2 Grrrls go Scholastic

Scholastic has inked an eight-title book deal with St. Paul-based femme-power junkies 2 Grrrls. Under the 2 Grrrls brand, Scholastic will develop and market cheeky health-and-beauty guidebooks for tween girls. In May, it will begin distributing the first two titles through its book clubs and later at book and toy retailers in the fall. The books will also be offered on 2 Grrrls’ Web site (www.2grrrls.com).

The brainchild of college pals Trilby White and Lisa Rietveld, 2 Grrrls began selling wall mirrors and compacts featuring funky art and up-with-chicks aphorisms, like `You Go Girl!’ and `Hello Gorgeous’ at craft shows in the early `90s. In the last year, the franchise has spun into various licensed categories, including plush toys (Mary Meyer), apparel (Relevant Products), stationery (Color Böok) and greeting cards (Chronicle), which are currently being carried at specialty toy and gift chains like Zany Brainy and Hallmark.

Scholastic has also signed a one-off book deal with Booker Prize-winner Roddy Doyle to write The Giggler Treatment, about a group of magical pranksters who exact revenge on parents who mistreat children. The novel, which is targeted at readers ages eight to 11, is slated for a fall release.

Noddy books

Make room in Toyland. The Enid Blyton Company has signed a worldwide agreement with Reader’s Digest Children’s Publishing, allowing it to create a range of Noddy novelty titles, including die-cut and squeaky books. The deal covers the U.K., the U.S., France, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, and will see Reader’s Digest start distributing the books (US$6.99 to US$9.99) through supermarkets, book and toy stores and via direct sales beginning in June.

Disney lands deal with Landoll’s

Disney Publishing Worldwide has licensed Ohio-based pubco Landoll’s to use Winnie the Pooh and other classic Disney characters in its educational workbooks, game cards and activity kits. Landoll’s will publish the books and learning aids under its American Education Publishing imprint. The first titles, a series of I Can Learn With Pooh books, will hit book stores in May.

The Landoll’s deal is one of three agreements DPW announced recently, covering North America only, that involve licensing out Disney properties to other publishing houses. The other two deals are with Dorling Kindersley, which is creating non-fiction reference books based on Disney theatrical props, and Hot off the Press, which is developing craft books featuring Disney characters. The first wave of DK and HOP books hit stores earlier this fall.