Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Trade & Reference Division Announces 'Polar Express' Book Donation Campaign in Partnership with First Book
November 27, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Trade & Reference Division announces Polar Express book donation campaign in partnership with First Book
BOSTON—November 26— Boston-based publisher HMH is launching a social media–based holiday book donation campaign in partnership with the literacy organization First Book, based on the holiday classic The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. For every new fan who “likes” the Polar Express–themed HMH Kids Facebook page through December 25 a book will be donated to a child in need. HMH has committed to donate up to 25,000 new books, which First Book will donate to children around the country.
Gary Gentel, president of the HMH Trade and Reference Division, says, “HMH’s mission is to reach out to children and spur their imaginations by opening them up to the world of books. Partnering with First Book around the beloved Christmas classic The Polar Express gives us the opportunity to reach thousands of children with the life-changing message of books and the power of stories.”
Kyle Zimmer, president of First Book, says, “First Book welcomes the opportunity to work with HMH on this campaign. First Book has distributed more than 100 million new books to children from low-income families, and we are thrilled to provide more of HMH’s wonderful titles to the children needing them most. Van Allsburg’s book has been a favorite in my family for years, and we feel this contemporary classic is the ideal book on which to base a holiday giving campaign.”
The HMH Kids Facebook page features a link to a “Polar Express Countdown to Christmas” online calendar, where families can find a holiday activity for each day, December 1–25, including shareable Polar Express e-cards, recipes for seasonal treats including Polar Chocolate Nougat Caramel Squares, reindeer craft instructions, online games and mazes, and much more. They are encouraged to share holiday playlists and photographs of children reading The Polar Express on the Facebook page. The calendar is posted, along with a wealth of other Polar Express and Van Allsburg material, on www.polarexpress.com.
The Polar Express, first published in 1985, has been honored with a Caldecott Medal, the highest accolade in children’s books; inspired dozens of seasonal train rides around the country; served as the theme for countless elementary school pageants; and perhaps most important of all, remains a steadfast reminder to readers young and old of the true magic of Christmas.Entertainment Weekly recently called it “the best book about Santa,” and the blockbuster movie adaptation, starring Tom Hanks, is shown throughout the month of December on ABC Family.
About First Book
First Book has distributed more than 100 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. By making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. For more information, please visit them online or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Trade & Reference Division
For nearly two centuries, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Trade and Reference Division has published some of the world’s most renowned novels, nonfiction, children’s books, and reference works in hardcover, trade paperback, and ebook formats. Its distinguished author list includes eight Nobel Prize winners, forty-seven Pulitzer Prize winners, thirteen National Book Award winners, and more than one hundred Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, and Sibert Medal and Honor recipients. HMH publishes such distinguished authors as Philip Roth, Temple Grandin, Tim O’Brien, and Umberto Eco, as well a celebrated roster of children’s authors and illustrators including Lois Lowry and David Wiesner. HMH is also home to the Best American series®; the American Heritage® family of dictionaries; Webster’s New World Dictionary; The Gourmet Cookbook, the Betty Crocker and Mark Bittman franchises, and other leading culinary properties; CliffsNotes; the Peterson Field Guides; books by J.R.R. Tolkien; and many iconicchildren’s books and characters including Curious George, The Little Prince, and The Polar Express. For more information, visit www.hmhbooks.com.
Contact:
Karen Walsh
Director of Publicity, HMH Children’s Book Group
617-351-3647
karen.walsh@hmhpub.com