Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - February 4, 2005

Houghton Mifflin Children's Titles Win Two Newbery Honors, A Caldecott Honor, and Other Awards at American Library Association Annual Meeting

BOSTON — February 4, 2005 — Houghton Mifflin Company is pleased to announce several Houghton Mifflin titles received national awards at the recent midwinter meeting of the American Library Association (ALA), considered the most prestigious awards given in children’s book publishing.

Clarion Books and Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, both imprints of Houghton Mifflin Company, together received ten of the ALA’s annual awards — an astonishing number for a single publisher in one year. The number and range of awards reflect Houghton Mifflin’s long-standing commitment to high-quality, timely books — both fiction and informational — for young readers of all ages.

"We congratulate our authors and illustrators on these fantastic honors," said Andrea Pinkney Davis, Vice President and Publisher of Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. "Their work exemplifies Houghton Mifflin's tradition of creating books that children and families will cherish for years to come."

Remember: The Journey to School Integration, written by Toni Morrison and illustrated with archival photographs, received the 2005 Coretta Scott King Award, which honors African American authors of outstanding books for children and young adults. In Remember, the Nobel laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Morrison sets readers on a journey toward understanding the events of the era of “separate yet equal” schooling and the hope and the pain that followed in the wake of the landmark Supreme Court decision ending legal segregation.

“It is a tremendous honor to have Toni Morrison's first historical work for young readers receive the Coretta Scott King medal. This is the first Coretta Scott King Award for Houghton Mifflin, which marks an important moment in Houghton's publishing history,” said Pinkney.

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, written by Gary D. Schmidt and published by Clarion Books, received a 2005 John Newbery Honor and a 2005 Michael L. Printz Honor. The Newbery Award and the Printz Award are chosen by separate committees and recognize excellence in literature for children and young adults, respectively. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminister Boy was the only book this year to make both lists. Set in the early 1900s, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy is based on true historical events surrounding the settlement of Malaga Island in Maine. In this captivating novel, Schmidt weaves a dramatic tale of friendship, racism, and emotional growth.

The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights, written by Russell Freedman and published by Clarion Books, received the 2005 John Newbery Honor. It also won the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, which recognizes the most distinguished informational book published in English for young readers during the preceding year. In The Voice that Challenged a Nation, Freedman tells the story of African American vocalist Marian Anderson, who pursued her art despite the social constraints that limited the careers of black performers in the 1920s and 1930s.

Freedman also received the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award. Each year, an individual of distinction in the field of children’s literature is chosen to write and deliver a lecture that will make a significant contribution to the world of children’s literature.

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman received a 2005 Caldecott Honor Medal, given in recognition of outstanding illustration. This innovative wordless picture book, inspired by the author’s love of maps, takes readers on a magical journey around the world. Lehman’s simple yet detailed illustrations open with a visual mystery, perfect for those who can’t yet read or are new to English.

Barbara Hathaway received the 2005 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award, which affirms new talent and offers visibility to children’s book creators at the beginning of their careers who have demonstrated excellence in writing, for Missy Violet and Me, the unforgettable story, set in the rural South of the 1930s, of one young African American girl’s summer spent “catchin’ babies.”

The Tarantula Scientist, written by Sy Montgomery and illustrated with photographs by Nic Bishop, received a 2005 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor Award. This dazzling nonfiction picture book reveals the secrets of the world’s biggest and hairiest spiders.

Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing, written and illustrated by James Rumford and translated into the Cherokee by Anna Sixkiller Huckaby, also received a 2005 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor Award. This picture book biography, which stands as a poem to celebrate literacy, grew out of the fascination and respect for the history, culture, and art of native peoples James Rumford has held since he was a very small boy. Huckaby's Cherokee translation of the text adds another dimension to Sequoyah's fascinating story.

For more information on Houghton Mifflin children’s books, visit www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/hmcochild.

For more information on the ALA awards, visit www.ala.org/2005awards.

About Houghton Mifflin
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States, with over $1 billion in sales. Houghton Mifflin publishes textbooks, instructional technology, assessments and other educational materials for elementary and secondary schools and colleges. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. Houghton Mifflin offers computer-administered testing programs and services for the professional and certification markets. With its origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. The Company's website can be found at www.hmco.com.