February 15, 2005

CHICAGO – Story and activity books about Davey Hansen and his talking dog, Goliath, are now available for children around the world. Scholastic Inc., the world's largest distributor of children's books, published two hardcover storybooks and two activity paperbacks about "Davey and Goliath," a property of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Davey and Goliath is a classic television series aired on commercial television in the 1960s and 1970s. The ELCA's mission with Davey and Goliath is to bring "moral and religious faith-based values to a new generation of children in lively and engaging ways."

The books are based on "classic" episodes of the original show. In the 44-page hardcover book "Davey and Goliath: The Kite," Davey and his friends learn a valuable lesson about forgiveness. In the 30-page hardcover book "Davey and Goliath: Blind Man's Bluff," Davey and friends learn about racism.

"The topics of forgiveness and racism are approached from the perspective of children," said Kristi S. Bangert, director for marketing and interpretation, ELCA Department for Communication.

"In ‘The Kite,' Davey and his friends discover together what forgiveness means, learning through their own experiences. In ‘Blind's Man Bluff,' Davey and his friends learn about racism and anti-racism. The characters get at the core of this topic through self-discovery and experience. Children have a more open approach to racism than adults, and I think children will be able to embrace these stories and probably help adults as a result," Bangert said.

"Davey and Goliath: Best Friends" and "Finders Keepers" are coloring and activity books. In "Best Friends," Davey and his family have a picnic on an island. Bookmarkers and a Davey and Goliath iron-on are included. In "Finders Keepers," Davey learns a lesson about taking something that is not his. Stickers and "good deed" cards are included in Finders Keepers.

"These books are another way we can tell children of the world that God loves them," said the Rev. Eric C. Shafer, director, ELCA Department for Communication.

The ELCA and Scholastic entered into an agreement this past summer in an effort to bring "Davey and Goliath" to a new generation of children.

"The Davey and Goliath books represent Scholastic's belief in the need for stories with good life lessons for children. Scholastic's primary goal is to promote literacy. These books do that but also provide a sound moral foundation to grow on," according to Craig Walker, vice president and editorial director, Scholastic Children's Books, New York.

Information about "Davey and Goliath" is available on the Internet at http://www.daveyandgoliath.org/– the official Davey and Goliath Web site maintained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

ELCA News Service