A Tribute to Dianne De Las Casas

It's Picture Book Month, time to celebrate the profound effect picture books have on the world and spread the love. Sadly, Dianne De Las Casas, one of the key creators of this event, was killed tragically and unexpectedly this year.  I can't think of a better way to spend Perfect Picture Book Friday than honoring Dianne by introducing you to her books. Champion them and all picture books. Follow Dianne's motto: Read * Share * Celebrate!

And please check out the very special anti-bullying series Dianne and her fiance, John Couret, created, Captain Deadeye.

The first in the Captain Deadeye series
The Bully Shark

Be a lifesaver. Share Captain Deadeye and the Bully Shark

Thank-you to all those who keep Picture Book Month active and help it transform lives.

Science Fiction Reading List

Author Andy Weir had an unusual path to publication, but one which I think is empowering to young people, namely, make your dreams happen. Lightspeed Magazine has posted an inspiring interview with him, including some of his favorite childhood books.

Andy is the national spokesperson for School Library Month. While I would hardly call his book, The Martian, kidlit, I would like to recommend some children's books in the same genre.

Please, please, PLEASE leave your sci-fi kidlit recommendations in the comments. Thanks!


Science Fiction is hardly he norm for the picture book crowd, but aliens and robots are always popular. Try these:

• Marveltown, by Bruce McCall
• Boy + Bot, by Ame Dyckman and Dan Yaccarino
• The Man in the Moon, by William Joyce
• The Three Aliens and the Big Bad Robot, by Margaret McNamara and Mark Fearing
• Company's Coming, by Arthur Yorinks and David Small
• Even Aliens Need Snacks, by Matt McEllligott
• Your Alien, by Tammi Sauer and Goro Fujita

No list would be complete without David Wiesner's Sci-Fi classic Mr. Wuffles! I'll post my review for Perfect Picture Book Friday. See you then!

Chapter Books tend more toward fantasy or, again, aliens and robots. These are some of the younger middle grades I found:

• The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznik
• Pi in the Sky, by Wendy Mass
• Frank Einstein, by Jon Sciezka
• The Gadgets and Gears series, by Kersten Hamilton
• The Cabinet of Wonders, by Marie Rutkoski
• Time Traveling With a Hamster, by Ross Wellford
• The Wild Robot, by Peter Brown
• Zita the Space Girl, by Ben Hatke

 There's a fine line between those chapter books and these Middle Grade, but these tend to be for older MGers. I like:

•  Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel
• The Dead Gentleman, by Matthew Cody
• Impyrium, by Henry Neff
• The Tundra Trials, by Monica Tessler
• Ambassador and Nomad, by William Alexander
• The Secret Keepers, by Trenton Lee Stewart

In the Young Adult category:

• Cinder, by Marissa Meyer
• Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld
• Mortal Engines, by Philip Reeve
• The Diabolic, by S. J. Kincaid
• Future Threat, by Elizabeth Briggs

More School Library Month posts and events for National Library Week coming soon.

Happy Valentine's Day and the CYBILS Awards!

Valentine's Day offers a new way to give. Join the celebration with International Book Giving Day!

#bookgivingday poster art by Marianne Dubuc

Download posters, bookmarks and more. But most of all, show your love by giving books.
Local schools, community centers, shelters, daycares, and crisis pregnancy centers can all use good children's books, and they are well-placed to get the books into the hands of kids who need them.

While you're giving, don't forget to treat yourself to a new book. Supporting authors, illustrators, and publishing houses is the only way to keep books on the store shelves. Share your love of books today and everyday.

I was privileged to participate in the first round judging for the CYBILS Awards last fall. The winners have finally been announced. So head over to their site to see the top picks in each category, and do yourself a favor by reading the nominees as well. There were dozens of outstanding books nominated. Browse the CYBILS blog to read blurbs and reviews.

Congratulations to the winners!
You'll find some of my favorites reviewed here, and many of the elementary and juvenile non-fiction nominees reviewed on my Goodreads account.

Mira Forecasts the Future, by Kell Andrews and Lissy Marlin
Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion, by Alex T. Smith
A Morning With Grandpa, by Sylvia Liu and Christina Forshay
Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles, by Mara Rockliff  and Hadley Hooper
Six Dots: A Story of Louis Braille, by Jen Bryant and Boris Kulikov
The William Hoy Story: How A Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game, by Nancy Churnin and Jez Tuya
The Kid from Diamond Street: The Extraordinary Story of Baseball Legend Edith Houghton, by Audrey Vernick and Steven Salerno
Kid Artists: True Tales of Childhood from Creative Legends, by David Stabler and by Doogie Horner
Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois, by Amy Novesky and Isabelle Arsenault
Dorothea's Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth, by Barbara Rosenstock and Gerard DuBois
Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams, A Life in Nature, by Cindy Jenson-Elliot and Christy Hale
Seeing Things: A Kids' Guide to Looking at Photographs, by Joel Meyerowitz
Their Great Gift: Courage, Sacrifice, and Hope in a New Land, by John Coy and Wing Young Huie
Glow: Animals With Their Own Night-Lights, by W. H. Beck
The Great Leopard Rescue, by Sandra Markle and Tom and Pat Leeson
Poop Detectives: Working Dogs in the Field, by Ginger Wadsworth
Welcome to New Zealand: A Nature Journal, by Sandra Morris
The Slowest Book Ever, by April Pulley Sayre and Kelly Murphy
Animal Planet Animal Atlas, ed. by James Buckley Jr
In Focus: Close-Ups, Cross Sections, Cutaways, by Libby Walden and various illustrators
The Human Body: The Story of How We Protect, Repair, and Make Ourselves Stronger, by H. P. Newquist
Mighty Jack, by Ben Hatke
Ghosts, by Reina Telgemeier
Save Me A Seat, by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
The Scourge, by Jennifer A Nielson and Tim O'Brien

#ChaBooCha

It's challenge time!

Feeling sluggish as the winter weather drags on? Power through those writing projects with a few March challenges.

Chapter Book Challenge 2014

Created by Rebecca Fyfe

Join the Chapter Book Challenge:

• Spend the month of March writing your easy reader, chapter, middle grade, or YA from start to finish.
• Earn the chance for weekly prizes 
• Enter for the grand prize, a Kindle.
• Study the blog posts, be encouraged, improve your craft.
• Network with other writers just like you!

Sign up here

Or 

Participate in March Madness

Created by Susanna Leonard Hill

• Write a fractured fairy tale in 400 words or less
• Blog your creation March 20- 24
• Vote for your favorite March 25-30
• Prizes awarded March 31, 2014

Get the details

See you there!

Reading Recap: Overdue

Most Deserving of  the Hype
Aaron Becker's Journey

Every successful writer is also a reader. But I am a reader by addiction, not because of duty.

In addition to my annual 50-book goal, I attempted to read 300 picture books as part of the 300 Picture Book Challenge. I missed my goals last year, but not by much. I totaled 225 picture books and 48 Chapter and above. You can see the entire list of picture books on my Pinterest board.

Every year there are books which live up to my expectations, some which disappoint, a few fabulous random finds from the library shelves, and each year there are books which astonish me in their perfection.

I'd like to share some of my favorites:

Favorite Book , 2013
Uma Krishnaswami's
The Grand Plan
to Fix Everything

Best Series
Marie Rutkoski's
The Cabinet of Wonders
Kronos Chronicles: Book 1

Best Random Pick
Rebecca Stead's
Liar & Spy

Best Bargain Table Find
Michelle Ivy Davis's
Evangeline Brown
and the Cadillac Motel

Best Illustrations
Lenore Look's
Alvin Ho
is Allergic to Camping
and other Natural Disasters,
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Longest Overdue
Dodie Smith's
I Capture the Castle

This year's goals are 250 picture books, 50 chapter and above, reread the Prydain Chronicles, and 2 books on the crafts of writing or illustration from beginning to end.

Thus far in 2014, I've read 6 novels, 2 books on writing, and 22 picture books.

So what were some of the fabulous books you read in 2013? What goals have you set for this year? How are you keeping on track?

Magic Tree House Buddies Week

Magic Tree House Celebrates Literacy

Read along with a friend as we promote literacy using the popular Magic Tree House series of chapter books. "Nearly 1,000 schools, libraries, and bookstores have signed up for the webcast, which will include a talk by Osborne and a live theatrical performance starring Magic Tree House characters Jack and Annie, who will sing a new Reading Buddies song," states Publishers Weekly. The event runs October 11-19. With plenty of support material available, this week is sure to turn even the most reluctant readers into bibliophiles. But it takes effort on our part. Author Mary Pope Osborne continues to concoct venues to attract young readers to the world of books. I especially applaud her move to donate the 28-title series to 4,000 students in the Newark area. Thanks to both Random House and Ms. Osborne for their dedication to literacy.

Star Wars Reads Day

October 5 is the second official Star Wars Reads Day. Join the celebration at a public gathering in one of 13 states, or create your own event with these great activities. Bake some alien treats with the cook book below, or do some intergalactic shopping at my favorite site ThinkGeek. But be sure to browse your local library for a Star Wars title or two or three. May the Force be with you, always.

The Rising Force, book 1,
by Dave Wolverton

Many licensed books have copy which makes the editor in me cringe, but you can find plenty of Star Wars fare to encourage even the most reluctant readers. Here are of few of my recommendations.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda,
by Tom Angleberger

Star Wars Legacy Vol. 1,
Dark Horse Comics, graphic novel,
by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema

The Phantom Menace,
Lego Star Wars

Star Wars Science Fair Experiments,
by Bryan Dean, Scholastic

Star Wars Concept Art, 10-15-13
by Doug Chiang, Joe Johnston,
Ryan Church, Erik Tiemens

Wookie Cookies,
a cook book, by Robin Davis

Abe Lincoln's Hat

Abe Lincoln's Hat,
Written by Martha Brenner,
Illustrated by Donald Cook

"A book which is well and thoughtfully illustrated provides a richer experience for a child by supporting the words of the printed text with concrete images which communicate action, express emotion, and satisfy a child's need to engage his / her senses. With love and magic, an illustration transforms a story into a living, tangible world which a child can explore and revisit as often as he or she wishes."

- Donald Cook, artist/educator

interior art by Donald Cook

Abe Lincoln's Hat is a chapter book written by Martha Brenner and illustrated by Donald Cook.

Abe Lincoln's Hat was published by Random House in 1994 as part of their Step Into Reading program.  This book is a Step 3, which means it is recommended for readers in grades first through third who are just beginning to read on their own.  The sentences are very simple, though some of the vocabulary is more challenging.  It reads like a reader, rather than a chapter book story.  This book uses the detail of Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hat to relate important events in his career.  I like the way the author introduced lesser known elements from his life and focuses on his time as a lawyer.  This book appeals to my author side because it is these kinds of unusual details that are able to get a manuscript out of the slush pile.  The illustrations by Donald Cook are very appropriate to this book.  He has skill in varying the layout and point of view to give interest to the subject matter.  Cook's soft pencil-and-wash art lends a vintage air.

From Abe Lincoln's Hat, courtesy Donald Cook

Ben and Me

I finally got around to reading Ben and Me, by Robert Lawson.

Let me start by saying I love Roberts Lawson's illustrations; I always have.  He excels at black and white drawing, of placement of lights and darks on the page.  He illustrated for St Nicholas, and for adult magazines of his day.  Most people know his artwork from Munro Leaf's Ferdinand the Bull or Mr. Popper's Penguins, by the Atwaters.  During his career he was called on to illustrate the writings of Dickens, Twain, Coatsworth, as well as classics like One Foot in Fairyland, by Eleanor Farjeon and The Sword in the Stone, by T H White.

If you are only familiar with the Disney version of this historical fantasy, you'll be greatly surprised by the differences.

more

A Knot of Toads

I have hardly mentioned chapter books in any previous post, so I thought it time to highlight a few.

Newberry Award winner,
Frog and Toad Together
by Arnold Lobel

No childhood would be complete without the Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel.  Days With Frog and Toad is the first in this lyrical series of adventures.  In simple but engaging language, Lobel gets us to smile as these two friends  fight and laugh their way through everyday activities:  planting a garden, taking a ride, flying a kite.  These books are an absolute must for the illustrations alone.  Especially geared to readers grade 1-3, but appropriate for toddlers to adults.

Garden State
Children's Book Award
winner, by
Jane Yolen

Master storyteller Jane Yolen is better known for her picture books or middle grade novels, than for her easy to read chapter books.  Nonetheless, the Commander Toad series for readers 6-9, has equal appeal. Bruce Degen's humorous characterizations of the crew of the Star Warts and the galactic oddities they encounter are the perfect compliment to the writing.  Commander Toad books are a sure-fire way to turn reluctant readers into bookworms.

On an interesting aside, Bruce Degen lists Arnold Lobel as an early influence on his work.

For more amphibian adventures, check out Tuesday by David Wiesner.

And for a challenging quiz, test your knowledge at FunTrivia: Animal groupings with a twist.