HarperCollins Publishers is a proud supporter of First Book, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their own new books. The primary goal of First Book is to work with existing literacy programs to distribute new books to children who, for economic reasons, have little or no access to books. In this way, First Book effectively leverages the heroic efforts of local tutoring, mentoring, and family literacy organizations as they work to reach children who need help the most. First Book distributes millions of books to hundreds of thousands of children nationwide each year. For more information on First Book, please visit www.firstbook.org. Stan and Jan Berenstain were already successful cartoonists for magazines and adult humor books when they began writing children's books. The first story starring the bear family, The Big Honey Hunt, appeared in 1962. Since then, more than 370 Berenstain Bears books have been published, and more than 300 million copies have been sold. What began as an idea sparked by their young sons' love of reading has become over the years arguably the best-selling children's book series ever. Since their inception, the Berenstain Bears stories have expanded to include picture books, beginning readers, and chapter books--even a hit TV show on PBS. Writing and illustrating the books has become a Berenstain family affair. Mike joined with his parents as a creative team in the late 1980s. The Bear family has expanded over the years as well. Sister Bear arrived in 1974, and baby Honey joined the family in 2000. Though Stan died in 2005 and Jan in 2012, Mike continues to create the delightful Berenstain Bear adventures from his studio in Pennsylvania. Ree Drummond is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier, and The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays. Ree's beloved website, The Pioneer Woman, was founded in 2006 and showcases her cooking, photography, and anecdotes about country life. Her cooking show, The Pioneer Woman, premiered on Food Network in 2011. Ree loves Ethel Merman songs, Lucille Ball, and The Godfather. She lives on a working cattle ranch in Oklahoma with her husband and four children. Grace Gilman is a former children's book editor. She lives in New York City. Victoria Kann is the award-winning illustrator and author of the picture book series featuring the whimsical and effervescent character Pinkalicious. Victoria coauthored and illustrated the first two books, Pinkalicious and Purplicious, and co-wrote the play Pinkalicious: The Musical. She wrote and illustrated the New York Times number-one bestsellers Goldilicious, Silverlicious, Emeraldalicious, and Aqualicious. Currently she is working on several more books about the adventures and antics of Pinkalicious. Readers can follow Pinkalicious on Facebook and Twitter. Gene Zion and two-time Caldecott Honor winner Margaret Bloy Graham have collaborated on several favorite stories about Harry: Harry by the Sea, Harry the Dirty Dog, and No Roses for Harry.
