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A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch Named a 2017 IBPA Ben Franklin Award Finalist

Dallas, TX— Dallas-based Brattle Publishing Group LLC (BPG) announced today that A Raccon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch was selected as a finalist for an Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) 2017 Benjamin Franklin Gold Award in the Young Reader: Fiction (8–12 years) category. The Gold Award winner will be chosen on Friday, April 7, 2017, at IBPA’s annual Publishing University in Portland, Oregon. The award is one of the highest honors given by independent publishers nationwide. Finalists are chosen on the basis of excellence in book editorial and design. As a finalist, A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch has already received an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award. “We are thrilled to once again be chosen as a finalist for this prestigious award,” said Richard A. Lena, President and Publisher of Brattle Publishing Group. “A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch was our first collaboration with author Fran Hodgkins and well-known illustrator Donnachada Daly. We were excited with the results—it’s a great story with a powerful message and a creative shift in our illustration style.” A Raccoon’s Tale is Hodgkin’s first work of fiction. “I’m so pleased and excited that the IBPA has recognized my book. It means a great deal to me as an author,” said Hodgkins. “In our world, small animals have no control over their environments. . .humans don’t think about how we so easily alter animal habitats. I wanted to write about a bright spirit who navigated her changing environment with resiliency. That spirit turned out to be Seven Rings Moon, our heroine. She never gives up.” Enhancing Hodgkin’s narrative are the charming illustrations of Donnachada Daly, who has more than 30 years of experience illustrating and animating books and feature films. His credits include Shrek, Shrek 2, Madagascar, and Antz. For more information, please visit Brattle Publishing Group at brattlepublishing.com, and follow BPG on Instagram and Facebook. About the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Founded in 1983, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) is the largest not-for-profit trade organization for publishers in the United States. IBPA’s mission is to lead and serve the independent publishing community by providing advocacy, education, and tools for success. About Fran Hodgkins As a child, Fran loved animals and books—especially books! The neighborhood branch library was one of her favorite haunts, and she spent hours there, reading her way through the children’s collection. After years of working for educational publishers, Fran authored more than 20 books for young readers. Her titles include The Secret Galaxy (Tilbury House, 2014), a Junior Library Guild recommended book, and Little Loon (Down East Books, 2015). With A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch, Fran has written her first animal fantasy title in the spirit of Watership Down and the Warrior series. Fran lives in Maine with her family. About Brattle Publishing Group Brattle Publishing Group LLC (BPG) is a provider of innovative educational and entertainment products and services. Led by experts with decades of experience in education and literacy, BPG creates products that encourage enthusiastic learning. BPG publishes children’s books by award-winning authors and illustrators. The company also creates educational programs designed to motivate preK–12 students through inspired learning and provides professional development for preK–12 educators.

Statement in Support of Equality

Since its inception, Brattle Publishing Group® has worked to promote literacy, foster equity, and celebrate diversity. Recent events in the United States and around the world have made this mission even more critical. Brattle will continue to work with our global partners to build a world where people do not face systemic discrimination or are subject to violence due to gender, race, ethnicity, identity, or sexual orientation. We will continue to support and promote those organizations that share our mission, values, and a vision of a more educated, equitable, and tolerant world. Richard-Anthony LenaPresident

Brattle Releases Preteen Novel 1 For All by Author Sean McCollum

Dallas, TX–Brattle Trade, a Division of Publishing Group (BPG), announced the upcoming release of its new preteen novel, 1 For All, a sports book about teamwork and leadership. This exciting tale of a middle school basketball team, the Traverse Musketeers, explores the struggles of team captain J.J. Pickett and his teammates as they face their most challenging season. The novel was written by award-winning children’s book author and digital nomad Sean McCollum and illustrated by longtime Brattle collaborator Sam Valentino. “I wrote 1 For All as a kind of love letter to what sports can be. Sports reveal our character as well as develop it. Competing on the court shows who we are under pressure, and lets us know where we’re solid and where we can improve as people as well as players,” said McCollum, who grew up playing basketball in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. “I modeled the Musketeers after the team I played on a long time ago. In some ways, the book is what I would tell my eighth-grade self about relaxing more and learning to enjoy the game, win or lose.” 1 For All is McCollum’s newest title and a rare work of fiction from him. The Wisconsin native is the author of dozens of non-fiction titles including, Theodore Roosevelt: America’s 26th President (Scholastic, 2004), Secrets of World War I and Secrets of World War II (Capstone Press, 2017), and Pro Basketball’s All-Time Greatest Comebacks (Capstone Press, 2019). His biography of Roosevelt and another about Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, part of Scholastic’s “Wicked History” series, have earned awards from the Colorado Authors’ League. Brattle Trade Publisher, Richard-Anthony Lena added, “We want to connect children and young adults with engaging literature. Working with McCollum, an author who shares this goal, has been fantastic. Sean’s love of sports and talent for story telling allows us to connect with kids on a whole different level.” The book explores relationships on and off the court as J.J.  and his friends and teammates develop a deeper understanding of supporting each other and playing as a team — “All for one, and one for all,” as the line goes from Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. 1 For All can be purchased directly on Amazon and in softcover and digital versions beginning August 4, 2020. Retailers can purchase copies through the Ingram’s Catalog. About 1 For All J.J. Pickett, captain of the Traverse Middle School Musketeers, thinks this is the year he will lead his eighth-grade team to the conference title. But bad breaks, a new coach, and a long-standing grudge sabotage his hopes and leave him struggling on and off the court. Can J.J. and his teammates salvage something from what seems like a lost season? About Sean McCollum Sean McCollum was raised in Wisconsin, graduated from Lawrence University, and left the United States soon after to backpack around the world. During his travels, he worked on scientific projects in Australia and the South Pacific, taught English in East Asia, and traveled overland 5,000 miles across Africa. Drawing on his international adventures, McCollum began his career in writing in New York City in 1992. Today, Sean is traveling again and is a digital nomad, working from his laptop from all around the world. Together with his partner of 30 years, Sean has lived in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Oceania and the South Pacific, and has traveled in some 65 countries. Sean is the author of more than 60 titles and hundreds of magazine articles for such publications as National Geographic Kids, Junior Scholastic, and Teaching Tolerance. Sean also develops online educational content for the Kennedy Center. 1 For All is McCollum’s first book with Brattle Trade, a Division of Brattle Publishing Group. Watch Sean’s recent interview on Kidlit Social Distancing!https://writeforkids.org/blog/2020/07/kidlitdistancingsocial16/ About Brattle Trade Brattle Trade, a Division of Brattle Publishing Group (BPG) is a provider of innovative educational and entertainment products and services. Led by experts with decades of experience in education and literacy, BPG creates products that encourage enthusiastic learning. BPG publishes children’s books by award-winning authors and illustrators.

RTI and Brattle Develop Covid-19 Radio and Television Instruction for the Philippines

Dallas, TX— Brattle Education, a division of Brattle Publishing Group® (Brattle) is working closely with Research Triangle International (RTI) to conceptualize and develop prototype content for emergency COVID-19 instruction for the Department of Education of the Philippines and USAID. Brattle has been contracted by RTI to conceptualize television and radio programming that forwards the goals of the nation’s curriculum goals during the public health emergency in the Philippines. “As COVID-19 continues to spread,  the government of the Philippines has mandated that learning will continue through radio and television-based outlets. We are excited to participate in efforts to educate the children of the Philippines using traditional media widespread throughout the country,” said Brattle’s Editorial Lead and Strategic Consultant Carol Karton.  Children are expected to tune in regularly  to receive reading instruction using these media forms. The work will begin immediately in time for the start of school this fall. About Brattle Education Brattle Education is a division of Brattle Publishing Group LLC ®  and is a provider of innovative educational and entertainment products and services. Led by experts with decades of experience in education and literacy. The company creates educational programs designed to motivate preK–12 students and provides professional development for preK–12 educators.

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