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It’s that time of year again — summer reading! My two school-age children made great strides in their reading over the past school year. Future fourth-grader Noah found a true love of reading. He has made a leap from only reading from his favorite time travel and fantasy series. He now gives a wide variety of books a chance, even ones with a bit of pink on the cover!

And my future first-grader, Sky, is just months into her journey of being a reader. She loves tackling early readers and thrives on the success of being able to read a book entirely on her own. (Stone Arch’s Truck Buddies and the upcoming Little Lizard sets are among her favorites.)

So, over the past nine months, Noah’s and Sky’s teachers have built a wonderful foundation for my young readers. Now it's Mom and Dad’s job to build on that. Studies show that young learners’ math and reading skills slide in the summer. How do parents combat that? One of our favorite ways is the summer reading program at our local library. Nothing beats earning prizes while discovering new books.

Most libraries organize their summer reading programs around a certain theme. Our local library’s theme this year is “Make a Splash at Your Library.” Below is a list of Stone Arch Books that are perfect for this theme. Let me know your library’s theme, and I’d love to come up with a list for you.

Books that make a splash:

Bella’s Boat Surprise, by Christianne C. Jones — A My 1^st Graphic Novel that’s perfect for emerging readers.

Boss of the World, by Fran Manushkin — Our girl Katie Woo hits the beach with her pals JoJo and Pedro. This early chapter book is the perfect step up from readers.

Ora, the Sea Monster, by Cari Meister — A Level 3 reader, for the child who is nearly ready for chapter books, but not quite.

Princess Candy: The Marshmallow Mermaid, by Michael Dahl — Kids grades 2-5 will cheer on Princess Candy as she battles an evil mermaid in this graphic novel.

Shipwreck! by Jake Maddox — My favorite Jake Maddox novel; this adventure story, complete with sharks, is perfect for grades 4 to 8.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne, retold by Carl Bowen — Readers can tackle a piece of classic literature in a new way with this graphic novel from our Graphic Revolve series.

Julie Gassman

Senior Editor

We're having a great trip, except...We just found out Henry has hand foot and mouth disease. Poor guy! He's really irritable. We took him to the doctors and she said he's fine, just uncomfortable. Tonight we hang out with that massive, unruly crowd known as my relatives...

Some stuff from a sketchbook. Things are very busy right now. I have several covers to complete before we go on a trip back to Nova Scotia on April 15th, this is on top of my comic book work. Julie's in school and stressing about that. I'll be bringing work with me, there's still a studio set up in my mom's basement which is convenient. To alleviate some stress Julie and I have been watching movies. We saw Frailty last night. It was great; scary and surprising.

Laying in bed last night I wanted to show Julie what I want to look like in ten or fifteen years. So I drew this. She said, " Wow, he looks like a real gentleman,"

Some pictures from the nights festivities.

When I first read author Fran Manushkin’s manuscripts for our Katie Woo series, I felt like I knew Katie. In fact, I felt like I was raising her! (Only my Katie is named Sky and doesn’t wear glasses.)

Fran has a wonderful understanding of children and how they think and react to situations. I think that is why Katie is so likeable. You feel like you know her, because she is just like the sweet, funny girl in your class, or down the street, or at your kitchen table. She loves clothes and her friends and spaghetti. Sure, she gets in trouble once in a while, but she always makes you laugh.

To celebrate Katie, we have a fabulous new poster — and we are giving four away! Be one of the first four readers to leave a comment and one will be sent your way.

Julie, senior editor at Capstone Fiction

I often prefer a Victorian castle to a castle from the middle ages. This is kind of strange but I love the impractical aesthetic nature of Victorian castles, it is all about effect and Romance rather than a practical need to withstand attack. Today Julie,Henry my cousins Gary and Stephanie and myself did a little tour of the famous Toronto landmark Casa Loma. I've heard of Casa Loma but had never visited. It's a millionaires Romantic Victorian vision come to life and in the end it bankrupted him and he lost it to the Kiwanis Club.... The castle was built by Sir Henry Pellatt who had twin obsessions: the Romantic past and the military and this strange building really reflects that.

Here are some more pages in the new Harry and Silvio story. I sort of took today off. My plan was to go downtown meet with the Superman Club and buy some art supplies. I m,ust have been distracted by the Blind Rev. Gary Davis album I was listening to because I got off at the completely wrong stop and wondered around lost for about an hour. When I surfaced again I was standing in front of the Toronto Public Library which totally rivals the New York Public Library for coolness. One floor is dedicated solely to antiquated children's books and another is totally devoted to science fiction! How cool is that?

As for work, at the moment I'm doing Harry and Silvio as well as discussing a couple of new contracts. Which is good because I'm broke. As in no overdraft broke. The new contracts will require some sample work as well.

In Orchard family news, Julie starts school tomorrow! Weird. She'll be starting a bachelor of education after working in research labs for a decade. She's really excited and not at all nervous which leaves me totally mystified. School freaks me out. And Henry has decided to grow longer, in frog fashion. He now points at everything and goes "ooooooh....." it's very funny, as though everything is a big surprise he loves to show us. Which might be exactly his point.

And we're off. We pull out of Halifax this morning for a seven day trip to Toronto. The iPod is loaded with music and podcasts, we are stocked with snacks and water and the tent is firmly wedged into the back and Benny the dog is staring out the window~fogging it up.. I'll try and post often from the road. I can still be reached by email and Twitter and we have a cell with us. Just write if you want the number. Talk to you all soon.

To celebrate the holidays we asked some of our favorite people in publishing what their favorite book was. Let us know in the comments what your favorite book is and be sure to check back throughout the week for more “favorites”.

Erin Cox, Book Publishing Director for The New Yorker, avid reader and lover of books.

Wow, to pick just one is actually quite hard. So, I’m going to actually list a few. Some old, some new.

Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins is a book that I’ve long mentioned I would like to read, but never actually had. One stormy afternoon this fall, I finished a book and thought, okay, now is the time. I started reading and didn’t look up until the room was so dark I couldn’t see anything. I spent the next two evenings ditching plans and reading into the night. I had to see what happened to Fos and Opal and Flash, the main characters of the book, who live in Tennessee post-World War I and are all enchanted by light in all its many forms. (more…)

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To celebrate the holidays we asked some of our favorite people in publishing what their favorite book was. Let us know in the comments what your favorite book is and be sure to check back throughout the week for more “favorites”.

Christine Duplessis is a Marketing Manager at Simon and Schuster.

I say that my favorite book is Pride and Prejudice. And it really is brilliant—great characters, great story, writing that has held up for all these years. I can still remember reading it for the first time and how it made me feel. But deep down I know that my favorite book is really a historical romance, The Prize by Julie Garwood, because that’s the book I go back and reread whenever I’m sad or sick or stressed out. But shh. Don’t tell.

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Julie Olson's blog What The Heck Does An Illustrator Do? caught my eye the other day and I saved it to blog later. Olson is a children's illustrator with some good bloggings to follow. Her work is charming too!

Writing is a craft. It is a craft that requires nurturing and inspiration, along with skill and knowledge. Most writers look for news ways to be creative and inspired. I remember years ago listening to the audio tape of Julia Cameron talking about THE ARTIST'S WAY. I realize she is most well-known for the implementation of morning pages - but it was something else she said that struck me. She spoke of the possibilities that open up when you allow yourself to be creative. In my own words that means when you let creativity in the front door, it's amazing what comes in through the back door. Julia said to notice the things you start doing - suddenly you will be making curtains for your windows. The concept gave me pause. If I spent time doing other creative things, I would run out of time to write! I didn't have time to paint, or sew, or even plant flowers. If I made the time for these pursuits, wouldn't it detract from my writing? I struggled with this notion for years - really! I found myself actually avoiding other creative endeavors in rebellion. But the universe gave me signs, and friends!

My friend Tina Nichols Coury is an illustrator/artist who made the decision to become a writer - and her first book about Mount Rushmore is coming out in the Fall of 2008. Tina showed me the similarities between art and writing - they are skills that require passion, commitment, and a tenacious spirit. She writes in her studio, surrounded by paints and canvases - and the colors nurture her words.

Then I had the blessing to have Julie Williams, author of ESCAPING TORNEDO SEASON, in my critique group. Julie is an artist's artist. She creates beautiful works of art - she loves pens and beautiful papers and incorporates photos into her art. Knowing Julie made me realize that different art forms will actually foster the creativity needed to write. Art nurtures art.

Finally, I took a wonderful workshop from author Robin LaFevers. She encouraged us to create collages of our stories to provide insight and inspiration. I was hesitant, tentative - but I felt myself beginning to let go. I went home and pulled out a stack of magazines. I cut and pasted with abandon. I looked at my final product with awe. It was my story - with details I hadn't yet discovered in my words. That's when it hit me. I am a writer. I am an artist. I finally gave myself the permission I needed to be a fully creative person.

Now I gotta go - I have to sew some new curtains.