Thomas Nelson Relaunches Popular Hermie & Friends(TM) Series

Thomas Nelson Relaunches Popular Hermie & Friends(TM) Series

Max Lucado's Bestselling Brand to have Fresh Design, Packaging and New DVD Pricing

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 5.5 million units sold in the Max Lucado's Hermie & Friends(TM) line, Max Lucado's beloved book and DVD brand is planning to refresh and relaunch in the fall of 2011. The relaunch, which includes board books, a hardcover level two reader, and DVDs, will release on October 4th, 2011 with the new everyday value DVD pricing starting in September. A second new hardcover level two reader is set to release in spring of 2012.

The new Max Lucado's Hermie & Friends(TM) will include a fresh design with bright, colorful new art, and will feature a mix of classic and new stories for kids of all ages. The hardcover Level Two Readers have been designed for kids starting to read on their own. They will feature basic vocabulary words and simple sentences. The Little Hermie board books will include sweet, soft art and simple rhyming text that explains basic Christian concepts for toddlers. New design, packaging, brand new books, and lower DVD pricing all help busy families bring faith into their daily lives affordably.

The beloved DVD line, produced by GlueWorks Animation, will have a new lower retail price and a larger emphasis on felt needs for children. The new DVD pricing for the Hermie brand will include $12.99 for a two-episode classic DVD pack and $9.99 for a classic single episode package, adding more value for the consumers than the previous $15 single episode packages. The two-episode DVD packs will include two classic Hermie episodes based on a Christian felt-need message.

"The Hermie brand is very special to me," says author Max Lucado about Hermie & Friends(TM). "We've all come to love this little caterpillar and consider him our friend in helping us give parents tools for teaching the importance of prayer and for learning how to live as Jesus would. The relaunch is the beginning of a new era for Hermie -- the illustrations are warmer, more inviting and childlike. I think Hermie lovers and new fans of Hermie will be as happy as I am with the latest design."

The Max Lucado's Hermie& Friends(TM) relaunch will include upcoming releases of DVD and book titles including:

DVDs

-- I Won't Be Afraid, God Is Always With Me (DVD)
-- A Fruitcake Christmas (DVD)
-- I am Special, God Loves Me (DVD)

BOOKS

-- Thank You, God, For Loving Me (brand new board book introducing Little
Hermie)
-- Thank You, God, For Blessing Me (Little Hermie board book #2)
-- Hermie, a Common Caterpillar (level 2 reader)

"Hermie has helped so many children come to know the love of God," says Laura Minchew, Vice President & Publisher Children and Gift Books. "How exciting that Max can share these faith messages so that kids can read for themselves the Level 2 Reader and through the precious Little Hermie board books."

About Max Lucado:

Max Lucado's works have appeared on every major national bestseller list including Publishers Weekly, USA Today, The New York Times, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and Christian Booksellers Association. He has been featured in countless media outlets and national broadcasts.

Max's writings have been published in a wide array of formats including adult books, gift books, children's titles, Bibles, commentaries, calendars and devotionals. Max Lucado is the Minister of Preaching at the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, where he has served since 1988. He has been married to Denalyn Lucado since 1981, and they have three grown daughters -- Jenna, Andrea and Sara -- and one son-in-law, Brett. More on Max Lucado can be found at http://www.MaxLucado.com.

About GlueWorks Animation:

GlueWorks Animation has been a leader in all aspects of animation since 1999 including entertainment production, corporate branding, intellectual property development and feature film special effects. Its management team has worked with the leaders in the entertainment field including NBC, Twentieth Century Fox, universal and Disney as well as major Fortune 500 companies such as Bank of America, General Electric and Microsoft. GlueWorks Animation has Co-Executive Produced each Max Lucado's Hermie &Friends(TM) DVD title to date. More on GlueWorks Animation can be found at http://www.glueworksanimation.com/.

Tommy Nelson, the children's division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., was created to place into the hands of children a wide variety of high quality, enjoyable products that are consistent with the teachings found in the Bible. For more information, visit our website www.tommynelson.com.

For more on Tommy Nelson - find us online atFacebook.com/TommyNelsonKidsTwitter.com/TommyNelson

SOURCE Thomas Nelson

Thomas Nelson

CONTACT: Julie Solomon Backman, Publicist, Thomas Nelson, +1-615-902-1722, jbackman@thomasnelson.com; or Rick Eldridge, GlueWorks Animation, +1-704-375-4321, rick@reelworks.net

Web Site: http://www.thomasnelson.com

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