Pressroom: The Dot Film Wins Carnegie Medal of Excellence

Film Adaptation of Peter H. Reynolds' book THE DOT Wins Prestigious 2005 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video

BOSTON, MA. – The animated film adaptation of local Author/Illustrator Peter H. Reynolds’ The Dot has won the prestigious 2005 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children’s Video as part of the American Library Association’s (ALA) youth media awards, which includes the Newbery and Caldecott Medals. ALA honors books, videos and other outstanding materials for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by judging committees composed of librarians and other children's experts, the awards encourage original and creative work.

The short animated film, co-produced by Reynolds children’s media firm FableVision and Weston Woods Studios (a division of Scholastic Inc.), is narrated by Thora Birch, with music by Jerry Dale McFadden. FableVision’s Gary Goldberger & John Lechner led the team who directed and animated the short film, with Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly producing for Weston Woods. “The warmth and simplicity of Reynolds’ minimalist art is beautifully enlivened in this animated adaptation,” said Carnegie Award Chair Elizabeth Simmons.

For anyone who has been afraid to express themselves creatively - from a child in art class to an adult whose fear has shut down a long-held dream, The Dot (Candlewick Press) is there to remind us all to "make your mark, and see where it takes you." The Dot features a feisty little girl named Vashti who thinks she can’t draw. With the help of a wonderful teacher, she launches into a voyage of creative self-discovery that inspires children and adults alike.

The Carnegie Medal, established with the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, honors an outstanding American video production for children released during the previous year. The award is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). The Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video was awarded for the first time in 1991 to honor an outstanding video production for children released during the previous year. The first recipients were producers George McQuilkin and John Matthews for "Ralph S. Mouse," based on the book by Beverly Cleary.

Peter H. Reynolds is also the founder and CEO of his own education media and multimedia firm called FableVision, which co-produced the new film adaptation of The Dot with the Connecticut-based Weston Woods team, led by acclaimed producers and previous Carnegie medal recipients Paul Gagne and Melissa Reilly. Paul Gagne shares, ”From the moment we saw Peter’s book we knew The Dot was one of those projects we just had to do.” Gagne adds “The message it conveys touches on one of the fundamental goals shared by FableVision and Weston Woods, so this was an ideal collaboration." Part of Scholastic, Inc., Weston Woods is headquartered in Norwalk, CT and provides materials to more than 50,000 schools and libraries nationwide and has distributors in more than 20 countries around the world.

Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot, which was released in a 50,000 hardcover print run in October 2003 by Candlewick Press, has received starred reviews in industry bible Publishers Weekly, Booklist Journal and American School Library Journal. Awards include the Oppenheimer Platinum Toy Award 2004 and "Best Book of the Year" by Valerie Lewis, author of Children's Book Review, “Best Book of the Year: Most Inspirational” by Nick Jr. Family Magazine, and The Christopher Award. Reynolds’ other work includes his cornerstone book, The North Star, as well as illustrator of Megan MacDonald’s best-selling Judy Moody series, Eleanor Estes’ The Alley and The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode, Judy Blume’s Fudge series, and Ellen Potter’s Olivia Kidney.

Reynolds’ sequel to The Dot called Ish was released by Cambridge-based Candlewick Press last fall to critical acclaim and is also now in development with Weston Woods and FableVision as an animated film for release in fall 2005.
Peter H. Reynolds shares his media/publishing ventures with his identical twin brother Paul. Peter and Paul Reynolds founded and run the award-winning children’s media company FableVision (www.fablevision.com) based in Watertown, MA. FableVision’s mission is to use media, storytelling & technology to reach, support and inspire ALL learners – and is currently in development on a new pre-K television series with Noggin and Nick Jr., as well as celebrating the success of two acclaimed educational software products, BrainCogs and Stationery Studio. The Reynolds also recently launched a retail venture called The Blue Bunny, a children’s media workshop and book/toy shop in historic Dedham Square (MA.) (http://www.dedhambluebunny.com,) which they call “the little shop with a big mission” – to honor, inspire and nurture active creative expression in children and adults. For more details on Peter’s publishing work, browse http://www.peterhreynolds.com.

The Dot film is available for purchase on DVD, video, and as a read-along CD or cassette via Scholastic/Weston Woods – http://www.scholastic.com/westonwoods or by calling 1-800-243-5020.

Peter H. Reynolds is represented by Holly M. McGhee of NYC-based Pippin Properties, Inc. an integrated publishing and entertainment representation agency. More information available at http://www.pippinproperties.com.

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