Scholastic Acquires Environmental Series
By Sally Lodge, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 1/31/2008
Scholastic today announced that it has licensed world English rights to publish and distribute Eaglemont Press’s Adventures of Riley series by Amanda Lumry and Laura Hurwitz. Eaglemont, a small publisher located in Bellevue, Wash., was founded in 1997 to produce books focusing on conservation and the preservation of wildlife, habitats and cultures.
The books, illustrated with photos by Lumry and illustrations by Sarah McIntyre, are aimed at readers ages six to nine, and introduce environmental issues by combining fictional storylines with facts about animals and nature. Beginning in June, Scholastic will release new editions of the nine existing books in the series, which was launched in 2003, as well as three new titles. The books will appear first as jacketed hardcovers, with paperbacks to follow, and will be distributed through Scholastic’s trade, book club and school book fair markets.
Riley, the series’ protagonist, accompanies his biologist uncle and cultural anthropologist aunt to various regions that are home to at-risk or endangered species. To create the series, Eaglemont teamed up with scientists from the Smithsonian Institution, Wildlife Conservation Society, the World Wildlife Fund and the Wyland Foundation. As is true of the books Eaglemont published, a portion of the proceeds from Scholastic’s titles will benefit all four organizations.
Scholastic’s inaugural releases are Safari in South Africa, which was the series’ first title, and the never-before-published Project Panda, set in China.Subsequent installments will transport youngsters to such locales as the Amazon rainforest, the Terai Arc region of India and Nepal and the Tahitian island of Moorea.
Ellie Berger, president of Scholastic trade publishing, views Adventures of Riley as an ideal fit for the company. “Scholastic has a strong commitment to educating kids about the environment and about conservation, and these are perfect books to get this message across,” she told Bookshelf. “They incorporate photos, art and information from scientists who are specialists in their areas and introduce readers to new worlds in a way that is accessible and not didactic. Eaglemont Press is passionate about the environment and this series is clearly a labor of love.”
To spread word about the Adventures of Riley, Scholastic will create a “Meet Riley” kit for the educational and library market, as well as a poster with reproducible activities. Online and print advertising is also planned. Kids visiting the series’ Web site can watch book-based movies, play games, download activities and join the “Riley’s World” fan club. And, true to the mission of the series, this site also enables Riley to impart information about such issues as the importance of recycling and of protecting endangered animals and environments.
