Regnery’s three-year-old children’s publishing program has acquired its first license. Through a five-year deal with Peanuts Worldwide, it will feature Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang in a series of books about American history, heroes, government, and civics under the Little Patriot Press imprint.
“The children’s book market is so competitive, we felt the best way to have an impact is to partner with a recognized and beloved brand, which is easier said than done,” said Marji Ross, Regnery’s president and publisher.
The two companies came together at BEA, where Regnery’s display of Little Patriot civics books caught the eye of Peanuts publishing executives. Ross says Peanuts Worldwide felt the titles would be a good fit with its publishing strategy, which is, in part, to use the characters to encourage children to learn to read and learn through reading.
Meanwhile, Regnery’s mission is to help children ages 4-8 learn more about American history and civics. “That can be boring, so we wanted to find a fun way to do it,” Ross said. “Interweaving these characters into stories about famous Americans and events is ideal.”
Three initial books are being developed for fall 2014, with themes including American inventors and explorers. All told, a dozen original, illustrated titles are planned over the first three years of the deal, which is for the U.S. market and includes e-books as well as print. Perseus distributes Little Patriot Press titles to retail channels and to libraries and schools.
