In this week's episode of The Watchung Booksellers Podcast, children's book author Mary Pope Osborne, the creator of the The Magic Tree House series, talks with her editor, and now President of Random House Children's Books, Mallory Loehr, about developing the iconic book series into the global phenomenon that has helped build readers among millions of children. Mary Pope Osborne is the award-winning author of more than one hundred books for children, including retellings of mythology and folklore, picture books, biographies, mysteries, young adult novels, and the New York Times #1 bestselling Magic Tree House Series. An international phenomenon, the series has sold nearly 200 million books and been translated into 40 languages. Mary has traveled extensively in the US and abroad, visiting schools and speaking on issues related to children's literacy. In 2012, Mary created the Classroom Adventure Program, a free program for teachers, designed to help bring the joy of reading into their classrooms. In collaboration with the First Book organization, she has donated more than 1.2 million books to children in need. Mary has inspired millions of young readers around the world and continues to champion literacy as a lifelong mission. Mallory Loehr was appointed President of Random House Children’s Books in 2025. As an editor, Mallory shaped the careers of many authors, including global powerhouse Mary Pope Osborne, whom she began editing at the inception of the Magic Tree House series. She has an exceptional eye for quality children’s books and a keen ability to discover and nurture new voices and artists, including Emily Winfield Martin and her The Wonderful Things You Will Be, which has become a new classic and remains on The New York Times bestsellers list today after more than four hundred weeks. In her thirty plus years of enthusiastic dedication to Random House Children’s Books, Mallory has led numerous editorial teams. She’s worked with them to develop strategies for growth, across trade and brand, for all ages and formats, including for Random House Books for Young Readers, Random House Studio, Crown, Doubleday, Labyrinth Road, Little Golden Books, Rodale Kids, Dr. Seuss publishing, and an extensive licensed and proprietary portfolio. Her teams and their books have received the highest accolades, from the Newbery to the Caldecott and more. Resources: George Saunders' story in The New Yorker Rachel Yoder's story in The New Yorker Magic Classroom Adventures Magic Tree House On Stage Magic Tree House Amination Books: A full list of the books and authors mentioned in this episode is available here. Register for Upcoming Events. The Watchung Booksellers Podcast is produced by Kathryn Counsell and Marni Jessup and is recorded at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, NJ. The show is edited by Kathryn Counsell. Original music is composed and performed by Violet Mujica. Research and show notes by Caroline Shurtleff. Thanks to all the staff at Watchung Booksellers and The Kids’ Room! If you liked our episode please like, follow, and share! Stay in touch! Email: wbpodcast@watchungbooksellers.com Social: @watchungbooksellers Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on our shows, events, and book recommendations!
