The Joy of Children's Literature

I've added a WorldCat search feature to the sidebar of BlogJoy, under Books in My Library . WorldCat lets you search the collections of libraries in your community and thousands more around the world. When you type in the title of a book in the search feature, you will be taken to a page with a list of all libraries in your local area that has the book in their collection. It's like one stop shopping! I use several local libraries and now, rather than searching for a book on each library's website, I can use WorldCat to find which library has the book. But, that's not all you can do at WorldCat! Here's a list of resources available: Search many libraries at once for an item and then locate it in a library nearby Find books, music, and videos to check out Find research articles and digital items (like audiobooks) that can be directly viewed or downloaded Link to "Ask a Librarian" and other services at your library Post your review of an item, or contribut...

From the website : StoryTubes is here! From New York to California, kids in Grades 1-6 are talking up their favorite books. You can too! Along with your parent or guardian, follow these simple steps: Make a 2-minute video about your favorite book; Upload the video to YouTube ; and Come to this StoryTubes website and send in the link to your uploaded YouTube video using the online Contest Entry Form . Beginning April 1, your video becomes part of a national contest! Voting mania will then begin and happen each week in May! At the end of each week, one lucky contestant will win $500 in books. Their sponsoring organization (school, library or designated organization for home-schooled youth) will receive $1,000 in books. Four Video Categories: Hair-Raising TalesFrom or For the HeartOf Heroes and HeroinesFacts, Fads and Phenoms Tell the story about your favorite book today. When entering, please don’t use your last name in the video. Entries will be evaluated on creativity, content and per...

The Children's Book Council is an assoication of publishers of trade books for children and young adults in the United States and is the official sponsor of Children's Book Week . The CBC has just announced the nominees for the First Annual Children’s Choice Book Awards . The Children’s Choice Book Awards program was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to read. There are 25 finalists in 5 categories: Favorite Book for Grades K-2 Dino Dinners, by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom (Holiday House) Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping by Eileen Christelow (Clarion) Frankie Stein written by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Kevan Atteberry (Marshall Cavendish Corporation) Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark written by Ken Geist, illustrated by Julia Gorton (Cartwheel Books/Scholastic) Tucker’s Spooky Halloween by Leslie McGuirk (Candlewick Press...

If you are a book geek like me, a trip to the bookstore on a Saturday night is your idea of fun! Last night, my son and I went to the bookstore and I bought My Dog May Be a Genius written by Children's Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by James Stevenson. This infamous duo also brought us The New Kid on the Block and It's Raining Pigs and Noodles . Publisher's Weekly gave My Dog May Be a Genius a starred review, stating, "The "reigning czars of silliness" have once again teamed up to bring readers an irresistible collection of poems that will have tongues twisting, imaginations soaring, and sides aching with laughter. The result is genius, indeed." But fans of Prelutsky and Stevenson don't need a starred review to know that this book will be terrific! Here's a little teaser from My Dog May Be a Genius ... The View from Here The view from here is very strange, the porcupines are flying. The crocodiles are laughing, and the kangaroos...

This is my first book review on BlogJoy and, unfortunately, I'm in a dilemma. Why you ask? Because Lemony Snicket's starred review of The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry that appears in Publisher's Weekly is just so good, there is nothing I can add...Lemony said it all and he said it so darn well! So, I'm just going to post his review below. Enjoy! Lois Lowry, who casts her noble and enviable shadow wide across the landscape of children's literature, from fantasy to realism, here turns her quick, sly gaze to parody, a word which in this case means “a short novel mocking the conventions of old-fashioned children's books stuffed with orphans, nannies and long-lost heirs.” These clichés are ripe if familiar targets, but Ms. Lowry knocks off these barrel-dwelling fish with admirable aplomb in The Willoughbys, in which two wicked parents cannot wait to rid themselves of their four precocious children, and vice versa, and vice versa versa, and so on. The nanny adds a spo...

If you have a copy of The Joy of Children's Literature , you'll notice that my son, Derek, is in the "author" picture with me. There are many reasons for including him in the picture (read the acknowledgement section), but there is something else that I would like for you to know about him: he is writing a young adult novel (and I must say, unobjectively , it is brilliant!) So, when I found out that a writer's conference was to be held this past weekend at Christopher Newport University , I signed us up. It was a day I'll always remember! The keynote speaker was Carolyn Kreiter - Foronda , Poet Laureate of Virginia. The topic of her presentation was revision and research in the writing of poetry. She eloquently and persuasively discussed the importance of revision and research in the poetry of greats such as Sylvia Plath and William Yeats, as well as her own poetry. She showed the audience examples of original works by Plath and Yeats in which they had crossed...

Electronic newsletters can be a great way to stay up on what's happening in the world of children's literature. Usually, newsletters are brief and sent out monthly so even if you have subscribed to several (like me), they don't clutter your in-box and and you can read through them quickly. Recently, I posted about a new newsletter published by Horn Book Magazine . Below are a few more that you might be interested in checking out. Read Alert is a monthly electronic newsletter sponsored by Booklist Online, a magazine published by the American Library Association. The February issue of Read Alert has an article, reviews, and author interview on graphic novels. Also included are a few other book reviews of adult and young adult books and reference and media resources. Booklist also has two blogs to which you might be interested in subscribing, Likely Stories and Book Group Buzz . Links for subscribing to the newsletter and the blogs are provided from the February issue (lin...

If you don't know about the Reading Rockets website, you are in for a real treat! If you do know about it, then you'll be thrilled to know they have a new feature, Raising a Writer . There are many resources including articles and a new webcast titled Teaching Writing . From the website: "Dr. Steven Graham, Dr. Louisa Moats, and Dr. Susan Neuman discuss teaching writing. These three renowned reading and writing experts address why writing is important, what the latest research tells us, and what educators and parents can do to support our children's development as writers." The webcast is about 1 hour and 15 minutes in length. An interactive conversation between the host and the three presenters is engaging and and includes a brief video clip of instruction in the classroom. Another wonderful feature of the Reading Rockets website is the Books and Authors section . Here you'll fiind interviews with many of your favorite authors along with book lists by them...

The School Improvement Network is offering a free webinar series on succeeding with English language learners. Part one: Knowing the Learner is this Thursday, March 20th at 2 pm MST (4 pm EST, 3 pm CST, 1 pm PST). From the website: Join fellow educators for the first webinar in a comprehensive series about succeeding with English language learners. Examine a research-based model for teaching English language learners and learn why equity is central to the success of any ELL program. Investigate why teachers must know and understand the background and culture of every learner in their classroom and explore strategies for getting to know each student. Finally, gain a stronger understanding of what research proves works with English language learners. Registration is required and space is limited so hurry to sign up now!

Pretty cool picture of a dustmite, huh? This picture is from Sneeze! written by Alexandra Siy and illustrated by Dennis Kunkel and it's just one of the many wonderful books selected by the National Council of Teachers of Science in their list of outstanding science trade books for 2008 . From the website: In this year’s collection, which is our 35th anniversary, you can fly Over the Mountains or peer down from a Satellite to explore the Earth from far above. With professional researchers, readers can puzzle the mysteries of A Dinosaur Named Jane or follow the Tracks of a Panda . The important new facts about personal health in Sneeze and Breast Cancer Update can help readers make better personal decisions. Even the youngest students can become apprentice scientists as they listen to the lyric prose of Here Is the Wetlandor Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg . Check out all of the wonderful books on the list!

Thanks to Fuse #8 for the link.

...so I thought I would share the titles of some that I am highly anticipating! I've provided a synopsis of the first (second, etc.) book in the series (from the Library of Congress). Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, the third book in the Inheritance series-- Eragon (book 1), Eldest (book 2). Synopsis of Eragon : In Alagaesia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters. Due to be released by Knopf Books on September 20 The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott is the second book (in a series of 7). The first book, The Alchemyst was brilliant! Synopsis: While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over...

I often find that my students do not know what a blog is. Even if you do read a few blogs, you may not be familiar with the kidlitosphere--the world of blogs about children's literature. I'm relatively new to the whole experience myself, but over the past couple of years, I've learned a few things that might also be of interest to you. First, you should take a look at an article written by Betsy Bird, a NYC children's librarian and blogger magnifico, titled: Blogging the Kidlitosphere . You will also want to subscribe to her blog, A Fuse #8 Production . Another fabulous thing about the kidlitosphere is that they have their own annual awards, The Cybils . Anyone can submit nominations for books in the categories of fantasy/science fiction, graphic novels, middle grade and YA fiction and non-fiction, fiction and non-fiction picturebooks, and poetry. Children's and YA bloggers volunteer to serve on the selection committees. This year, the awards were announced on Valen...

Big Universe, Inc., today formally launched BigUniverse.com , a unique website where kids, parents, teachers, librarians and authors can read, create and buy quality children's picture books. The announcement describes the site as: "the first company of its kind to offer the many popular features it combines in its one website: a powerful and fun book-creation tool for aspiring authors, hundreds of children's books readable for free on the website, a virtual mall of online children's bookshops, blogs by professional authors and many other features designed to maximize interest in children's reading and creativity." What a wonderful resource! Take a minute to check it out and share with your friends.

Good News! Horn Book Magazine , one of the leading journals in the field for book reviews and articles on children's literature, has just published its first electronic newsletter, Notes from the Horn Book . According to the announcement, the newsletter will "provide brief recommendations of new children’s books, interviews with writers and illustrators, and news from the children’s book world." The first issue is full of great information. First, up is a review the winners of the the Newbery Medal (for writing) and the Caldecott Medal (for illustration), the biggest prizes in American children’s literature, both awarded annually by the American Library Association. Then, there is an interview with children's author Jon Scieszka ( The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and many more) who was recently named by the Library of Congress as the first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. There is also a review of "three books to get you out...

for The Joy of Children's Literature Blog (BlogJoy)! The birth of BlogJoy coincides with the publication of The Joy of Children's Literature ( Houghton Mifflin) and will be a way for me to provide additional reviews, resources, ideas, and news about children's literature along with a way for us to talk about books. Unfortunately, I can't offer you a slice of cake, but I can offer you something even better--birthday books! Children of all ages (and secretly, even adults) love their birthday. Give them the gift of reading. What better way to celebrate than reading books by favorite authors? Below are 10 of my favorites: Oscar's Half Birthday by Bob Graham (Candlewick, 2005). To celebrate his half birthday, Oscar, his parents, and his sister go out for a picnic to their urban park party. Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1959). Describes a birthday celebration in Katroo presided over by the Birthday Bird. The Secret Birthday Message b...