Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing went outside book publishing circles to name Suzanne Harper as senior v-p and publisher for hardcovers. Harper, who has been editor-in-chief of Disney Adventures magazine since 1997, succeeds Brenda Bowen, who left S&S this spring to join Hyperion Books for Children.

Although Harper's job at Disney gave her experience in branding and licensing, S&S Children's president Rick Richter said it was Harper's eagerness to be in book publishing and her enthusiasm for the company's traditional publishing program that were the decisive factors in her appointment. Harper will start at S&S July 6 and will oversee Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Margaret K. McElderry Books and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.