Yes, today is the day (hurrah!) when all you good people can rush out to your local booksellers and demand multiple copies of my newest book, Baby Goes Baaaaa!
The book is stuffed full of sounds that baby will recognise and can easily make. Making these early sounds with a baby is fundamental to early language development, but the funny illustrations of various cute and silly animal characters romping through the book will hopefully make it a fun experience to share and explore together, while the learning happens behind the scenes.
Although the pictures here are square edged, the actual book has gently rounded corners to make it baby-friendly, plus it's fully laminated (thanks Egmont), to allow for enthusiastic licking and sucking!
By: Shari Lyle-Soffe ,
on 3/17/2012
Blog: Shari Lyle-Soffe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: babies, abortion, pregnant, birth control, fetus, Rowe vs Wade, children, Add a tag
Last week, as we stopped for a traffic signal, I spotted a bumper sticker that I had never seen before. I want to share it because it speaks the truth and our country needs to wake up to that truth.
Pro Choice is a lie,
Babies don't choose to die!
I remember when Rowe vs Wade took affect. At that time a woman who was unmarried and pregnant had few choices. She may not have had access to birth control. She had to carry the burden of shame, the man didn't. She probably could not get a job to support herself or if she had one she very well might lose it. She might not even be able to find a place to live because of the shame and the lack of funds.
The man was not judged for getting her pregnant nor was he held responsible for the child they conceived together. He didn't need to fear losing his job and he might even have bragged to his friends about what he had done. So it was the woman and the child who suffered.
Is it any wonder that "some" of these women turned to back alley abortionists, killing their unborn child and risking their own lives in the process? Many died. Many developed infections or other damage and found themselves unable to ever have a child.
I remember feeling sympathy for these women, stuck between a rock and a hard place that they did not create alone.
Then the Supreme Court stepped in....now our courts could have held the father responsible and forced him to support the child and provide for the woman....or they could have made it illegal to deny a woman a job or place to live because she was pregnant....but no! The Supreme Court in all of its wisdom decided that abortion would be acceptable if we could only convince people that a fetus is not a human being....that a fetus is just tissue....that this tissue isn't something living that feels pain...therefore we can rip it out of a woman's body, dismember it without the pangs of guilt for having murdered a child. Shame on them and shame on us!
Women today have many choices: abstain from sex, use birth control, carry your baby to term and give it up for adoption, or carry it to term and love it. She can pursue child support through the courts and she can continue to hold down a job and support herself and her child. Abortion shouldn't be anyone's choice. Abortion is not birth control! This is a different world, wake up!!!
Blog: Kid Lit Reviews (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Children's Books, quilts, babies, sisters, heirlooms, 4stars, family memories, Add a tag
4 stars Karla’s beloved quilt, named Mooshka, is unlike any other quilt, and not only because the material and design are unique. Mooshka has the ability to talk and tells Karla stories on the nights Karla cannot sleep. All Karla needs to do is place a hand on a patch, or schnitz, and the quilt [...]
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By: Leslie Ann Clark,
on 12/14/2011
Blog: Leslie Ann Clark's Skye Blue Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: children's books, kids, fun, Book, Literature, peeps, Children's literature, babies, chicken, baby chick, chickies, Peepsqueak!, Peaksqueak, library, Add a tag
Just a few minutes ago my little dog Violet started barking! I opened the front door and found a brown box. The return address? NY, NY!
“It’s Peepsqueak!” I yelled!
I pulled at the sticky packing tape and ripped open the box! Oh my goodness! Peepsqueak was all packaged up with his own tag. Next I had to cut him out of a plastic bag! I will have to talk to Beth at Harper Collins about giving him breathing holes next time. He was no worse for wear and now is sitting comfortably on a chair in my family room.
Merry Makers is the toy company that made Peepsqueak They have made other fun characters like Olivia, Splat the Cat, Lama Lama, Junie B. Jones and more. Peepsqueak has not stopped talking about them since he came.
Merry Makers has decided to license Peepsqueak for all the world to buy! How exciting! Keep an eye out for him come late January.
http://www.merrymakersinc.com/index.html
Filed under: Peepsqueak!
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By: Zoe,
on 11/8/2011
Blog: Playing by the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Friendship, Seasons, Maps, Taro Gomi, Babies, Transport, Buses, Add a tag
Do you know anyone who’s expecting a baby soon? If the answer is yes, then forego another babygro and give the new baby a book – baby and parents will get much more enjoyment out of the gift, and it may even stay with them their whole life 
But what book to give?
Peepo! and The Baby’s Catalogue, or an Eric Carle book are all popular choices, but me? The next baby I’ll be giving a book to is going to receive the new Taro Gomi Board Book Boxed Set which is made up chunky versions of Spring is Here, My Friends and Bus Stops.
Spring is Here tours the four seasons but what makes it different from many other books about the seasonal change is that the story appears to take place on the back of a young calf! This may sounds strange, but it’s actually an effective way of showing that the change from spring to summer and so on is not just as a cycle abstractly repeating itself but also physical time moving forward. As the seasons change the calf (and by extension the reader) grow up and older.
My Friends is a playful appreciation of friends in all forms and what we learn from different sources of inspiration. The text is like a beautiful poem, for example:
I learned to watch the night sky from my friend the owl.
I learned to sing from my friends the birds.
I learned to read from my friends the books.
And the final lines of this poem are the loveliest I’ve read in a long time in the often-too-saccharinny world of love-makes-the-world-go-round type children’s books. This little book brings a tear to my eye and makes me (even after repeated readings) hug which ever child I’m reading to.
J reading My Fr
By: Becky,
on 9/27/2011
Blog: Young Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: family, picture books, babies, Kids Can Press, 2011, review copy, Add a tag
Reaching. Judy Ann Sadler. Illustrated by Susan Mitchell. 2011. Kids Can Press. 32 pages.
Mama is reaching
Lifts Baby up high
She swings him and sings him
A sweet lullaby.
Daddy is reaching
To kiss Baby's nose
He laughs and he tickles
Plump tummy and toes.
Sister is reaching
Wants in on the huddle
More kisses and tickles--
A fun family cuddle.
I love this one. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Is it sweet? Yes. Is it precious? Yes. Is it too cute for its own good? I don't think so. I *know* everyone has their own cute-tolerance. And, for some, a sweet picture book can become sickeningly sweet. But for me, Reaching is JUST RIGHT.
Reaching is about a family welcoming a new baby--a new baby boy--into the family. EVERY member of the family is excited--thrilled--with his arrival. They just can't get enough of their dear, dear, sweet baby boy. But this isn't exactly a book about a 'newborn' baby. The baby is seen sitting and taking some small steps, etc. Instead it is a celebration of life, of love, of family.
I love the text. I love the rhyming. I know I can be a bit picky when it comes to rhymes. Something either works for me, or it doesn't. But in this case, I thought it was just about right, just about perfect.
And the illustrations. I am ABSOLUTELY loving the illustrations. I just LOVE them. They're super-sweet, super-cute. Just delightful!
Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers
By: Becky,
on 9/27/2011
Blog: Young Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: picture books, photographs, babies, Kids Can Press, 2011, review copy, Add a tag
Dear Baby,
Welcome to the world and all its wonders. You will feel the sun on your skin and be warmed by it. You will see light chase darkness as clouds pass by. You will hear the wind in the trees and feel cool raindrops. You will see flowers in bloom and smell their sweet scent...
If you love looking at lovely photographs of babies, then you may enjoy this little picture book. The photographs are lovely. I could look at photos of babies all day long. There's just something adorable and sweet and precious about it all. The text itself is a 'welcome' message of sorts, introducing babies (supposedly) to the world around them. There is a strong emphasis on nature.
This one is not a board book. It is a 'delicate' book in that its pages could be ripped by young hands. So your audience needs to be young enough so that they are not reaching and grabbing or chewing and sucking. OR old enough that they know how to treat books well--gently.
I don't think the text of this one is 'entertaining' enough for preschoolers to appreciate or enjoy.(Because the text isn't a story so much as it is a sentimental letter.) Though of course that depends on YOUR child. I think the text may appeal more to adults--because it means something more to adults.
Text: 2 out of 5
Photographs: 4 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10
© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers
By: Zoe,
on 9/27/2011
Blog: Playing by the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Daily routines, Books / Libraries, Houses, Children's Book Week, Families, Babies, Dancing, Add a tag
Here are our plans for Foundation Stage (3-5 year olds) on our special Book Day, as part of Children’s Book Week. Foundation stage’s theme is “Ourselves”. Please feel free to reuse, adapt and share any of the resources on this page.
Session 1
Book: The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith
Follow up book: Kids by Laurence and Catherine Anholt
Focus activity: (Group) collage with images of children and families
Resources required: pre-cut-out images of people from magazines, either paper and glue or contact paper
Additional Books: Big Book of Families by Laurence and Catherine Anholt, So Much by Trish Cooke and Helen Oxenbury.
A cautionary note: When we chose this activity we didn’t realise how difficult it would be to find plenty of images of non-white people in magazines. Although maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise it was still a shock to realise how rarely non-white faces feature in “general interest” magazines. I found the best source of inclusive images was council publications! Finding photos of disabled people doing normal every day activities was even more difficult.
Session 2
Book: Wake Up! by Katie Cleminson (which I reviewed here)
Follow up book: Tuck me in! by Dean Hacohen and Sherry Scharschmidt (which I reviewed here)
Focus activity: “Dressing” dolls with a collage made from fabric squares
Resources required: “Dolls” (we’re using this image and printing it on A4 paper), lots of small fabric squares (I cut up some of my remnants I’ve been hanging on to from various sewing projects, but you could ask children to donate old, worn clothes and cut them up if you don’t have your own fabric stash), wool cut into strips, PVA glue, pens/pencils to decorate the dolls and add faces.
Additional Books: Kiss Good Night, Sam by Amy Hest, illustrated by Anita Jeram, All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Nikki McClure
Session 3
Books: If you’re happ
By: Becky,
on 9/26/2011
Blog: Young Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: family, picture books, humor, Random House, babies, 2011, review copy, Add a tag
Mrs. Finnemore was racing around the house.
"Gloo poop SHOE noogie froo KEY," Baby Edwin was babbling. He was all dressed and ready to go to the supermarket.
"Mommmmmy," Finney whined. "Can't we just go?"
Suddenly Mrs. Finnemore stopped short.
"Oh, for Pete's sake, there they are!" she said, and she reached into Fergus's shoe on the hall table and pulled out her car keys.
Baby Edwin, the youngest of five Ferret children in the Finnemore family, can't talk yet, so everyone thinks. But if he can't talk, why does he have all the answers?! Time and time and time again his babbling reveals that he is much more OBSERVANT than his distracted mama. And he does try to help her out all he can. For example, when she loses her pocket book, she just can't see how helpful Edwin is being when he says: "Figbutton noo noo POCKY BOOKY froppin ROOF."
So Edwin Speaks Out is a picture book about a family trip to the grocery store. Mrs. Finnemore is taking all five children to the grocery store with her. And she's told everyone to remind her to buy sugar so she can make Edwin a birthday cake. Well, of course one thing after another after another distracts her from the task at hand, and well, they are almost out of the store when....
Will Edwin finally get everyone's attention?! Will Edwin get the recognition he deserves?!
I honestly don't know how I feel about this one. I haven't read it aloud yet; I haven't given it an audience. And Edwin's babble could prove funny or amusing especially when read aloud. But the book definitely is a bit odd as well. I've seen really, really, really odd and peculiar books--this isn't that odd. But it's not quite your usual picture book either. A scatterbrained mom who just doesn't have it together--at all. And a babbling baby that can be a charmer.
© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers
Blog: ACME AUTHORS LINK (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: heart attack, babies, suspense, Add a tag
The last few days have been harrowing at my house. My daughter is nine months pregnant and we're all very excited to see and hold this new addition to our family. It's also stressful because her husband is working in Indiana which leaves her alone at night. As a mom, I worry. I worry for reasons only another mom will understand.
We have been focused on the future, looking forward to this special time when new life will be a part of our family. That's perhaps one of the reasons I was so shocked to receive the phone call from my niece. She wasn't asking about the upcoming baby, she had her own news to deliver. My sister had a massive heart attack!
The gears in my mind refused to turn. I couldn't grasp the severity of my niece's words. My sister is healthy! She's active and social, she eats right, exercises daily and has never smoked!
My sister will roll her eyes when she realizes I have compared her health problems with book writing. But great suspense has a way of leading us down one trail only to jerk us into another reality. The reality is my daughter is fine, my worry is frivolous compared to my concern over my sister. The shock of what happened has me thinking and pondering a different scenario. Good writing not only captures our attention, it also lures us in, only to shock us to our core. We love the unexpected. We thrive on surprise. Shock is a readers adrenalin fix. The suspense of what will happen next, drives us on, propels us to find out more.
In a perfect world, my sister will be fine with no complications and my daughter will deliver a beautiful healthy baby! Unlike my books, I can't write the ending to this suspense. But I can ask for guidance and ask that my prayers be heard. Have I mentioned, I like happy endings?
Or would that be new beginnings? I ask for that too.
Til next time ~
DL Larson
By: Erica Olsen,
on 8/25/2011
Blog: Librarian Avengers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Family, Parenting, Parents, daughter, toddler, babies, Bay Area, Bagels, foodie, child rearing, Mommy Stuff, bagel, cheese sticks, highchair, morningstar farms, Add a tag
My young daughter is eating solid food. She has two lower teeth, which she uses to great effect, scraping away like a reverse-squirrel. This is an exciting time for my husband and I, since we get to share some of our favorite foods with her. We also get to see these favorite foods converted into sneeze-splatter and spread across the front of our work shirts. Know this: Bibs are not just for infants.
After a few weeks of experimenting with toddler-cuisine, I’ve changed the way I shop for groceries. Instead of perusing the shelves of my local organic butcher, thinking “hmm would this hanger steak would be good pan-seared with truffle salt?”, I now think things like: “I wonder what other tube-shaped food this Safeway carries?” and, “Oh wow, you could really get a grip on those cheese sticks.”
As a freshly-minted Bay Area foodie, Elizabeth is more pencil sharpener than connoisseur.
As a freshly-minted Bay Area foodie, Elizabeth is more pencil sharpener than connoisseur. We hand her a Morningstar Farms veggie sausage when she wakes up, and listen for the high pitched buzzing sound as she fragments it into a light rain of sausage-shavings which patter to the floor. We then lift our soy-sawdust covered child out of the highchair, shake her up and down, and deposit her back in the living room where she carries out her daily experiments.
Bagels are her favorite. Despite its mammoth size, a cinnamon-raisin bagel is easy to grip in both hands and wave around. After a few minutes eating the proportional equivalent of a telephone pole, she holds the bagel over her head and shrieks in delight, praising her sky-gods for the gift of carbohydrates.
she holds the bagel over her head and shrieks in delight, praising her sky-gods
At the end of a long day’s eating, it has been my distinct pleasure to discover bagel parts at the bottom of my bra, where they have been covertly deposited by Elizabeth during one of her periods of arm-waving and violent twisting. I believe she has come to view my cleavage as some sort of pantry for the deposit and withdrawal of delicious food items. Rather than admitting defeat and covering my lingerie with contact paper, I’ve decided to try and interest her in vegetables, which I hope will be gentler and more refreshing in the knockers-region.
Related posts:
- Food poisoning (Part Two) One of the things I managed to learn in Librarian...
- Books for busy mums and other humans Reading has been a challenge lately, due to new baby...
- Top Five Things I Have Learned About Babies My daughter, Elizabeth West Firment, was born in early November....
Blog: Bit by Bit (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Children, wedding, girl, boy, Zazzle, Animals, valentine's day, Corel Painter, Digital Art, blue, babies, Dabbling, twins, pink, baby shower, digital illustration, floating lemons, love birds, two doves, Add a tag
A little doodle of a sweet pair of doves, one pale blue and the other light pink, cuddled in an embrace shaped like a heart. It started out as a pencil sketch in my moleskine that I scanned and then digitally painted in Corel Painter, then played around with in Photoshop to create a pair of separate blue and pink hearts as well:
I've used them to design cards and matching gifts for ...
Weddings: Two Doves One Heart Wedding at Floating Lemons Events;
Baby Showers for twins: Twin Doves Heart at Floating Lemons Events;
and Valentine's Day: (coming soon!)
Cheers!
By: Becky,
on 7/5/2011
Blog: Young Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: family, poetry, picture books, read aloud, babies, Simon and Schuster, 2001, book I own, Add a tag
Look how tired this Mommy is
Tired and frumpy
Grouchy chumpy
Oh, what a grump!
Look at Baby
Smart, good Baby
Happy Baby
Making gravy
Applesauce and ketchup gravy
Not too lumpy
Not too bumpy
Squish squish
DUMP!
Grump is one of my favorite, favorite, favorite books. I almost don't even need to make the qualification of favorite picture book. It's a book that begs to be read aloud again and again and again. The rhythm of it is almost magical--at least to me! I love the use of language, I do. I love the way it sounds, the way it feels on my tongue. It's real life. It's poetry. It just works.
The story of this one is simple. It's been a LONG, LONG, LONG day for this Mom and her Baby. And even if the Baby doesn't think he needs a nap, he needs a nap. But will this baby go down for a nap? Not without an all-too-familiar-struggle!
Baby's going to take a nap now
Baby's going to take a nap now
Baby's going to take a nap now
Take a nap now
Little lump.
She puts him in his crib and...
And oh of course that baby cries
Cries and whimpers
Cries and whimpers
Cries and whimpers
Play with me!
So Mommy sits
And reads to Baby
Reads so pretty
Reads so softly
Reads and reads and reads until--
Can you guess what happened to the oh-so-tired, oh-so-grumpy Mommy?
This one is such a GREAT book. I loved how true-to-life it was. Not only for the baby, not only for the mommy--but it captures the ups and downs of the whole relationship.
This one has been a favorite going on ten years. Today I was looking to review some board books, hoping to find something great to share with you, when I thought again of Grump. Why isn't Grump still in print? Why hasn't it been reprinted? Why??? It's just a WONDERFUL book. And it would be a great board book!!! The combination of this story with that format would be just perfect!!!!
© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers
By: Kara Schaff Dean,
on 7/1/2011
Blog: Not Just for Kids (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: board books, rant, Shakespeare, babies, Jane Austen, Add a tag
I make it a general policy not to purposely offend readers. I even try to avoid implying that my opinion is correct and anyone who thinks otherwise is an out and out moron. But I have to confess that I am about to let loose with a full blown rant, and if you happen to disagree with me.......sorry, but I'm right. Yesterday I read this article in Publisher's Weekly about a new series of board
By: Becky,
on 5/6/2011
Blog: Young Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: family, picture books, babies, Simon and Schuster, 2010, library book, Add a tag
From the moment the baby arrived, it was obvious that he was the boss. He put Mom and Dad on a round-the-clock schedule, with no time off. And then he set up his office right smack-dab in the middle of the house. He made demands. Many, many demands. And he was quite particular. If things weren't done to his immediate satisfaction, he had a fit.
Thus begins The Boss Baby a charming, oh-so-delightful look back at the early days of parenthood written by Marla Frazee. I loved this one from the first spread. The art had me at hello. (It was very retro.) And the text, well, the text was clever and fun. The joke--the 'office' humor--could have gotten old perhaps in the hands of another author. But. I found this one to be so true-to-life, so charming, so funny--in a clever, grown-up way--that it worked from cover to cover.
This is a picture book that I found myself reading and rereading just so I could take in every detail.
© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers
By: Zoe,
on 3/13/2011
Blog: Playing by the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: History, Winter, Trees, Babies, Norway, Dressing up, Refugees / escaping persecution, Reading Round Europe, Add a tag
The second Norwegian picture book for our Reading Round Europe adventure is The Race of the Birkebeiners by Lise Lunge-Larsen (born and raised in Norway, but now living in the US), illustrated by Mary Azarian.
Based on a true story from 13th century Norway, The Race of the Birkebeiners tells how a small band of peasant warriors, the Birkebeiners, rescued the heir to the Norwegian throne, the infant Prince Hakon from his enemies by skiing across mountain in blizzard conditions. A tale of courage and faith, this exciting story would make an excellent, unusual choice for a Christmas book; the events not only take place at that time of the year but Christian faith is also a central theme throughout. That said, don’t wait till Christmas to look for this beautiful book as it is also a lovely introduction to several aspects of Norwegian culture, history and geography.
Mary Azarian’s illustrations, woodcuts handtinted with quite intense watercolours, are stunning and a perfect match for the historical setting of the book. Like the modern text based on an ancient saga, Azarian’s work also feels fresh yet full of echoes from the past.
The Birkebeiners, literally translated from the Norwegian as “Birch Leggers”, are so called because their armour consisted of birch bark wrapped around their legs. Thus the journey which began with reading The Race of the Birkebeiners continued with us going on a Birch tree hunt. Fortunately Silver Birch trees are pretty easy to spot, and the girls loved looking out for them, in gardens and in the local park.
We found a dead Silver Birch and this gave the girls the perfect opportunity to strip some bark from it – they loved the silver sheets they were able to peel off.
This bug caused a squeal of delight too!
Once home the girls wanted to be Birkebeiners themselves so shields were made…
… and the birch bark we had collected was used to create armour.
Then our
But The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is by my bedside!Blog: Parents and Kids Reading Together (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: babies, brain development, cathy puett miller, your baby can read, anytime, Add a tag
By: Erica Olsen,
on 2/15/2011
Blog: Librarian Avengers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Family, Humor, Parenting, funny, babies, Mommy Stuff, Add a tag
In case anyone is interested in the relative effects of a New Baby, I ran a few numbers this morning.
| -65% | Cussing |
| -50% | Cups of Coffee Consumed |
| -98% | Cups of Coffee Consumed While Still Warm |
| -98% | Alcohol Consumed Before Childbirth |
| +98% | Alcohol Consumed After Childbirth |
| +50% | Loads of Laundry/Week |
| +100% | Loads of Laundry Involving Poo |
| +350% | Smiles from Strangers |
| +60% | Visitors |
| +300% | Visits to Library |
| +10% | Upper Body Strength (12 pound weight) |
| +75% | Breast Size |
| +30% | Body Size |
| -5% | Brain Size |
| -50% | Sleep |
| -100% | Uninterrupted Sleep |
| +200% | Jokes About Sleep |
| +200% | Jokes About Poo |
| +50% | Actual Poo |
| +10% | Unsolicited Advice |
| -10% | Need For Unsolicited Advice per Weekly Age of Infant |
| +3000% | Life/Injury Insurance |
| +25% | Ominous Feeling That Adulthood Has Arrived |
| +100% | Heart-stopping Baby Smiles |
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By: Erica Olsen,
on 2/14/2011
Blog: Librarian Avengers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Connie Willis, child rearing, library, Books, science fiction, book, Librarianship, book review, Terry Pratchett, Research Obsession, moms, babies, bookshelf, top 5, Add a tag
eading has been a challenge lately, due to new baby and the delirium that accompanies around-the-clock breastfeeding. On the other hand, it has taken me three months to be able to comfortably leave the house, so I’ve had quite a bit of downtime.
My favorite book that I’ve read lately is, appropriately, about raising happy infants. Superbaby
When I was pregnant, I read about 500 Terry Pratchett books. I was emotionally wrung-out, and they provided just the right balance of humor and comfortingly happy endings to keep me going. If you haven’t read any of the Discworld novels, I often recommend Small Gods
Connie Willis. I’ve been working my way through everything she has ever written, novels, short stories, novellas, introductions and interviews. I don’t usually obsess this much over reading an author’s full catalog, but Connie Willis shares many of the same qualities that make me enjoy Terry Pratchett, in addition to a fantastic grasp of European history and a charming tendency to always turn the Most Frustrating character into the means of Everything Working Out in the End.
If you haven’t read any Connie Willis, I suggest starting with the short story
Blog: HOMESPUN LIGHT (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: friendship, babies, service, Add a tag
Eat Ice Cream, Save a Baby
Baby Ezekiel Petersen was life-flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City on Monday, January 31, 2011. He has RSV and a serious heart condition which requires surgery as soon as possible. His parents, Royal and Jenn Petersen, need help. The cost of their son’s medical care is astronomical.Here is Baby Zeke’s story as told by his father, Royal:
“Our youngest child, Ezekiel (or “Zeke”, seven weeks old) got sick recently and began showing symptoms late Sunday night. Sunday afternoon he was fine, smiley and all, but Sunday night he was pretty ill. Monday morning Jenn was worried and decided to take him to the doctor. Zeke’s condition had deteriorated all morning long but became exponentially worse in the doctor’s office. Dr. Johnson advised Jenn to take an Ambulance to Primary Children’s hospital in SLCabout an hour away. Dr. Johnson then got on the phone and began preparing Primary Children’s to receive Zeke. During this time Zeke’s breathing became very shallow and sporadic. Zeke turned white and his lips purple. This is when Dr. Johnson became panicked, he immediately took Zeke and put him on oxygen. He told Jenn Zeke wasn’t going to make it to Primary Children’s and that if they took the Ambulance that was just arriving to Utah Valley Hospital instead he would have a chance.(about 5 blocks up the road) They went to Utah Valley. Utah Valley is a good hospital but not equipped (with equipment or staff) to handle heart issues in children especially small infants. By an act of God the doctor/heart specialist at Utah Valley happened to
By: Lynne Chapman,
on 1/29/2011
Blog: An Illustrator's Life For Me! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: roughs, publisher, illustration, drawing, babies, characterisation, Baby Goes Baaaa, Add a tag
I started with these sketches. It seems pretty obvious that the cover needs to feature the lamb, to ensure the title makes sense, but possibly another character too, if there's space.
It's a square format though which, once you've got the title in across the top, makes things tighter. I think there's a possible idea here (evolved from the little sketch in the top right above):
I just knocked a mug of coffee all over the computer desk, which hasn't helped progress. Luckily it's only ruined a pack of blank paper and, at least in mopping it up I've got rid of some of the dust and grime round the back of the computer and underneath my printer!
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By: Elise N. Black,
on 1/26/2011
Blog: Elise's Art Garden (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: parents, Adoption, families, babies, Add a tag
Just published in the February "Friend"
By: Erica Olsen,
on 1/25/2011
Blog: Librarian Avengers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Life, Family, Humor, Avenging, Parents, babies, top five, Add a tag
My daughter, Elizabeth West Firment, was born in early November. The last…ever since…has been a nonstop, nonsleep blur of boobs, love, fuss, and delirium. In the process, I have learned these five things:
- Ceiling fans are TV for babies.
- At week six, nursing goes from being a special woodchipper for your nipples to something fairly ok. Eventually, it will become rather pleasant, and you will be able to play World of Warcraft while feeding your child, like my friend Kelly’s wife does. I’m pretty sure she levels up faster by simultaneously breastfeeding and p0wning n00bz.
- The sun did not shine, it was too wet to play, so we sat in the house all that cold cold wet day.
- There is a 4am. It comes before 5am, which is that time you read about once that precedes 6am. You do not have the right to a full night’s sleep. You have given that right to your baby, who may use it as she sees fit.
- Your baby’s smile generates a burst of hormones that if necessary will enable you to lift a car or cut out your own spleen.
Photos are up on flickr. Thanks for all the casseroles!
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By: Leslie Ann Clark,
on 11/18/2010
Blog: Leslie Ann Clark's Skye Blue Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Literature, business, art, Children's literature, stories, goals, babies, inspiring, contracts, translating, grand children, agent, children's books, kids, fun, Add a tag
Working on contracts is like reading a foreign language. I will be happy when my dear agent Alicia calls to translate. I will take notes, ask questions and then when it is finished, I can finally get to finishing up two wonderful little stories for my grand babies, and many, many more little children with wonder in their eyes!
By: shelf-employed,
on 10/29/2010
Blog: Shelf-employed (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: book review, funny, toddlers, babies, board books, bathtime, toilet-training, Add a tag
Patricelli, Leslie. 2010. Tubby. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
I'm naked! Wheeee!That about sums it up. Tubby is just doggone funny! But wait, does that dog have muddy paws? It looks like this little guy may need another bath.
Patricelli, Leslie. 2010. Potty. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
Baby has to go. He could go in his diaper. But then again, maybe he won't. Maybe dog or cat has a better idea. Nope. Maybe he'll just try out the potty. Well, whaddya know?
Tinkle, tinkle, toot. I did it!An adorable boy makes his own decisions; and what does he get for his trouble? What else, but
Undies!Yay!
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Woo hoo! Wonderful news it's been a pleasure following your progress.
This is just great! Congratulations!
I love your work.
Its all so cute and vibrant:)