The Chicken House
Very slick and fun webpage for this children’s book publisher.

USATODAY.com – Comedians writing children’s books for a laugh
Celebrities writing for children has been a big trend lately, but here comes another one: comedians writing for kids. This article lists the new authors as including Jay Leno, Billy Crystal, Ray Romano, Rhea Perlman and Whoopi Goldberg. Now the question will be if any of them are actually funny in print!

KRT Wire — New novel holds appeal for the young outdoorsman
A sportsman’s take on Gary Paulsen’s latest book “Brian’s Hunt.” It even ran in the Sports section of the newspaper.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (0-439-53164-0)
There has been a lot of positive buzz around this title, so I was anxious to read it. Well, it is fully worthy of all of the buzz. It is truly a book for book lovers. The quotations at the start of every title from classic children’s books are priceless, evoking an immediate emotional response that prepares you for the chapter ahead. Just lovely.
I don’t like giving away the plot, because it is such a treasure to journey through. I enjoyed the female characters who exhibited courage and honor throughout the book, letting readers see that sometimes heroes are the least likely people.
Share this one with kids. Read it aloud, because that will double the magic inside. Any kid who enjoys fantasy will love this book, but bookworms will treasure it.

Aesop’s Fables
I have had this site on my List of Links for some time, probably since they came up in 1997. I love to find sites that have been in operation for such a long time (in Internet time.) This site offerse an online collection of over 655 fables by Aesop with their morals.

ReadWriteThink
This site is provided by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. It provides teachers and students with lessons, information on standards, materials and a list of quality web sites on reading.

Young People’s Poetry Week
The third week in April in Young People’s Poetry Week. Perfect time to highlight the library’s collection of underused but fantastic poetry books.

Bookshelf: Children’s Books in Brief
Another quick glimpse at new children’s books from The New York Times. Registration required.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
A new version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will be released in June 2005. Johnny Depp will star as Willy Wonka, directed by Tim Burton. For more articles on the film, scroll down to the bottom of the page.