July 2008 – Verve Marketing & Design™ is teaming up with Heifer International over the next six months to produce three new children’s books by Page McBrier and one coffee table book that will feature the works of notable mural artist Betty LaDuke. For over twenty years, Verve has helped clients target and reach the luxury consumer through unique marketing and design strategies, enabling clients to reach their goals.

Verve is proud to help this exceptional company create awareness through educational children’s books. These books help to inform children and their parents about Heifer International’s farsighted support of villages around the world. As a follow up to the highly popular, New York Times Bestseller, Beatrice’s Goat, comes the second in a line of four children’s books, The Chicken and The Worm. Due to be released in July, The Chicken and The Worm is a pre-k read to book written by Page McBrier and illustrated by Rick Peterson. Subsequent books will include Winter in Songming, a 3rd and 4th grade book, illustrated by Lyuba Bogan and Once There Was and Was Not: A Modern Day Folktale from Armenia, illustrated by Stefano Vitale and targeting 5th and 6th grade reading levels. All the books will be printed domestically on recycled paper, using soy ink and with an FSC certified printer.

Verve Marketing & Design President & Brand Strategist, Diane Lemonides, is thrilled to be working with this non-profit organization. “I have been familiar with Heifer International and their unique mission for some time. We are honored to help develop this series of children’s books and the exceptional coffee table book in conjunction with Heifer International. My own children enjoyed reading Beatrice’s Goat years ago and after recently reading an article in The New York Times detailing Beatrice’s rise from poverty in Uganda to graduation from Connecticut College, I can only hope many more children both nationally and internationally will benefit from The Chicken and The Worm,” said Lemonides.

About Heifer International: Heifer’s mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth. Heifer envisions a world of communities living together in peace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet. The strategy is to “pass on the gift.” Heifer believes in the simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief, which has continued for over 60 years. Today, millions of families in 128 countries have been given the gifts of self-reliance and hope. For more information, visit www.heifer.org