Suddenly silent?

I apologize for the gap in reviews.  After two years of searching and transitioning, I have finally landed a terrific library position.  So I took time to finish divesting the marketing communications clients and slipping into the “I. Am. A. Librarian.” role.

However, that has left a stack of books almost as tall as I am to review.  I have a free day later this week so look for a spate of catch-up reviews!

As always, thank you for your loyal readership!

Children’s Choice Book Awards announced

Last night, the Children’s Book Council announced the winners of the 2011 Children’s Choice Book Awards.  All of the winners were selected by more than 500,000 children and young adults who voted online and at their school libraries, public libraries and bookstores.   These are the books the children are reading!

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)

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year
Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby (Putnam/Penguin)

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year
Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Knopf/Random House)

Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year
The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion)

Congratulations to all the winners–and to the children who voted!  It’s not too late to celebrate Children’s Book Week.  Visit the Children’s Book Council Children’s Book Week website (http://www.bookweekonline.com/) and download a bookmark designed by Jeff Kinney or order a poster (as seen here) designed by Peter Brown.  Whatever you do, be sure to celebrate Children’s Book Week with your favorite children and children’s books!

The Sacred Purse should be shared with friends

The Sacred Purse a collaborative book compiled and edited by Debi Tomalis Wacker (World of Ink Tour author Judy Snider is a contributor); published by LightSource Marketing, Virginia Beach, Virginia; 2008.

The jacket description of the book states:

The Sacred Purse is a literary celebration about the perfection of women-and the perfection of each woman.  Written by, for and about women, this book is a collaborative literary fusion of short stories, poetry, streams of consciousness, and prose.  A look inward, the literary pieces focus on the many “faces” of a woman: daughter, mother, partner, artist, survivor, provider and friend.  What began as an outlet for our creative expression has been transformed into an inspirational collection that covers the emotional gamut: humorous, deeply moving, tearful, meditative and a strong, casual connectedness to female readers seeking inspiration.

Why is a book for women being reviewed on a blog about resources for children?  Well, I was a stay-at-home mom that worked from home as a consultant for years.  I often felt that my struggles were my own burden, that no one else had similar experiences; I often felt removed from the company of other women.  If this book were available at that time, I would have sat with a cup of coffee during naptime and savored each page, each word, each image.  There is comfort in sharing the experiences of others.

Just like the book summary states, there is something for every woman at every stage of life in this collection.  I highly recommend using this book to recharge the batteries of women, women in every stage of life, but especially for mothers of small children.  It’s a title you will return to often through every stage of life.  You can find out more about the book and collaboration at http://sacredpurse.com/.

As a librarian, I think this book would be an interesting addition to the parent resource section of the children’s department.  I also recommend using it as inspiration for programming for caregivers; I would read excerpts of the different styles and encourage the women to write and share their thoughts in this unique way.

Vote for your favorite book!

Children’s Book Week is May 2-8, 2011.  Each year, the Children’s Book Council, sponsor of the celebration of books, announces the Children’s Choice Book Awards during Book Week.  The Awards are broken into age groups: K-2nd Grade, 3rd-4th, 5th-6th, and Teens.  Voting for the best books is open only to anyone under 18!

To make your voice heard for your favorite book, visit the official voting website at http://www.bookweekonline.com/voting.   And if you’re a fan of Jeff Kinney, you can download a bookmark he created just for Book Week (http://www.bookweekonline.com/bookmark).

Vote now!  Award winners will be announced during Children’s Book Week!  And of course, I will share the lists here!

 

And the winner is…

Check the comments on the Double Book GIVEAWAY post to see who the lucky winner is!  Congratulations!

Book Giveaway winner!

The winner of the Sherry Ellis autographed books will be announced tomorrow, Saturday, March 12!  Be sure to post your comment and share the blog (via Facebook, Reddit, etc.)!

Reminder: Please read the “review format” information via the button at the top of the blog for information about how comments are handled.  In a nutshell, I hold all comments for moderation and never edit comments that are published.  So, when I hold a contest, I hold all comments until the contest is over.  And, because I don’t like to wait to find out if I’ve won something, I never run contests longer than 48 hours.

If you are the winner, I will contact you via the email you used to submit your comment.  Good luck!  And be sure to check out Sherry’s books!

Free Book Thursday!!!

Don’t miss another book giveaway, this Thursday, March 10!!!

Visit this blog for your chance to win That Mama Is a Grouch and That Baby Woke Me Up, Again!

Author Sherry Ellis, who will be interviewed, has provided an autographed copy of each book.

If there’s a toddler or preschooler in your house, you won’t want to miss this opportunity!

Remembering a friend

Today’s a sad day for me.  I have to say “until we meet again” to one of my dearest friends.  I’ll miss our daily chats and the way his comic relief could lift me out of any hole I’d dug for myself.  Yet I can look on so many things to remember him, like the school library renovation project we did a couple years ago.  While I coordinated the purchases with the supplier, he firmly took the reins on the transformation itself.  Here are a few samples, some before and after shots.  If you want to see the whole gallery of images, visit http://bit.ly/evtcB2.

Reading area...before

Reading area...after

And a view of most of the easy side…after

Fiction-Nonfiction Side...before

Fiction-Nonfiction side...after

Rest well, my friend.

ALA press release lists all 2011 Youth Media Award winners & honorees

All the 2011 Youth Media Award winners and honorees are conveniently in one place: ALA | ALA Press Releases.

INTERVIEW with author Marsha Casper Cook about her book, The Busy Bus

The Busy Bus by Marsha Casper Cook; published by Fideli Publishing, 2008.

Marsha Casper Cook is the author of six published books and 11 feature-length screenplays, a literary agent with 15 years of experience and the host of a radio talk show about the business of writing and entertainment, “A Good Story is a Good  Story,” on the Red River Radio network. She and her guests discuss writing and what’s new in the entertainment field. This year, she also began hosting another talk show “The Whole Truth”; on this show she and her guests discuss day to day issues that effect family life. Marsha has also appeared as a guest on other network shows and will continue to make frequent visits to other shows.

Thank you for being my guest on KidsRead.  What types of books do you write?

I have written children’s books, a non fiction book and a novel. I think I have a lot of fun when I write children’s books but I also enjoy writing  adult fiction because  of the freedom it gives you.

What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person?

For children’s books I like first person because I feel kids relate to the characters faster and they are easier to read out loud. For adults I like it either way.

How many children’s books have you written?

I have done three children’s books and have enjoyed doing all of them. Writing for children is not as easy as some may think. Children pick up on many things that adults might not think of and you have to engage the children especially if you are reading out loud.

Can you tell us about The Busy Bus?

The Busy Bus is a delightful collection of poems. The poems are witty and fun color illustrations making it a wonderful read along book. The Busy Bus is sure to generate smiles and giggles for young children especially when read out loud. It’s great in a classroom or library, too. Not only is this amusing but it gently speaks of relationships with siblings & other social issues facing children. I routinely donate a percentage of book sales to various charities.

Can you share a little about your current book?

My new book NO SHOES NO CLUES is my favorite. I have written it in first person and the character EMELINA is a young girl who knows where she’s going and likes to succeed.

Do you have any other works in progress? Can you share a little about them?

I am writing a screenplay at the moment and it always amazes me when the story comes out with a beginning, middle and end. Sometimes I feel that my story might be weak but if I make it to page 25 I know I know I have a story and I can continue on. A screenplay usually has no more than 120 pages.

Thank you, Marsha, for being my guest on KidsRead.