New Characters Introduce Kids to Basic Early Learning Concepts
ALEXANDRIA, VA, November, 2005 - PBS KIDS announces a publishing agreement with award-winning educational publisher Brighter Minds Children's Publishing to launch a new preschool book series as part of a licensing program that embraces free play, exploration and imagination. The entertaining, interactive product line will include board, novelty, early reader, chapter and activity books along with educational supplemental materials.
The first set of books, created for kids up to 4 years old, will feature new, vibrant, playful characters including Jango, a curious giraffe; Spike, a pink elephant; Oppenheimer, a dog with glasses; the Highly Intelligent Squirrels - Byron, Kali and Nils; Abby, a studious cat; and more. Each story will take preschoolers on a journey, teaching them about the diverse world they live in and helping them build language and literacy skills while developing early learning concepts.
"We're excited to be working with Brighter Minds to offer more top quality, educational products to kids and families," said Amy Bevilacqua, Senior Director, PBS Consumer Products. "It's very important that the products PBS develops enhance a child's ability to learn, create and grow, and we are confident that our book series with Brighter Minds will achieve these goals."
"We understand PBS KIDS' mission and, as it is compatible to ours, we are thrilled to bring this latest line of books to children across the country. We are dedicated to publishing quality books that are affordable and thereby accessible for every child," said Vivian Antonangeli, COO of Brighter Minds Children's Publishing.
Stories such as, "Moo, Moo! Who Are you?", "The Great Cake", "Imagination Vacation", and "Hide-and-Peek Guessing Game" (w.t.) will invite children to identify animals and their sounds as well as shapes, colors, numbers and more. At the end of each book, parents and kids will find a learning summary and activity, along with additional information and web resources available on PBS Parents (www.pbsparents.org) to further develop the learning concepts presented in each story. The books are authored by Sherry Gerstein and illustrated by Andy Bennett.
PBS KIDS' publishing program builds upon PBS' commitment to school-readiness, further extending PBS KIDS' mission to educate, entertain and enrich the lives of young children beyond television. Proceeds from book sales will support PBS KIDS programming and services.
The new book line will hit store shelves in summer, 2006 in the U.S. and Canada.
PBS KIDS is committed to providing the highest quality commercial-free content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age-appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS' programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS has earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online (www.pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! (www.pbskidsgo), PBS Parents (www.pbsparents.org), PBS TeacherSource, PBS Ready To Learn services and literacy events across the country, PBS KIDS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 348 public television stations, serving nearly 90 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.
Brighter Minds Children's Publishing dedicates its efforts to making learning fun by publishing award-winning wholesome materials for children and their parents. Based in Worthington, Ohio, Brighter Minds publishes four distinct imprints and operates under the motto "Learning through exploration, imagination and inspiration."
The four Brighter Minds imprints include three innovative book lines which feature educational books, musical books, and interactive books as well as an imprint for educational software featuring popular licenses such as Curious George, Totally Spies, The Land Before Time, Tonka, and many of the hit shows featured on PBS KIDS.
Learn more online at www.brightermindspublishing.com
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CONTACT:
Jill Corderman, PBS KIDS, 703.739.5788, jcorderman@pbs.org
Jody McLain, Brighter Minds, 614.430.3021 x109, jodym@brighterchild.com