Cricket Media is my all time favorite producer of magazines for young people. Betsy Bird over at Fuse #8 Production featured the following press release at the beginning of the month.
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, GIVE THE GIFT OF READING WITH CRICKET MEDIA’S “DOUBLE THE GIVING” CAMPAIGN
With Each Magazine Subscription Purchased, Cricket will Donate One to
a Child in Need in Partnership with Two Award-Winning Literacy Charities:
Libraries Without Borders and Parent-Child Home Program
Guaranteed to Spark a Lifetime Love of Reading!
Two sources have alerted me to some awesome soon-to-be-published books. Over on Fuse#8, Betsy Bird mentioned titles from a
librarian's preview from HarperCollins. I am drooling.
And PW Children's gave stars to the books they reviewed in today's online edition. Since I am receiving this e-newsletter after retirement, I won't link directly to the reviews. I can tell you what the books are, though.
1. Is this a dream? I must pinch myself. Jen Bryant teams up with Melissa Sweet to bring us a picture book biography of Peter Mark Roget, the creator of Roget's Thesaurus. The book,
The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus is published by Eerdman's and will come out in September. Bryant has authored some awesome non-fiction and Sweet's illustrations win me over every time. But the subject matter, a man obsessed with words, a life-saver to writers and puzzle-solvers alike, is so mind-expanding. Fascinating people don't just climb mountains and rescue tiger cubs. They solve equations and explore words.
2.
Nuts to You by Lynn Rae Perkins (Greenwillow, 978-0-06-009275-7) comes out in August and it's about SQUIRRELS. Yes! Yes! Squirrels are everywhere my friends. When a squirrel is carried away by a hawk, his friends go on an adventure to find him. Isn't that cover so pretty?
3. Gregory Maguire of
Wicked fame is back with a Russian folktale styled story that features a futuristic Baba Yaga and a reversal of roles plot.
Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire will be published by Candlewick in September
4. Last but not least is Meg Wolitzer's "debut" YA novel,
Belzhar, brought to us by Dutton and due out in September. (Wolitzer's
The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman, a masterpiece about Scrabble must have been meant for a younger audience.) A broken-hearted teen who is incapable of recovering from her failed romance is sent to a special school where she is given a journal that takes her back in her own life to before her heartbreak.
There are so many books and there is so little time. I think I ONLY have 24 ARCs to work through, along with the one library book on my bedside bookshelf. I will tell you about that, later.
First, I know it's Thursday and I will post a storytelling thingie before midnight. I promise - but...
Over on A Fuse #8 Production, Betsy Bird is popping up with all kinds of awesome links. Check out Jarrett Krosoczka's double-dog dare to guys...(Hi, Jarrett! Remember when you came to the Parkland Community Library back around the time of Baghead and Annie Was Warned? That YS librarian? That was I!)
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| Nerds are the new In Crowd! |
So here is Jarrett's mind-blowing dare! Do it, guys!! What??!!! Don't be a wuss. Just do it.
I want one of these.
Thanks to Betsy Bird and
A Fuse #8 Production. She posts the BEST stuff.
Check out
First Book, an organization that distributes books to children who live with few or any books in their lives. First Book supports other literacy programs as well. Please look at their website at
www.firstbook.org and help this fine organization out.
Parents are always asking which books are best for their children - best as in "most likely to make my child smarter" and best as in "I don't want to waste my time on some silly little book."
My answer has always been, "If you and your child both like the book, THAT is the best book for you."
Hmmm, not good enough, I'm afraid. So check out
Scholastic.com's 100 Best Books for children. There, that should keep you all happy for awhile.
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| Start them young. Start them right - or is that correctly? |
But, in case, you really want more, more, more - as well you should - check out
Betsy Bird's blog, A Fuse#8 Production, and scroll down til you see the little tabs on the right hand that say 100 Best Picture Books, and 100 Best Chapter Books. You may be able to get a Pdf of Betsy's latest 100 best poll that finished up at the end of June. So many great books are on these lists.
I know that Betsy Bird's A Fuse #8 Production has been featured here before - or at the very least mentioned. Right now, she is intent on counting down the 100 Top Picture Books and the 100 Best Fiction for children, based on her most recent survey of school and children's librarians.
This huge undertaking makes great reading, since Betsy not only gives her personal take on each book but a quote from one of the librarians who responded to this survey.
Every day, Betsy will post 10 or so books from one of these lists until she gets all the way to #1. Right now, she has reached #61 on the Best Children's Fiction list. Some of my all time favorites have already been mentioned. And some books I never read, too. I like that. I am always on the prowl for good kids' books, no matter when they were written.
What am I reading now? Oak Island — A Tale of Two Treasures by Mary Donovan
The children’s literature blogosphere is expanding on a daily basis. As a result, every once in a while I stumble upon a site that’s a true gem. Elizabeth Bird, of a A Fuse #8 Production, gushed about Uncovered Cover Art in her latest edition of Fusenews.
The creator of the site, editor Heidi Kellenberger, describes the it as “a sketchbook of reimagined children’s books.” Uncovered Cover Art combines two of the things that I absolutely love: art and children’s literature. The creativity and imagination these talented artists possess is truly spectacular. Kellenberger says of the site,
Uncovered Cover Art is a celebration of creativity, children’s literature, and art.
This is for you.
This is for artists who want to show off their passion for illustrating
children’s books.
This is for art directors looking for artists, wondering if the editorial work in
Hot New Thing’s portfolio will transfer to children’s book illustration.
This is for agents on the lookout for new talent.
This is for children’s book lovers who stay up late imagining the faces of Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, and Little Red Riding Hood.
But, wait, the fun doesn’t stop there. Kellenberger is giving her audience the opportunity to participate in the launch of Uncovered Cover Art by casting their vote. “The three most popular artists will receive a copy of Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration.” Voting is currently underway and ends on Tuesday, August 30, 2011.”
A couple of my favourite pieces are Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Billy Nuñez and Matilda by Chrystal Chan. What are some of yours?
0 Comments on
Uncovered Cover Art as of 1/1/1900
I was a bigger fan of H.R. Pufnstuf.
“Jimmy!”
Sorry that I missed that Land of the Lost marathon-that show was one of my Saturday morning favorites. Also dug Dr. Shrinker(great theme song-”he’s an evil man with an evil mind!”),Shazam,Isis(yes,the Egyptian goddess had her own superheroine show)and of course,Electro Woman and Dyna Girl!
They really don’t make good cheesy shows for kids like they use to*sigh*!
My bad-it’s ElecTRA Woman and Dyna Girl:(
Oh,and check out this clip of Cyndi Lauper singing their theme song-it’s beyond awesome!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiPY4KdZ2eQ
“By the power of Isis!” Sigh. Too right they don’t make good cheesy shows like that anymore. But at least we have our memories! And YouTube! And those random 24-hour marathons!
And that Cyndi Lauper clip is awesome! Thanks for the link!