On the Radar: 'The 7 Habits of Happy Kids'
-- Publishers Weekly, 9/11/2008
For nearly two decades, the “Seven Habits” brand, which originated with Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, has become a staple of the self-help world, with more than 25 million copies in print. Now from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers comes The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey—Stephen Covey’s son—which seeks to translate those principles for four- to eight-year-olds. Sean Covey has written previous books in this vein for the teen market: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (1998), which has sold more than four million copies, as well as The 6 Most Important Decisions You’ll Ever Make: A Guide for Teens, both published by Simon & Schuster’s adult division.
“The most important aspect of all this is Sean’s quest to improve the lives of kids,” says Rubin Pfeffer, senior v-p and publisher of Simon & Schuster Children’s Trade Publishing, who acquired The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. “We start off with a strong brand, and it’s every parent’s dream to be raising happy children, so our expectations are very high.” The picture book goes on sale September 16 with a 350,000-copy printing.
The book, illustrated by Stacy Curtis (Raymond and Graham Rule the School), consists of seven stories about young animal residents of the idyllic town of 7 Oaks, each of whom grapples with issues, be it bored Sammy Squirrel, who learns to make his own fun, or Pokey Porcupine, who kicks his procrastination habit with a friend’s help. Pfeffer draws a comparison between the seven habits and Aesop’s fables. “There’s a truth that’s kind of universal,” he says. “There’s no limit to the way that it can be expressed in story.”
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Sean Covey. |
S&S’s marketing department has created a promotional video with Covey, and a standalone Web site will go live on the title’s pub date. Additionally, Covey will appear on CBS’s The Early Show, Fox & Friends and Glenn Beck’s show on CNN, and conduct a satellite radio tour. The Utah-based author will also do local store signings, as well as a school event in New Jersey.
Sean isn’t the only Covey with a fall title that focuses on kids: Stephen Covey’s The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child At a Time arrives from S&S’s Free Press imprint in November. “Sean is a wonderful speaker and motivator,” Pfeffer says, “and we see with the publication of The Leader in Me an opportunity to cross-market both books.”
The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey, illus. by Stacy Curtis. S&S, $19.99 ISBN 978-1-4169-5776-8
