Julie Andrews and Daughter Emma Walton Hamilton Join Hachette Book Group With New Children's Book Publishing Program

Julie Andrews and Daughter Emma Walton Hamilton Join Hachette Book Group With New Children's Book Publishing Program

The Julie Andrews Collection Launches at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in Fall 2009 with Deluxe Anthology of Poems, Songs and Lullabies Personally Annotated by the Celebrated Mother-Daughter Team

NEW YORK, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Julie Andrews, one of the most recognized figures in the entertainment world and a best-selling author for more than 35 years, is bringing her critically acclaimed Julie Andrews Collection to a new home at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group USA, it was announced today by David Young, the company's Chief Executive Officer. The Julie Andrews Collection will be overseen by Editorial Director Liza Baker.

Creatively inspired in partnership with her daughter and co-author, Emma Walton Hamilton, this exciting new publishing venture builds on the success of the existing 25 titles in the Julie Andrews Collection by offering readers a personal glimpse into the authors' world and inviting families to share in their love of music, art, and story. Each project in this new publishing program will be a carefully crafted, lavishly illustrated event book, bound to become a treasured keepsake in every family library.

The program will launch in Fall 2009 with JULIE ANDREWS' COLLECTION OF FAVORITE POEMS, SONGS AND LULLABIES, a deluxe fully illustrated anthology including beloved favorites from her childhood, as well as works created by the mother-daughter team themselves. Each themed section of the anthology will include an introduction by Ms. Andrews highlighting the special meanings the songs and poems hold in her life. A bonus CD featuring archival musical recordings as well as new personal narrations by Ms. Andrews will be packaged with this special collection. Subsequent titles in the program will include an additional anthology, as well as the exciting launch of a brand-new picture book character, THE VERY FAIRY PRINCESS, in Spring 2010 about the whimsical adventures and playful nature of one mischievous little girl and her quest to become a fairy princess.

"Children's literature and the arts both represent strong passions for me, and I've spent much of my life dedicated to both of them," commented Ms. Andrews. "I'm enormously pleased that they will be beautifully woven together in this new collection of books. Emma and I bring a lifelong love of music, drama and literature into each of the books we write, and we're thrilled to share that love through these new stories which I hope young readers will treasure as much as I do."

"Julie Andrews has a remarkable track record of providing enduring, high- quality entertainment for children and their families for over 35 years in a variety of mediums-stage, screen, recordings, and books," commented David Young. "We are honored to have both the standard of excellence and creativity of Julie and Emma behind this venture, and we look forward to publishing them with great enthusiasm."

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is a division of Hachette Book Group USA, a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the second largest publisher in the world. Hachette Book Group's product lines include adult, illustrated, religious, children's and audio books under the Little, Brown and Company, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords, Center Street, Orbit, Yen Press and Hachette Book Group Digital Media imprints. For more information, visit www.hbgusa.com

Source: Hachette Book Group

CONTACT: Melanie Chang, Executive Director of Publicity of Little, Brown
Books for Young Readers, +1-212-364-1167, melanie.chang@hbgusa.com

Web site: http://www.hbgusa.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment