Bookshelf Comics offers information on graphic novels, including news, reviews, feature articles, and new and forthcoming titles.
Month: July 2005
Time Warp Trio on TV
Time Warp Trio is now an animated TV show for kids. From Discovery Kids and NBC, the show features the trio traveling through time. The first episode is Pirates, 1718. Part of the appeal of the show will be the tie in with the website and its games.
Room on Lorelei Street
A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson (0-8050-7667-0) is glowing, haunting novel about Zoe, the daughter of an alcoholic mother who decides to escape her home by renting a room on Lorelei Street. The room is owned by Opal, a warm eccentric elderly woman who understands Zoe. The book is filled with glorious language that lets the reader sink right into Zoe’s thoughts. The characterizations are vivid and complex, including the alcoholic mother who was once a much more caring woman.
This book was a delicious read that should be recommended to teen girls who enjoy problem novels. But it is more than the average problem novel and will hopefully be awarded something by the Printz committee. It is one of my favorites of the year.
Phonics Site
Learn to Read at Starfall is a website that offers colorful movies and clickable games to teach kids to read using phonics. It also has printable materials and an online message board.
Loop
Loop is a game where you draw loops around butterflies to capture them. I could say that it teaches fine mouse skills, but really it is just a lot of fun to play!
Chris Riddell
Guardian Unlimited — Chris Riddell on being a children’s illustrator
Chris Riddell just won the Kate Greenaway Medal for his illustrations of Gulliver’s Travels, a picture book for older readers. This article speaks about his dual life as children’s book illustrator and newspaper cartoonist.
Picture Books Help Kids Learn
When I saw the title of the article: Picture books can help youngsters learn, I thought, Hoorah! Someone actually gets it, books in general help kids learn. Wrong. The article is about a handful of books that the author of the article have decided are among the new releases that promote learning.
I am firmly of the opinion that every reading experience for a child helps them learn, that every book is of value at the picture book level. Whether it is a simple Dora or Blues Clues board book, or a more challenging picture book by an amazing author who truly creates art. All of these books can only help a preschooler or early elementary child connect with books and understand the joy that is there.
What Teen Girls Want
Finding what teen girls want, and producing it is an article about Alloy Entertainment, the company responsible for Gossip Girl, A-List and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The process at Alloy is a little different than authors approaching a publisher. In Alloy’s case, they approach authors (often authors without any experience) to produce an idea that Alloy has developed.
Cottrell Boyce Wins Carnegie Medal for Millions
‘Million To One’ outsider scoops CILIP Carnegie Medal with First Novel
Frank Cottrell Boyce has won the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2004 for ‘Millions’. Cottrell Boyce’s debut novel beat off strong competition from former winners Philip Pullman and Sharon Creech, and well-established writers Eva Ibbotson and Anne Cassidy, as well as one other first novel from American, Gennifer Choldenko.
Waking Brain Cells 