August House Unveils Virtual Release Of New Story Cove Series
Atlanta, GA — April 24, 2006
In the most ambitious launch and new effort in the company's nearly 30-year history, August House Publishers (www.augusthouse.com) is combining education, entertainment and technology in a new product line of stories simultaneously arriving in stores, libraries and online this month, it was announced today by August House Chief Executive Officer Steve Floyd.
August House is simultaneously releasing the first in a planned series of illustrated tales from around the world that have been carefully adapted to actively engage young readers. Under the umbrella Story Cove, each of the new 8"x8" titles will be supported by animated movie versions, along with online activities, projects and games and live storytelling appearances.
The initial four Story Cove stories for this spring are:
The Clever Monkey — When two greedy jungle cats discover a large piece of cheese, they can't decide how to divide it fairly. The clever monkey comes to their rescue. Or so they think. After reading this trickster tale from West Africa, readers will think twice before asking a monkey for help.
The Magic Apple — Three brothers embark on separate journeys to fulfill their father's dying wish. In their journeys, they go to distant lands, find curious treasures, and learn the true meaning of giving.
The Drum — In this story, a poor boy's dream of having a drum takes him on an unlikely path. He meets several people who guide him along the way. In time, he learns to make his own magic in this world.
How Tiger Got His Stripes — Many years ago, the proudest animal in the jungle was not the peacock. The proudest animal was the tiger. In this folktale from Vietnam, we see how Tiger's pride leads him to covet wisdom and, with the help of a wise farmer, earn his stripes.
In addition, each story comes with multiple-leveled lesson plans that enable teachers to implement the latest advances surrounding differentiated learning. August House is the only publisher to provide online access to differentiated learning classroom tools that teachers can use with the books and animated stories.
Floyd said, "This year we are introducing 7 books in the series, and next year we will release 8 to 12 new titles. We plan to publish as many as 200 stories in this series going forward. As we build the product line we are also in discussion with the television, film and radio markets."
The first four titles in the series have been adapted by Rob Cleveland, who has been entertaining audiences for 25 years as a comedian, actor and storyteller. Last week, August House launched the Story Cove product line to standing room only crowds at Atlanta's Fernbank Museum of Natural History. This summer, the company will add new titles to the Story Cove collection by famed storytellers, Bobby and Sherry Norfolk and a story from the popular storytelling team of Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton.
The Story Cove launch comes just slightly more than a year since the new Atlanta-based ownership group led by Floyd acquired August House Publishers from founders Ted and Liz Parkhurst, both of whom remain with the company in key executive positions. Just last November, August House announced an agreement in which National Book Network (NBN) now markets and distributes the books and audio products from the August House catalog, providing the company with an experienced, single source for national sales and distribution.
August House CEO Steve Floyd commented, "One of our goals when we acquired the company was to explore ways to utilize technology to converge education with entertainment. We carefully designed the Story Cove line to appeal to young readers while providing them with entertaining stories from different cultures that also highlight character development. As a result, teachers and parents can be confident that children are not only being exposed to great stories from around the world but also stories that carry a subtle message about virtues and character."
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About August House
Recently recognized as one of "America's 101 Top Independent Publishers," August House is a highly-acclaimed and award-winning multimedia publisher of children's stories and folktale anthologies. August House's is based in Atlanta, GA.
August House Media Contact
Rob Cleveland
404-442-4422
