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Illustrator Gregory Myers from Syndey, Australia sent in this illustration. He is a freelance illustrator. Studied under Czech artist Petr Herel at Canberra School of Art, and Akira Kurosaki at Kyoto Seika University. Hand-coloured scraperboard artworks like this has proven to be popular with his clients. www.gregorymyers.me

Mt. Airy Kids’ Literary Festival

Friday, May 17, through Sunday, May 19, 2013

Big Blue Marble Bookstore is proud to present its seventh annual Mt. Airy Kids’ Literary Festival! All events are FREE and open to the public!

This year, our festival includes events at the Color Book Gallery, 6353 Germantown Avenue (215-844-4200).

All Weekend

The Craft Table! Big Blue Marble Bookstore will have our special craft table open all weekend, stocked with brightly colored paper, collage materials, and all kinds of other supplies to create your own books! (In our Community Room, All Ages. Adult Supervision Required.)

Special Door Prizes! Winners will be randomly selected throughout the entire weekend to win free books, promotional goodies, and more. Stop by with your family and get a chance to go home with all kinds of special treats. (All Ages)

Friday, May 17

10:30am – Big Blue Marble Story Time with Amanda Hendricks. Join us for our regular Friday morning story time! (Ages 18m-4y)

6:30pm – Philadelphia Youth Poetry Slam. Share your words in a welcoming literary environment in the Big Blue Marble Bookstore cafe! Light refreshments will be served, and local poets will be invited to help decide the winners. Prizes include bookstore gift certificates for an overall winner, a middle school winner, and one runner-up. (Ages 12-18) Special Guest Judge/Host: Ms. Alyesha Wise

Alyesha Wise was raised in the city of Camden, N.J. She began writing at the age of 11 and eventually developed a passion 4 Poetry. The founder of “Love, Us,” she is on a mission 2 spark a LOVE REVOLUTION, holding a strong belief that unity and compassion is the healing force to all that exists. She’s the co-host of the longest running weekly open mic in Philadelphia, “Jus’ Words.” In addition, she’s the co-founder & co-host of “The Pigeon Presents: The Philadelphia Poetry Slam,” voted “Best of Philly” for Literary Activity in 2012, by Philadelphia Magazine.

Saturday, May 18

10:30am – Nature Yoga for Kids with Deirdre Vezirov-Kilkenny. Join yoga teacher Deirdre Vezirov Kilkenny as she reads from The Yoga Game, and incorporates yoga postures. (Ages 3-7)

Deirdre Vezirov-Kilkenny trained with the Radiant Child Yoga Program at Karma Kids NYC. She is also certified in Storytime Yoga levels 1 & 2 and Yoga4Teens, and has been teaching kids yoga since 2004.

Deirdre’s classes at Springboard Studio are 45 minutes on Tuesdays: Nature Yoga for 4-7 year-olds takes place from 4:00pm–4:45pm, and for 8-12 year-olds from 5:00pm–5:45pm. Spring classes will be April 2nd–June 4th. Nature Yoga for Teens and Tweens (10+) on Fridays from 4pm-4:45 pm this Spring will be April 4th–June 7th. The 10 session cost is $100; drop-ins are $12 per session. For information, call 267-241-4810 or e-mail natureyoga@comcast.net. Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/NatureYogaforKids.

11:15am – Festival Storytime with Lauren Grace. Come join us for a special Mt. Airy Kids’ Literary Festival storytime! Together we will sing songs, play games, and read some books, of course!  (Ages toddler to 4)

Lauren Grace is a local mom who enjoys knitting, sitting outside, laughing with her two daughters, and reading!

12:00pm – Harry Potter fun with Grace Gordon.

1:00pm – Afternoon Drawing Workshop with Mark Mattson. (Ages 6 and up)

Mark Mattson is a Philadelphia-based artist, writer, illustrator, and designer. A graduate of Columbus College of Art and Design, he also makes video games and kids’ products; and is a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. He’s made everything from books based on famous red monster puppets, to Easter baskets starring martial-arts mutant turtles, to educational games prominently featuring deep-voiced tooth fairies. It is all true.

2:00pm – Reading and crafts with Ame Dyckman, author of Boy + Bot and Tea Party Rules. Join author Ame Dyckman for a cool Boy + Bot reading, with robot crafts and giveaways, and a special sneak peek into her forthcoming book, Tea Party Rules.  (Ages 4 and up)

Ame Dyckman

3:00pm – Creating Graphic Novels/Comic Books with Marta Rose and Judy McCoubry. Text (Ages 7 and up)

Festival Events at Color Book Gallery

All day – Face painting and activity table!

12:00pm – C. Getti, author of Bear’s Prayer

1:00pm – Melissa Conroy, author of Poppy’s Pants

2:00pm – Baba Abiodun, Storyteller

3:00pm – Rhiannon Richardson, author of Model Friendship

4:00pm – A. R. Bey, author of Netherworld of Kemet

Sunday, May 19

1:00pm – Reading with , author of .

10:30am – Music with Gina Ferragame! Join local musician Gina Ferragame for a fun-filled round of kid music and interactive fun. (Ages toddler to 5)

Gina Ferragame is a trained Music Therapist who has extensive experience working with children, special needs children, hospice care, and in-patient hospital care with emotionally disturbed adolescents. Gina is also a preschool Music Teacher in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia. “Music With Gina” is a class designed for babies/toddlers (ages 6mo to 3yrs) and caregivers. The intention for each class is to allow your little one the freedom to express themselves in a positive and compassionate setting through the use of movement, playing, and singing. Music classes are meant to enrich, enliven, and entertain your little ones! it’s just fun! 10:30am Tuesdays, Mt. Airy Yoga: 610 Carpenter Lane Philadelphia, 19119. $12 drop in $100 for 11 classes. Contact musicwithgina@gmail.com.

11:00am-12:00pm – Free Creative Writing Games Workshop with Cordelia Jensen. This workshop is for any kid who wants to get creative. We will play four or five writing games that focus on different aspects of the storytelling process, such as dialogue and character development. So, come and get wild with words! (Ages 7 and up)

Cordelia Jensen is a YA Writer; her novel in verse SKYSCRAPING is forthcoming from Philomel/Penguin. Cordelia graduated in 2012 with a MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Cordelia graduated from Kenyon College where she majored in English, with a Concentration in Creative Writing. Cordelia was Poet Laureate of Perry County in 2006 & 2007. She has also had nonfiction work appear in Literary Mama. Cordelia has worked with young people for most of her career; with a Masters of Education in Counseling, she has worked as a counselor, teacher and spent ten summers as a camp counselor in Central PA. She works at The Big Blue Marble Bookstore and loves being surrounded by books and people who love stories and language. Cordelia lives in West Mt. Airy with her husband, Jon, and twin seven-year-olds, Tate and Lily.

12:15pm – Reading with Kit Grindstaff, author of The Flame in the Mist. Join Kit for themed refreshments and a special reading from her new book The Flame in the Mist, a fantasy-adventure for fans of Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. (Ages 9 and up)

Kit Grindstaff was born near London and grew up in the rolling countryside of England. After a brush with pop stardom (under her maiden name, Hain) she moved to New York and embarked on her career as a pop song writer. Kit now lives with her husband in the rolling countryside of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the SCBWI. The Flame In The Mist is her first novel. You can also find her at http://www.kitgrindstaff.com , http://www.facebook.com/kitgrindstaff  and on Twitter: @kitgrindstaff.

Check the Big Blue Marble Bookstore for additions and changes: http://bigbluemarblebooks.com/kidslit13.html

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Did you see the New Jersey SCBWI Chapter Logo? It was created by illustrator Susan Brand. Congratulations to Susan Brand for her winning entry. The image (see above) incorporates the SCBWI kite symbol but also the New Jersey state bird: the goldfinch—a beautiful icon to symbolize our members taking flight and moving onward and upward in their journey to publication. Congratulations, Susan! You can view Susan’s illustration work here.

The Final Round of voting for the 2013 Crystal Kite Member Choice Awards continues until March 15, 2013. Winners of the 2013 Crystal Kite Award will be notified the following week, and announcement of the winners made on April 30, 2013.  Here are the finalists. Make sure you vote. Go to www.scbwi.org, log in, go to your regional chapter page, then click on the Crystal Kite Award Tab.

Here are the finalist for Pennsylvania/Delaware/New Jersey/Wash DC/Virginia/West Virginia/Maryland Regions.

Ame Dyckman, Boy+ Bot (Alfred A. Knopf (Random House Children’s Books)

Cynthia Grady, I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)

Lana Krumwiede, Freakling (Candlewick Press)

Anne Marie Pace, Vampirina Ballerina (Disney-Hyperion (Disney Children’s)

Lois Szymanski, Wild Colt (Schiffer Books/Cornell Marime Press)

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Everyone is so excited for our Ame Dyckman. Her book, BOY + Bot hit the book shelves this month and it has been greeted with rave reviews. In the very beginning, before it was touched by agent or publishers hands, Ame asked me to read her manuscript and immediately, I knew it was a winner. It was a perfect picture book, so I knew it would be snatched up and it was. It is pretty thrilling to see it written up in the NEW YORK TIMES Children’s Book Section.

I thought I would share the article written By PAMELA PAUL about BOY + BOT:

Children’s Books

My Friend the Robot

‘Boy and Bot’ and ‘Beep and Bah’

Beyond its pointed social message about the perils of earthly overabundance and human passivity, the movie “Wall-E” made one thing clear: Being friends with a robot would be awfully fun.
Small children know this already, which is what makes two new picture books, “Boy and Bot” and “Beep and Bah,” so appealing. In “Boy and Bot,” Ame Dyckman’s sweet and playful tale, with deceptively simple gouache illustrations by Dan Yaccarino (“All the Way to America”), a nameless boy is collecting pine cones in his red wagon when he meets a robot. “Want to play?” the boy asks, to which the robot, quite naturally, replies, “Affirmative!”

Boy and robot, who looks like the Tin Man crossed with a squat red rocket ship, gambol about outside until the robot mysteriously stops functioning. Unable to revive the bot, the boy brings him home to offer him care. Later, when the boy goes to bed, the robot (easily revived, it turns out, with the flip of a switch) is shocked to find the boy now malfunctioning (asleep).

The trouble, of course, is a failure in communication, perhaps inevitable, between man and machine. But this is easily remedied, and the two friends reconvene for further play dates. Boy affixes a drawing of Bot to the refrigerator; Bot sticks a picture of Boy on his torso. Boy sips chocolate milk from a straw; Bot chugs oil from the nozzle of a can. It’s a perfectly adorable, age-appropriate friendship. And it’s simply impossible to imagine a 4-year-old boy not wanting to be friends with this book.

Read the rest of the article about Beep and Bah

BOY AND BOT

By Ame Dyckman

Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

32 pp. Alfred A. Knopf. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5)

In less than a week BOY + BOT’s Amazon Ranking has pushed it’s way higher and higher.  It is the perfect combination of fun story and entertaining illustrations by Dan Yaccarino.  You can meet both Ame and Dan at this years, NJSCBWI conference. www.regonline.com/njscbwi2012conference  Hope to see you there.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

The list below is by no means all the books being sold at the conference on Saturday and Sunday, but some of the books are limited in the amount we have ordered.  Last year we ran out of Grace Lin’s WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON and with so many big names, author and illustrator combos, and new books on this list, I wanted to give everyone a chance to reserve the books they would like to purchase from the list below.  This way we can try to order more for the weekend, if needed.

Please e-mail Darlene Beck Jacobson djac2185@verizon.net with the books you would like to secure by the end of Tuesday and we will make sure they are set aside with your name on them for pick-up at the conference.  All the books will be sold at regular price.

Kate DeCamillo & Harry Bliss – Louise, Adventures of a Chicken (get two autographs)
Kate DiCamillo – Bink & Gollie; Two for One – Hardcover *NEW Early Sale
Ame Dyckman, Dan Yaccarino BOY + BOT *New Selling last of first printing (Get two autographs)
Natalie Zaman and Charlotte Bennardo Sirenz, Sirenz Back in Fashion *NEW (Get two autographs)
Leeza Hernandez – Dog Gone! *NEW Early Sale
Harry Bliss – Bailey at the Museum *New

Kate DiCamillo
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane [Paperback and hardcover]
The Magician’s Elephant [Paperback and hardcover]
Because of Winn-Dixie [Paperback and hardcover]
The Tale of Despereaux [Paperback and hardcover]
Bink & Gollie [Paperback]
Mercy Watson to the Rescue [Paperback]
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise [Paperback]
Mercy Watson: Something Wonky this Way Comes [Paperback]
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo [Paperback]

Dan Yaccarino
All the Way to America

Harry Bliss
Bailey
Diary of a Worm

JohnCusick (agent)
Girl Parts

Daniel Nayeri (editor)
Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow

Leila Sales (editor)
Mostly Good Girls
Past Perfect

Harold Underdown
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books

If you are not attending the conference and would like to request a signed copy of a book, you can send Darlene a request and we will get them autographed for you and ship them to your address after you have paid for the price of the book and shipping.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

I’m lucky to be good friends with several very important book reviewers.

Like my neighbor, Ashley.

At 3:47 PM each Monday through Friday, as we wait at the bus stop for the big kids to come home, six-year-old Ashley recounts the books read aloud in her first grade classroom that day.

Don’t let the pigtails fool you. You thought Kirkus was tough? You haven’t heard Ashley.

But last month, Ashley bestowed her first starred review:

“It-was-an-old-book-about-a-monkey-who-was-eating-spaghetti-and-the-monkey’s-friend-wanted-to-play-with-her-but-the-monkey-didn’t-wanna-play-because-she-was-eating-spaghetti!”

“And it was really, really good!”

My mouth hung open.

I knew that book.

I loved that book—back when I had pigtails.

Thumbs clumsy with excitement, I fumbled my way through an Alibris search on my phone.

“That’s it!” said Ashley. “Order it!”

I did. And the waiting (and whining) began.

For days, cries of “But why isn’t it here yet?” echoed around our neighborhood.

“Be patient,” said Ashley.

“No,” I pouted.

But finally, the package arrived.

I ran to the bus stop.

I tore open the padded mailer.

And there it was:

MORE SPAGHETTI, I SAY! by Rita Golden Gelman, illustrated by Jack Kent (Scholastic, 1977).

“Read!” commanded Ashley.

We plunked down on the curb. I opened the cover—and two wires in my brain connected.

It had been *mumble mumble mumble* years since I’d held a copy of this book, but suddenly, I remembered the words before I read them.

I remembered the pictures before I saw them.

And I remembered how they worked together.

Humor. Friendship. Rhythm. Repetition. Brevity. The power of the page turn. The fun satisfaction of a mirror story.

All the elements I try to use in my own writing.

And this was one of the places I’d learned it first.

“Wow,” I whispered.

I couldn’t wait to write that night.

Ashley smiled. “Told you it was good,” she said.

So, awesome writers, as you seek inspiration this month while creating the books of the future, don’t forget to revisit the books of your past, too!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to get a little writing done before making dinner.

We’re having spaghetti.

Ame Dyckman LOVES picture books. Sometimes she’ll even put them down long enough to write one of her own: BOY + BOT, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (Knopf; 2012); TEA PARTY RULES, illustrated by K.G. Campbell (Viking; Fall, 2013), WOLFIE AND DOT (working title), illustrator TBD (Little, Brown; TBD).

Ame lives in New Jersey with her family, pets (including a demanding-but-adorable squirrel named Willie) and book collection. Visit Ame at amedyckman.com, or on Twitter @AmeDyckman, where she Tweets “PB book reviews and random goofy thoughts.”

Ame is giving away a signed copy of BOY + BOT plus SWAG—bookmark, sticker, “Affirmative!” bracelet and mini Frisbee! Comment on this post AND complete the challenge to be entered (you’ll be asked to take the “PiBo Pledge” on December 1st to verify you have 30 ideas). A winner will be randomly selected in early December. Good luck!

HEADS UP: You can now pre-order BOY + BOT written by our own Ame Dyckman and Dan Yaccarino.

I was there from the beginning.  I heard the story in a First Page Session.  Was there for the first agent rejection.  I knew he was making a big mistake, because it is a perfect picture book – funny, sweet, with a delightful twist.  I was there when Ame signed with agent Scott Treimel found at a NJSCBWI June Conference.  Then the sale and the great addition of Dan Yaccarino.

Anyone who meets Ame is super happy for her success.  She is as much fun as her book.

Ame and Dan are coming out to the 2012 NJSCBWI Conference to talk about the process.  I am hoping I can get her agent and editor to agree to join them.  I think it would be great to hear the whole story from beginning to end, from each person’s perspective.

Here is a little bit about the book:

One day, a boy and a robot meet in the woods.

They play. They have fun. But when Bot gets switched off, Boy thinks he’s sick. The usual remedies—applesauce, reading a story—don’t help, so Boy tucks  the sick Bot in, then falls asleep.

Bot is worried when he powers on and finds his friend powered off. He takes Boy home with him and tries all hisremedies: oil, reading an instruction manual. Nothing revives the malfunctioning Boy! Can the Inventor help fix him?

Of course, Ame & Dan will be signing BOY + BOT book at the Conference Bookfair in June.

Congratulations Ame!

Back in April I posted this contest for Leeza Hernandez’s new illustrated book: Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes For Hungry Minds written by Ann McCallum (Charlesbridge) releases in July.  Leeza had three advance copies up for grabs!

All you had to do is tell us how old Leeza was when she took her O-Level math exam at high school—the mild equivalent to the American SATs. Was she: A) 14? B) 15? or C) 16?

Well, the answer was 15 yrs. old.   Both of us got busy, so we are just getting around to declaring the three winners.   

Leeza wrote down all the names of the people with the correct answers on little pieces of paper and threw them in the air.  The three people who were picked up off her floor where… drum roll please.

Donna Taylor
Darlene Beckman
Rosi Hollinbeck

If you are a winner please e-mail me your address, so Leeza can mail them out to you.

Here is a little bit of Information about Leeza’s book:
This collection of yummy recipes and fun math facts is sure to tempt taste buds and make you hungry for more. Explore patterns in nature while you chomp on Fibonacci Stack Sticks. Amaze your friends with delicious Variable Pizza Pi! Wash down your geometry assignment with some Milk and Tangram Cookies. Topics covered include probability, Fibonacci numbers, tessellations, variability, and more.

Leeza will be leading a craft workshop for our Craft Day November 5th.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

This year the book fair we hold on Saturday June 9th at the conference, provides a new opportunity. Newbery Award winning author Kate DiCamillo will be signing books on June 10th, along with her Agent/Author Holly McGhee. Their books will be on sale on Saturday and Sunday, but having Kate sign on Sunday allows everyone more time with the other authors selling books on Saturday.

Some of those authors happen to be editors and agents. I have listed the books they will be signing at the bookfair, below. If you have a favorite book that you would like to have signed, please let me know and I will give the title to the bookstore and if you want to pre-pay, we will hold it for you.

See bottom of post for tips on how to make the most of your bookfair time.

Newbery Winning Author Kate DiCamillo

Our own Ame Dyckman’s debut picture book, illustrated by the famous Dan Yaccarino.

Two Great Books Written and Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino.

Three Wonderful Books by Author/Agent Holly McGhee

Publishing Editor Margery Cuyler – Check back for other titles – Still working on list.

Two Well Reviewed New Books by Editor/Author Daniel Nayeri.<