Happy Holidays, Hungry Readers!Instead of giving you the same-old best-seller list of gift suggestions, I thought I'd make this year's post a little more personal and share which books my family will be giving/receiving. Maybe you'll find one of them to be a good gift for someone you know as well. :)
The
Guinness World Records 2017 edition is for the boy child, but it always turns into a full-family gift as he reads aloud every. single. record. Mostly interesting for all, but beware this is not for the faint of heart; many of the bug and FOOD records can be quite disgusting!
The
American Girl Guide is for the girl child because, like any fictional character, even the dolls have extensive back-stories. More history = deeper understanding = more imaginative and intelligent play!
Harry Potter #4 is for my husband, the most-behindest reader of all time. ;) We have a family rule that we can't watch a film until we've read the book and he REALLY wants to catch up to the rest of us with the movies, so now he can use the vacation week to crack this spine!
As for me, I have asked for - and hopefully not delusionally expect to recieve -
The Bible as read by James Earl Jones. This tome of all tomes has been on my TBR list since really the beginning of days but its sheer size has kept it anchoring the bottom of the pile. But then,
Totes Magotes!, I find a version that will be read to me by the greatest narrator* of all time?! It's the only item on my Santa list and I have been VERY good this year...
Be sure and let me know the best reads you give and receive this holiday season;
Happy Holidays to All and to All a Good Read!
This blog has spoiled me beyond all hope or recognition. Over the years I’ve used it to find nannies, to get books re-published, and now it has solved a mystery that lay dormant for years. Back in November of 2009 I decided I wanted to track down a book from my childhood. Writing stumpers into the internet ether is usually rather pointless and the post Thanksgiving: The Ernestine Mystery was no exception. So imagine my surprise when reader Desiree Preston wrote me the following note this week:
“Speaking of happy childhood memories, I was able to track down what is for sure the book I was looking for when I read you article at http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2009/11/26/thanksgiving-the-ernestine-mystery/#comment-4765. I don’t know if it is really the one you were looking for, but I thought I’d let you know. It is called Good Old Ernie by Jerry Mallett. Shout out to my second grade teacher, Judy Gomoluch, who is still good friends with my fourth grade teacher Mary Kain, and saw and answered my Facebook post.”
Could this be true? Jerry Mallett? So I tracked down the cover and lo and behold . . .
That’s it, people. I can’t believe it. After seven years the mystery is solved. Let that be a lesson to you, kids. DON’T STOP BELIEVING! HOLD ONTO THAT FEEEEEEEELING . . . .
So what else is going on in the wild and wonderful world of children’s literature? Well, since I’m already talking about Thanksgiving, it’s not much of a stretch to mention Christmas as well. Now has anyone else noticed that there are a LOT of Nutcracker books out in 2016? I honestly think I’ve seen five different picture book versions of the story, all from different publishers. Now I’ve heard something that may interest my Chicago readers. Brian Selznick has recently been working on some fun new projects, including a Chicago related ballet. According to him . . .
“I’m writing the story for the new version of The Nutcracker (to be set during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair) at the Joffrey choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. It premieres this December! I think it’s going to be good…http://joffrey.org/nutcrackerbios.”
One glimpse at the folks behind it (Basil Twist! Christopher Wheeldon!) and I don’t merely “think” it’s going to be good. I know it’s going to be good. Sendak (the only other children’s book illustrator I know who had a hand in a reinterpretation of The Nutcracker) would be proud. Hat tip to Brian for the tip.
Now let’s double back to NYC, since I’m sure there are folks in that neck of the woods that would like a little children’s literature-related fun. Interested in a book festival that’ll get you out of the city? Why not try The Warwick Children’s Book Festival? As it was sold to me . . .
“Apple- and pumpkin-picking, farm markets, lovely shops, galleries and restaurants downtown…lots to enjoy for families looking for a fun afternoon on a holiday weekend. And among other illustrious authors and illustrators such as Wendell Minor, Jane Yolen, Ame Dyckman, Brian Karas, Roxane Orgill, one of your Boston Globe/Horn Book 2016 award winners, will be there with Jazz Day! And…the Festival is presented by Albert Wisner Public Library, winner of the Best Small Library in America 2016 award conferred by Library Journal! We’re excited to invite everyone from the NY Metro Area to discover our festival, our library and our town.”
Go in my stead, gentle readers. Go in my stead.
I’ll linger just a tad longer in the NYC area since to my infinite delight I found that the irascible, entirely delightful Brooklyn librarian Rita Meade has just been named a “Celebrity Librarian” and one of The Brooklyn 100. Go, Rita, Go!
Now I’ll hike back over to the Midwest again. Maybe I’ll stop in Detroit on the way. Why? Because in a bit of absolutely fascinating news we’ve learned the the newest American Girl is Melody Ellison, a child of early ’60s Detroit. Mental Floss also had this to say about the gal:
A six-member advisory board worked to craft her portrayal and included prominent members of the NAACP, history professors, and the President and CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. Along with author Denise Lewis Patrick, they worked together to ensure Melody’s story was as true to life as possible—including her hair. The texture of the doll’s locks was changed multiple times to reflect the era.
“In the late ’60s, the majority of African-Americans did have straight hair,” Juanita Moore, President and CEO of the Wright Museum, said to the Detroit Free Press. “It may not have been bone straight, but it was straightened.”
Thanks to PW Children’s Bookshelf for the news.
No doubt you’ve heard it elsewhere by now, but the saddest information of the week was that Llama Llama’s mama, Anna Dewdney, died recently. I don’t think my family owns any full runs of picture book series . . . with the exception of the Llama Llama books. There’s a lovely obit for her in PW worth looking on. She will be missed.
Turn now to happy news. They’ve announced the speakers for the upcoming ALSC Mini Institute, which will occur before the ALA Midwinter Conference in January. Behold the speakers for yourself, then sign up.
Me stuff. The very kind Suzanne Slade interviewed me about my picture book Giant Dance Party at the blog Picture Book Builders. Woohoo! Still in print, baby!
Pop Goes the Page at Princeton is still up to their usual tricks. Today they’re wowing us with their tribute to Alice in Wonderland. Try not to keen too mournfully when you realize you missed a chance to hear Leonard Marcus talk about the book’s relationship to surrealism.
Daily Image:
Not much on the roster today, so why don’t I just send you off with a picture of me reading the latest John Patrick Green graphic novel Hippotomister to my kids? They adore it, by the way. So two thumbs up from 2-year-olds and 5-year-olds equally over here.
As you may have noticed, I’ve not done a Video Sunday in a while. It now appears that what I was waiting for all this time was Dan Santat’s parody of Serial, turning it into a reenactment of his Caldecott Award call. I’m just ashamed that when he won it didn’t immediately occur to me that, “Wow. We’re going to get a really great video out of this.” Hindsight is 20-20.
Nice that he got to take the shark suit out of mothballs, right?
As a children’s librarian I associate American Girl dolls far more with their books than the actual dolls. This American Girl Dolls: The Movie trailer from Funny or Die will satisfy any children’s librarian that has ever had to shelve those darn books (or struggle with the eternal question of where to shelve them).
Shh! Don’t tell them Mattel owns both Barbie AND American Girls. Thanks to Beth Banner for the link.
So this Meghan Trainor librarian parody video has garnered 77,963 views as of this posting. And I have heard from more than one person that its creator resembles me. Which is infinitely kind but she is (A) Younger (B) Cuter (C) Actually knows how to style hair. Ever noticed that my hair is always a plain bob? I don’t do hair. This woman. She’s all about the hair.
This next one’s a bit of a surprise. Not that it exists (tree to book, book to tree) but that I can’t think of a single American book that has gone a similar route. Usually we just get “bury this bookmark” swag. I think only a small publisher could get away with this. Or an Argentinian one. Wow.
Thanks to Gregory K for the link.
As someone who doesn’t know a thing about making book trailers, I tip my hat to anyone who is capable (or has offspring who are capable) of creating such a thing out of the ether. With that in mind . . .
As for the off-topic video, I’m not entirely certain why I decided to go with baby goats in pajamas today. Maybe it was something in the wind. In any case . . .
Thanks to Aunt Judy for the link.
Popular series, a new addition to the American Girl conglomerate, and a Disney Frozen book make this month's selection of best new kids books totally a kids' choice list!
Those of you familiar with the Jackson 5 song I’ve referenced in my title are probably now throwing virtual rotten fruit in my general direction. Still, I can’t say it isn’t accurate. This weekend I am pleased to be a speaker at the SCBWI Indiana conference in Zionsville, IN. I haven’t been back in Indiana since my last college reunion in 2010. It’ll be good for me to fill the lungs with some pure uncut Midwestern air once more. A gal need to fill up before heading back into the NYC fray. While you read this I may be zooming up into the clouds above, so enjoy some ephemera in my absence.
- Sure. On the one hand Spain’s reading net, highlighted by Boing Boing this week, looks AMAZING. But while it may work well for Spanish children, you just know that our kids would be leaping and jumping all over that thing within seconds. Plus, there appears to be a gigantic hole in it that’s just asking for trouble. Or maybe that’s how you get in. That would make sense.
- Views From the Tesseract has reached its 100th post and as a result Stephanie came up with What Stories Have Taught Me in 100 Small Lessons. It’s nice without being sentimental. Plus, if you’re in the market for good quotes from children’s books, this here’s the place to go for your one stop shopping!
- My l’il sis is at it again. This time she came up with a way to create comic book shoes. I cannot help but think that this might be possible with old Advanced Readers Copies. Or YA craft programs. Yeah. I think you can tell that the next time I go to the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet I’m recruiting Kate to help me with my outfit. She made one shoe superheroes and one supervillains.
For the record, she also did a post on how to make a hollow book. If you read it, just remember that the world is FULL of extra Harry Potter 7s. One or two less isn’t gonna hurt anything.
- And while we’re feeling crafty, Delightful Children’s Books has come up with such a good idea: a Bookish Advent Calendar. Genius! I may have to steal this idea myself. If I do, though, I’d better get cracking. Start placing holds now. December is practically nigh!
- On the more serious side of things, Marjorie Ingall writes great posts no matter where she is, but it’s her titles that consistently blow me away. At the blog Modern Loss (a site for “navigating your life after a death”) Marjorie wrote 5 Kids Books That Go There: The best of the ‘talking to kids about death’ genre (drumroll, please). It’s a strong five. I’m trying to think what I might add. This year’s Missing Mommy by Rebecca Cobb, maybe. That book ripped my heart from my chest and danced a tarantella on the remains.
- *sigh* Well, if nothing else, this clarifies for me who exactly “McKenna” is and why folks keep asking me to buy her books. And Saige, for that matter. Alexandra Petri writes a rather amusing piece on what has happened to American Girl.
I’m far less upset about the fact that they’re turning What Does the Fox Say? into a picture book. For one thing, I’m weirdly thrilled that the Norwegian YouTube hit sensation has a Norwegian illustrator. And one that clearly has a sense of humor. Hey! Whatever it takes to get some new names from overseas into the American market. At the very least, I want to see it (though I’m fairly certain it is NOT the first picture book to be based on a YouTube sensation). Thanks to Playing By the Book and Matt for the info.
Today, I show something I may have shown before. It’s lithographs of famous books where the text from the story makes up the image itself. Here are some examples:
A Christmas Carol
Alice in Wonderland
A Little Princess
Thanks to Marci for the link!
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 12, 2012
As the London 2012 Olympics come to a close, you may be looking for a way to fill the void which was recently filled with hours-on-end of summer sports. However, most importantly, you may be looking for a way to wean your little television junkies who were so thrilled to be invited for additional TV time over the past couple of weeks. The following books (and one DVD—because nobody said weaning would be easy) may be just what you’re looking for; they offer samplings of ancient and early modern Olympics, gymnastics and some good, old-fashioned exploration of London.
By Jennie Maizels
Reading level: Ages 5 and up
Hardcover: 12 pages
Publisher: Candlewick; Pop edition (April 10, 2012)
By Donna Freitas
Reading level: Ages 10 and up
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (June 1, 2012)
By Benson Bobrick
Reading level: Ages 10 and up
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (June 26, 2012)
By Brad Herzog; Illustrated by Doug Bowles
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press (September 1, 2011)
Cast: Cathy Rigby, Nia Vardalos, Ian Ziering
Directed By: Vince Marcello
Based on the &ld
29 days ago, I challenged myself to read only books written by or about people of color. This challenge was partly inspired by Black History Month, and partly due to a realization that since leaving my classroom in Baltimore, I had pretty much stopped looking for books that reflected the faces of "my" students.
I can almost guarantee that I would not have read most of these books without taking on this challenge, and boy-oh-boy would I have been missing out! In an effort to summarize this month of reading, here are a few awards and a few "similar interest groups" for quick reference.
Favorite YA Read of the Month: Tie between
Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis and
Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena
(these two couldn't be more different, but I'll remember them both for a long, long time)Favorite MG Read of the Month:
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani
(love, love, love this book)Favorite New-to-Me Author: Ashley Hope Perez - I thoroughly enjoyed
What Can't Wait and am eagerly awaiting
The Knife and the Butterfly. I can't help but feel a TFA bond with Ms. Perez and I'm so thankful that teachers like her exist!
Favorite Blast from the Past:
American Girl - Cecile's New Orleans seriesFavorite Illustrations:
Heart and Soul - The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
(Abigail Halpin is pretty fabulous too, but Kadir Nelson's paintings were just breathtaking)
Favorite Book that Brad Pitt Should Turn into a Movie: Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams
Novels in Verse:
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Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes
-
The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle
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Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
The American Girl 1853 series: Cecile and Marie Grace by Denise Lewis Patrick and Sarah Masters Buckey, American Girl, 2011
Recap:Cecile Rey is one of the "gens de couleur libres" or "free people of color" living in New Orleans in 1853. Together, she and her friend, Marie Grace, experience all that the diverse, busy city has to offer: Mardi Gras parades and costume balls, outdoor French markets, helping to fight a yellow fever epidemic, volunteering at a local orphanage, and performing at a city-wide benefit for the orphaned children.
Review:Happy Mardi Gras, book lovers! In honor of the holiday, today I'm featuring a series set in New Orleans, and the first two books take place during Mardi Gras!
I was first inspired to cover this American Girl series after seeing a feature on author Denise Lewis Patrick on The Brown Bookshelf. I'd never given a thought to the authors behind my beloved American Girl books, and reading the story of how Patrick was asked to author the Cecile series piqued my interest. The Cecile series is unique from that of the other American Girls because she shares her books with a girl named Marie Grace. I read "Meet Marie Grace" and then all of the Cecile books in the series, and it's very clear that the two authors plotted the stories out together. Between the two "Meet ____" books, some lines were actually word-for-word the same. I'm really not sure why they chose to have two main characters this time. If any of you know, please fill me in! On the surface, the Cecile/Marie Grace series follows the same "formula" as every other in the AG line. We "Meet" the girls, they go through some "troubles" but eventually save the day, and everyone ends up stronger and wiser. A little didactic, yes... but these characters are brave, self-confident role models for little girls today. I really like the fact that each book includes a chapter of nonfiction in the back, explaining how the events in the story are a reflection of real events from the past.
Cecile's story is notable because, unlike so many black characters in historial fiction - including
10 Comments on American Girl: Cecile's New Orleans Series, last added: 2/21/2012
Is the author of GOOD OLD ERNIE, the same Jerry J. Mallett who founded the Mazza Museum of Children’s Illustration in Findlay, Ohio?
Sorry. Should have identified it as the Mazza Museum in Findlay, Ohio
….
I have no clue. If so that would be . . .
I need to do some investigating. Tally-ho!