Philomel Books
Philomel Books was created in the early 1980s from World Publishing Books for Young People, by Editor and Publisher Ann Beneduce. The World list lived up to its name; it drew in titles from around the globe—such as Mitsumasa Anno's Journey books and Satomi Ichikawa's Nora books. Ms. Beneduce was a pioneer as far as books that would sell to both trade and institutional markets, so for the new list she chose the name Philomel, a term for an English nightingale that means literally “love of learning.” The name implied that these books would be distinguished, beautiful in concept and form, fine enough to be sought as gifts, and original and handsome enough to be bought by libraries and schools. The early lists included such future classics as Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has sold millions of copies worldwide and was even honored with its own U.S. postage stamp; Virginia Hamilton's Newbery Honor-winning Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush; Tasha Tudor's nineteenth century-based tales; and Ed Young's Caldecott Honor-winning The Emperor and the Kite.
Patricia Lee Gauch, an author and teacher, came to Philomel in 1985. Sharing Ms. Beneduce's vision, she built on the ideas that had already begun to flower at Philomel, and added to the distinguished list Caldecott-winners Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and John Schoenherr, Lon Po Po by Ed Young, and So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George and David Small, as well as the Caldecott Honor-winning Seven Blind Mice, also by Ed Young. Philomel became the primary publisher of popular artist-author Patricia Polacco, who created Pink and Say, Chicken Sunday, and many other biographical folk-like tales. Philomel was honored with New York Times Best-Illustrated Awards for Cats Are Cats by Ed Young, Fox's Dream by Tejima, and Gulliver's Adventures in Lilliput by Gennady Spirin.
The Philomel list includes popular and respected novels. In the late 1980s it became a leader in the field of fantasy with Brian Jacques's Redwall tales, a series now more than twenty books deep—including an illustrated cookbook and a graphic novel—and better than ever. T.A. Barron's popular fantasy epic The Lost Years of Merlin sowed the seeds for his companion trilogy, The Great Tree of Avalon, which debuted in 2004 and quickly became a bestseller. The most recent edition to our bestselling fantasy collection is the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan, a rare blend of realistic period drama and otherworldly battles that has become a worldwide phenomenon.
Other worlds, of one form or another, have always been of interest to Philomel. Hence its publishing of historical fiction, such as Jane Yolen and Robert Harris' The Queen's Own Fool, a story featuring Mary, Queen of Scots and her court jester; Janet Taylor Lisle's prohibition-era mystery Black Duck; and the samurai mysteries of Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, the third of which, In Darkness, Death, won the Edgar Award as Best Young-Adult Mystery. Nancy Springer, herself a two-time winner of the Edgar Award, has combined her love of sleuthing and period details in her Victorian London-set Enola Holmes mysteries, about Sherlock Holmes' kid sister—every bit the detective her brother is.
The imprint supports books with a social conscience, such as Be Good to Eddie Lee by Virginia Fleming and Floyd Cooper, Henry and the Kite Dragon by Bruce Edward Hall and William Low, Coolies by Yin and Chris Soentpiet, and Choosing Up Sides by John H. Ritter—the latter two winning IRA Book Awards. And true to our name, we promote a love of learning through such books as Judith St. George's Turning Points series—focusing on pivotal points in the lives of future presidents—and Goha, the Wise Fool by Denys Johnson-Davies, illustrated with hand-sewn Egyptian khiyamiyas by Hag Hamdy and Hany. The Loren Long re-illustrated edition of the classic Little Engine that Could was adopted by the early education program Jumpstart for its Read for the Record day, which aimed to get parents and children reading together. Artist to Artist gathers childhood tales, encouraging tips, and self-portraits by some of the world's most renowned illustrators in a book aimed to foster the creative spirit in young people, the proceeds from which benefit The Eric Carle Museum for Picture Book Art.
We believe strongly in celebrating the parent-child bond through such titles as You Are My I Love You by Maryann Cusimano Love and Satomi Ichikawa, You and Me by Martine Kindermans, Mars Needs Moms! by Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, and Mister Seahorse by the inimitable Eric Carle. The bond of friendship is equally important and is illustrated through such modern gems as Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers; Toy Boat by Randall DeSeve and Loren Long, and Too Many Frogs by Sandy Asher and Keith Graves.
Philomel is also home to some of the best-selling titles for boys on the market, including New York Times best-sellers from Mike Lupica (Travel Team; Heat; The Comeback Kids novels), Anthony Horowitz (The Alex Rider Adventures), Robert B. Parker (The Boxer and the Spy), Cal Ripken, Jr. (The Longest Season), John H. Ritter (The Boy Who Saved Baseball) and Clive Cussler (The Adventures of Vin Fiz).
Headed these days by President & Publisher Michael Green, who joined the imprint in 1991 as an editorial assistant and never left, Philomel still looks toward fostering a love of reading in children and young adults. It is a love of story, of language that captivates, of art that makes both a parent's and child's eyes open wide with delight, of books that beckon to be read over and over and yet lose none of their magic, that drives the people of Philomel to make quality books.
Publishing books and ideas that celebrate a child's potential—indeed, human potential—in worlds past and present is Philomel's goal.
Michael Green
President & Publisher
Michael Green joined Philomel in 1991 fresh out of college, hired by then Editor-in-Chief Patricia Lee Gauch. He holds a degree in psychology from Allegheny College and studied creative writing at the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Awards
Caldecott Medal
2001: So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George, illustrated by David Small
1990: Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China translated and illustrated by Ed Young
1988: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr
Caldecott Honor Medal
1968: The Emperor and the Kite by Ed Young
1993: Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young
Newbery Honor Medal
1983: Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush by Virginia Hamilton
The New York Times Best-Illustrated Books of the Year
1993: The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida, illustrated by Joanna Yardley
1993: Gulliver's Adventures in Lilliput by Jonathan Swift, retold by Ann Kay Beneduce, illustrated by Gennady Spirin
1988: Cats are Cats compiled by Nancy Larrick, illustrated by Ed Young
1988: Swan Sky by Tejima
1987: Fox's Dream by Tejima
1982: Anno's Britain by Mitsumasa Anno
New York Times Bestselling Titles/Series
The Great Tree of Avalon by T. A. Barron
Mars Needs Moms! by Berkeley Breathed
You Are My Miracle by Maryann Cusimano Love, illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa
The Adventures of Vin Fiz by Clive Cussler
Toy Boat by Randall DeSeve, illustrated by Loren Long
Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
The Alex Rider Adventures by Anthony Horowitz
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Travel Team; Heat; Miracle on 49th Street; Summer Ball; The Big Field by Mike Lupica
The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper, re-illustrated by Loren Long
Edenville Owls by Robert B. Parker
Ginger and Petunia; The Graves Family by Patricia Polacco
The Longest Season by Cal Ripken, Jr., illustrated by Ron Mazellan
