The backlist also includes more recent standouts like Lois Lowry’s Newbery Award–winning The Giver, published two decades ago. “That’s the beauty of the continuum of 150 years of publishing,” said Gentel, “the amazing backlist.” This year also marks the 75th anniversary of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, and the 80th of Mary Poppins, originally published by Harcourt. If 75-year-old Curious George has become HMH’s largest franchise, with 200 different titles-the Reys wrote seven-and 20 apps, it’s by no means the oldest property on the HMH backlist. HMH books have also received 29 Caldecott Honors, 13 Newbery Awards, and 40 Newbery Honors. A corridor showcases the press’s 17 Caldecott medalists and includes original picture book art from winning titles, including Allen Say’s Grandfather’s Journey, Mary Azarian’s Snowflake Bentley, and Chris Van Allsburg’s The Polar Express. and Margret Rey, creators of the Curious George books-the original was donated to the Cambridge Public Library in Cambridge, Mass.-and a table built from favorite HMH volumes, many brought from home by staffers. One room is filled with memorabilia, including a replica of the piano that stood in the home of H.A. The hallways contain a monitor displaying the history of HMH Trade in digital format, and key dates and people are posted on the walls. The interplay between old and new is not just apparent in the press’s list but also plays out on the fifth floor of the company’s headquarters in downtown Boston. But Food Trucks!, babies with beards, coloring books about shoes -bring it all on!” “We are proud to maintain our author-centered approach to publishing. “We really do represent both the Burberry checked trench coat-classic, trustworthy, timeless, best in class, incredible heritage-and the Burberry bikini-fashion forward, contemporary, innovative, energetic,” she said.
However, when Groban looks back over the first century and a half of HMH, she turns to a different brand, which also dates from the mid-1800s and has changed with the times, to describe Books for Young Readers: Burberry. The mischievous monkey is so deeply ingrained in both popular and HMH culture that when the company was looking for a new logo last year, Curious George was a strong contender.
In addition to pulling its financial weight, Books for Young Readers oversees the company’s biggest brand, Curious George. She added that it helps to have a leader, trade president Gary Gentel, with a strong background in children’s publishing (his former companies include Scholastic, DK, Candlewick, and Random House’s children’s division). “It is impossible to overstate the importance of Books for Young Readers to HMH trade, and to HMH overall,” said Betsy Groban, senior v-p and publisher of Books for Young Readers.
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