I've got books all over the house. In bedrooms, closets, bathrooms, on the floor, in bookcases... you name it. Books are everywhere.

Several months ago, I finally got things organized. All the books were on the shelves, neatly divided into categories. And everything was lovely and easy to find. It looked like this.


But then, I went to the ALA (American Library Association) Annual conference. And this year's convention happened to be local, so I got more books than usual. Well, that's kind of an understatement.

Here's a picture of the bellhop's cart when I checked out of the hotel. (Yes, I needed a hotel room... where else would I have stored all the books during the conference?) Keep in mind that every bag on the cart is full of books.


Between that minor influx of books, and the fact that I let my children read the books and take them off the shelves, my library went from that beautiful picture at the top of the post, to this.

After two months of work and several failed organizational methods, I've finally done it. Here's what it looks like now (in alphabetical order, no less.)

That's just the picture books, though (and this picture doesn't even show all of them). Let's not even talk about all the other books waiting to be shelved... or the other eight bookcases in the house.

Let's see how long I can keep it up this time.

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If you're a regular reader of Wizards Wireless, you may have noticed the glaring lack of posts here for a long, long time. That's because I've been blogging over at Booklights for PBS Parents.

Sadly, Booklights is coming to a close. But while I'll miss writing over there, I'm also really excited about writing here again.

And for you comic strip fans, I've also started a new blog called Comic Strip Art.

Welcome back and stay tuned! I've got a stack of wonderful books I can't wait to write about.

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Play Dan Brown Libs! Just fill in the blanks to write your own bestselling novel.

A handsome, brilliant, superhuman man named ______ happens to be doing something in the famous city of ________ when the local Secret Service-level police force named _______ drops by to accuse him of the awful murder in the book's introduction of a brilliant person named _______.

The protagonist eventually joins forces with a beautiful, sexy woman named ___________. Somehow, they end up being wanted by every police force in the entire country of _______.
During the inevitable vehicle chase, there's lots of time to come to the brilliant realization that a secret society called _______ is involved. The society members include every famous person that ever existed.

Many, many pages pass. The protagonist performs countless feats that are physically impossible, no matter how many laps a day they swim in the Harvard pool. Endless information about symbolism, secret societies and the city of ______ is recited... all of which ends up having very little to do with the plot. The bad guys go to a ridiculous amount of expense and effort to keep the _______ safe, which ends up being a relatively unimportant object.

The villain is not the person the reader thought it was going to be, but is instead ________. Someone named ________ who was supposed to be dead suddenly resurfaces at exactly the right moment. The handsome protagonist and sexy woman end up exonerated, in a hotel room, having lots of.... room service.

The end.

The book sells millions of copies.

Tom Hanks and a much younger woman star in the movie.

If you want to write a book by your favorite children's author, try this post.

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You've flown your Firebolt to the nearest bookstore.

The Amazon.com owl has tapped on your window.

And now…

you have the Tales of Beedle the Bard in your hot little hands.

You open it, see how big the font size is, and dive right in.

You're finished in less than an hour.

WAIT! Don't do that.

Read slowly. One story at a time. Savor it.

When's the next time you're going to get a chance to read original J.K. Rowling stories set in the Harry Potter world?

Not anytime soon, I can tell you.

After you've enjoyed the book, come back and tell Wizards Wireless what you think.

I'd love to hear your opinions, even if you've only read part of the book.

And be sure to take the new poll on the sidebar.

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Looking for a quick and easy Halloween costume you can make yourself? Try these great ideas from fellow bloggers for characters from popular children's books. These ideas work for both kids and adults.

Maureen from Confessions of a Bibliovore suggests:

• Fern from Charlotte's Web: a farm girl costume
• Mrs. Whatsit from A Wrinkle in Time: Crazy scarves, hats and skirts.
• Harry Potter: Graduation gown, round glasses and a mascara scar
  

Pam from MotherReader suggests:

• The Cat in the Hat: get a red and white striped hat and a black tail. Wear all black. Cut the "bib" from a white T-shirt/undershirt. Tie a red bow around your neck with cloth. Draw on whiskers.

Andrea from Three Silly Chicks suggests:

• Pippi Longstocking: Make a wig with red warn and wire.
• Waldo: Dress in red and white striped clothing and a stocking cap. Go from house to house asking if anybody if they've seen Waldo.
  

Wendie from Wendie's Wanderings suggests:

• Professor McGonagall: Use your grad gown. A loooong pretzel makes a good wand. It's great for keeping that feather in the air, too. Additional suggestion from Susan: Add glasses, a witch hat and put your hair in a bun (if possible).
• Little Red Riding Hood: A red cape and carrying a basket (with a wolf inside it).
  
• Wear an orange blouse and put pumpkin eyes, nose, and mouth on the back of it. You could be Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater or The Great Pumpkin.
  

Stacy from Booktopia suggests:

• Viola Swamp from Miss Nelson is Missing: Black dress, striped tights, black nails, messy black wig.
  

From my friend Cate, who always has great suggestions:

• Knuffle Bunny: Put on bunny ears, a tail and whiskers.
  

Also, see this post from last year, for some punny Harry Potter Halloween costume ideas that Cate and her husband came up with.

My ideas:

• The Pigeon from Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: Dress in blue. Draw on a beak. Carry a toy hot dog and a bus.
  

Do you have any more ideas? I'd love to hear them. Please leave them in the comments.

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I was flipping through the Hyperion 2009 spring children's catalog today and noticed this:

It's about a naked mole rat named Wilbur who likes to wear clothes. I saw a sample page in the catalog... it was pure Mo. I'm hoping to get my hands on an advance copy in the near future.


As I've mentioned before on this blog, I'm a big Mo Willems fan. (For a goofy picture of me standing next to Mo, see this post). And I've noticed that I get two kinds of reactions to Mo at the toy/book store where I work. About half the customers are huge fans of Mo, and the other half haven't heard of him.

Why are so many people not aware of him? Because he's so new to the children's book scene.

His first book: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus was published in March, 2003. That was only five years ago. Take a quick look at his complete bibliography, and see what he's published since.

2003

• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (2004 Caldecott Honor book)
• Time to Pee!
  

2004

• Knuffle Bunny (2005 Caldecott Honor book)
• The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!
  

2005

• Leonardo the Terrible Monster
• Time to Say Please!
• The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! board book
• The Pigeon Has Feelings Too! board book
  

2006

• Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct
• Don't Let the Pigeon Stay up Late!
• Knuffle Bunny video (2007 Carnegie Medal Winner)
• You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons (illustrated travel journal for adults)
  

2007

• Knuffle Bunny Too (2008 Caldecott Honor book)
• Elephant and Piggie: Today I Will Fly!
• Elephant and Piggie: My Friend is Sad!
• Elephant and Piggie: There is a Bird on Your Head! (2008 Geisel Award winner)
• Elephant and Piggie: I Am Invited to a Party!
  

2008

• The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!
• Elephant and Piggie: I Will Surprise My Friend!
• Elephant and Piggie: I Love My New Toy!
• Elephant and Piggie: Are You Ready to Play Outside?

2009 (through March 2009)

• Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed
• Elephant and Piggie: Watch Me Throw the Ball!

Mo loves to use exclamation points! 14 of the books listed above (or nearly 3/4) have exclamation points in the titles!!!

By the spring of 2009, Mo will have published twenty one books. And, he's won five major awards along the way: 3 Caldecott honors, 1 Gesiel, and 1 Carnegie. Plus, the majority of his books are bestsellers. It takes many writers and illustrators a lifetime to do what he's done in five years. And let's not dismiss the six Emmys he won as an animator for Sesame Street.

Pretty unbelievable, isn't it?

Which of his books do you like? See the poll in the sidebar.

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Have you nominated a book for the Cybils? Hurry up, there's only a few days left. Nominations close on October 15, 2008. Anybody can nominate one book per category.

Flood! by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by John Wallace

Snow Dogs: Racers of the North by Ian Whitelaw

Volcano! by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by John Wallace

Click here to nominate in the early reader category.

In addition to this list, another great place to look for ideas is the Mock Geisel blog, created by the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Check out the new poll on the sidebar to see if you've nominated a book in every category.

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I'm putting this post up now, so it will have an October 2008 date stamp and because I want to keep from getting swayed by all the predictions that are about to pop up everywhere. I do feel a little strange, though, about sticking my neck out so early with these predictions.

I'm a book buyer for an independent toy and book store. There's a lot at stake for book buyers in correctly picking the Newbery and Caldecott winners and honor books. If you guess correctly, you'll have tons of copies of the magic books during the week that everyone wants them.

If you guess incorrectly, you won't have the magic book and you'll have to wait two months or more for it to be reprinted. Or you'll have a huge pile of books that no one is looking for that you'll probably end up returning to the publisher. This is particularly important for small independents, who thrive on having the right book at the right time... and who can't afford to keep as much stock on hand as larger chains.

If you're curious about my predictions and reactions about last year's American Library Association Awards, see:

• My predictions and comments about how tough it is to predict the ALA award winners.
• A scorecard of how many winning books I had on hand at the store when the announcements were made.
• Why I thought Hugo Cabret was going to break my heart and
• Why I've never been so happy to be wrong.
• Hear the crowd reaction when Hugo Cabret won the Caldecott.
• Additional reactions to the awards.
• Highlights from the 2007 and 2008 Caldecott/Newbery banquets.
• A Caldecott Adventure, which has nothing to do with predictions, but it's my favorite (and the most challenging) post that I wrote about the Caldecotts last year.
• Plus, I hosted the January 2008 Carnival of Children's literature, where you can find numerous and well-written reactions to various children's book awards.
  

Enough with previous years. Let's move on to this year.

I just finished The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. Wow. What a book. I know I've already predicted a Newbery for Trouble by Gary Schmidt, but I think The Underneath is a force to be reckoned with. My current thought is that The Underneath will get a shiny gold sticker, and Trouble will get a shiny silver sticker. But, there's lots of other books with buzz swirling around them that I haven't yet read (including some on the list below), so I don't have firm predictions yet.

Warning about The Underneath: DON'T judge this book by its cover. It's for an older audience than the cute dog and cat pictures seem to indicate.

At this moment, here's the books I'm planning on having on hand at the book store when the Newbery announcement is made:

• Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse, illustrated by Chris Sheban
  
• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O'Connor
• Savvy by Ingrid Law
• Trouble by Gary Schmidt
• The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small
  
• Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

On to the Caldecott. As a book buyer, I've read literally hundreds of picture books this year. Here's some of the ones that have risen to the top for me and that I'm planning on having on hand at the store when the Caldecott announcement is made:

• A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee
• Darkness Slipped In by Ella Burfoot
• How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
• In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck, illustrated by Tricia Tusa
• Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
  
• Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad by James Rumford
  
• Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw by Deborah Kogan Ray (also a possibility for the Sibert, the informational book award).

I'm not sure where to put We Are The Ship by Kadir Nelson, but my guess is that it has a shot at the Caldecott, Newbery and Sibert. It'll be interesting to see what happens with it.

Do you think I missed a few very obvious titles? Take a look at the Caldecott medal terms and criteria on the American Library Association website.

"The Award is restricted to artists who are citizens or residents of the United States."

And, also look at the following definition within the criteria:

"'Resident' specifies that author has established and maintained residence in the United States as distinct from being a casual or occasional visitor."

So this means, that some of the books with lots of buzz around them are out of the running for the Caldecott. These include:

• A Visitor for Bear. Author Bonny Becker lives in the U.S. but illustrator Kady Macdonald Denton lives in Canada. Sigh. I would have loved it if my favorite picture book of the year were eligible.
• Monkey and Me and Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears. Emily Gravett lives in England.
• Wave. Suzy Lee lives in Singapore.
• Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. Mem Fox lives in Australia and Helen Oxenbury lives in England.
  

For the Geisel Award (the new early reader award), here are some of the ones I'm thinking about:

• A Brand New Day for Mouse and Mole by Wong Herbert Yee
• Dodsworth in Paris by Tim Egan
• Dog and Bear: Two's Company by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• Hooray for Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold
  
• Houndsley and Catina and the Quiet Time by James Howe, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay (it's in the poll, but shouldn't be. A librarian pointed out in the comments that the illustrator is Canadian, which I hadn't realized).
• I Love My New Toy! by Mo Willems
  
• I Will Surprise my Friend by Mo Willems
  
• Mr. Putter and Tabby Run the Race by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Arthur Howard
  
• The Twin Giants by Dick King Smith, illustrated by Mini Grey (which may be to long for the Geisel).
  

My best guess for the newly created Odyssey award for audio books so far is Jim Dale's narration of Alice in Wonderland.

This year's announcement is particularly exciting for me. I'm attending the 2009 ALA Midwinter conference in Denver, so for the first time, I'll get to hear the award announcements live.

Do you want to nominate your favorite book from 2008 for an award? Check out the wonderful Cybils (the Children and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards). Nominations are open from now until October 15, 2008. Finalists will be posted on January 1, 2009 and winners will be posted on February 14, 2009. Check out the Cybils website and see this post on Jen Robinson's Book Page for more information. The Cybils nominations and finalist lists are also a great way to get a sense of which books are being talked about.

Want to hear ALA Award prediction buzz and offer your own thoughts? The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana has four terrific blogs set up for just this purpose. Here are links to their Mock Newbery, Mock Caldecott, Mock Sibert and Mock Geisel blogs.

What are your thoughts at this early date? Leave the titles I didn't mention and your opinions about your early favorites in the comments. I posted about the Caldecotts, Newberys and Geisels, but predications about other ALA awards are definitely welcome. (Printz, Sibert, Coretta Scott King, Odyssey, Batchelder, Belpré, Carnegie, and the American Indian Youth Literature Award). Also, there's an award being given out for the first time... the William C. Morris Debut Award for for first time authors of young adult literature.

If any authors, illustrators, publishers and editors of the books listed above happen to land on this post via a Google search, please comment. I'd love to hear what you think. (If you feel weird about posting your comment for everyone to see, you can e-mail me at: wizardwireless at gmail dot com. (Yes, it's "wizard" not "wizards" because the plural version was already in use). And I'd love to hear opinions from everyone else, too, of course.

Also, if you, or anyone you know, has posted a "best of the year" children's book list... I'd love to see it. Please leave links in the comments.

Check back when the announcements are made on Monday, January 26, 2009, and we'll see if any of us guessed correctly.

And, be sure to vote in the new poll on the sidebar!

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