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Sometimes an awards list comes out and you think, “not too shabby”. Other times an awards list comes out and you think, “absolutely no shabbiness here whatsoever. Indeed, zero shabbiness”. That’s the 2012 Cybils winners. It’s an excellent group of winners. As a member of the Fiction Picture Book committee, I’m thrilled A Home for [...]
It’s been a while since we’ve done this (poor Homer Price) so let’s do a little recap. If a good book is sporting a cover that isn’t helping, you’ve got yourself an Unfortunate Cover. The Unfortunate Cover can be a tough situation to remedy. You can booktalk the heck out of it to spur some [...]
SENDAK SCHOOL You may have heard, but they’re naming a New York City public school after Maurice Sendak. This seems a fine idea to me. Click here to read. NEW HARRY POTTER COVERS Publisher’s Weekly just announced this morning that September will bring new covers for the paperback edition of the Harry Potter series. [...]
It’s time to once again to look at the season before us and say “that looks good”. What follows are books coming out in March, April, and May that appear to have promise. Picture Book Giant Dance Party by Betsy Bird; illustrated by Brandon Dorman April 23 | Greenwillow | Grades K-2 Ever heard of [...]
You know in the movie Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey when Bill and Ted realize that they can, because of time travel, leave things for their past selves to find? This is what I’m doing here. And hey, if time travel doesn’t end up happening, hopefully it’s of some use to folks thinking of starting [...]
I’m definitely not the first to make this sort of comparison… In the early Aughts I hit my fair share of chain music store liquidation sales. Sam Goody, Tower Records, and other mall-type CD shops that were going out of business post music industry collapse. I didn’t feel good about the doors closing, but I [...]
WRITING ADVICE FROM MO WILLEMS I’d say Mr. Willems has a handle on writing for kids (Boom! *Understatement Award*). He recently put out a list of tips on his blog titled How to Write in 4 Easy Steps, 4 Kinda Harder Steps, and 1 Pretty Much Impossible Step. Anyone who reads, critiques, writes, or hopes [...]
CAST: Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel … Daniel Day Lewis Roald Dahl … John Lithgow JK Rowling … Helen Hunt (via Heidi F.) Jack Gantos … Chris Cooper (via Shannon O.) Jerry Spinelli … Sam Waterston (via Erica) Louis Sachar … Larry David (via John S.) Kate DiCamillo … Meg Ryan John Scieszka … Tom Colicchio Daniel “Lemony [...]
Open This Little Book By Jesse Klausmeier Illustrated by Suzy Lee Chronicle Books ISBN: 9780811867832 $16.99 Grades PreK-2 In Stores Find it at: Schuler Books | Your Library Some books, you just have to see. When a title like the inventive Open This Little Book arrives, a description alone doesn’t do it much justice. But [...]
I’ve found that everyone loves a good celebrity doppelgänger. Even if it’s unflattering, it’s always oddly fascinating. As a guy who was once likened to Paul from The Wonder Years, I can attest to this. I think it’s time we put together a list of actors who could play today’s children’s literature luminaries. Although Kadir Nelson, [...]
The hold shelf is the polygraph test of the library world. What are people truly interested in reading? Check the holds. While the popularity of certain titles is universal (see: Wimpy Kid, The Hunger Games, etc.), often times there will be a run on a book you never expected. As famous librarian, the famous Rasheed [...]
I mentioned last week that it was time to stop fooling myself that I would get a lot of blog posts out the door during ALA Midwinter. Success! I did, however, manage to take pictures on Instagram. Why don’t I dump all the photos right here for anyone interested? I take your silence as a [...]
The biggest awards in Children’s literature have been doled out, let’s take a look at the three categories nearest and dearest to me. Click here for video of the awards. Newbery Medal: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate Honor: Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz Honor: BOMB by Steve Sheinkin Honor: Three [...]
Yeah! I’m heading to the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, which is also the kick-off to my year on the Caldecott committee. The lead-up to ALA conferences always goes the same for me – I say I want to blog the sights, sounds, and unusual smells, and then barely manage to squeak out one measly [...]
CALDECOTT CALLED *Update* The fine blog Calling Caldecott just announced the results of their first round of mock voting. All my picks made it, so I’m a happy camper. Click here to read. ALL THE STARS ShelfTalker put out the final tally of books that received starred reviews, a list that I always get a [...]
How better to get acquainted with the Caldecott Medal than through two artists who have won it? Last year, in the first Caldecott Conversation, Erin E. Stead and Jerry Pinkney talked shop. Today, the conversation continues as Stead and Chris Raschka (the 2012 Caldecott winner for A Ball for Daisy) interview each other. Erin E. [...]
Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard By Annette LeBlanc Cate Candlewick Press ISBN: 9780763645618 $15.99 Grades 2-4 In Stores March 12, 2013 *Best New Book* Find it at: Schuler Books | Your Library Let us be honest – in terms of activities for kids, birdwatching is pretty low on the popularity list. Due to [...]
February 14th is International Book Giving Day (visit the website to learn more). Artist Priya Kuriyan even whipped up a nice poster for the event: (Click here for the downloadable full-size version on the IBGD site) So, if you’re about to give one of the gifts below, please consider a book instead. Mug “You know, I really [...]
That’s the first thing you do when you finish reading a book? Pass it along to a friend? Return it to the library? Place it on the unruly pile of titles that you charitably call your “office”? Scores of dedicated readers log on to Goodreads and share their opinions with the world. Imagine Facebook and your [...]
