Passages
Saturday, December 31, 2011
It’s gotten to be a New Year’s ritual: taking a sad hour or so to reflect on the talented lights we've lost through the previous 12 months. With that reflection comes another: you can’t help but think about the stories that will never be told.In the month of January we were sad to share news of the death of the doyenne of American Mysteries, Ruth Cavin. An editor at Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s
Pierce’s Pick: The Silver Stain by Paul Johnson
Speaking of crime, this week, J. Kingston Pierce chooses The Silver Stain by Paul Johnson:Half-Greek, half-Scots gumshoe Alex Mavros (The Golden Silence, 2004) gets involved with a film being made about the 1941 German invasion of Crete. When one of the movie’s consultants is found hanged, Mavros must determine whether the tragedy has to do with old animosities or a conspiracy involving drugs and
Crime is Covered
Near the end of each year, our sister publication, the crime fiction-focused Rap Sheet, looks back at the top covers of the year and gets its readers involved in choosing the very best one. Editor J. Kingston Pierce says:
Come the end of every year, it’s now a tradition here at The Rap Sheet to look back over the preceding 12 months and choose our favorite crime novel fronts. We commenced this
Come the end of every year, it’s now a tradition here at The Rap Sheet to look back over the preceding 12 months and choose our favorite crime novel fronts. We commenced this
Watch the FANTASTIC Book Trailer for The One and Only Ivan
Friday, December 30, 2011I will post more about The One and Only Ivan after I read it.
Publication Date: January 17, 2012
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.
Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he's seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home--and his own art--through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it's up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. -Description taken from here.
Read a Q & A with Katherine Applegate.
*"Loved everything about this book. I loved the story and the characters. I loved the format. I loved learning the story that this book was based on. It is definitely a treasure of a book." -Franki Sibberson, author of Beyond Leveled Books
*"Kindness and its ability to change lives shines through on every single page of this book. Through the eyes of a silverback gorilla, we learn about the power of art, friendship, and love. Katherine Applegate’s beautiful, life-affirming story will soar directly from Ivan’s heart into your own. Read it out loud. Read it alone. Read it.”—Kathi Appelt, Newbery Honor author of The Underneath
*"Coming out early to predict big things for The One and Only Ivan in 2012." -Paul W. Hankins
*"From the first page to the last, you will hope, cry, and rejoice with Ivan and his friends. This truly is a ‘One and Only Novel’!”—Becky Anderson, Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL <--Mr. Schu's FAVORITE bookshop.
*“A beautifully written, intelligent, and brave book. Quite simply,
this story is life changing.” —Patricia MacLachlan, Newbery Medalist for Sarah, Plain and Tall
Newbery Challenge - Video #1
The early Caldecott winners are messing with my allergies, so I might purchase the early Newbery Medal winners. Anderson's Bookshop would appreciate the business. I'm not sure my credit card would, though.
Caldecott Challenge - 1938 to Present
Thursday, December 29, 2011Laura of LibLaura5 and Anna of A to Z Library are hosting the Caldecott Challenge. I am participating in their challenge and the Newbery Challenge. My Goodreads account makes me look like an elementary school teacher circa 1942. Good times!
I started the Caldecott Challenge a few days early.
If you participate in the Caldecott challenge, I encourage you to ask someone to take your picture with Animals of the Bible. Click here for a list of Caldecott Medal and Honor books.
I'm off to read this stack of Caldecott Medal and Honor books. Have a wonderful evening!
The Newbery Medal Challenge - 1922 to Present
Wednesday, December 28, 2011I explain the Newbery Challenge in the following video:
Take a look at the Newbery Medal winners - 1922 - Present:
Click here to download a Newbery Challenge badge.
Colby Sharp is co-hosting this challenge. Thank you, Colby!
If you are participating in the Newbery Medal Challenge, you may link your Goodreads shelf or blog using the widget below:
100 Memorable Books Published in 2011 [Part 2/2]
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
SCENARIO
Fast forward to 2021. I'm having a lively discussion about children's literature with a group of pre-service teachers and librarians. I mention that in 2011 I read 2,063 books. A gentleman in the front row raises his hand and asks,"Can you name 100 books you read in 2011?" I think about his question for a moment and then name these memorable titles.
*Click here to view Titles 1 -50
*Divergent by Veronica Roth [HarperCollins | Grades 8-12]
* The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill [Little, Brown & Company | Grades 5-8]
* The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner [Farrar Straus Giroux | Grades 7-9]
* Shine by Lauren Myracle [Amulet |Grades 9-12]
Pie by Sarah Weeks [Scholastic | Grades 4-6]Horton Halfpott, or, The fiendish mystery of Smugwick Manor, or, The loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset by Tom Angleberger [Amulet | Grades 4-7]
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers [Philomel | Grades 1-3]
Cloudette by Tom Lictenheld [Henry Holt | Grades K-2]
Binky Under Pressure by Ashley Spires [Kids Can Press | Grades 3-6]
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes [Houhgton Mifflin | Grades 1-3]
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery Laura, [G.P. Putnam's Sons | Grades K-2]* Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson [Balzer & Bray | Grades 4-7]
* The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Poly Bernatene [Walker | Grades K-2]
* A Very Babymouse Christmas by Jennifer and Matthew Holm [Random House | Grades 2-6]* Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke [First Second | Grades 3-6]
* Happy Pig Day! by Mo Willems [Hyperion | PreK-1]
* Warp Speed by Lisa Yee [Arthur A. Levine | Grades 5-8]
* Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman [Viking | Grades PreK-1]
* Hocus Pocus by Sylvie Desrosiers, illustrated by Remy Simard [Kids Can Press | Grades K-2]
* I'm Here by Peter Reynolds [Atheneum Books for Young Readers | Grades K-3]
Dodsworth in Rome by Tim Egan [Houghton Mifflin | Grades 1-3]
*Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage [Scholastic | Grades PreK-3]
* Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat by Philip Stead [Roaring Brook | Grades K-3]
* Babymouse: Mad Scientist by Jennifer and Matthew Holm [Random House | Grades 2-6]
* Do You Know Which Ones will Grow? by Susan A. Shea, illustrated by Tom Slaughter [Blue Apple | PreK-1]
The Loud Book by Deborah Underwood [Houghton Mifflin | Grades PreK-K]
Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust by Ruth Thomson [Candlewick | Grades 5-8]
* The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred by Samantha R. Vamos, illustrated by Rafael Lopez [Charlesbridge | Grades K-2]
* Owly & Wormy, Friends All Aflutter! by Andy Runton [Atheneum Books for Young Readers | Grades K-3]
* Cat Secrets by Jeff Czekaj [HarperCollins | Grades K-3]
* Never Forgotten by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon [Schwartz & Wade Books | Grades 4-8]
*Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit by II Sung Na [Alfred A. Knopf | Grades PreK-1]
A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Kadir Nelson [Dial Books for Young Readers | Grades 3-5]
* I Am the Book: Poems Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins [Holiday House | Grades 2-5]
* Drawing from Memory by Allen Say [Scholastic | Grades 4-7]
* Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann [Roaring Brook | Grades K-2]
* Spring is Here by Will Hellenbrand [Holiday House | Grades PreK-K]
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr [Little, Brown & Company | Grades 8-12]
Won-Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Hakiu by Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Eugen Yelchin [Henry Holt | Grades 2-5]
100 Memorable Books Published in 2011 [Part 1 of 2]
Monday, December 26, 2011
SCENARIO
Fast forward to 2021. I'm having a lively discussion about children's literature with a group of pre-service teachers and librarians. I mention that in 2011 I read 2,063 books. A gentleman in the front row raises his hand and asks,"Can you name 100 books you read in 2011?" I think about his question for a moment and then name these memorable titles.
The titles are listed in the order in which I thought of them.
*Travis Jonker and I created a list of the Top 20 Books of 2011.
*A Dog is a Dog by Stephen Shaskam. [Chronicle Books | Grades PreK-1]
*Little Chicken's Big Day by Katie and Jerry Davis [Margaret K. McElderry Books | Grades PreK-1]
*You Will Be My Friend by Peter Brown [Little, Brown & Company | Grades K-3]
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier [Amulet | Grades 4-7]
*Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes [Greenwillow Books |Grades PreK-1]
*Squish #1: Super Amoeba by Jennifer and Matthew Holm [Random House | Grades 2-6]
Tell Me the Day Backwards by Albert Lamb, illustrated by David McPhail [Candlewick | Grades PreK-1]
* A Dog's Way Home by Bobbie Pyron [HarperCollins | Grades 4-7]
The Summer I Learned to Fly by Dana Reinhardt [Random House | Grades 6-9]
*Hound Dog True by Linda Urban [Harcourt | Grades 4-6]
Sparrow Road by Shelia O'Connor [Penguin | Grades 5-8]
*Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal [Chronicle Books | Grades 1-3]
* A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness [Candlewick | Grades 7-10]
*These Hands by Margaret Mason, illustrated by Floyd Cooper [Houghton Mifflin |Grades 1-4]
*The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson [Random House | Grades 4-6]
*Monday is One Day by Arthur Levine, illustrated by Julian Hector [Scholastic | Grades PreK-1]
*My Name is Elizabeth by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe [Kids Can Press | Grades PreK-2]
*Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco by Jarrett J. Krosoczka [Random House | Grades 2-5]
*Frankie Pickle and the Mathematical Menace by Eric Wight [Simon and Schuster | Grades 1-4]
*Balloons over Broadway by Mellisa Sweet [Houghton Mifflin |Grades 1-3]
*Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan [Penguin | Grades PreK-1]
*Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists [First Second | Grades PreK-3]
*We Are Not Eaten by Yaks by C. Alexander London [Penguin | Grades 3-6]
* Bookspeak!: Poems About Books by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Josee Bisaillon [Clarion Books | Grades 2-5]
* Addie on the Inside by James Howe [Atheneum Books for Young Readers | Grades 6-8]
* The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm [Simon and Schuster | Grades 5-8]
*Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Marla Frazee [Beach Lane Books | Grades 1-3]
*Monkey Boy to Lunch Lady by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
* Close to Famous by Joan Bauer [Viking | Grades 5-8]
* Peaceful Pieces: Poems About Quilts and Peace by Anna Grossnickle Hines [Henry Holt | Grades 2-5]
I'll post 51-100 tomorrow.
Winter Greetings from my Favorite Sticky Burr
Sunday, December 25, 2011
I'm asked at least four times per week when the third Sticky Burr book is coming out. I usually say, "I'm not sure. Write Candlewick Press and tell them you want to read more Sticky Burr adventures." During the winter months, I'll say something like, "Did you see the Winter Greetings from Sticky Burr video?." If not, we'll watch it together. At the end I'll say, "Write Candlewick Press and tell them you want to read more Sticky Burr adventures."
Happy holidays, everyone! :)
Borrow John Lechner's Sticky Burr series from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops.
Happy holidays, everyone! :)
Borrow John Lechner's Sticky Burr series from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops.
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