The Joy of Children's Literature

10 most influential books of 2000-2009 (according to Julia Keller of the Chicago Tribune ) "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2000) by J.K. Rowling. The fourth installment in Rowling's cataclysmically popular and utterly enchanting series was the first to be published in this decade. The chronicles of a boy wizard and his world are built to last. "White Teeth" (2000) by Zadie Smith. Linguistically splendiferous, this engaging novel shatters ethnic categories and narrow prejudices -- and ushered in a global lit. "Twilight" (2005) by Stephenie Meyer. Along with its evil spawn -- er, I mean sequels -- this dully written series smashed records at the bookstore and at the box office. Vampires may live forever, but these books won't. "Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation" (2003) by Lynne Truss. Grumpy grammarians had their day in the sun with this book and its many imitators. "The Tipping Point" (...

I am an big advocate of public education and have dedicated many years of my life to teacher preparation and school improvement. But, sometimes schools can be places that define a child in purely academic terms--you're either a good reader or not, good at math or not, a good test taker or not...especially in this time of state mandated testing. The pressure on schools, teachers, parents and ultimately children, can be overwhelming. When my son was in elementary and middle school, he would come home so worried about the state test. Weeks and months leading up to the test would be spent on test taking skills and drills. I remember sitting down and talking with him about the fact that he is so much more than someone who does or doesn't do well on a test. He is a violinist, a runner, a soccer player, a best friend, a writer of poetry, a son, a grandson, a volunteer, a dog lover and on and on. Yes, school is important and many decisions are made based on tests, but we are so much m...

As we anxiously await for the announcement of the next National Ambassador of Young People's Literature on January 5, 2010, here are two articles from our inaugural ambassador, Jon Scieszka: L.A. Times: Children's books 2009: It's all good! says Jon Scieszka The Huffington Post: National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Must Go!

The International Reading Association announced today its new IRA Reading Radio , a collaboration between IRA and Body and Mind (BAM!) Radio Network , a radio website for the education community. The first installment is an interview between IRA Executive Director Bill Harvey and Peter Johnston, chair of the IRA/NCTE task force that prepared the recently revised Standards for the Assessment of Reading and Writing. Together, they explore what literacy means in today's digital age and the need for new standards to measure literacy. Peter Johnston’s interview is just the first of many thought-provoking programs that will be posted monthly on the IRA website and address topics that range from reading assessment to the role of parents in literacy development. In January, watch for an interview with IRA President Kathryn H. Au on Culturally Responsive Instruction. You can play the program directly from your computer or download it onto an I-Pod or other mp3 player.

-- Publishers Weekly , 12/14/2009 Picture Books Bunny Days by Tao Nyeu. Dial, $16.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-8037-3330-5 As in Wonder Bear , a large white bear looms large in Nyeu’s latest, but this sophomore effort is a world apart. In three short and endearingly silly stories, six adorable bunnies prove to be the very definition of “victims of circumstance,” thanks to their industrious but clueless neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Goat. The good news is that the Zen-like Bear puts things right; the comically ambivalent news is that the cure often seems as bad as the disease. Thus, when Mrs. Goat unknowingly extracts the napping bunnies out of their hole with her vacuum cleaner, Bear decides the best way to rid them of grime is to hang them from a flagpole and blast them with “the big fan.” Nyeu’s winkingly demure writing, fluidly schematic line drawings, and limited palette (each chapter is keyed to a single dominant color) make knowingly naïf foils for the outrageous acts and outlandish solutions t...

Every good book begins with good words. Ounce, Dice, Trice is a book for children that is full of words — magnificent, wonderful words like "frangipani," "dimity," "gloaming" and "nunnery." And don't forget "murdo," "drumjargon" and "chumly." Host Scott Simon speaks with Weekend Edition's ambassador to the world of kiddie literature, Daniel Pinkwater, about this new release of an old book.

Lots of "best of" lists for children's and young adult literature... Best of Young Adult Fiction 2009 by NPR Notable Children's Books of 2009 by The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2009 by the New York Times Best Books 2009 by School Library Journal Best Children's Books of 2009 by Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books of 2009 by Kirkus Reviews [PDF] Top of the List by Booklist

Is this the future of magazines, books, newspapers...print media???

-- Publishers Weekly , 12/7/2009 Picture Books Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli, illus. by Kadir Nelson. S&S/Wiseman, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4169-3505-6 While Nobel Medalist Wangari Maathai has been the subject of two earlier picture biographies (Jeanette Winter's Wangari's Trees of Peace and Claire Nivola's Planting the Trees of Kenya ), this story is structured more like a folktale, portraying Maathai as healer and botanist. “These are strong hands,” she tells a woman who does not have enough food to feed her family. “Here are seedlings of the mubiru muiru tree.... Plant as many as you can. Eat the berries.” Nelson's ( We Are the Ship ) breathtaking portraits of Maathai often have a beatific quality; bright African textiles represent fields, mountains, and Maathai's beloved trees. Maathai knows that some trees make good firewood, others form hedges to keep livestock safe, while the roots of others clean dirty water. After...

The Reminder Be sure to enter the Holiday Books Giveaway ! Leave your email address in the comments section so that if you win, I can contact you for a mailing address. Note: I do not keep email addresses or submit them to publishers or anyone else. Email addresses are only used for receiving mailing addresses of winners and then deleted. The Request I am in the process of revising The Joy of Children's Literature for a second edition. If you have used this book, please let me know if you have constructive feedback. The Resource I have enthusiastically blogged here , here , and here about the production blog of The Library of the Early Mind , a feature-length documentary film about children’s literature directed by Edward J. Delaney and produced by Edward J. Delaney and Steven Withrow . Today, I was thrilled to find out that Steven Withrow (in the picture on the left with his daughter) will be contributing a monthly "field notes" column over at Seven Impossible ...

I loved NCTE --not the "getting ready to go" part, which I hate, but the actual "being there" part. I learned so much from many great educators and authors. One of the many highlights of the conference for me was the Authors' Blog session, which I chaired. Laurie Halse Anderson, Maureen Johnson, Justine Larbalestier, Barbara O'Connor, and Lisa Yee were all on the panel and let me tell you -- these women are amazing! I didn't have my camera but several of the authors have already blogged about the session--check out Laure Anderson , Barbara O'Connor , Lisa Yee and Justine Larbalestier's blog posts. During the question/answer phase of the presentation, the authors discussed and raise very important issues that I think all teachers should consider. One of the questions I asked was about receiving posts that contained personal information. Children and young adults become very connected to these authors through their books and the authors' blog...

I am so thrilled to offer a book giveaway contest for two beautiful holiday books: The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson with pictures by Jon J. Muth and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King illustrated by Gail de Marcken. Below is a sneak peak into the story and illustrative magic of both books followed by contest entry information. THE CHRISTMAS MAGIC Far, far North, when the nights are longest and the stars shine brightest, Santa begins to prepare for his big night of giving. He gathers his reindeer, feeds them parsnips and berries, and polishes his bells and his sled. Then lovingly, he chooses toys for every child in the world. For Santa loves them all, and he knows what each child at heart wants most. Then, with the thrum of magic that makes reindeer fly, he spreads the Christmas joy and warmth throughout the world--as he always has -- and always will until the end of time. From best-selling author Lauren Thomas, and Caldecott Honor Artist Jon J Muth. T HE NUTCRA CKER AND THE MOU...

"My book is free? Lock it up at once!" —Lemony Snicket, regarding the new free online edition of THE BAD BEGINNING For a limited time, you can read 100% of A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning for free online with Browse Inside! View Lemony Snicket’s video response to this latest unfortunate event. http://www.lemonysnicket.com/

Storywalks are used to promote reading to preschoolers A Pennsylvania elementary-school program used an "Everyday Heroes" theme to get preschoolers excited about reading and learning. As part of the Storywalk program, preschool-aged children toured classrooms staffed by a police officer, a school nurse and other "heroes" on hand to answer questions after children were read stories about their professions. Early-childhood education efforts like Storywalk are paying off, kindergarten teacher Betsey Wilson said. "Some kids are coming in here reading," she said. "It's unbelievable." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Indiana educators recognized for elementary-school book club Two educators at Stony Creek Elementary School in Indiana are receiving national recognition for a book club they created to help promote reading outside of school. The club features monthly lunch sessions at the school media center, where first-grade teacher Karen Duvall and media sp...

Several years ago, I got hooked on reading authors' blogs. At first, I was just amazed that they had time to write blog posts, but then I realized that they are, after all, writers and that's what they like to do--write! I subscribed to all the authors' blogs that I could find. But, then I quickly realized that not all authors' blogs are created equally. So, I kept the ones I found the most enjoyable and over the years I have learned so much from these authors and about these authors that has brought me personal enjoyment and has infinitely informed my instruction. I began to wonder how many teachers know about authors' blogs and/or how many think about authors' blogs as a teaching resource. Soooooo... I contacted several of my favorite author bloggers and asked if they would present with me on a panel at the National Council of English conference in Philadelphia about blogging...and they said YES!!! So, next week I leave for Philly to chair a session with Laur...

New Book and Author features from Reading Rockets : Goin' Someplace Special : Our Interview with Patricia and Frederick McKissack The McKissack's have written stories about the African American experience for more than 25 years. They draw from some of their own childhood favorites — Brer Rabbit, fairy tales, myths, and the poetry of Langston Hughes — to create beautifully drawn characters who learn to use their wits and appreciate their own gifts. In Goin' Someplace Special, young 'Tricia Ann makes her way to one of the only places in 1950s segregated Nashville that welcomes her with open arms: the public library. Our Newest Booklist: Thanks for the Dreamers Artist, chef, inventor, storyteller, tree-planter, dreamer, do-er. In this lovely collection of books you'll meet a group of incredible people — some famous and some not — who have each made a difference in the world. Listen! I Have a Story to Tell… Legends, pourquoi stories, and trickster tales — Native America...

From: Publishers Weekly , 11/2/2009 From accounts of civil rights heroes, to harrowing (and hopeful) stories about contemporary teenagers, to picture books that perfectly capture friendship, curiosity, or flights of fancy, 2009 held a treasure trove of wonderful reading for children of all ages and interests. Narrowing them down to just 30 titles wasn't an easy task, but we believe the following books stand out for their remarkable writing, indelible characters, and arresting artwork. Picture Books The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors by Chris Barton, illus. by Tony Persiani (Charlesbridge). The unlikely subjects of this fascinating picture book biography exemplify ingenuity and dedication to chasing one's dreams. The Curious Garden by Peter Brown (Little, Brown).\ With humor and some showstopping spreads, Brown offers a green fable about the rebirth of a city, without a hint of preachiness. Yummy: Eight Favorite ...

100 Best Book Blogs for Kids, Tweens, and Teens selected by Online School It’s been said that anyone can write a children’s book, but only the most talented can be successful. Don’t waste your time wading through poorly-written books; instead, take a look at these blogs that feature the best of children’s literature. Whether you are interested in literature for the very young, teen and young adult literature, or specialized genres such as multicultural literature, poetry, or comics and graphic novels, these blogs will help you find the best books available–leaving you more time for reading and enjoying this literature. Click here to see the list . Which blogs do you read that they didn't select? Quite a few for me, but they also included many that I do follow. All in all, a pretty good selection and a very nice resource.

Publisher's Weekly starred reviews for the week of Oct. 26: Picturebooks Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types by Sharon Werner and Sarah Forss. Blue Apple (Chronicle, dist.), $19.99 (56p) ISBN 978-1-934706-78-7 No ordinary abecedarian, this typographical trip will wow design fans and suggest creative projects with letterforms. The book's introduction speaks affectionately of typefaces—“just like people, they look different and have different personalities”—before embarking on a thrilling spin through the alphabet. The first spread presents an alligator's silhouette, made up of capital and lowercase As, as the repeated word “algae” forms green strands around it. A bat shaped from gothic Bs holds vampire connotations; tall, skinny Gs evoke the height of a giraffe that hides behind leafy, vertical folds; and breathless italic Rs make a rabbit seem poised to leap. Werner and Forss, a debuting team of graphic designers, devote page borders to extra wordplay: a C becomes the c...

From NPR Oct. 25, 2009.. 'Daily Show' Writer's 'Genius Of Unspeakable Evil' Host Liane Hansen talks to Daily Show Executive Producer Josh Lieb about his new book, I Am A Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want To Be Your Class President .

Another story from NPR on Where the Wild Things Are... Looking Back On 'Wild Things' With Maurice Sendak Author and illustrator Maurice Sendak's classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are is a perennial favorite. It won the Caldecott Medal as the "most distinguished picture book of the year" in 1964, and was adapted into an opera two decades later. (Sendak earned his stripes as a designer on the opera production, working on the sets and costumes for the premiere production.) Now, Where The Wild Things Are comes to the big screen, directed by Spike Jonze. Sendak's other children's books include In The Night Kitchen and Inside Over There. Goosebumps Horrorland webcast Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 Time: 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT Host with the most: Brian Stelter, reporter at The New York Times Where: scholastic.com/goosebumpswebcast

NPR has three stories on Wimpy Kid today: Wimpy Kid Author Answers Kids' Questions All Things Considered enlisted help from kids around the country for an interview with children's book author Jeff Kinney. Kinney writes the incredibly successful series Diary of a Wimpy Kid , about smart-mouthed middle-schooler Greg Heffley, who has only one real friend because he's, well, kind of a sad sack — think modern-day Charlie Brown. Warning to those who have never read Diary of a Wimpy Kid : These questions come straight from our youngest listeners and Kinney's biggest fans. We received hundreds of e-mails from kids who wanted to have their questions answered for once! Kinney answers some of those questions below...read the rest of the article here . Cheese, Wimpy Kids And The Perils Of Middle School The Bible suggests that the meek might one day inherit the earth. For now, one particularly meek kid named Greg Heffley is burning up children's book best-seller lists. Greg ...

Today when I was finishing my morning run in the neighborhood, I passed four boys waiting at the bus stop. Usually, these boys are quite rambunctious, talking and pushing each other around. But, this morning all four were sitting on the pavement reading. What were they reading you ask? Yep, Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days! Wow, I said to myself. That's just about all I could say, Wow! Scholastic will host a free Webcast for readers of the 39 Clues series: When: Monday, November 2, 2009 at 1:30pm ET / 10:30am PT What: The 39 Clues: Advanced Agent Training Live Webcast Who: Featuring the first five authors of The 39 Clues : Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, and Patrick Carman. Hosted by The 39 Clues super-fan Whoopi Goldberg. Where: scholastic.com/the39clueswebcast Registration is required.

Reminder: Don't forget to enter the Testing the Ice book giveaway ( see post ). The Childrenslitproject blog which I posted about previously (the production blog of The Library of the Early Mind , a feature-length documentary film about children’s literature) has two new video clips up! The first is with Mary Ann Hoberman, the US Children's Poet Laureate: Mary Ann Hoberman was named Children’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. Author of 45 books, all but one of which are in verse, Hoberman collaborated with her husband, artist Norman Hoberman, on her first four books, including her first book of poems, All My Shoes Come in Twos (1957). Some of Hoberman’s best-known titles are A House is a House for Me , illustrated by Betty Fraser; The Seven Silly Eaters , illustrated by Marla Frazee; and The Llama Who Had No Pajama , a collection of 100 of her favorite poems. Her verses have been widely anthologized and her books have been translated into several languages. She is the...

-- Publishers Weekly , 10/19/2009 Picturebooks The Mitten by Jim Aylesworth, illus. by Barbara McClintock. Scholastic Press, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-439-92544-0 Aylesworth and McClintock's ( Our Abe Lincoln ) retold folktale about a lost mitten opens sweetly, with a playful boy wearing the tomato-red hat, scarf and mittens his grandmother has knit for him. After a carefree sled ride, he returns home, gazing disconsolately at his mittenless hand. He gets a comforting hug and hot chocolate while, outside, a delighted squirrel crawls into the mitten. Soon a rabbit asks to share the warmth: “ 'Please!' begged the rabbit./ 'My toes are cold as ice!/ Your mitten looks so cozy,/ and warm toes would feel so nice!' ” The tale grows sillier as a fox, then a bear, repeat the rabbit's rhyme to humorous effect and persuade the mitten's occupants to let them in the tight space, massively distending the mitten (they soon discover its limits—with explosive results). McClin...

Two NPR stories on the movie: Where the Wild Things Are (Oct. 17, 2009) How A Kid's Movie Became A Hipster Happening Spike Jonze: Check. Dave Eggers: Check. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Check. Where the Wild Things Are has all the ingredients to become the hipster equivalent of Star Wars. Writer Cliff Kuang talks about the bonanza of the cross-marketing. Where the Wild Things Are: 50 Years Later When Maurice Sendak was looking for inspiration for the wild things that would inhabit his now-classic book, he found it right in his own extended family. NPR's Bob Mondello reviews the new film version of Where the Wild Things Are, which opened this weekend.

In 2009, 193 publishers submitted 1,129 books for the 2009 National Book Awards . The total number of books submitted to the category of Young People's Literature was 251. Out of the 251, the following five finalists were chosen (reviews by Horn Book with the exception of Stitches ): Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith (Henry Holt) In 1838 Charles Darwin, then almost thirty, drew a line down the middle of a paper and listed the reasons for marrying on one side and the reasons for not marrying on the other. After much consideration, he opted for the former, and from his prospects he wisely chose his cousin, Emma, who was open-minded but devoutly religious. She supported her husband, even editing his work, but she feared for his eternal welfare should he follow his revolutionary theories to their logical end. Charles, in turn, was equally tortured, wanting to please his wife, wanting to believe in religion, but not at the expense of science. With great e...

I would like to invite you to enter a book giveaway in celebration of the release of Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson. Sharon, the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, has crafted a heartwarming, true story about growing up with her father. In the early 1950s, legendary baseball hero Jackie Robinson literally "tested the ice" for his kids who so eagerly wanted to skate on the frozen lake near their home. Under Sharon Robinson's skillful authorship and Kadir Nelson's vivid illustrations, Testing the Ice also becomes a stunning metaphor for her father's remarkable racial breakthrough. The book opens with Jackie Robinson's famous slide into home plate that won the seventh game in the world series, beating the New York Yankees and making the the Brooklyn Dodgers the world champions! Then the story transitions to the new home the Robinson's bought on a lake in Stamford, Connecticut. Told from Sharon Robinson's perspective, she and her two broth...

From NPR : October 13, 2009 Our local independent bookstore opened extra early on the morning of Oct. 12 to sell copies of the insanely anticipated fourth book in Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, this one entitled, Dog Days . The last time I remember that bookstore being overrun with hoards of kids yelping for a book was when the final Harry Potter novel came out. It was midnight when the Potter boxes were broken open, and the kids were dressed as macabre creatures from Hogwarts. The atmosphere surrounding the arrival of Kinney's latest book was appropriately sprightlier: The bookstore opened at dawn and distributed donuts. Like the Potter series, Kinney's books are aimed at a middle-school audience, but they translate well to older readers. Unlike the Potter series, Kinney's books are funny — the kind of funny where you have to stop reading every so often because you're laughing so hard that tears and snot are running down your face, and you feel like m...

A few days ago, I posted about my awesome experience hearing the Exquisite Corpse presentation and Jacqueline Woodson recite from many of her books during t he National Book Festival . Well, now you can see it for yourself! The webcasts are up ! Another presentation that I really enjoyed was Sharon Creech . She read aloud from her new book The Unfinished Angel . She read the part of the slightly confused Italian angel and her book publisher, Joanna Colter, read the part of the little American girl, Zola. Delightful! I also heard Jeanette Walls , which was amazing. I had a transfomative experience when I read The Glass Castle and I couldn't wait to hear her speak. I had so much hope that she would be exactly who I wanted her to be...and she was that and more! I have already bought her new book Half Broke Horses and can't wait to start reading. There were so many amazing children's and YA authors at the National Book Festival that I didn't get to see and I'm lookin...

From Publisher's Weekly for the week of Oct. 12, 2009 Picturebooks The Dinosaur Tamer by Carol Greathouse, illus. by John Shroades. Dutton, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-525-47866-9 Greathouse and Shroades's rollicking debut, set “back when the old, old West was still as green as a bristlecone pine and cowboys were as common as warts on a Stegosaurus,” introduces pint-sized cowboy Rocky who “teethed on a Deinonychus femur and used an Ankylosaurus tail as a rattle” and specializes in taming dinos of all sizes. Though the book is full of delightful hyperbole and outlandish claims, both author and artist sprinkle it with authentic dinosaur names and features; Shroades uses a palette of fantastical colors for his dinos, as when Rocky ropes a purple and blue stegosaurus “at ninety paces while wearin' a blindfold and eatin' a prickly pear.” But trouble surfaces with the arrival of T. Rex—the “rip-roarin'est, snip-snortin'est reptilian that ever did stomp the earth.” The a...