Simon & Schuster's division devoted to children's publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, published books featuring such characters as the Hardy Boys and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Today, one of its imprints, Simon Spotlight, is devoted to "media tie-ins," or books that are marketed in conjunction with television shows and movies. Some of these books include "Dora the Explorer," which is marketed with a television show of the same name, and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," which is marketed with a movie of the same name.
HarperCollins has a division dedicated to children's publishing called HarperCollins Children's Books. It lays claim to such classics of children's literature as "The Giving Tree," "Goodnight Moon," "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Charlotte's Web." HarperCollins has created a website that has sections specifically designed for children, parents and teachers. The section for children offers games; the section for parents invites them to join communities and post parenting questions; the section for teachers gives them a chance to listen to author readings and to download classroom activities.
In 1957 Random House introduced the beginning reader genre when it published Dr. Seuss' classic "The Cat in the Hat" in its Beginner Books series. Some five decades later, in 2009, Random House Children's Books announced that it was setting up a joint venture company to create animated movies and television shows for children based on its books and characters. The new company, Random House Children's Screen Entertainment, has already produced a feature film called "Monster Republic" based on a novel of the same name.
Started by two mothers and originally run out of a home in north London, Barefoot Books now has a store in Concord, Massachusetts and a boutique at FAO Schwarz in Manhattan. Barefoot Books has created a website that invites children to sing and dance to Barefoot classics such as "The Animal Boogie." It also offers a pirate story, "Port Side Pirates," with a music CD.
Wild Heart Ranch is a publisher of children's books and a manufacturer of toys. Many of its books have such themes as saving wild horses, supporting seahorse conservation and educating about endangered species. Other books by Wild Heart Ranch have themes of healing and comforting: one title, "No More Night Mares," aims to comfort children who fear the nighttime; another title, "Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop," aims to empower children with serious illnesses. Toys are available with most titles, usually a stuffed animal of a character that is featured in the book.