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Summary: Some time ago I reviewed the first collected volume of the new (and surprisingly awesome) Ms. Marvel comic, starring the rebooted main character Kamala Khan: an ordinary American teenage girl from Jersey City who just happens to be a... Read the rest of this post

Contrary to what the Northeastern United States' relatively mild weather would tell you, winter is here and the holidays are swiftly blowing towards us. The many stresses of the season include college finals, the encroachment of no-longer-so-distant relatives on our homes, and the strangely loaded task of gift giving. While we at The Comics Beat cannot save your grades or your pantries, we can make it a little bit easier for you to find the perfect gift for the geek in your life. It's The Comics Beat Holiday Shopping Guide 2015!

Earlier this week, Emma Watson hosted a screening of a chilling new documentary, The True Cost. Emma hosted along side Andrew Morgan and Lucy Siegle.

The documentary is “a portrait of exploitation,” said the New York Times. CNBC stated that it “attacks the business of fast fashion.” The LA Times and many more gave their own chilling reviews.

The True Cost follows the creation of designer clothes in a fashion system that has nothing to do with the fashion industry today. The documentary tracks the global affects of consumerism and high cost of materialism, that leads to tragedies caused by sweat shops in third world countries. The film questions how an industry that generates millions in profits is unable to properly support many of its workers.

In addition to following the harm and exploitation of human workers, the documentary also features the severe ecological damage created by the fashion industry.

It is not surprising, giving her support to many philanthropic causes, that Emma would also through her support behind this one as well. Emma has been known to be a voice in the fashion industry, calling for fair trade fashion and a strengthening of women’s rights.

A disturbing and graphic (viewer discretion advised, especially for young fans) trailer of the documentary can be seen here, at truecostmovie.com. The documentary will be featured on Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon and more.

Alex Solis hopes to raise $7,000.00 on Kickstarter for Icons Unmasked. This book focuses on some of pop culture’s most iconic characters including Peter Griffin, Alien, and Grumpy Cat. We’ve embedded a video about the project above.

Here’s more from the Kickstarter page: “Each time we see a new character in a movie, video game or commercial, we feel a sudden sense deja vu. There’s something about their goofy grin, that creepy laugh, or those boogly eyes that feels eerily familiar…This got me thinking. Is anything we see ever 100% original? Or is everything we experience really just our minds piecing together past experiences to create something that feels unique and new?”

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) was pictured on set of a new film, Feed, with Pretty Little Liars star, Troian Bellisario. SnitchSeeker was able to uncover photos of the pair on set in L.A. last week from Just Jared. The photos can be seen here, and a couple below.

The independent drama began production early las month. Deadline Hollywood reported the pair signing on for the film, and gave the films’ synopsis:

The story revolves around Olivia (Bellisario) and Matthew Grey (Felton), 18-year-old twins born into a world of privilege and high expectations. There are almost no boundaries between them; even their dreams are connected. As the twins prepare for their last year of school together, an unexpected tragedy splits them apart, leaving the surviving sibling to learn how to live without their other half — or test how far they are willing to go to bring them back.

Indy Entertainment’s Ross Kohn and Nancy Leopardi are producing along with Bellisario and Bertelsen. Financing was provided by Bank Leumi USA with assistance from David K. Henry.

Ryan Penagos (second from left above), Marvel’s own taco loving Agent M, has been promoted to Vice President & Executive Editor, while Ben Morse (above left) is now Editorial Director of Marvel’s Digital Media Group. Penagos revealed the promotions in a series of tweets: Please congratulate @BenJMorse! He is now Editorial Director for @Marvel Digital […]

Submissions Welcome. If you’d like a fresh look at your opening chapter or prologue, please email your submission to me re the directions at the bottom of this post.

The Flogometer challenge: can you craft a first page that compels me to turn to the next page? Caveat: Please keep in mind that this is entirely subjective.

Note: all the Flogometer posts are here.

What's a first page in publishingland? In a properly formatted novel manuscript (double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point type, etc.) there should be about 16 or 17 lines on the first page (first pages of chapters/prologues start about 1/3 of the way down the page). Directions for submissions are below—they include a request to post the rest of the chapter, but that’s optional.

A word about the line-editing in these posts: it’s “one-pass” editing, and I don’t try to address everything, which is why I appreciate the comments from the FtQ tribe. In a paid edit, I go through each manuscript three times.

Before you rip into today’s submission, consider this checklist of first-page ingredients from my book, Mastering the Craft of Compelling Storytelling. While it's not a requirement that all of these elements must be on the first page, they can be, and I think you have the best chance of hooking a reader if they are.

Download a free PDF copy here.

Were I you, I'd examine my first page in the light of this list before submitting to the Flogometer. I use it on my own work.

A First-page Checklist

• It begins engaging the reader with the character
• Something is happening. On a first page, this does NOT include a character musing about whatever.
• The character desires something.
• The character does something.
• There’s enough of a setting to orient the reader as to where things are happening.
• It happens in the NOW of the story.
• Backstory? What backstory? We’re in the NOW of the story.
• Set-up? What set-up? We’re in the NOW of the story.
• What happens raises a story question.

Caveat: a strong first-person voice with the right content can raise powerful story questions and create page turns without doing all of the above. A recent submission worked wonderfully well and didn't deal with five of the things in the checklist.

Also, if you think about it, the same checklist should apply to the page where you introduce an antagonist.

Kelsey sends the first chapter of Lady Waiting, a YA fantasy. The rest of the chapter follows the break.

Please vote and comment. It helps the writer.

I pulled on the fur lined boots hand made to look well-worn and grubby. They completed the scratchy brown wool leggings and muted blue tunic that split at the sides from my wait to my knees. I pulled up my hood and check my reflection in my small hand mirror. My face was rubbed with dirt to hide my porcelain complexion. I added some dirt to the backs of my hands.

I closed the door softly and crept down the hallway. The castle’s torches were not lit at this hour. I quickened my pace. Just as I checked the hallway behind me I walked straight into another man.

No, a boy. My age. He was not wearing the uniform of the castle guard or servant’s livery. All of his clothing was a muted shade of black or deep blue, I couldn’t tell with only faint moonlight coming through the slits in the walls. He stared at me only for a moment before he continued running down the hallway.

I continued in the same direction, running now, and skidded to a stop in front of the kitchens. The room was inviting both in the soft warmth from the bread ovens and the rich floury smell wafting from them. The cook was not to be in the kitchen right now and he had promised to keep the maids from it as well. I left through the scullery entrance into the cool night.

I grabbed my small bag of provisions stashed in a nearby barrel and slung it over my shoulder. I made my way to the river that bisected the city and followed it to Madge’s Inn.

The voice is good and we start with something mysterious happening, which is to the good. On the other hand, we also start with errors and clarity issues--for example, the character is not male as is implied. And a compelling story question has yet to be raised. It’s clear that the character is sneaking out, but no indication of consequences if she is caught. The time that could be introduced is when she runs into the other person. Fear of discovery for certain consequences could come up at that time. There could be implied jeopardy that would help.

A sense of the mission would also help. Why is she sneaking out? What is the goal? Is there danger or jeopardy involved? Is she going to meet some rebels, as is implied later? Now would be a good time to introduce something like that. Overall, while the writing is good it needs to get better before this is ready for prime time, and tension needs to be developed on the first page. A good start, keep at it. Notes:

I pulled on the fur-lined boots hand made to look well-worn and grubby. They completed the scratchy brown wool leggings and muted blue tunic that split at the sides from my wait waist to my knees. I pulled up my hood and check checked my reflection in my small hand mirror. My face was I had rubbed my face with dirt to hide my porcelain complexion. I added some dirt to the backs of my hands. A spelling error and an incorrect verb tense is not a great start. It pays to check everything before sending work out. Changed the sentence from passive to active.

I closed the door softly and crept down the hallway. The castle’s torches were not lit at this hour. I quickened my pace. Just as I checked the hallway behind me I walked straight into another man. Clarity issues. First, in the opening the character was adding dirt to his/her skin, which suggests outdoors, but now he/she is in a hallway. The first paragraph needs to include something that makes the use of dirt logical. Second problem: the character runs into “another” man. This makes it clear that the character is a man—but she isn’t a man, as we learn later. Needs to be clarified.

No, a boy. My age. He was not wearing the uniform of the castle guard or servant’s livery. All of his His clothing was a muted shade of black or deep blue, I couldn’t tell with only faint moonlight coming through the slits in the walls. He stared at me only for a moment before he continued running down the hallway. Couldn’t tell what? What the actual color is? Does it matter?

I continued in the same direction, running now, and skidded to a stop in front of the kitchens. The room was inviting, both in the soft warmth from the bread ovens and the rich floury smell wafting from them. The cook was not to be in the kitchen right now and he had promised to keep the maids from it as well. I left through the scullery entrance into the cool night. In my experience the aroma of baking bread is from the yeast, not the flour.

I grabbed my small bag of provisions stashed in a nearby barrel and slung it over my shoulder. I made my way to the river that bisected the city and followed it to Madge’s Inn.

For what it’s worth.

Today, Pottermore revealed the new graphic designs of the Harry Potter eBooks, created by Olly Moss. One of the PMCs had the opportunity to sit down with Moss, and discuss the covers and the designers love for Harry Potter.

Moss’s interpretations of the covers came from many sources of inspiration, but it was important for the designer to not give away spoilers on the covers for those who have not read the books before. In addition, the covers, though they look beautiful in their simplicity, also contain small details of the story within their imagery, which can be missed on first glance. (Click on photos to enlarge)

For example, can you find the subtle imagery in this Deathly Hallows cover?

The PMC and Olly Moss discussed his interpretation of Deathly Hallows, favorite characters and more. Pottermore reports:

‘ Deathly Hallows is my favourite cover, because it’s the image that has summed up Harry Potter in my mind for such a long time. The scar – it feels like the culmination of the entire series and that’s the image that’s been stuck in my head.

‘This is a world where things often seem quite mundane on the surface and then have a secondary reveal. I love coming up with those images because it makes me feel that no one’s done this before – no one’s seen something in this specific way.’

The hugely talented graphic designer is a bit of a Potter fan, you see. So when Pottermore asked Olly to create new covers for the Harry Potter eBooks, he jumped at the chance.

‘Harry Potter has always been my favourite. I skipped [Philosopher’s Stone] because I was being a weird snob about it – I was ten. Then by the time Prisoner of Azkabanwas out, I remember my mum saying I should read them.

‘We were going on holiday and she bought [Azkaban] for me, but she got me the adult covers of the first two novels because I was still being a snob.’

Even then, covers mattered.

…

‘I wouldn’t work on something that I didn’t really love or wasn’t important to me, because I wouldn’t do a good job.’

The two go on to discuss Moss’s influences, sources of inspiration, his passion as a Harry Potter fan, how he got this ebook cover-design job, and J.K. Rowling! To read more of the PMC’s lengthy chat with graphic designer Olly Moss, please visit Pottermore’s site. The new eBooks will be available on the online Pottermore shop, and other eBook retailers around the world, in 2016.

Today, we have a sneak peak of Infinity Lost by S. Harrison. Read on to learn more about this book and the giveaway!

Meet S. Harrison. 

S. Harrison is an author from New Zealand, where he often indulges in his love of watching superhero movies and art house films. He frequently escapes to the many islands of the South Pacific, where he is hard at work on his writing. Infinity Lost is his first novel.

Meet Infinity Lost. 

In the near future, one corporation, Blackstone Technologies, has changed the world: no disasters, no poverty, and life-altering technology. Blackstone has the impunity to destroy—or create—as it sees fit.

Infinity “Finn” Blackstone is the seventeen-year-old daughter of Blackstone’s reclusive CEO—but she’s never even met him. When disturbing dreams about a past she doesn’t remember begin to torment her, Finn knows there’s only one person who can provide answers: her father.

After Finn and an elite group of peers are invited to Blackstone’s top-secret HQ, Finn realizes she may have a chance to confront her father. But when a highly sophisticated company AI morphs into a killing machine, the trip descends into chaos. Trapped inside shape-shifting walls, Finn and her friends are at the mercy of an all-seeing intelligence that will destroy everything to get to her.

With no hope of help, Finn’s dream-memories may be the only chance of survival. But will she remember in time to save her own life and the lives of those around her?

With introductions in order, it's time for a sneak peek of Infinity Lost!

Excerpt from Infinity Lost by S. Harrison, on­sale November 1, 2015. Published by Skyscape, an imprint of Amazon Publishing. Copyright © 2015 S. Harrison.

    Who could have foreseen this! In March, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a film that may have more to do with the future of DC comics than anything that  has come before will open in theaters. And DC comics will feature Batman v Superman themed covers —and another round of black polybagged covers, […]

Not only is SUNNY SIDE UP a wonderful graphic novel for middle grade, but you can also find out tons of behind-the-scenes info about how it was made in THE YARN. I met Jenni Holm at NerdCampMI earlier this year and found her super-friendly and down-to-earth. 

Found out more about Jenni at JenniferHolm.com, about Matthew at MatthewHolm.net and SUNNY SIDE UP at Scholastic.

We’ve collected the books debuting on Indiebound’s Indie Bestseller List for the week ending Dec. 06, 2015–a sneak peek at the books everybody will be talking about next month.

(Debuted at #10 in Young Adult) The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz: “Fourteen-year-old Joan Skraggs, just like the heroines in her beloved novels, yearns for real life and true love. But what hope is there for adventure, beauty, or art on a hardscrabble farm in Pennsylvania where the work never ends? Over the summer of 1911, Joan pours her heart out into her diary as she seeks a new, better life for herself—because maybe, just maybe, a hired girl cleaning and cooking for six dollars a week can become what a farm girl could only dream of—a woman with a future.” (Sept. 2015)

(Debuted at #11 in Paperback Fiction) Descent by Tim Johnston: “The Rocky Mountains have cast their spell over the Courtlands, a young family from the plains taking a last summer vacation before their daughter begins college. For eighteen-year-old Caitlin, the mountains loom as the ultimate test of her runner’s heart, while her parents hope that so much beauty, so much grandeur, will somehow repair a damaged marriage. But when Caitlin and her younger brother, Sean, go out for an early morning run and only Sean returns, the mountains become as terrifying as they are majestic, as suddenly this family find themselves living the kind of nightmare they’ve only read about in headlines or seen on TV.” (Dec. 2015)

(Debuted at #15 in Children’s Illustrated) How to Catch Santa written by Jean Reagan and illustrated by Lee Wildish: “Two sibling narrators give clever tips for ‘catching’ Santa (be crafty! be clever! be gentle!) on Christmas Eve. Filled with humor and holiday warmth, this is a jolly read-aloud for the whole family to enjoy!” (Oct. 2015)

It’s Illustration Friday!

Please enjoy the wonderful illustration above by Rachel Quinlan, our Pick of the Week for last week’s topic of WET. Thanks to everyone who participated with drawings, paintings, sculptures, and more. We love seeing it all!

You can see a gallery of ALL the entries here.

And of course, you can now participate in this week’s topic:

UNICORN

Here’s how:

Step 1: Illustrate your interpretation of the current week’s topic (always viewable on the homepage).

Step 2: Post your image onto your blog / flickr / facebook, etc.

Step 3: Come back to Illustration Friday and submit your illustration (see big “Submit your illustration” button on the homepage).

Step 4: Your illustration will then be added to the public Gallery where it will be viewable along with everyone else’s from the IF community!

Also be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to our weekly email newsletter to keep up with our exciting community updates!

HAPPY ILLUSTRATING!

The SCBWI is proud to announce the winners of the 2015 Jane Yolen Mid-List Author Award.  Congratulations to Karen Coombs author of Woody Guthrie, America’s Folk Singer (Lerner, 2002), and Sallie Wolf author/illustrator of The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound: A Birder's Journal (Charlesbridge, 2010).

Karen Coombs of San Marcos, California, is the author of several nonfiction, middle grade novels, and a young adult novel, Sarah on Her Own (Avon, 1996). Her nonfiction books include Jackie Robinson, Baseball’s Civil Rights Legend (Enslow, 1997) and Children of the Dust Days (Carolrhoda, 2000). Karen has several completed projects currently circulating.

Sallie Wolf of Oak Park, Illinois, is the author of Truck Stuck (Charlesbridge, 2008) and Peter’s Trucks (Albert Whitman, 1992). Peter’s Trucks, now in reprint, will be an Illinois Reads IRC pick for 2016. Sallie’s current projects include a poetry collection based on twenty years of observing the moon, and another truck book. Learn more at www.salliewolf.com.

This grant gives $3,000 to mid-list authors to honor their contribution and help raise awareness about their current works-in-progress.  The grant was created and is generously funded by critically acclaimed children’s book author and one of the first SCBWI members, Jane Yolen.

Jane expressed her inspiration for this award: “It’s no longer front page news that publishing is changing. However, our ability to deliver story has changed more thoroughly these days than at any time since Guttenberg.  Because of this, the mid-list authors are finding it harder and harder to find a traditional publisher to stick with them. It's not simply that their books aren't selling. . .for they backlist just fine. The problem is they are not mega-bestsellers on the front end. I know this because on many—indeed on most of my books—I am in the same boat.”

She continued, “Even well-known mid-list authors are struggling. They lose editors, publishers, their books go out of print. So, I wanted to give back to my peers and that's how the Mid-list Award was born.  It's not a great deal of money, but it's a love note of recognition. SCBWI and I are saying, ‘Please know that we love your books. We need your books. We remember your books. Don't quit. Write more.’"

To learn more about this award please visit the “Awards and Grants” section on www.scbwi.org.

About Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen, often called "the Hans Christian Andersen of America," is the author of over three hundred and fifty books, including Owl Moon, The Devil's Arithmetic, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? The books range from rhymed picture books and baby board books, through middle grade fiction, poetry collections, nonfiction, and up to novels and story collections for young adults and adults. She’s won two Nebulas, a World Fantasy Award, a Caldecott, the Golden Kite Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, two Christopher Medals, a nomination for the National Book Award, and the Jewish Book Award, among others. She is also the winner (for body of work) of the Kerlan Award and the Catholic Library's Regina Medal. Learn more at www.janeyolen.com.

About SCBWI

Founded in 1971, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is one of the largest existing writers’ and illustrators’ organizations, with over 22,000 members worldwide. It is the only organization specifically for those working in the fields of children’s literature, magazines, film, television, and multimedia. The organization was founded by Stephen Mooser (President) and Lin Oliver (Executive Director).

Rupert Grint’s new film, Moonwalkers, has been given a new promotional poster! The film’s two leading men are Rupert Grint and Ron Perlman (who will also be starring inFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them).

The film visualizes a real-life conspiracy theory of faking a moon landing. IMDB has posted the synopsis as,

After failing to locate the legendary Stanley Kubrick, an unstable CIA agent (Ron Perlman) must instead team up with a seedy rock band manager (Rupert Grint) to develop the biggest con of all time-staging the moon landing.

Moonwalkers will be hitting the theaters in January 2016 for France and the USA, and was released November 14th, in Japan.

I’m continuing our Teaching Authors series on good books we’ve been reading. Esther began with her list and highlighted one that carried her heart in its heart. (How I love that description!) April continued with her poetry favorite of the year—one of mine, too! Mary Ann listed three memorable YA novels. I’ve added them all to my long To Be Read list.

Like Mary Ann, I read a lot. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much, so when I find a book I really enjoy, I read it again. And maybe again after that. Here are a few of my recent reads that deserve a second or third look. I’m including brief excerpts to give you a taste of their tone and style.

Lizard Radio by Pat Schmatz. I love the inventive yet understandable language. This book made me think about gender identity and how complicated our society makes it.

Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell. After her father dies, a girl becomes a servant to her stepmother and stepsisters in her own home. She finds her mother’s hidden workshop and learns how to build magical mechanical creatures.

Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas. Pin is a Seamstress, playing a role in a Story controlled by the powerful Godmother. Pin and Shoe, a Shoemaker, decide to break out of its confines.

“Then the sun drops out of the sky and the hollow boom of the castle clock rolls out—it is the sound of a gravedigger knocking on a tomb door.”

Dark Shimmer by Donna Jo Napoli. I haven’t even finished this one yet, but I’m awed by the eerie perspective with which it begins. It turns into a huge surprise that I won’t reveal here. 

“My knee split open in the fall. But I’m all right. I pick pebbles from the gash. I’m all right, I’m all right.
“The boys creep up on bowed legs white as sticks without the bark, especially Tonso’s skinny leg, the one that never grew right. They peer in all directions.
“I stand up. I’m older than these boys, but not by much. Still, they’re half my size.”

Eager to look ahead, I started gathering all the best books lists I could find. Because I think the world needs more awareness, I added a few lists that celebrate diversity. Then I found Publisher’s Weekly’s comprehensive “A Roundup of 2015’s Best Book Lists for Kids and Teens,” a good place to start. Here are links to more lists.

• From Lee & Low, two that focus on diversity: “HOLIDAY GIFT RECOMMENDATIONS: 18 CHILDREN’S BOOKS FOREVERY KID ON YOUR LIST”  and “BOOK LIST: PICTURE BOOKS ABOUT MUSLIM OR MIDDLE EASTERN CHARACTERS”

• Huffington Post’s “25 Empowering Books for Little BlackGirls”  and “Best Picture Books of 2015” 

• BuzzFeed’s “26 Children’s Books That Celebrate Black Heroes”

• Vamos a Leer: Teaching Latin America through Literacy’s “10 Children’s Books about Latino Winter Celebrations” 

• NPR’s Book Concierge’s “Our Guide To 2015’s Great Reads (Kids’Books)” 

• National Science Teachers Association’s “OutstandingScience Trade Books for Students K–12”

• Chicago Public Library’s Kids’ Lists (“Best Informational Books for Older Readers,” “Best Fiction for Older Readers,” “Best Informational Books for Younger Readers,” “Best Fiction for Younger Readers,” and “Best Picture Books of 2015”) 

• Toronto Public Library’s “First & Best 2015” (best Canadian books to help kids get ready for reading)

I can’t wait to dig in! Happy reading!

Harry Potter director, David Yates, has been simultaneously working on the Harry Potter spin-off series, Fantastic Beasts, and Warner Bros adaption of the well-known legend of Tarzan.

Earlier this week, Warner Bros released the first movie poster for the The Legend of Tarzan. Now, the first trailer for the film as been posted on Warner Bros Pictures YouTube channel. It can be seen below:

The Warner Bros. page on the film describes the film, and all who are involved in creating it. David Barren, Harry Potter producer, Stuart Craig, Harry Potter set designer, and Deathly Hallows editor, Mark Day, were apart of the creative team. John Hurt (Ollivander) is credited as apart of the cast, but his role is unknown. Warner Bros describes their take on The Legend of Tarzan:

It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the Belgian, Captain Leon Rom (Waltz). But those behind the murderous plot have no idea what they are about to unleash.

 

At the Fayetteville Free Library (FFL) we have embraced the idea of community engagement in a big way. We recognize that our community members are generous, talented, and have many varied and unique skill sets. Therefore, we invite them to share what they are passionate about and what they know – engaging them with the library in deeply meaningful ways.

In order to capture this information, we developed a new community engagement tool that is available in our public spaces. This form has replaced our former volunteer application, which only allowed for more traditional types of volunteer activity. On the new form we ask three quick and simple questions:

1. What do you love to do?
2. What are you passionate about?
3. Would you be willing to share what you know with your community members?

Though the tool was originally developed in support of our makerspaces like the FFL Fab Lab (fflib.org/make), it is used organization wide and has proved useful in early literacy and children’s programs as well as making.

For example, after our Music and Movement class, a parent who had attended the program with her two kids approached me and told me she was an early childhood music teacher. She said she loved the program and asked if I had a degree in the field. This interaction was the perfect opportunity for us to encourage her to share her expertise with the rest of the community. I told her that I did not have an educational background in music, and asked if she had ideas for how we could expand or improve on the program. I gave her the community engagement form and used the tool to capture her enthusiasm and to provide her with the platform to get involved.

Free to Be

All new community participants meet with our executive director, and we are especially careful with which patrons we invite to work with children. As it turns out, this patron went on to help me plan and co-facilitate many sessions of Music and Movement. She also developed a planning checklist of music concepts and motor skills to cover in each session, and her unique perspective led to many wonderful additions to the program. In a similar experience, a woman called the library and informed us that she was a former preschool teacher and loves to play the guitar for children. We were able to capture her interest and meet with her to develop a new program series called “Free to Be.” Our patrons LOVE this program, which features live guitar music, silly song writing, and acting, and it’s something I never could have offered, because I don’t play an instrument. Our old volunteer model tended to slot people into roles we had identified a need for, but our new approach invites community members to come to us with their ideas, interests, and passions. We open up the library as a platform on which they can share their talent and expertise to make meaningful connections.

While my examples are focused on children’s programming, this tool is being used daily in every part of our library and has parlayed into a new, booming volunteer base. As a result of this philosophy and approach, we have been able to broaden and deepen our library programming, offering more opportunities, on a much wider range of topics, at a fraction of the cost. It also strengthens our community, as individuals build relationships and skills that they would not otherwise been able to, if not for the library. Do you engage community participants in programs and how do you do it?

*********************************************************************************

Courtesy photo from guest blogger

Our guest blogger today is Stephanie C. Prato. Stephanie is the Director of Play to Learn Services at the Fayetteville Free Library (FFL), NY. With experience in youth services, community outreach, leadership, instruction, and technology, she has developed innovative programs for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children. She is an active member of the American Library Association and serves as a member of the Early Childhood Programs and Services Committee of ALSC. If you have any questions, email her at [email protected].

Please note as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].

The post Community Engagement and Early Literacy Programs appeared first on ALSC Blog.

  The DC empire struck back in November, with Dark Knight III issue #1 and the collected Sandman Overture leading periodicals and graphic novels sales respectively, according to November sales charts just released by Diamond. But it wasn’t enough to dislodge Marvel from the top spot in both dollars and units, despite the $5.99 price […]

Welcome to YABC's first annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza! We're featuring some of the hottest titles of the year--perfect for the book lover on your holiday list!--with exciting prize packs every day for the first twelve days of December. Each giveaway will run for seven days. Giveaways are US only due to publishers' rights restrictions in other territories. 

Are you ready to see the fabulous prize packs of books for today's giveaway? 

These books are brought to you by Sky Pony Press and Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Click on each cover to learn more about that title and then enter the Rafflecopter giveaway linked below each prize pack. 

Good luck, and be sure to come back tomorrow for our last 12 Days of Christmas giveaway!

Prize Pack of Children's Books presented by Sky Pony Press and Skyhorse Publishing, Inc

RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

Prize Pack of Middle Grade books presented by Sky Pony Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing Inc

RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

The cover has been unveiled for Rick Riordan’s The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle. We’ve embedded the full image for the jacket design above—what do you think?

According to Riordan’s blog post, this book marks the launch of his latest Greek/Roman mythology-themed series. It will feature characters from two of Riordan’s earlier series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus.

USA Today reports that John Rocco, the long-time illustrator behind the United States editions of Riordan’s books, created the artwork for this book. Disney Hyperion has set the publication date for May 03, 2016.

I did this project a couple of years ago and decided it's once again time to do bookfaces with newer titles.  So here they are (most of the are new..some are just classics)!

Various sources claim that either December 12 or December 13 is National Cocoa Day. Here in Texas it's warm again (near 80 degrees!), so it's not exactly ideal cocoa drinking weather, but I am going for it anyway. I love hot cocoa, so I was happy to see this "holiday" exists and we thought it would be a fun one to include in our anthology, The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations. Read it now or save it for a chilly day!

1. As your poetry prop, hold a mug as if it were full of hot cocoa and read this National Cocoa Day poem aloud with enthusiasm.
2. Share the poem again and invite children to chime in on the repeated phrase It’s cocoa, it’s cocoa while you read the rest of the poem aloud. Hold up your mug to cue them.
3. Use details from the poem to work together and make a list of things that contain cocoa. Another resource is TheStoryofChocolate.com.
   
4. Pair this poem with the picture book No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart (Charlesbridge, 2013). Talk about where cocoa comes from and how the interdependence of rain forest plants and animals is essential to its growth.
5. Connect with “On the Day of the Dead” by René Saldaña, Jr. (November, pages 292-293) and with selections from ¡Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico!: America's Sproutingsby Pat Mora (Lee & Low, 2007) and The Popcorn Astronauts and Other Biteable Rhymes by Deborah Ruddell (McElderry, 2015).