It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA (44)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Jen & Kellee from Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.


My reading has been all over the place the past few weeks, but here are a some of my favorites:

Hello! Hello! by Matthew Cordell (Hyperion, October 2012)

Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson (Nosy Crow, August 2012)

Oliver by Birgitta Sif (Candlewick Press, October 2012)

Sky Color by Peter Reynolds (Candlewick Press, August 2012)

Abe Lincoln's Dream by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press, October 2012)

 So, what are you reading?

Children's Literature Council of Southern California Fall Gala

For the past 3 years, I have served on the Children's Literature Council of Southern California Awards Committee.  Each November, the Council has a Fall Gala to recognize the 5 award winners and their books.  Additionally, there is a special guest keynote.
 

Yesterday, we held the 51st Gala with special Keynote Speakers Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann.

Their first joint book project is the picture book Oh No! (Random House, September 2012)

The Candace and Eric were adorable and funny as they shared the stage and talked about what it was like to work on Oh No!

Candace began by sharing about how she loves working with white loose-leaf paper and bic pens to write.

Eric followed by talking about how he worked on the illustrations for Candace's manuscript.

I loved listening to Eric share about decisions that he needed to make with certain pages.

Candace finished up by reading Oh No! which was influenced on a trip to Borneo that the couple had taken.

After the great presentation by Fleming and Rohmann, the Book Awards were announced.  Each year, the Awards Committee reviews over 150 books written and/or illustrated by Southern California authors and illustrators and selects 5 books to receive awards.  The 2012 committee reviewed books released in the 2011 publishing year.  And the winners were:

Outstanding Picture Book

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

(Candlewick Press, 2011)

Inspiring Work of NonFiction 

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

(Harper Collins, 2011)

Distinguished Work of Historical Fiction

Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin

(Henry Holt & Co., 2011)

Myra Livingston Cohn Award for Poetry 

Won-Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw;

Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

(Henry Holt & Co., 2011)

The Peggy Miller Award for Young Adult Literature 

I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

(Little, Brown, & Co., 2011)

Congratulations to all of the award winners!  And thank you Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann for your amazing presentation.

 

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

The Nonfiction Detectives and I are hosting a Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge. In honor of Halloween, a nonfiction picture book for the season.

National Geographic Readers: Halloween by Laura Marsh (July 2012, National Geographic Children's Books)

Description from GoodReads:
From visiting the pumpkin patch, to bobbing for apples, to picking out a favorite costume, Halloween is a magical time for young children. The fun and festivities are captured in this book, with full-color illustrations and simple easy-to-grasp text. In the spirit of this beloved holiday, this level one reader is sure to captivate and fascinate children.

This high-interest, educationally vetted series of beginning readers features the magnificent images of National Geographic, accompanied by texts written by experienced, skilled children's book authors. The inside back cover of the paperback edition is an interactive feature based upon the book. Level 1 books reinforce the content of the book with a kinesthetic learning activity. In Level 2 books readers complete a Cloze letter, or fun fill-in, with vocabulary words.

My quick thoughts on this book:
This Level 1 reader is a great way to celebrate the holiday.  The photographs in this book just "pop" and there is a mix of fun facts, history, and activities that can be used to celebrate the holiday as a family.  Topics covered in the book include:  Halloween Fun!, Trick or Treat, Costumes, Halloween Today, Day of the Dead, and more.  A fun book to include in your classroom or school library.  

Check out the website - National Geographic Super Reader for more information.

Don't forget to connect up your nonfiction picture book posts here:

Cover Reveal: Wig in the Window

I am so excited to have been selected to reveal the cover for Kristen Kittscher's debut middle grade novel The Wig in the Window (Harper Collins, 2013).   I have known Kristen for over a year now and she is not only a fabulous writer but also a wonderful friend and teacher.

Synopsis from the back of the ARC for The Wig in the Window:
"Sophie Young and Grace Yang have made a game of spying on their neighbors, but when they stake out the home of notoriously phony middle school counselor Dr. Charlotte Agford (aka Dr. Awkward) they stumble across a terrifying scene.

Or do they? No matter what, the girls are convinced that Dr. Agford’s sugary sweet façade hides a dark secret. But as they get closer to the truth about Agford, the strain of the investigation pushes Sophie and Grace farther apart. Even if they crack their case, will their friendship survive?

Perfect for fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Wig in the Window is a smart, funny mystery with a Rear Window twist."

And now the cover reveal...

I love the cover and I can't wait for everyone to meet Young & Yang.  One lucky reader will get to read The Wig in the Window now.  Kristen is giving away an advanced readers copy of The Wig in the Window.  You can enter by using the Rafflecopter form at the bottom.

Here is a teaser quote from the back cover: 
"I looked back across the dark stretch of Agford’s lawn to the house. Every light was ablaze and her blinds were pulled low, creating a milky-white screen. And projected onto that screen was the most terrifying image I had ever encountered. Agford’s silhouetted figure loomed before me, twenty feet high and ten feet wide. She raised one arm and paused—the black outline of a cleaver hovering overhead—before swinging violently downward."

For more information about Kristen Kittscher: twitter | facebook | website

Kristen Kittscher is a writing tutor in Southern California, where she lives with her husband, Kai. A graduate of Brown University and former seventh grade English teacher, she loves writing funny mysteries for the precocious middle schoolers she once enjoyed teaching so much. She’s now at work on Young & Yang’s next adventure, THE TIARA ON THE TERRACE.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

The Nonfiction Detectives and I are hosting a Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge.  In looking back on my October Nonfiction Picture Book releases, I have missed a few titles.  Here is an update in the style of my "It's Monday! What are you reading post!"

Here are two that I overlooked but read and loved:

Harlem's Little Blackbird by Renée Watson; Illustrated by Christian Robinson - Really enjoyed this biographical story of Florence Mills.  Will add this to my Harlem Renaissance picture books.

Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane's Musical Journey by Gary Golio; Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez - Amazing illustrations and Golio does a great job telling John Coltrane's story.  Enjoyed this one like I enjoyed his Jimi Hendrix picture book.

And here are two that were on my list that I enjoyed:

Noah Webster and His Words by Jeri Chase Ferris; Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch - great way of telling Webster's story and includes definitions throughout the story. 

Becoming a Ballerina: A Nutcracker Story by Lise Friedman; Photography Mary Dowdle- Definitely a book for 4th grade and up - perfect for those girls who dream of becoming a ballerina.