The Brain Lair Bookstore

July 9, 2017 Alyson Beecher

In 2009, I entered the world of social media beginning with Twitter. I began connecting with amazing teachers, librarians, and book bloggers. We shared ideas and book recommendations and encouraged one another as readers. In 2011, many of us connected for the first time at NCTE's annual conference in Chicago. One of those amazing teacher librarians that I connected with both online and in person was Kathy Burnette aka The Brain Lair.

Kathy and I at this year's ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Kathy and I have continued to connect online and in real life at various conferences. We have roomed together at times and I have been inspired by Kathy's love of reading and dedication to growing readers. I have also been in awe of Kathy's dream of starting her own bookstore and serving her community through this business. It is scary to start a business, but I have great faith in Kathy's vision and skill to build a successful business.

This year at the Newbery Caldecott Wilder Banquet a group of us sponsored a table in the name of The Brain Lair Bookstore. It was exciting to see it on one of the slide and on our tickets and table tent.

So, what is Kathy's vision:

The Brain Lair Bookstore will bring diverse books to children and teens so they can find their story. Read Globally. Connect Locally.

Though I don't live in Indiana, I want to be able to support friends doing amazing things to promote literacy and the love of reading. When I am able, I try to support teacher friends by sending boxes of books or donating to Donor's Choose Projects. Since this project is obviously bigger, I wanted to take some time to share about it on my blog. As you know, I have never asked for donations or even used sponsored links or ads on the blog. However, I believe so strongly in this project that I wanted to at least share this with you. If you are able to donate great, and if you are able to spread the word, fantastic. There are also some great gifts with pledges beginning at $10.

Watch the video as Kathy shares her vision:

For more information about Kathy's Kickstarter Project click on the widget or link below:

Or simply click here.

Join me in spreading the word about The Brain Lair Bookstore Kickstarter.

***Thank you Alethea at Read Now, Sleep Later for the inspiration for ideas and wording for this post.

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: What am I reading?

July 5, 2017 Alyson Beecher

Recently, I have seen some Mock Sibert posts and I started to panic some. Though I have read a number of wonderful titles and some that I think have an excellent chance of winning a Sibert Award in February 2018, I am not ready to create my list yet.

However, I wanted to pull together a post where I listed all of the "recent release" or "upcoming release" posts so if you are still looking for titles, they will be easy to look for.

Click on the the links to take you to the corresponding post:
January | February | March | April | ALA Edition

Checking out the posts of other teachers, librarians and authors who link up each week will also introduce you to new titles.

For this week, I am sharing four 2017 titles that I missed in my release posts and wanted to get onto your radars.

Becoming Bach by Tom Leonard (Roaring Brook Press, February 2017) - The illustrations in this book are beautiful. Though a bit simplistic, it is a nice introduction to Bach for students. The book does contain additional back matter at the end of the book.

Birds Make Nests by Michael Garland (Holiday House, January 2017) - I was surprised by this one in a good way. In addition to beautiful illustrations, I learned quite a bit about the various nests that birds build.

The Hidden Life of a Toad by Doug Wechsler (Charlesbridge, March 2017) - There are a number of toad and frog books that I like, but this is definitely a new favorite. Photographs and labels provide readers with strong visuals to accompany the text. The endnotes and facts provide readers with additional information.

One Proud Penny by Randy Siegel; Illustrated by Serge Bloch (Roaring Brook Press, January 2017) - Narrated by the 1983 penny, readers learn about the history of the penny, as well as, the life of the penny.

If you haven't had a chance to read these, check them out of your community library or look for them at you local indie bookstore.

Next week, I plan on sharing some of my favorite nonfiction read alouds for the start of the school year. I have been seeing a number of posts about read alouds for the beginning of the school year and wanted to include some nonfiction titles in a sea of fiction read alouds.

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction review posts....

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - July 3, 2017

July 3, 2017 Alyson Beecher

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kid lit focus. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kid lit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

My goal for July is to do a weekly It's Monday! What are you reading? post for every Monday in July. This post will be a bit long since I read a lot of upcoming releases at ALA last week. Here is what jumped out of the pile in the past few weeks:

Noodleheads See the Future by Tedd Arnold, Martha Hamilton, Mitch Weiss (Holiday House, January 2017) From the creator of FLY GUY, readers get Arnold's characteristic humor with a bit of a lesson. Really appreciated the author's note at the end.

This is Not a Normal Animal Book by Julie Segal Walters, Illustrated by Brian Biggs (Simon & Schuster, October 17, 2017) - Thanks to Melissa Stewart, I intentionally tracked this one down at ALA. Not exactly nonfiction, and more than just another animal book. This one is worth exploring when it comes out in October.

The Unexpected Love Story of Alfred Fiddleduckling by Timothy Basil Ering (Candlewick Press, January 2017) - When I was sitting in on the Notables Discussion, this one came up and I had to read it. One of those lovely stories that results in a lot of feel good emotions.

The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken (Dial Books, April 2017) - Finally got a chance to read this one. Would pair well with Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg.

Niko Draws a Feeling by Bob Raczka, Simone Shin (Carolrhoda Books, April 2017) - Sometimes just having one person understand you is enough to feel affirmed. This would be a good beginning of the school year book to share with students.

After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) by Dan Santat (Roaring Brook, October 3, 2017) - I am a big fan of Dan Santat's work and I think this is his best yet. A fabulous look at "getting back up" and conquering fears. Looking forward to seeing the final version of the book.

Draw the Line by Kathryn Otoshi (Roaring Brook Press, October 10, 2017) - I love wordless books and I love Kathryn Otoshi's work. In this upcoming release by Otoshi, readers get something a bit different but just as wonderful. I look forward to the discussions I can have with children over this one.

All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle, Illustrated by Mike Curato (Henry Holt & Co., August 29, 2017) - A wonderful look at a family road trip in Cuba. Looking forward to using this one as a mentor text as well.

When's My Birthday? by Julie Fogliano; Illustrated by Christian Robinson (Roaring Brook Press, September 5, 2017) - Fogliano captures the excitement that children feel when anticipating a birthday and Robinson's illustrations are delightful.

Why Am I Me? by Paige Britt; Illustrated by Selina Alko, Sean Qualls (Scholastic, September 12, 2017) - Another book that will make a good read aloud at the beginning of the school year that will promote a celebration of our uniqueness and diversity.

I Can Be Anything: Don't Tell Me I Can't by Diane Dillon (Blue Sky Press, January 2018) - This one won't be out until 2018 but I love the beautiful illustrations and the powerful message.

Robinson by Peter Sís (Scholastic, September 26, 2017) - I love the illustrations in this book and the author note at the end that helps readers understand the context of the story.

Life by Cynthia Rylant; Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel (Beach Lane Books, June 2017) - This is a special book. Not exactly sure how to describe it but I still have that feeling that I read something special and I read this one several weeks ago. The illustrations are very different from Wenzel's Caldecott Honor Book - They All Saw a Cat , yet, they are perfect for this book.

Flashlight Night by Matt Esenwine; Illustrated by Fred Koehler (Boyds Mills Press, September 19, 2017) - I love stories that celebrate imagination and adventure and this book capture both in a book that will capture readers for multiple read alouds.

If you missed the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge post last week, check it out here for even more titles.

So, what have you been reading?

ALA Annual Final Reflections

July 2, 2017 Alyson Beecher

Over this past week, I have been sharing out reflections on my trip to Chicago for the ALA Annual Conference. You can read part I and part II for more pictures and thoughts.

Friends and Conversations:
As typical of any ALA conference, connecting with friends, authors, publishers, and other book people is part of the experience. The conversations over meals or while walking around the exhibit hall or en route to an event add a richness to conference experience that is tranformative.

Often I fail at taking pictures with those that I meet up with and other times pictures just don't turn out well. Below I have tried to include photos despite their graininess. I haven't included names of everyone because I know I will accidentally leave someone out.

The Award Ceremonies and Acceptance Speeches:
Part of what I enjoy doing at ALA Annual is attending the various award ceremonies and listening to the acceptance speeches. This year I made it to the following:

The CSK Award Breakfast
Thank you to Ed Spicer, this was my first time at the CSK Award Breakfast, and it certainly won't be my last time. Next year, I plan to get my ticket early. The speeches by each of the winners were heart-felt and moving.

The ALSC Awards
The ALSC Awards are held the morning after the Newbery/Caldecott/Wilder banquet. I know I hit snooze quite a few times but I love going to see the awards presented to the Sibert, Batchelder, and Geisel winners even if I can't usually stay for the whole thing. It was also my second time during the weekend that I got to hear Rep. John Lewis speak and I appreciated his inspirational messages.

Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet
One of the highlights of the conference is attending the Newbery/Caldecott/Wilder banquet. I had so much fun sitting at The Brain Lair (a nod to the bookstore Kathy Burnette plans to open) table with Nerdy Book Club friends. I am always inspired by the speeches given by the winners. Check out this link to Horn Book for the print version of the speeches.

Schneider Family Book Awards & Luncheon
Schneider Family Book Awards are given during the ALA Awards. Though we do not have an opportunity for our winners to give an acceptance speech, it is fun to see them walk across the stage with committee members to receive their awards. We do celebrate as a committee with the winners at a luncheon where Dr. Katherine Schneider speaks to everyone via speakerphone.

I was particularly terrible at taking pictures at the Schneider Family Book Award Luncheon. However, I had to get a picture of these awesome gifts from Jen Bryant and Boris Kulikov.

Each member of the jury received a braille version of Six Dots and a bracelet with braille writing on it.

I tried to capture the bracelet in this picture.

I tried to get a picture of the braille overlay in the braille version of Six Dots. It is fascinating to see and feel if you have never experienced a braille book.

The Members of the Schneider Family Book Award Jury and Winners of the Award

The Closing Keynote:
I can't believe that I actually got to hear Hillary Clinton give the closing keynote. I dragged Mary Ann out at 6:00 a.m. so we would be in line early. The good news - we ended up in the fifth row. I included Clinton's speech as recorded by CNN below if you are interested in listening to it. I appreciated her support of literacy and libraries.

Posted by CNN: Hillary Clinton Keynote Address at ALA Conference:

Though it has been a few days since the end of the conference, I am still extremely thankful that I have been able to attend and be a part of the events of the weekend. I am thankful to all of the ALA staff for the work they put into planning and organizing the conference. I am also thankful for all of the publishers for all of the things they do to help participants connect with authors and books.

Now to look forward to NCTE '17 in November.

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: ALA Annual Part 2

June 28, 2017 Alyson Beecher

Yesterday, in my #Road2Reading post, I mentioned that I have been at the ALA Annual conference in Chicago for the past several days. However, I wanted to share some of the titles that I got a glimpse of at ALA. Some I learned about during Publisher Previews and others I saw on display at various booths. Annual is always pretty packed in the exhibit hall and I felt that my photos were not clear enough so I looked for the book covers online. Additionally, this is not a comprehensive list. There were several booths I never managed to visit.

Tomorrow, I will have a general ALA Annual post but I will say that I enjoyed going to the ALSC Awards, which include the Robert F. Sibert Award, and hearing the winners' acceptance speeches. While I was standing in line, waiting for the doors to open, I turned around and looked at the name tag of the man standing behind me. It said Bob Sibert. The son of Robert F. Sibert . Sadly, I was too surprised to say anything, and also, thankful that I didn't blurt out something embarrassing.

Here are some of the books that I added to my TBR List after :

The World is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid by Jeannette Winter (Beach Lane Books, August 22, 2017)

Full of Fall by April Pulley Sayre (Beach Lane Books, August 29, 2017)

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca; Illustrated by Daniel Rieley (Innovation Press, August 29, 2017)

Dangerous Jane by Suzanne Slade (Peachtree Publishers, September 1, 2017)

The Super Bowl: Chasing Football Immortality by Matt Doeden (Millbrook Press, September 1, 2017)

Older Than Dirt: A Wild but True History of Earth by Don Brown; Illustrated by Michael R. Perfit (HMH Books for Young Readers, September 5, 2017)

The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright by K.L. Going; Illustrated by Lauren Stringer (Beach Lane Books, September 5, 2017)

How to be An Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild by Katherine Roy (Macmillan/David Macaulay Studio, September 19, 2017)

Zoo Scientists to the Rescue by Patricia Newman (Millbrook, October 1, 2017)

Deadliest! 20 Dangerous Animals by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers, October 10, 2017)

Trickiest! 19 Sneaky Animals by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers, October 10, 2017)

Mama Africa!; How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope With Her Song by Kathryn Erskine; Illustrated by Charly Palmer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, October 10, 2017)

Fallingwater: The Building of Frank Lloyd Wright's Masterpiece by Marc Harshman and Anna Egan Smucker; Illustrated LeUyen Pham (Roaring Brook Press, October 17, 2017)

Meet Cindy Sherman: Artist, Photographer, Chameleon by Sandra Jordan; Illustrated by Jan Greenberg (Roaring Brook Press, October 17, 2017)

A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider by Barbara Herkert; Illustrated by Lauren Castillo (Henry Holt & Co., October 24, 2017)

The Elephant Whisperer: My Life With the Herd in the African Wild by Lawerence Anthony and Graham Spence; adapted by Thea Feldman (Henry Holt & Co., October 24, 2017)