all about Madonna

Callaway Arts & Entertainment is pleased to announce the release today of Madonna’s third book for children, Yakov and the Seven Thieves.

Madonna’s first two children’s books, The English Roses and Mr. Peabody’s Apples , both debuted at No. 1 on the children’s picture book best-seller list of The New York Times , and remained on the list for 18 and 10 weeks, respectively. International bestsellers, the books are hugely popular in countries as diverse as England, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Taiwan, Brazil, Slovenia, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. Spanish-language editions of all of the books are widely available in the U.S.

Yakov and the Seven Thieves , written for readers aged six and up, is a 32-page jacketed hardcover. The book’s ornate and evocative images were painted by Gennady Spirin, an award-winning and internationally revered artist, who has illustrated 33 previous children’s books.

Madonna says Yakov and the Seven Thieves “is a story about how all of us have the ability to unlock the gates of heaven—no matter how unworthy we think we are. For when we go against our selfish natures, we make miracles happen, in our lives and in the lives of others.”

Publisher and CEO of Callaway Arts & Entertainment, Nicholas Callaway says, “ Yakov and the Seven Thieves again proves the amazing range of Madonna’s storytelling talent. Her first book was set in contemporary England and the second in post-World War II America. Now, she takes us to a completely different cultural milieu—a small 18th-century town in Eastern Europe. We therefore selected a world-renowned Russian artist, Gennady Spirin, to illustrate this book, because his traditional artistic style perfectly complements the old-world setting of the story.”

Madonna’s list of publishers continues to grow. Her children’s books will be released in 38 languages, plus a Braille edition, and in more than 110 countries.

Callaway Arts & Entertainment, headquartered in New York, is the originating publisher of Madonna’s children’s books and has licensed book rights through The Wylie Agency to 42 distinguished houses, including Gallimard Jeunesse in France, Penguin Books for Young Readers in the U.K., and Hanser Verlag in Germany. The book is distributed in the United States by the Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Callaway Arts & Entertainment, founded in 1980 by Nicholas Callaway, is best known for its hugely successful Miss Spider book series. The firm specializes in family entertainment across all media—book publishing, 3-D computer animation for film and television, and product design.

The highest production standards mark the creation of Yakov and the Seven Thieves , which features premium paper and state-of-the art digital prepress and printing.

There are over 50,000 retail stores carrying Madonna’s books in the United States alone, including Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, BJ’s, Books-A-Million, Borders Group, Costco, Hastings, Musicland Group, Sam’s Club, Scholastic School Fairs and Book Clubs, Target, Toys “R” Us, Virgin Megastores, and Waldenbooks, among many others. Online stores include Amazon.com and bn.com.

Yakov and the Seven Thieves is the third of five children’s books by Madonna. “Each book deals with issues that all children confront,” says the author. “Hopefully there is a lesson in each book that will help kids turn painful or scary situations into learning experiences. I hope [they] inspire kids of all ages—even grown-up ones.”

As with the previous two titles, Yakov and the Seven Thieves will be launched with a major international media campaign, including television appearances and special events. Madonna’s interview with Cynthia McFadden appeared on ABC’s 20/20 on Friday, June 19. A portion of the interview will also be telecast on Good Morning America on Monday, June 21.

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