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Dorling Kindersley (DK)
DK (Dorling Kindersley) was founded in London in 1974 and is a reference publisher focusing on non-fiction for adults and children.


 * Alpha, publishes Complete Idiot's Guides
 * Prima Games, publishes video game strategy guides
 * Rough Guides, publishes travel guides

As of 2015 DK also has a number of official publishing relationships with Angry Birds, Lego, Marvel, and Star Wars.

Crown Publishing Group
Crown Publishing was founded in 1933 as the Outlet Book Company, a remainder house, and is now a publisher of fiction and narrative non-fiction.
 * Amphoto Books, publishes photography books
 * Broadway Books, founded in 1996 as part of Bantam Doubleday Dell and is now the paperback imprint of Crown
 * Clarkson Potter, produces cookbooks, illustrated gift books, and journals
 * Convergent, publishes Christian works
 * Crown Archetype, hardcover publisher of pop-culture titles
 * Crown Business, publishes business-related content
 * Crown Forum, publishes political discourse
 * Harmony Books, publishes self-help titles
 * Hogarth Press, partnership between Crown in the U.S. and Windus in the U.K.
 * Image Catholic Books
 * Multnomah Books, publishes Christian works
 * Pam Krauss Books, founded in 1915 and publishes culinary, food, and healthy lifestyle related titles
 * Ten Speed Press, West Coast publisher of nonfiction and gift titles
 * Three Rivers Press, publishes original paperback titles and paperback reprints of Crown hardcovers
 * Tim Duggan Books, founded in 2014
 * WaterBrook Multonomah, publishes Christian works
 * Watson-Guptill, publishes illustrated art books as part of Ten Speed Press

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Alfred A. Knopf has won many awards over the years including Pulitzers, Nobel and National Book Awards.
 * Alfred A. Knopf, publisher of hardcover fiction and nonfiction, founded in 1915 by Alfred A. Knopf, and Blanche Knopf
 * Doubleday, publisher of commercial, literary, and serious nonfiction founded in 1897
 * Pantheon, founded in 1942 by Kurt Wolff
 * Schocken, publisher of Judaica, became a part of Random House in 1945
 * Vintage Books, trade paperback publisher founded by Alfred A. Knopf in 1954
 * Anchor Books, publisher of history, science, women's studies, sociology and fiction
 * Vintage Español, Spanish-language publisher in the United States, founded in 1994
 * Black Lizard, publisher of crime fiction, acquired by Random House in 1990
 * Nan A. Talese, literary imprint formed in 1990 to house authors published by editor Nan A. Talese
 * Everyman's Library,

Penguin Publishing Group

 * Avery, publisher of nonfiction and lifestyle books founded in 1974
 * Berkley Publishing Group/New American Library, contain several imprints including Jove, Signet, Ace, Roc, Sensation, and Caliber
 * Blue Rider Press, launched in 2011 by David Rosenthal
 * DAW, publisher of science fiction and fantasy
 * Dutton, small boutique fiction and non-fiction publisher of about 40 books per year
 * Putnam, publisher founded in 1838
 * Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, established in 2010 as a boutique publisher of VP Pamela Dorman
 * Penguin, established in the 1930s as a publisher of mass market paperbacks; houses Penguin Books, Penguin Classics, and most recently Penguin Press
 * Perigee, originally the trade paperback imprint for G.P. Putnam's Sons; publishes prescriptive non-fiction, self-help and how-to books
 * Plume, trade paperback imprint with a focus on multi-cultural and LGBT publishing
 * Portfolio, founded in 2001 as a business imprint
 * Riverhead, publisher of literary fiction and non-fiction founded in 1994
 * Sentinel, founded in 2003 as a conservative imprint
 * Tarcher, publisher of mind, body, and spiritualism titles
 * Viking Press, founded in 1925 and publishes both fiction and non-fiction titles

Penguin Young Readers Group

 * Dial Books for Young Readers, publishes about 70 hardcover children's books per year
 * Firebird, publishes young adult science fiction and fantasy
 * Frederick Warne, publisher founded in 1865 that develops brands based on classic children's literature such as Peter Rabbit
 * G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, publisher of picture books
 * Grosset & Dunlap, publisher of paperback series, leveled readers, nonfiction, brands, and licenses for ages 0-12
 * Kathy Dawson Books, launched in 2014 by publisher Kathy Dawson to publish hardcover middle-grade and YA fiction
 * Nancy Paulsen Books, launched in 2011 by publisher Nancy Paulsen to publish picture books
 * Philomel Books
 * Price Stern Sloan (PSS!), founded to publish the Mad Libs books in the 1960s, expanded to publish additional children's, novelty, and humor titles
 * Puffin Books, publishes books for young readers in various formats
 * Razorbill, publishes middle grade and young adult books
 * Speak, launched in 2002 to publish classic and new young adult fiction
 * Viking, publishes books for young readers

Random House Publishing Group

 * Ballantine Books, founded in 1952 to publish fiction and nonfiction hardcover and paperback titles
 * Bantam Books, originally a publisher of mass-market reprints, but now publishes fiction and nonfiction in all formats
 * Delacorte Press, founded in 1921 as a publisher of pulp magazines, detective stories, and movie articles, has expanded to publish original fiction in all formats
 * Del Rey Books, branch of Ballantine Books that focuses on science fiction and fantasy titles
 * The Dial Press, literary publisher
 * Modern Library, publisher of American and international classics founded by Boni & Liveright
 * Random House, original Random House was founded in 1927 by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer and publishes fiction
 * Random House Value
 * Spiegel & Grau
 * Alibi, Flirt, Hydra, and Loveswept, publish e-originals in genre fiction

Random House Children's Books

 * Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, publisher of board books, picture books, novels, and non-fiction
 * Crown Books for Young Readers
 * Random House Books for Young Readers, publisher of Dr.Seuss, Babar, The Magic Treehouse series, Junie B. Jones, and Step Into Reading
 * Little Golden Books, picture book publisher launched in 1942
 * Schwartz and Wade, directed by Anne Schwartz and Lee Wade with an emphasis on editorial and design
 * Wendy Lamb Books, launched in 2002 and focuses on seeking new writers for middle-grade and young adult fiction
 * Ember, publishes young adult and middle grade trade paperbacks, such as titles by Judy Blume and Dana Reinhardt
 * Bluefire, fantasy imprint for middle grade and young adult readers
 * Dragonfly, publishes paperback picture books
 * Yearling Books, publishes middle grade paperbacks
 * Laurel-Leaf, publishes young adult literature in a mass-market format
 * The Princeton Review, publishes print and digital test prep materials
 * Sylvan Learning, publishes workbooks and study aids

PRH Digital Publishing Group

 * Random House Puzzles & Games
 * Audiobooks
 * Books on Tape
 * Listening Library
 * Penguin Audio
 * Random House Audio
 * Reference
 * Living Language, creates language learning products
 * Fodor's, creates guides, mobile apps, and resources for travelers
 * Random House Reference

Note: Delacorte Press listed under both Random House Publishing Group and Random House Children's Books, but I believe it should be removed from the Children's section- I can't find evidence for the claim made about it in this section

Note: Include "Anchor Books is known as the oldest trade paperback publishers and was formed to make inexpensive editions of modern classics?" Note: Crown Books is not affiliated with Crown Publishing, so the link should be removed

Criticism and Controversy
Many writers harshly criticize the book for the way in which it depicts the relationship: "Totally self-effacing, the 'mother' treats her 'son' as if he were a perpetual infant, while he behaves toward her as if he were frozen in time as an importunate baby. This overrated picture book thus presents as a paradigm for young children a callously exploitative human relationship — both across genders and across generations. It perpetuates the myth of the selfless, all-giving mother who exists only to be used and the image of a male child who can offer no reciprocity, express no gratitude, feel no empathy — an insatiable creature who encounters no limits for his demands."

Other writers would counter-argue that the assumption that the story represents a mother-child relationship may be incorrect and that the tree may continually refer to the boy as "Boy" because the boy never emotionally matures and perpetually acts like a child.

Critics of the book point out that the boy never thanks the tree for its gifts. An editor with Harper & Row was quoted as saying that the book is "about a sadomasochistic relationship" and that it "elevates masochism to the level of a good."

One college instructor discovered that the book caused both male and female remedial reading students to be angry because they felt that the boy exploited the tree. For teaching purposes, he paired the book with a short story by Andre Dubus entitled "The Fat Girl" because its plot can be described as The Giving Tree "in reverse."

Other writers are of the opinion that interpretations of the book are heavily influenced by an individual's life experiences. That is, a parent, who is overwhelmed with parenting a child, may identify with the tree. A person who was in an exploitative relationship with a narcissist, may also identify with the tree.

Author's photograph
thumb|Photograph of Silverstein that is used on the back cover of the book.

The photograph of Silverstein on the back cover of the book has attracted attention. One writer described the photograph as showing the author's "jagged menacing teeth" and "evil, glaring eyes." Another writer compared the photograph to the one on the back of Where the Sidewalk Ends in which Silverstein resembles "the Satanist Anton LaVey." In the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, the father threatens the protagonist with the photograph to make sure that he does not leave his room at night.

Adaptations and cultural influences

 * A short animated film of the book, produced in 1973, featured Silverstein's narration.
 * Silverstein also wrote a song of the same name, which was performed by Bobby Bare and his family on his album Singin' in the Kitchen (1974).


 * Silverstein created an adult version of the story in a cartoon entitled "I Accept the Challenge." In the cartoon, a nude woman cuts off a nude man's arms and legs with scissors, then sits on his torso in a pose similar to the final drawing in The Giving Tree in which the old man sits on the stump.


 * Jackson and Dell (1979) wrote an "alternative version" of the story for teaching purposes that was entitled "The Other Giving Tree." It featured two trees next to each other and a boy growing up. One tree acted like the one in The Giving Tree, ending up as a stump, while the other tree stopped at giving the boy apples, and does not give the boy its branches or trunk. At the end of the story, the stump was sad that the old man chose to sit under the shade of the other tree.


 * The Giving Tree Band took its name from the book. Plain White T's EP Should've Gone to Bed has a song The Giving Tree, written by Tim Lopez.


 * The 2010 short film I'm Here, written and directed by Spike Jonze, is based on The Giving Tree; the main character Sheldon is named after Shel Silverstein.

Interpretations
The book has generated various opinions on how to interpret the relationship between the tree and the boy. Some possible interpretations include:

Religious interpretation
Ursula Nordstrom attributed the book's success partially to "Protestant ministers and Sunday-school teachers", who believed that the tree represents "the Christian ideal of unconditional love."

Environmental interpretation
There are a few environmental interpretations of the tree as a representation of Mother Nature and the boy as a representation of humanity. The book has been used to teach children environmental ethics. An educational resource for children describes the book as an "allegory about the responsibilities a human being has for living organisms in the environment." Lisa Rowe Fraustino states that “some curricula use the book as a what-not-to-do role model."  One interpretation is that by the last drawing, (in which the old man sits on the stump) the boy has used the tree up completely and seems to have little appreciation or remorse for how he has abused the tree.

Friendship interpretation
Some people believe that the relationship between the boy and the tree is one of friendship. As such, the book teaches children "as your life becomes polluted with the trappings of the modern world — as you 'grow up' — your relationships tend to suffer if you let them fall to the wayside." One criticism of this interpretation is that the tree appears to be an adult when the boy is young, and cross-generational friendships are rare.

Parent-child interpretation
The most-discussed interpretation of the book is that the tree and the boy have a parent-child relationship, as in a 1995 collection of essays about the book edited by Richard John Neuhaus in the journal First Things. Among the essayists, some were positive about the relationship; for example, Amy A. Kass wrote about the story that "it is wise and it is true about giving and about motherhood," and her husband Leon R. Kass encourages people to read the book because the tree "is an emblem of the sacred memory of our own mother's love." However, other essayists put forth negative views. Mary Ann Glendon wrote that the book is "a nursery tale for the 'me' generation, a primer of narcissism, a catechism of exploitation," while Jean Bethke Elshtain felt that the story ends with the tree and the boy "both wrecks."

A 1998 study using phenomenographic methods found that Swedish children and mothers tended to interpret the book as dealing with friendship, while Japanese mothers tended to interpret the book as dealing with parent-child relationships.

Interpretation as satire
Some authors believe that the book is not actually intended for children, but instead should be treated as a satire aimed at adults along the lines of A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift.

Penguin Random House (PRH) is an American multinational publishing company formed in 2013 from the merger of Random House (owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann) and Penguin Group (owned by British publishing company Pearson PLC). As of 2013, Penguin Random House employed about 10,000 people globally and published 15,000 titles annually under its 250 divisions and imprints. These titles include fiction and nonfiction for adults and children in both print and digital. Penguin Random House comprises Penguin and Random House in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India; Penguin in Asia and South Africa; Dorling Kindersley worldwide; and Random House’s companies in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, and Chile.

History
Penguin Random House was formed on July 1, 2013, upon the completion of an agreement between Bertelsmann and Pearson to merge their respective trade publishing companies, Random House and Penguin Group. Bertelsmann and Pearson, the parent companies, own 75% and 25%, respectively. The creation of the company has been referred to as the publishing industry's response to the increasing dominance of Amazon.com in the book market. PRH relaunched Book Country, Penguin's online unit in July 2013.

In September 2014, Random House Studio signed a first look production deal with Universal Pictures, under which Random House would be the producer films based on Penguin Random House books. The Universal subsidiary Focus Features will closely collaborate with Random House Films. Having previously spearhead the creation process of Puffin Rock animation, Richard Haines is heading PRH Children's TV development strategy with the assistance of licensing publishing and TV development executive Emily Campan. Haines would report to PRH Children’s managing director, Francesca Dow.

In November 2015, Pearson announced that it will be rebranding and completely focusing on its education division. Pearson will likely sell its share in Penguin Random House, though Pearson CEO John Fallon estimates that the company will wait until at least 2017.

In July 2017, Pearson agreed to sell a 22% stake in the business to Bertelsmann, thereby retaining a 25% holding.