COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 12 -- This summer marks two milestones for the company that brought generations of children and their families "Hidden Pictures" and "Goofus and Gallant" through the pages of Highlights magazine. Highlights for Children celebrates the printing of the one-billionth copy of the magazine and its 60th anniversary in June. The one-billionth copy of Highlights will roll off the presses on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, at Quebecor World in Clarksville, Tenn. Highlights has been printed in Tennessee for 49 years. Highlights reaches more than two million readers each month through subscriptions mailed directly to children and families, through its well-known presence in doctors' and dentists' waiting rooms, and in schools and libraries nationwide. A founding principle of Highlights for Children is the belief that children are the world's most important people. This belief continues to drive the company and is the underlying principle of a family of "Fun with a Purpose" products. Over the years, Highlights has extended both its mission and its impact on children by expanding its activities beyond the magazine. The company has grown to include five Highlights Book Clubs - Puzzlemania, Mathmania, Which Way USA?, Top Secret Adventures, and Hidden Pictures Playground - as well as an interactive Web site for children, www.HighlightsKids.com, and the Highlights Catalog, all of which can be reached via www.Highlights.com. "What has made Highlights popular over so many generations is our steadfast commitment to helping children become their best selves, and the positive role our magazine and other products can play in a child's development," said Kent S. Johnson, CEO of Highlights for Children. "We've achieved our first 60-year milestone by strictly adhering to an enduring philosophy and set of values. All that we do - and will do over the next 60 years - will focus on helping children in their development of creativity, sensitivity, literacy, and ability to think and reason." Adults will recall this cultural icon from their childhood, with "Hidden Pictures" - still the most popular feature - and "Goofus and Gallant," two boys whose different approaches to everyday situations prompt discussion about what are right and wrong behaviors. The poetry, fiction, and articles explore a wide variety of topics. Science stories show the scientific process to help stimulate kids to enjoy the wonder of nature, think, raise questions, reason, and experiment. These features remain hallmarks of the magazine, along with readers' letters, drawings, poetry, and questions to the editors. Recent feature additions - "Ask Arizona," "Gallant Kids," and "Nature Watch" - offer new enjoyment to children. The HighlightsKids.com Web site includes interactive games, such as "Maze Maker," "Click-and-Play Hidden Pictures," "Mystery Messages," and more. The site also includes archives of stories, Hidden Pictures, crafts, poems, and recipes, as well as bonus features that enhance the value of the current issue of the magazine. "We encourage children to read for meaning and enjoyment, and to think creatively and critically," said Christine French Clark, editor of Highlights magazine. "Whether kids are enjoying our magazine, puzzle books, or Web site, our mission never changes, and that is to provide the highest quality content that kids love and parents trust." On the Web site, children can make their own story of "The Timbertoes" (which first appeared in the pages of Highlights in 1951) - with Ma, Pa, Mabel and Tommy Timbertoe and their dog, Spot. The Timbertoes are a charming family of little wooden people who wander through a picture-world described in simple words for young children. In "Story Soup," children can decide what happens in the "Goofus and Gallant Story Adventure," where the plot twists and turns based upon the child's selected "Goofus" or "Gallant" responses. From the beginning, Highlights has invited children to contribute to the magazine by submitting their own poems and drawings, questions to the editors, riddles, and jokes. Highlights readers consider the magazine as a personal friend, and children send the editors more than 30,000 letters a year. "We take our relationship with our young readers very seriously, and we have always responded to every letter we receive," said Clark. "The various features comprised of children's contributions are often some of the first pages kids turn to when they receive their magazine. Looking at the creative work of peers inspires kids to create for themselves." "Our focus continues to be on the enjoyment of learning, reading, and creating," said Johnson. "If children are given opportunities to succeed at these things, they are well on their way to becoming lifelong learners. And that's certainly 'Fun with a Purpose.'"