the series will be made out of recycled materials and printed with soy ink.
"With environmental issues taking center-stage, we felt that launching a line of books using environmentally friendly materials and themes would be an appropriate contribution towards making Simon & Schuster an environmentally responsible publishing house, and allow parents to introduce young children to some of the issues surrounding the environment and what they can do to help preserve it," said Valerie Garfield, Vice President, Publisher for Novelty and Licensed Publishing. "Our slogan for this line is 'Green Books for Green Readers,' and we will market them at a consumer friendly price point and build a strong awareness with readers through aggressive promotional and online support."
Promotional efforts for the line will also be environmentally friendly, with marketing materials either available in downloadable formats to reduce paper waste, or printed on recycled stock with soy-based inks. Eco-friendly giveaways include a colorful, seed-paper flower bookmark that children can plant directly into the soil, and marketing plans will focus on various cross promotions with environmental organizations. The paper-saving online campaign includes a webpage devoted to the program at SimonSayskids.com, housing downloadable activities, screensavers and green tips for kids, as well as information on the books. In an effort to stay true to the program's mission of conservation, display corrugation made of 100% post consumer waste will be used for in-store promotions.
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, one of the leading children's book publishers in the world, is comprised of the following imprints: Aladdin Paperbacks, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Libros para ninos, Little Simon(R), Little Simon Inspirations(TM), Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Simon Pulse, Simon Scribbles, and Simon Spotlight(R). While maintaining an extensive award-winning backlist, the division continues to publish acclaimed and best-selling books for children of all ages. In addition to numerous Caldecott, Newbery, and National Book Award winners, Simon & Schuster publishes such high-profile properties and series as Eloise, Olivia, Raggedy Ann & Andy(TM), Henry & Mudge(R), The Hardy Boys(R), Nancy Drew(R), The Spiderwick Chronicles, Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts(R), Nickelodeon's(R) Dora the Explorer(R), Blue's Clues(R) and SpongeBob SquarePants(R), and Mirage studios' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(TM).