Woot! Tamora Pierce, author of so many great fantasy books for teens that it is impossible to list them, has signed an exclusive deal with Marvel Comics.
“Her first project will be WHITE TIGER.
Tamora’s going to revisit the concept, linking it to the original Tiger
and creating a new female hero with street smarts, guts, and a whole
lotta obsession. I hope all Marvel fans will take a look and join us on
this new adventure.”
I definitely will!
Chicken Spaghetti is hosting the 2nd Carnival of Children’s Literature. If you are a blogger who blogs about children’s literature in any way, submit one of your favorite posts to the carnival. Submissions are due by this Friday, March 3rd. Join in, it’s a lot of fun, and you can get exposure for your blog!
The Edge of the Forest is a new online children’s literature magazine filled with articles from some of the top children’s literature bloggers. They have book reviews, a collection of the best of the blogs, and a great section called Kid Picks where they ask children’s for book recommendations. Wonderful job!
The Marvelous Misadventures of Fun-Boy by Ralph Cosentino is a book perfect for boys who are emergent readers. It is a nearly wordless book where the pictures tell the story in comic-book style. The modern feeling art is a perfect match to the series of silly episodes that any little boy can relate to. This one will have your new reader giggling along to jokes at exactly their level. He will be able to “read” the book to himself in the very next sitting, and will want to because he will want to laugh at the jokes all over again.
The Miami Herald has an article on boys and reading entitled, These tips might make your son a reader. The tips are simple but powerful:
Find an “entry point.” Meaning look for reading materials that your son is interested in.
Look for books with male characters.
Think “outside the book.” There is plenty of reading materials not between book covers.
Start a book club.
Go to the bookstore and library.
Get involved in your child’s education.
Set the tone. Read in front of you children.
Start early. Read. Read. Read.
Music to my ears!
MTV to target lucrative teen publishing market is not the big news that some seem to think it is. Money-making and teenagers has always seemed to be in the front of MTV’s business plans. But wait, perhaps I am being too cynical. Let’s see what their four books for teen girls are going to be about: “coming-of-age themes, glamour and hot boys.” Just what the teen publishing world is missing. Not.
Alt Teen Services Blog is a blog run by two librarians who work professionally with teenagers. They have great ideas for working with teens, technology and teens, and programming.
I Spy Little Bunnies by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by Walter Wick.
This is a charming board book version of the popular I Spy series. The puzzles have been made easier by simplifying the graphical elements. The rhymes by Marzollo have also been made simpler. Photographs have been mixed in with the text so they are rebus-like, perfect for emergent readers to begin to understand how reading works. The puzzle and game aspect of the book may draw in more reluctant beginning readers who will not realize they are learning about reading while they play.
Dog Food and Baby Food by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers are charming board book versions of their whimsical, magical vegetable characters. From ducklings made of potatoes to banana giraffes to brocolli poodles, readers will be welcomed into a bright colored world of puns. Parents can get very tired of overly sweet board books that lack a real sense of humor. Point them to these books, though I don’t think it will be necessary. One look at the covers of these books will have them in the hands of both parents and children in seconds. Make sure you stock the earlier books by these talented authors as well, there will be requests!
Waking Brain Cells 