Guys Read is a program to get boys reading. The website is graphical and fun. It offers lists of books to choose from, including ones picked by other guys, and a great selection of links to related sites.

Wilde Writing Works from Susie Wilde, offers reviews, interviews, bibliographies and more on children’s literature. She also gives out two sets of awards, Picture Book and Longer Book.

Wands and Worlds: Young Adult and Children’s Fantasy and Science Fiction is a great site that lists authors, series, subjects, and much more for science fiction and fantasy books for youth. The contents of the site are amazingly up-to-date and comprehensive. A wonderful place to look for recommendations for kids or for yourself.

UNICEF — Childhood Under Threat: The State of the World’s Children 2005 tells the stories and shows the statistics of children around the world living in poverty, caught in conflict, and suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Sydney Taylor Book Awards are given by the Association of Jewish Libraries to the best Jewish children’s literature of the year. This year, Real Time by Pnina Moed Kass won the award and six books were chosen as Honor Books. Thirty-one notable books were also chosen.

We Are Family Foundation is the organization that sent the Christian right into a tizzy over SpongeBob. The fundamentalists argue that SpongeBob is a homosexual icon and that the Foundation is trying to promote homosexuality to children. A video of the song “We Are Family” was sung by over 100 characters from beloved TV shows, including Barney, Arthur, Bear, Big Bird, Clifford, JoJo and of course, SpongeBob. The performance was done in the wake of 9/11 to celebrate our diversity and tolerance. A DVD will be released “soon” that has the children’s music video on it.

The Comic Brief has a story about Marvel’s new publishing contracts:
“Marvel Enterprises, Inc., (NYSE:MVL) – the dominant force in the comic book market through its Marvel Comics division – has entered into major licensing agreements with four of the world’s leading publishing houses: DK Publishing, Harper Collins, Meredith Books and Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Books as part of a strategy to increase the presence of its leading character franchises in various mass market book publishing formats.”

ALSC announces new children’s book award named for Theodor Seuss Geisel
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award will be presented annually to the author and illustrator of the most outstanding book for beginning readers. The first award will be presented in 2006.

BBC News reports that JK Rowling has had a baby daughter. This makes three children for Rowling. Congratulations!