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I Am A Story. Dan Yaccarino. 2016. HarperCollins. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I am a story. I was told around a campfire, then painted on cave walls. I was carved onto clay tablets and told in pictures. I was written on papyrus and printed with ink and woodblocks, then woven into tapestries and copied into big books to illuminate minds.

Premise/plot: The story's autobiography. The concept of 'story' is personified and communicated in very simple, basic terms that readers of all ages can appreciate.

My thoughts: LOVED it. Loved, loved, loved, LOVED it. It's so simple yet so brilliant. Would recommend to anyone and everyone who loves stories and storytelling. It's not just for people who love books and libraries, but, for anyone who celebrates storytelling and communities.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total; 9 out of 10

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Congratulations to Mitali Perkins whose wonderful Tiger Boy (Charlesbridge, 2015 / Duckbill Books, 2015) has garnered another award (well, I said it should win plenty in … Continue reading ... →

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Check out Ted Sanders’ Selfie with The Keepers: The Harp and the Ravenvine, the second in the magical series that began with The Box and the Dragonfly.

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Bread and Jam for Frances. Russell Hoban. Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. 1964/1992. HarperCollins. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It was breakfast time, and everyone was at the table. Father was eating his egg. Mother was eating her egg. Gloria was sitting in a high chair and eating her egg too. Frances was eating bread and jam.

Premise/plot: Is Frances an adventurous eater or a picky one?!

My thoughts: Frances just LOVES, LOVES, LOVES bread and jam. She wants to eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. She doesn't want to try new foods. She doesn't want to eat anything BUT bread and jam. Other people in her life--like her good friend, Albert, may have more interesting lunches, but is anything as good as her favorite comfort food?! Will Frances, the badger, ever tire of bread and jam?! Read and see in one of my favorite, favorite picture books! Frances makes up so many lovely songs in this one! And readers get to meet Albert--I've always liked Albert very much!

Here's one of the songs she makes up in the book. I'll also give a little context:

"What a lovely egg!" said Father.
"If there is one thing I am fond of for breakfast, it is a soft-boiled egg."
"Yes," said Mother, spooning up egg for the baby, "it is just the thing to start the day off right."
"Ah!" said Gloria, and ate up her egg.
Frances did not eat her egg. She sang a little song to it. She sang the song very softly:
I do not like the way you slide,
I do not like your soft inside,
I do not like you lots of ways,
And could do for many days
Without eggs.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10
© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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We're living in a golden age of great fiction ... so many beautiful works being published every month, and it's become a real paradise for readers, whatever they like to read.

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This month’s best selling kids series from The Children’s Book Review’s affiliate store Captain No Beard, by award-winning author Carole P. Roman, is an imaginative picture book series loved by all.

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During her teens, Deirdre Riordan Hall, author of PEARL, traveled throughout the United States and Europe, developing a love for stories and a desire to connect with worlds imagined or real on the page.

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Mother's Day will be here before you know it! Celebrate by entering to win a copy of You Made Me a Mother, written by Laurenne Sala and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. Giveaway begins March 8, 2016, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends April 8, 2016, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

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Laurenne Sala began her career as an advertising copywriter, writing national campaigns for clients like KIA Motors, Jack-in-the-Box, and Beats by Dre.

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Waiting. Kevin Henkes. 2015. HarperCollins. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: There were five of them. And they were waiting....

Premise/plot: A collection of toys sit on a window sill and wait. Most toys are waiting for something specific, but, not all. Some just like looking out the window at anything and everything. There is some sense of companionship among the toys, but, I wouldn't necessarily call this one friendship-themed.

My thoughts: Unique, yes, I think it is. Simple too. But at times, I found it charming and sweet. This is sometimes conveyed by the text of the story. One of my favorite lines is, "When it finally snowed, the puppy was happy. He'd waited a very long time." But I'd say that most of the charm is conveyed by the illustrations. (Both text and illustrations are by Kevin Henkes.) One of my favorite scenes is when the toys are all shown "sleeping" on the sill. And in another scene, the toys are shown huddled together--afraid--because of the storm outside. It is more expressive than you might at first think.

I'd recommend it easily to anyone who enjoys Henkes' work. Is it my personal favorite by him? I'd say no. It is not an action-packed, make-you-laugh-out-loud book to share with children. It is a quieter, subtler read instead. Nice doesn't have to be a bad thing in terms of describing a book.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10
© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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HarperCollins has acquired the world rights for a memoir by Nujeen Mustafa, a teenage Syrian refugee who travelled from Syria to Germany in a wheelchair.

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Oh wait, wait, wait, am I cut off? So many other favorites!

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I am not reviewing How to Put Your Parents to Bed for a while, but don’t want you to miss the opportunity to WIN PAJAMAS to celebrate this new release from debut children’s author Mylisa Larsen and Babette Cole (HarperCollins, 978-0-06-232064-3). Open to US, Canada & Great Britain    Mylisa Larsen’s tongue-in-cheek bedtime story about a role …

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News Corp, the umbrella company that owns HarperCollins, earned $2.16 billion in revenue in fiscal Q2 2016, down 4 percent from the comparable quarter last year.

The company attributed the drop to several factors including “lower consumer revenues at the Book Publishing segment.”

Revenues also suffered from foreign currency fluctuations of $141 million and the adjusted revenues only declined 1 percent. The company also reported lower advertising revenues at the News and Information Services segment.

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Our selection of hot new releases and popular kids' books has a lot to offer!

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Allison Branscombe, author of All About China: Stories, Songs, Crafts and More for Kids, selected these five family favorites.

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Which books will you be reading during the 12 days of Christmas? Here are 6 picture books that we know will make you feel merry ... Read the rest of this post

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Michael Pietsch, CEO of HarperCollins, thinks that all the talk about the failing publishing industry is just talk.

In a column penned for The Wall Street Journal, Pietsch points out that e-books didn’t kill books as previously predicted and that self-publishing is only good for authors that are willing to forego an advance and want to build an audience themselves. Here is an excerpt from the piece:

Publishers’ essential work will remain the same—identifying, investing in, nurturing, and marketing great writers. The abundance of titles readers have come to expect will continue to gush forth. Pictorial storytelling will increase in popularity, and comic versions of novels and nonfiction will become commonplace. More titles will be published for children and young-adult readers, including books blended and layered with games. Beloved best-selling writers, living and dead, will publish books more frequently, often with help from co-writers.

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We are all coloring our heads off this holiday season. Check out these two beauties!



The first is Secret Garden, Artist's Edition, by Johanna Basford. There are 20 drawings to remove, color, and frame. The paper is heavy stock, and you are going to love the imagery collected from her two previous works, Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest. These images were considered the most popular and the larger format awaits your color. Laurence King creates such exquisite works for readers.





This beautiful coloring is from YATOPIA.



The second is Christmas to Color from HarperCollins by Mary Tanana. This one has imagery on both sides of the pages. The holiday theme makes it perfect to leave out on the coffee table for any in the mood to relieve a little stress and express themselves. I had guests coloring during Thanksgiving. Such a fun way to bring together family and friends.

   

Find your fancy and crack open your Crayolas this holiday season!                                                      

Secret Garden, Artist's Edition
By Johanna Basford
Laurence King, 2015

Christmas to Color
By Mary Tanana
HarperCollins, 2015

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Harold and the Purple Crayon. Crockett Johnson. 1955. HarperCollins. 64 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: One evening, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight. There wasn't any moon, and Harold needed a moon for a walk in the moonlight. And he needed something to walk on.

Premise: Readers meet Harold, a young boy with a purple crayon. Harold is always finding himself in the middle of adventures. He can draw his way in and out of those adventures. For example, his shaking hand causes the purple crayon to make waves and he finds himself drowning in the ocean. No cause for fear though, just draw a boat and get inside.

My thoughts: I really love Harold and his purple crayon. I found the book playful and fun and simple and wonderful. Have you read Harold and the Purple Crayon? What was your favorite scene? I love Harold's picnic with the nine kinds of pie!!! I like how he draws animals to finish the pies. The picture of the porcupine is so cute and adorable!

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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In looking at the list, the common themes seem to be naughtiness and humor—especially of the silly, slapstick variety. So here goes:

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Lauren Oliver, author of the Delirium trilogy, Before I Fall and Liesl & Po, has created a tense psychological thriller in Vanishing Girls.

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Actress Kate Hudson has signed a deal with the HarperCollins imprint, Dey Street Books. Hudson plans to write a wellness book entitled Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body.

Editorial director Carrie Thornton negotiated the terms of the agreement with the Creative Artists Agency and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris. The publication date has been scheduled for February 2016.

According to the press release, Hudson’s book “will offer health and wellness inspiration and motivation for women, addressing fitness, nutrition and a mindful lifestyle. Long admired for her beauty and dedication to healthy living, Hudson has always exuded authenticity and a passion for life. She’s demonstrated this dedication to promote wellness as the founder of Fabletics, designed to empower women to get active and to care for themselves, not as a fad or a quick fix, but as a way of living that promotes health, community, determination, passion and joy.”

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HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is launching a new digital-first imprint for “transformational” fiction called HarperLegend.

“HarperLegend will publish visionary fiction from new voices that communicates wisdom, insight, and/or personal growth with an overarching theme of transformation,” explains the press release.

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Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues. James and Kimberly Dean. 2015. HarperCollins. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Pete and the gang had a great day! They'd been at the beach. Surf and sun and tons of fun.

Premise/plot: After a super-fun day, Pete and his friends (Gus, Alligator, and Toad) decide to continue the fun into the night by having a sleepover at Pete's house. The fun does continue, but, they have to go to bed eventually, right?! Can Pete get his guests to quiet down and go to sleep?

My thoughts: I liked it. I like the earlier Pete the Cat books better, but, the newer ones are okay too. Do you have a favorite Pete the Cat book?

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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