Those of you who remember Julia Denos from when she worked at The Alphabet Garden might be interested to know that she has illustrated another book. Written by Tim McGraw, My Little Girl tells the story of a little girl's day out with her dad and the fun they have just being together.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
My Little Girl
Those of you who remember Julia Denos from when she worked at The Alphabet Garden might be interested to know that she has illustrated another book. Written by Tim McGraw, My Little Girl tells the story of a little girl's day out with her dad and the fun they have just being together.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
A Murder for Her Majesty
We all have them. Those books we love, but no one else seems to have heard of. A Murder for Her Majesty is one of mine. I read this book every year, preferably all in one sitting so as to be fully immersed, and practically have it memorized by now. I think it's a perfect comfort read--set in London, starring an orphan girl, full of mystery and choir music and Latin homework (Latin homework is much more fun in books than in real life)... What could be better?What are your favorite lesser-known books?
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Dog Who Belonged to No One
I have another cozy fall book for you today. This one is about a dog who, as the title says, belonged to no one, and a "little slip of a girl named Lia" who spends her time helping her parents in their bakery. Both dog and girl are lonely, with no one in particular to call a friend, until they meet one rainy night. Amy Hest tells their story in an interesting parallel fashion--a bit about the dog, a bit about the girl, and so on until their paths cross. There's nothing really surprising about the plot, but it's the kind of story I would enjoy reading to a child on a rainy day while curled up on a comfy chair with a blanket and maybe some homemade cookies fresh out of the oven. A sweet and cozy kind of book.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Little Yellow Leaf
"It was autumn. In the hush of the forest a lone yellow leaf clung to the branch of a great oak tree." So begins Carin Berger's story of The Little Yellow Leaf. This leaf is afraid to fall like all the other leaves. He insists he's "not ready," as the autumn passes and snow falls. But then he notices another leaf, a little red leaf, still hanging on just like him, and together they are finally able to let go.I think the reason I like this story so much is because I can so relate to that little yellow leaf, feeling like I'm not ready. And I know the reassurance that comes of finding a friend who feels the same way. But I can also imagine not liking this book if it weren't so well done--if the text were not as gentle or the illustrations so original. I love that mixed-media style--cut paper and paint and probably some materials I don't know enough to identify--and I love how these illustrations capture the feel of fall and early winter.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
We were pleased to have Nancy Elizabeth Wallace visit us last week. She is the author and illustrator of many picture books, including Leaves! Leaves! Leaves!; Apples, Apples, Apples; Paperwhite; Fly, Monarch! Fly!; Alphabet House; Look! Look! Look!; and many more.
During her visit, Ms. Wallace showed us some of the different kinds of paper she uses, including those recycled paper things you get with coffee--she used one of those for a road in one of her books.
The kids who attended were also able to try their hand at some paper art by making butterfly magnets.
During her visit, Ms. Wallace showed us some of the different kinds of paper she uses, including those recycled paper things you get with coffee--she used one of those for a road in one of her books.
The kids who attended were also able to try their hand at some paper art by making butterfly magnets.
Friday, September 26, 2008
NEIBA Trade Show
Last weekend I was given the opportunity to attend the New England Independent Booksellers' Association Trade Show with Karlene and Leslie. We met lots of authors and got lots of free books and generally had a fabulous time!
The trade show was held at the Hynes Convention Center, which is connected to the Sheraton hotel and a very large mall. (Actually, the whole place was very large. I probably would have gotten lost really easily had I been by myself!) Our room at the Sheraton was on the twelfth floor, and I enjoyed watching the people on the streets below and imagining about them (which I think had something to do with my being surrounded by authors and books.)
The highlights of the first day revolved around meals. We had both the Awards Luncheon and the Children's Book Dinner. The authors who spoke at lunch (and complimentary copies of whose books we received) included Alice Hoffman, Nathaniel Philbrick, Tomie dePaola, and David Macaulay. Tomie dePaola was a definite treat--he had the room of booksellers mesmerized by his reading of one of the stories from his book, Front Porch Tales & North Country Whoppers.
After lunch we went to a couple of workshops, and soon it was time for dinner. I'd been looking forward to this dinner ever since I knew we were going, because two of my favorite authors were to attend--Jeanne Birdsall, author of The Penderwicks andThe Penderwicks on Gardam Street; and Norton Juster, author of, among other things, The Phantom Tollbooth, which is one of my family's favorites! What I didn't know until that day was that our friends at Scholastic had invited us to sit at one of their tables--the very table at which Norton Juster was seated!
Here is a shot of the table (note the SweetTarts and rubber ducks and more free books!):
And here, to my delight, are Mr. Juster and I!
As an icebreaker, we had a little children's book trivia game. There were two envelopes on each table--one marked "question," one with "answer." The question one had the first lines of two children's books, and we had to guess what books they were from. I am proud to report that I knew more of the answers than anyone else at the table. We traded twice with other tables, so we guessed at a total of six first lines, and I knew three of them--The Book Thief, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and The Secret Garden. Other people knew one or two--Karlene got Hoot. Needless to say, I loved this game.
Day #2: The trade show itself!
Basically, our second day consisted of walking around and talking to vendors and finding new things to share with all of you. (We got some really fun reading glasses... plaid and animal print and striped and solid.) At 1:00 we started lining up for more signed books, and by 3:30 we were happily laden with books and ready for lunch!
After lunch it was time for another workshop or two, and then the Author Reception, where we got, you guessed it, more books! Back at home the next day we were all sore from carrying all the books--and we now have enough to read to last us several months!
The trade show was held at the Hynes Convention Center, which is connected to the Sheraton hotel and a very large mall. (Actually, the whole place was very large. I probably would have gotten lost really easily had I been by myself!) Our room at the Sheraton was on the twelfth floor, and I enjoyed watching the people on the streets below and imagining about them (which I think had something to do with my being surrounded by authors and books.)
The highlights of the first day revolved around meals. We had both the Awards Luncheon and the Children's Book Dinner. The authors who spoke at lunch (and complimentary copies of whose books we received) included Alice Hoffman, Nathaniel Philbrick, Tomie dePaola, and David Macaulay. Tomie dePaola was a definite treat--he had the room of booksellers mesmerized by his reading of one of the stories from his book, Front Porch Tales & North Country Whoppers.After lunch we went to a couple of workshops, and soon it was time for dinner. I'd been looking forward to this dinner ever since I knew we were going, because two of my favorite authors were to attend--Jeanne Birdsall, author of The Penderwicks andThe Penderwicks on Gardam Street; and Norton Juster, author of, among other things, The Phantom Tollbooth, which is one of my family's favorites! What I didn't know until that day was that our friends at Scholastic had invited us to sit at one of their tables--the very table at which Norton Juster was seated!
Here is a shot of the table (note the SweetTarts and rubber ducks and more free books!):
And here, to my delight, are Mr. Juster and I!
As an icebreaker, we had a little children's book trivia game. There were two envelopes on each table--one marked "question," one with "answer." The question one had the first lines of two children's books, and we had to guess what books they were from. I am proud to report that I knew more of the answers than anyone else at the table. We traded twice with other tables, so we guessed at a total of six first lines, and I knew three of them--The Book Thief, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and The Secret Garden. Other people knew one or two--Karlene got Hoot. Needless to say, I loved this game.Day #2: The trade show itself!
Basically, our second day consisted of walking around and talking to vendors and finding new things to share with all of you. (We got some really fun reading glasses... plaid and animal print and striped and solid.) At 1:00 we started lining up for more signed books, and by 3:30 we were happily laden with books and ready for lunch!
After lunch it was time for another workshop or two, and then the Author Reception, where we got, you guessed it, more books! Back at home the next day we were all sore from carrying all the books--and we now have enough to read to last us several months!
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