Green Spotlight Shines on 'The Lorax'
By Sally Lodge, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 2/28/2008
In conjunction with Earth Day 2008, Random House Children’s Books has an extensive marketing campaign underway to promote The Lorax, Dr. Seuss’s cautionary tale underscoring the importance of conserving earth’s natural resources. First published in 1971, this prescient story delivers the warning, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” A burst on the front cover of the most recent printing of The Lorax announces that the “earth friendly” book is printed on recycled paper.
To help spread The Lorax’s environmental message, Random House is planning a cross-promotion with Sylvania, producer of clear fluorescent light bulbs. For every energy-saving light bulb or every copy of The Lorax purchased during a yet-to-be-determined time period, Sylvania or the publisher will donate a percentage of the proceeds to Conservation International, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization committed to preserving the diversity of life on earth.
Another key component of Random House’s Earth Day-themed promotion is The Lorax Project, which the publisher will launch on April 22 in conjunction with Conservation International and Dr. Seuss Enterprises. The initiative is designed to raise awareness of environmental issues and raise money that will be used by Conservation International to fund activities to protect endangered forests and species. The back cover of The Lorax directs readers to a Web site to find more information about this venture.
John Adamo, senior v-p of marketing and communications for RHCB, says that the Sylvania partnership and The Lorax Project are ideal ways to promote this Seuss title while underscoring its message. “The Lorax is so timely today, with the growing importance of ‘going green,’ ” he notes. “And since celebration of Earth Day is becoming so much more prevalent, we decided that this could be a huge hook for raising the book’s profile and encouraging retailers to hold events in their stores.”
Random House has created a new retail floor display for The Lorax and will run print and online ads in mid-April. That month, the publisher will also launch a dedicated Web site that will feature activities. A Lorax educational kit created for the institutional market includes reproducible activities as well as a classroom “pledge poster” that teachers and students can sign in support of protecting the environment.
And one soon to be announced public school in New York City will be the site of an Earth Day event sponsored by RHCB and Dr. Seuss Enterprises, during which a “reading garden” and newly beautified playground will be dedicated. The eco-minded Lorax would surely approve.
