The Joy of Children's Literature

Are Books Obsolete? An Analysis of Data from Titles Printed Stephen Krashen A common view is that books are obsolete, and for two reasons: People just aren't interested in reading these days, and for those who are, ebook readers, such as the Kindle, are taking over. Not according to at least one indication. The number of new book titles printed each year continues to increase, and the increase over the last decade is dramatic. Bowker, an information service company, reported that 215,138 book titles were published in 2002. This increased to 302,410 in 2009, and the projected total (based on preliminary data) for 2010 was 316,480. The increase in titles published holds even when we consider the increase in the population of the US. The population in 2002 was estimated to be about 288,600,000. In 2010 it was estimated to be about 318,750,00 million. The ratio of books per person in the US has increased: In 2002, there was one book published for every 1342 people, in 2010, the...

....I have found your first day of school read aloud! I know it's a little early; school isn't even out yet here in VA and other states on the east coast. However, now that I've found your first day of school read aloud, then you can cross that off of your summer to-do list! The title is Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want To Survive the School Bus , written by John Grandits, illustrated by Michael Allen Austin, published by Houghton Mifflin and available around July 4th. Kyle (age and grade unknown) is dreading his first trip aboard the school bus. Luckily, his big brother, James, is a school bus expert. James gives Kyle ten rules for riding the bus that he absolutely, positively must obey if he wants to avoid getting laughed at or yelled at, pushed around, or even pounded. During his fateful ride, Kyle grapples with each unbreakable rule. Along the way, he discovers that the school bus isn’t so bad, and he may even have a thing or two to teach h...

A lot of great BUZZ has been flying around the blogosphere about this year's BEA in NYC. Consolation for those of us who are not able to attend (but would love to) is that there is a lot of great buzz flying around the blogosphere! Publishers Weekly reported on the YA and Middle Grade Editor’s Buzz panels highlighting their favorite fall releases. The YA Favorites Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Lani Taylor. “It’s a tough book to summarize,” Alvina Ling of Little, Brown admitted, before praising Daughter of Smoke & Bone as a novel that’s “sophisticated yet accessible,” as well as “mysterious and strange.” It’s “unlike every other book you’ve ever read,” she added. Comparing the main character, Karou, to Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , Ling described Karou as essentially a girl with mysterious powers who’s just “trying to find herself” as she falls into a star-crossed romance. Carrier of the Mark revolves about Megan, a girl who’s just moved...

Horn Book's list for suggested summer reading . Picture Books (Fiction and Nonfiction) Suggested grade level listed with each entry Alfie Runs Away written by Kenneth M. Cadow, illustrated by Lauren Castillo (Farrar/Foster) When his mother wants to give away his favorite shoes just because they're too small, Alfie decides he's had enough. Grade level: PS. 40 pages. My Side of the Car written by Kate Feiffer, illustrated by Jules Feiffer (Candlewick) It might be raining on Dad’s side of the car, but imaginative Sadie argues that it is not raining on her side, so their trip to the zoo doesn't need to be postponed. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages. One Big Rain: Poems for Rainy Days compiled by Rita Gray, illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke (Charlesbridge) Illustrated with an appropriate palette of grays, blues, and olive greens, this invitingly small anthology of twenty poems quietly celebrates rain. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages. Ballet for Mar...

I finished reading I Am J by Cris Beam late last night and woke up with it still on my mind. The story is about J, who is a boy mistakenly born as a girl (Jenifer). He has known he is a boy from his earliest memories. He knows his is a girl biologically, but he also knows that this "gender assignment" is wrong. J must endure the loss of friends and family, who do not understand him, until he finally decides that it is time to be who he really is. J is 17 and a senior in high school, the same age and grade as my son. A theme of gender identity has run through the many issues Derek has talked about throughout his years in school -- from kids calling other kids "gay" in middle school to kids too scared to come out as lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender or questioning in high school. The conversations I have had with Derek about these young adults have been heart breaking, but always at the peripheral. I Am J provides an in depth experience into the life of a yo...

 If you're like me, summer is a time to catch up on both professional and personal reading. One of the professional books I am looking forward to reading is Real Revision written by children's book author Kate Messner , published by Stenhouse, and available May 30th. I had the pleasure of presenting with Kate at the 2010 NCTE conference in Orlando. We presented on virtual author visits , which she has conducted as both an author and middle school teacher. After that session, we had the chance to talk and I discovered that she had a new book coming out on revision. One thing lead to another and we are now presenting a session at the 2011 NCTE conference in Chicago on authors as mentors for peer critique groups. This should be a wonderful session and as the conference draws closer, I will post more information. Below is a video of Kate talking about the importance of revision to her own writing.

Far from Shore: Chronicles of an Open Ocean Voyage Written and illustrated by Sophie Webb Published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children June 13, 2011 "My name is Sophie. I work as a field biologist and naturalist specializing in birds. Tomorrow I am going on a four-month journey to the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) to study seabirds and marine mammals." So begins the latest children's book from Sophie Webb , biologist, artist, and author. I wrote about her first book, My Season with Penguins , in JCL because it is such an excellent example of well written nonfiction for children, documenting one of Webb's ornithological trips. I believe that writing about a lived-through experience from the perspective of a biologist with the ability to write well and illustrate the topic is a combination that transcends excellence in any one area. Far from Shore is another book of this caliber. The purpose of the trip to the ETP "is to discover what has hap...

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen Have you been following the casting for the movie version of The Hunger Games ? This cover of Entertainment Weekly shows the first photo of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.The article asks, "Will this first look at Lawrence transformed into Katniss convince fans she can play this fierce heroine, who must compete in the ultimate game of life-or-death?" What do you think?

The Louisville Free Public Library It has been very quiet here at the JCL blog the last few weeks and that is because my mother passed away. She was almost 82 and in very poor health, but even so, I was not prepared. I don't think anyone is ever prepared to lose their mother. The saying, "No one will ever love you like your mother" is very true. One of the many things I am thankful for is the gift of reading that my mother gave to me. My mother and father divorced when I was eight and my younger sister, mother and I moved to Louisville, KY to live with my grandmother for a brief period before moving into our own, small apartment. We were very poor with no vehicle or television, but my mother was an avid reader. So on weekends, we would walk about five miles to the Louisville Free Public Library. We would take a rolling cart with us and bring back mounds of books. My sister and I would even go by ourselves when mom couldn't go. We loved everything about the librar...

Kids Vote Rick Riordan Author of the Year and David Wiesner Illustrator of the Year A Record Breaking 500,000 Votes Were Cast! NEW YORK, NY — May 2, 2011 — The Children’s Book Council (CBC) in association with Every Child A Reader, the CBC Foundation, announced the winners of the fourth annual Children’s Choice Book Awards at a gala in New York City this evening as part of Children’s Book Week (May 2-8, 2011). Children across the country voted in record numbers for their favorite books, author, and illustrator at bookstores, school libraries, and at www.BookWeekOnline.com , casting over 500,000 votes. The Children’s Choice Book Award winners are as follows: Author of the Year Rick Riordan for The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1) (Disney-Hyperion)            Illustrator of the Year David Wiesner for Art & Max (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)             ...

JANE ADDAMS CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS ANNOUNCED APRIL 28, 2011…Winners of the 2011 Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards were announced today by the Jane Addams Peace Association. Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty , written by Linda Glaser with paintings by Claire A. Nivola, Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is the winner in the Books for Younger Children category. A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park, Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is the winner in the Books for Older Children category. Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty Emma Lazarus wrote a sonnet in 1883 that became one of our nation’s most familiar sonnets and one that accompanied the Statue of Liberty as well. Emma also helped to shape the heart of the nation in her urgent message to declare the statue as a welcome to all immigrants. A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story This dual narrative f...