New Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Book Reunites Little, Brown Team

By Judith Rosen, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 4/3/2008

Politics may make strange bedfellows, but sometimes the same can be said of children’s publishing. At least that’s the case for former Little, Brown children’s publisher John Keller’s picture book The Rubber-Legged Ducky, illustrated by Henry Cole.

Keller asked his agent not to send the story, which is loosely based on a tale his father used to tell, to Little, Brown, because he didn’t want to put his old friends there in an awkward position. “If they didn’t like it,” he says, “I’d be hurt. And if they did take it, I’d wonder.” But then Harcourt, which snapped up the book, ended up being integrated into Houghton Mifflin a few months before the book landed. And two of Keller’s longtime Little, Brown colleagues—Betsy Groban, now senior v-p, publisher of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group, and Linda Magram, v-p, marketing director—became his contacts.

John Keller: former LB children's publisher, and current author.

For them, The Rubber-Legged Ducky is one of the bigger surprises to come out of the integration. “Having his book on our list has been wonderful,” says Groban, who refers to Keller as “a close colleague and an even closer friend.” Magram says that, for her, part of the pleasure is being able to hear his booming voice when she reads the book. Plus, working together, she adds, “gives all of us a chance to do a little reminiscing.”

If Keller is careful to let Groban and Magram know when he’s calling with his “author’s hat” on, it’s because, he says, “I remember when I used to get calls and rolled my eyes. You have to have realistic expectations.” There’s been very little eye rolling at HMH, especially since Keller’s book is already off to a strong start: a number of stores, Magram said, included it in their Easter displays. Keller will do more promotion for the book this summer, including at least one signing at Where the Sidewalk Ends in Chatham, Mass., near his home on Cape Cod.

Although Keller waited more than 30 years to write his second book—Krispin’s Fair, illustrated by Ed Emberley, came out in 1976—he has plenty of ideas percolating, including more stories about the rubber-legged duck, a novel and an episodic novel for middle-graders. Meanwhile he’s pleased to be working with his friends once more. “It’s terrific to be on the Houghton list,” says Keller, who promises a shorter gap between this book and his next one.