Madonna Brings Lotsa De Casha to Manhattan  6/7/05

Lotsa Follows International Bestsellers The English Roses, Mr. Peabody's Apples, Yakov and The Seven Thieves, and The Adventures of Abdi

NEW YORK, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Callaway Arts & Entertainment is pleased to announce today's release of Lotsa de Casha, the fifth and final installment in an internationally best-selling series of children's books by Madonna. 

Madonna returns to New York for a weeklong celebration of Lotsa's debut, which kicks off with a party hosted by venerable retailer Bergdorf Goodman. More than four hundred guests will gather at the Fifth Avenue store to toast the story of the richest man in the world, who loses everything but gains a friend. Fans will have the opportunity to meet Madonna when she signs copies of Lotsa at the Borders Time Warner Center. The author also plans a special reading at a New York City library. Madonna will make a select number of media appearances in support of Lotsa, including an appearance on ABC's The View and a cover story in the July 2005 issue of Ladies Home Journal, available on newsstands in mid-June. 

Nicholas Callaway, Founder and CEO of Callaway Arts & Entertainment, notes that, "In less than two years, Madonna has become one of the most successful children's authors in the world. Her unique voice and beautifully illustrated volumes have sold more than two million copies in 40 languages in more than 110 countries. 

This latest work, Lotsa de Casha, is a whimsical updating of the age-old truth that money can't buy happiness." Portuguese painter Rui Paes, best known for his frescoes at the historical Munkebakken house in Oslo, Norway, illustrated this 48-page jacketed hardcover, written for readers aged six and up. 

Mr. Paes says of working with the author, "Madonna has a visual awareness that allows her to see beyond the surface, and that is very rewarding for an artist." Madonna made publishing history with the global release of her first children's book, The English Roses, published simultaneously in 30 languages in more than 100 countries in 2003. It became the fastest-selling book in history written by a first-time children's author, debuting at no. 1 on the New York Times Book Review children's best-seller list and remaining on the list for 18 weeks. The English Roses is now available in 40 languages worldwide.

Callaway Arts & Entertainment is a leading creator of family entertainment properties across all media, including book publishing, animated entertainment, and children's lifestyle products. The company's hugely successful Miss Spider series, created by David Kirk, has sold more than 5 million books and inspired Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends, a computer-animated television series that airs weekday mornings on Nickelodeon, and the Sunny Patch(TM) line of children's lifestyle products available at Target stores nationwide.

SOURCE Callaway Arts & Entertainment Web Site: http://www.callaway.com