Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - December 8, 2006

Houghton Mifflin and WGBH Bring Bestselling Martha the Talking Dog to the Small Screen

BOSTON — December 8, 2006 — The Houghton Mifflin Children's Book Group, author/illustrator Susan Meddaugh, and public television producer WGBH announced today that WGBH has been granted the rights to create and produce an animated series based on Meddaugh's best-selling books about Martha the talking dog.

The series will be named after Meddaugh's first book about the loveable Martha, the award-winning Martha Speaks, edited by Walter Lorraine and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1992. Meddaugh has created six books about the droll doggie whose appetite for alphabet soup gives her the gift of human speech. Lorraine, who has edited all of Meddaugh's books, says, "Susan Meddaugh's sense of humor is unparalleled. This is a great opportunity for a whole new audience to meet this terrific cast of characters."

The three-way agreement reunites Houghton Mifflin with the Boston-based, Emmy Award-winning WGBH team behind the successful Curious George television series, which launched in September 2006. "The books about Martha are an important part of Houghton Mifflin's publishing program. WGBH, with its reputation for quality children's™ programming and its large viewership, will introduce her to a new group of fans who will seek out the books," says Teri Kelly, president of Houghton Mifflin's Trade and Reference Division.

Executive producer for the television series, Carol Greenwald says, "I'm delighted to be working with Susan Meddaugh and Houghton Mifflin on this project, and think that a talking dog is exactly what's needed to help increase kids' vocabulary, one of the critical skills required for literacy success." Greenwald is a veteran of educational programming and is currently executive producer for Curious George and Postcards from Buster, the spin-off from the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series, Arthur, for which she was executive producer for eight years.

Meddaugh has a history with Houghton Mifflin beyond her successful series. She was art director for the children’s department in the Trade and Reference Division before becoming a full-time author and illustrator. In addition to the beloved Martha Speaks, which was chosen as a New York Times Best Illustrated Book, she has written and illustrated many popular books for children, including The Witch's Walking Stick, Harry on the Rocks , and Cinderella's Rat, among others. She has also received the New England Book Award, given in recognition of her body of work. Meddaugh lives with her husband and son in Sherborn, Massachusetts.

About Houghton Mifflin Trade and Reference Division
Houghton Mifflin's Trade and Reference Division publishes adult, juvenile and reference books. Its adult titles encompass literary fiction and a broad spectrum of nonfiction. Houghton Mifflin's children’s lists include numerous Newbery and Caldecott Medal winners and constitute one of the richest backlists of children’s literature in the industry.

About Houghton Mifflin
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States, with more than $1 billion in sales. Houghton Mifflin publishes textbooks, instructional technology, assessments and other educational materials for elementary and secondary schools and colleges. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. With its origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. The Company's Web site can be found at www.hmco.com.

About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer, the source of fully one-third of PBS's prime-time lineup, along with some of public television's best-known lifestyle shows and children's programs and many public radio favorites. WGBH is the number one producer of Web sites on pbs.org, one of the most trafficked dot-org Web sites in the world. WGBH is a pioneer in educational multimedia and in technologies and services that make media accessible to the 36 million Americans who rely on captioning or video descriptions. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards…even two Oscars. In 2002, WGBH was honored with a special institutional Peabody Award for 50 years of excellence. For more information visit www.wgbh.org.