BERNARD WABER 1921-2013 Sad news. Bernard Waber, creator of Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, Ira Sleeps Over, and many others has passed away. Click here to read more at School Library Journal. ATTENTION: HIGH SHARE-ABILITY LEVELS The Horn Book has a summer reading list up at their site full of excellent new recommended titles – perfect for [...]
If memory serves, it’s about that time when I tag team like Kid ‘n Play with Watch. Connect. Read. and we share pictures of our hold shelves. It’s a good way to find out which books are truly popular with kids. It’s even better when you join in. So between now and Monday at 5:00 [...]
E.L. KONIGSBURG 1930-2013 Sad news. As you likely have heard by now, author E.L. Konigsburg has passed away at the age of 83. Winner of two Newbery Medals and one Newbery Honor, her books have lived on like few do. School Library Journal remembers her here. PLACE YOUR BETS – EISNER NOMINEES ANNOUNCED Nominees for [...]
It’s been a while since I stopped by the Nerdy Book Club blog to recount my boyhood quest to read every Roald Dahl book. Today Nerdy masterminds Colby Sharp, Donalyn Miller, and Cindy Minnich were nice enough to let me come back and retro review Tomi Ungerer’s Mellops series of picture books. I love those [...]
THE READING SLUMP You’ve been there, right? Nothing sounds good. You start books and don’t finish them. I know I have been in my fair share of reading droughts. Donalyn Miller wrote an honest, bold post at The Nerdy Book Club blog about the topic that has definitely hit home with a lot of readers. [...]
MANY STARS FOR YOU ShelfTalker posted their first installment of The Stars So Far. This tally of books that have received starred reviews is always an interesting read. Think you can guess the two books that have already received 5 starred reviews? They were a surprise to me. Click here to check out the list. NO [...]
MATILDA: HORSE RACE FIXER The New Yorker, in discussing the new stage play of Roald Dahl’s classic, reveals the very different early draft of Matilda. Click here to read at Bookshelves of Doom. SCHOOL LIBRARIANS: STAY FOCUSED The Blue Skunk Blog makes me think every time out. In a world of a million professional distractions, [...]
I just read the Publishers Weekly article The Bestselling Children’s Books of 2012. A few thoughts… 1. The rise of the Dork How about the Dork Diaries series taking two of the top six hardcover frontlist spots? When that series first appeared I didn’t think it would make that sort of a splash. But Dork [...]
10 POUNDS ON ‘I WANT MY HAT BACK’ Book award news. Over in the UK, the shortlists for The Carnegie (for writing) and Kate Greenway (for illustration) medals have been announced. It’s down to eight titles in each category, folks – place your bets. Click here for Carnegie. Click here for Greenway. EXTREME READING More [...]
It’s about to get poetic in here!!! April is National Poetry Month. And around this neck of the woods the poetry form of choice is the book spine cento. What’s a cento? Check out the 2012 Book Spine Poem Gallery to find out. Or take a look at the work of Nina Katchadourian. Students, teachers, [...]
NEWBERY IN 90 The 90 Second Newbery, once just a glimmer in author James Kennedy’s eye, has just completed its second year. If you missed the recap of this year’s screening in New York, click here – it looked like a wild night. Spread the word: for those who want to participate in next year’s [...]
The (mostly) monthly roundup of the books kids are lining up to read is over at Watch. Connect. Read. today. Head over there and take a look. Here’s a preview:
It’s about time for another round of “What Are Kids Reading?” This month, John Schumacher is hosting a gallery of library hold shelf pictures at his blog Watch. Connect. Read. Here’s how it works: Before 8:00pm CST on Wednesday, February 27 locate the hold shelf in your library. Take a picture. Share it by either of these [...]
CALDECOTT SECRETS Or rather, why are there so many? Click here to read. NPR ON SENDAK Morning Edition recently used the occasion of Maurice Sendak’s final work “My Brother’s Book” to talk about the man and his legacy. Click here to listen. THIS BOOK NEEDS A HOLOGRAM What is the wave of the future when [...]
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 [...]
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