The Joy of Children's Literature

-- Publishers Weekly , 4/19/2010 Picture Books Lyle Walks the Dogs: A Counting Book by Bernard Waber, illus. by Paulis Waber. Houghton Mifflin, $12.99 (24p) ISBN 978-0-547-22323-0 Bernard Waber's beloved crocodile lands a dog-walking job in this peppy story—more than just a counting book—aimed at a younger audience than its predecessors. Debut illustrator Paulis Waber's watercolor, ink, and pencil drawings flawlessly replicate the airiness and humor of her father's iconic art. Every day, Lyle adds another pooch to his responsibilities, each with a distinct personality. Paulis Waber conveys the canines' boundless energy and Lyle's patience and good humor, while the chatty text reaches out to the croc (“Hang on to Frisky, Lyle!”), the dogs (“Come along, Pokey!”), and readers (“Lyle walks 4 dogs. Count them—1-2-3-4”). Sniffy, the 10th and last canine to join the entourage, picks up the scent of a squirrel and gives chase, dragging Lyle and the others with him.

I love a good list, and Fuse #8 (Elizabeth Bird), a children's librarian at New York Public Library, has compiled a good one--the  Top 100 Children's Fictional Chapter Books ! Here's how she compiled the list: Fuse asked the readers of her blog ( Fuse #8 Production/School Library Journal ) to vote for their top ten middle grade books of all time (not just this year or last year) by January 31, 2010. The voting did not include young adult books (for kids 13 and up) or early readers (like Mr. Putter and Tabby or Frog and Toad Are Friends ). You ca also hear her talk about it on this video published by Scholastic . According to Fuse, she received 318 emails containing Top 10 lists. Of these emails, about six were from teachers and their students, Those emails averaged out to about 8 lists per email. So a rough estimate of votes received would look something like 366 lists. Below is the list of winners. #1 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White #2 A Wrinkle in Time by

-- Publishers Weekly , 4/12/2010 Picture Books Bear in the Air by Susan Meyers, illus. by Amy Bates. Abrams, $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8109-8398-4 The stuffed animal carried away on a long, unexpected journey is a perennially popular theme; here, it’s illustrated with delightful attention to period detail by Bates (The Dog Who Belonged to No One). The baby who owns the unfortunate teddy bear is accompanied by a young mother in wellies, a polka-dot skirt, and a snug cloche hat for their boardwalk stroll at some pre-WWII seaside resort town. Bates works in roughly sketched pencil and soft, lustrously shaded watercolors, evoking a lost, gentler age. Meyers’s (Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!) verse is sturdy, obedient to its metric structure: “This is the dog that found the bear,/ Shook it and tossed it high in the air,/ Carried it down to the sandy shore,/ Trotted away with the ribbon it wore.” Bates honors each person, creature, or force of nature the bear encounters (from sailor to se

The following books will receive starred reviews in the May/June issue of the Horn Book Magazine : Farm (Orchard/Scholastic) by Elisha Cooper I Know Here (Groundwood) by Laurel Croza; illus. by Matt James What If? (Porter/Roaring Brook) by Laura Vaccaro Seeger As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth (Greenwillow) by Lynne Rae Perkins Countdown (Scholastic) by Deborah Wiles Borroed Names: Poems about Laura Ingalls Wilde r, Madam C. J. Walker, Marie Curie, and Their Daughters (Holt) by Jeannine Atkins Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors (Houghton) by Joyce Sidman; illus. by Beckie Prange Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty (Houghton) by Linda Glaser; illus. by Claire A. Nivola

What Can You Do with a Paleta?, written by Carmen Tafolla and illustrated by Magaly Morales, has been named the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award winner for works published in 2008-2009. The award, established at Texas State University-San Marcos in 1995, is designed to encourage authors, illustrators, and publishers to produce books that authentically reflect the lives of Mexican American children and young adults in the United States. What Can You Do with a Paleta? describes the many uses for a traditional Mexican popsicle treat on a hot summer day. The award will be presented this fall on the Texas State campus in cooperation with the Texas Book Festival. For further information, visit the Rivera Award website .

Easter is such a hopeful day for me, which immediately brings to mind one of my favorite poems by Emily Dickinson. Enjoy! "Hope" is the thing with feathers -- That perches in the soul -- And sings the tune without the words -- And never stops -- at all -- And sweetest -- in the Gale -- is heard -- And sore must be the storm -- That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm -- I've heard it in the chillest land -- And on the strangest Sea -- Yet, never, in Extremity, It asked a crumb -- of Me. From: Final Harvest: Emily Dickinson's Poems (Little Brown)

Ready, Set, Go! The President and First Lady have announced that this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll will be held on Monday, April 5, 2010 with the theme of “Ready, Set, Go!” promoting health and wellness. The event will feature live music, sports courts, cooking stations, storytelling and, of course, Easter egg rolling. It has just been announced that J.K. Rowling will be reading at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 5...LIVE from Washington, D.C.! Rowling will be reading from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at two separate times (1:30pm to 1:45pm ET and again at 2:00pm to 2:15pm ET) on Monday, and will be answering questions from kids. The whole event will be streaming live on whitehouse.gov .   If you would like to recommend the passage from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that you would like to see Rowling read, leave a message in the comments section of the Scholastic blog .