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If you haven’t had the chance to check out the Fancy Nancy website, you must head over there now and take a look!  First, sign up for the Fancy Nancy: Bonjour! E-newsletter:

You can also see adorable photos of fancy families and read the Fancy Nancy blog.

Hosting a Fancy Nancy soiree in your library?  Download the event kit.

Prepping for a poetry unit?  Take a look at our ideas to use FANCY NANCY: POET EXTRAORDINAIRE! in the classroom.

Use this template to help kids explore their family tree!

The possibilities are endless, mes amis!  How have you shared Fancy Nancy in your libraries or classrooms?

We love our Kindles.  We love our company-issued Sony Readers.  And of course we love our iPads.

But lately we’re particularly smitten with the Nook Color and their Read and Play interactive e-books (which you can buy in the…wait for it…eBooktique!).

Kids can read in the traditional way with “page turns” and either they can read to themselves or be read aloud to by a parent or caregiver.  There’s also a “read to me” feature with a pre-recorded voice.  And now, with the new interactive ability, there’s some animation and activities – while still staying true and respectful to the book’s original art and intent, we think (yes, we were skeptical at first too).  But  LITTLE WHITE RABBIT is darling when he hops.  SPLAT THE CAT hides under his bedsheets, peeking out periodically, making us giggle.  FANCY NANCY allows the reader to create and draw and interact.  It’s pretty darn cool.

Well done, Nook.

Last week was Binky’s birthday; he turned 6. There was cake, party hats and balloons. Like all cats he wasn’t impressed by all the party fuss, but he did enjoy spending the evening with friends and getting his belly rubbed. Read more after the jump. I thought we could continue the celebration with You Can’t Take [...]

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: March 25, 2010

May 2-8, 2011, is Children’s Book Week. Each year, during this week, The Children’s Book Council hosts the Children’s Choice Book Awards. These are the best awards because the children are given a voice! I highly recommend checking out the thirty books that have been nominated for the six categories: k-2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-6th, Teens, and author of the year. Then, along with your kids or classroom, go and vote for their favorite(s)—you have until April 29. The winners will be announced on May 2 at the Children’s Choice Book Awards Gala.

This year’s Children’s Choice Book Award finalists are as follows:

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year

Shark vs. Train

by Chris Barton (Author), Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (April 1, 2010)

Publisher’s synopsis: Shark VS. Train! WHO WILL WIN?!

If you think Superman vs. Batman would be an exciting matchup, wait until you see Shark vs. Train. In this hilarious and wacky picture book, Shark and Train egg each other on for one competition after another, including burping, bowling, Ping Pong, piano playing, pie eating, and many more! Who do YOU think will win, Shark or Train?

Add this book to your collection: Shark vs. Train

How Rocket Learned to Read

by Tad Hills

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade; 1 edition (July 27, 2010)

Publisher’s synopsis: Learn to read with this New York Times-bestselling picture book, starring an irresistible dog named Rocket and his teacher, a little yellow bird. Follow along as Rocket masters the alphabet, sounds out words, and finally . . . learns to read all on his own!

With a story that makes reading fun—and wil

The 2011 finalists for the Children’s Choice Book Awards have been revealed. Kids can vote from March 14th to April 29th, and the winners will be announced live at the Children’s Choice Book Awards gala in May. Individual title nominees have been divided into four groups classified by different school grades.

In the Author of the Year category, teen fiction writers dominate. The nominees include Suzanne Collins for Mockingjay, Stephenie Meyer for The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner, Rick Riordan for The Lost Hero, Jeff Kinney for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, and Cassandra Clare for Clockwork Angel.

Children of all grades are encouraged to vote for the Illustrator of the Year award. Those nominated for in this category include Loren Long for President Barack Obama‘s Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, David Wiesner for Art & Max, Mo Willems for Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion, Robin Preiss Glasser for Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique, and Nancy Tillman for Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You. Who do you want to win?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Here’s the scoop on the most popular destinations on The Children’s Book Review site, the most coveted new releases, the bestsellers, and kids’ book events.

The Children's Book Council hosts the Children's Choice Book Awards. The favorite book finalists for this year were determined by close to 15,000 children and teens. I highly recommend checking out these books!

Voting will close for the Children’s Choice Book Awards next Monday, May 3rd, so we wanted to make sure you had all the information you need to place your votes! In this post, you will find the finalists for the Illustrator of the Year Award.

Illustrator of the Year

Peter Brown for The Curious Garden
Peter Brown wrote and illustrated The Curious Garden, a story about a boy named Liam who looks after wildflowers he finds growing in the middle of the city. Mr. Brown’s other picture books include Chowder, and Flight of the Dodo.  Visit his site www.peterbrownstudio.com to learn more about him!

Victoria Kann for Goldilicious
Victoria Kann wrote and illustrated Goldilicious, the follow-up book to her two other works, Pinkalicious and Purplicious, which she co-authored with her sister Elizabeth Kann. Goldilicious continues the story of Pinkalicious and her pet unicorn, Goldilicious. Ms. Kann teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Robin Preiss Glasser for Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire
Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire continues the Fancy Nancy series by Jane O’Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. In this installment, Fancy Nancy and her best friend Bree create an exclusive club for their studies of nature. Before she became an award-winning illustrator, Ms. Preiss Glasser was a ballet dancer. She has won an ALA Notable Book Award for You Can’t Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum with Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman.

Susan Roth for Listen to the Wind
Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea is the children’s book version of Greg Mortensen’s nonfiction work Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time. It tells the story of Mr. Mortensen’s work in Afghanistan and Pakistan, building schools for girls and Ms. Roth’s collages bring his story to life.  Visit Ms. Roth’s site to learn more about her and her work:  www.susanlroth.com.

David Soman for Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy
David Soman illustrated and co-wrote Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy with Jacky Davis. This story is about a girl named Lulu whose superhero alter-ego is Ladybug Girl. To be able to play with her friend Sam, he turns into Bumblebee Boy and together, they help those who are in trouble. Mr. Soman teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Vote today and everyday for your favorite author and illustrator to win a Children’s Choice Book Award! Don’t forget to