Carnival of Children’s Literature – Page 2

Road Work Ahead

My Book of the Week

Road Work Ahead by Anastasia Suen
A transportation picture book

Copyright: 2011
Ages: 3-5
Hardcover
Publisher: Viking

“Suen’s sparse rhyming verse leads readers through the busy scenes and uses simple vocabulary that suits both the youngest listeners and those just beginning to read.” ~ Kirkus Reviews

“A batch of Grandma’s homemade oatmeal cookies beckons, but for this backseat narrator, the sights and sounds along the road to her house are equally compelling.” ~ Publishers Weekly

Activities:

Play the Road Signs Matching Game.

Find out more about Cars, Trucks, and Construction Play.

Watch the construction site video.

Make a Traffic Light Necklace with yarn and stickers.
_____________________________________________________________________

Picture Book of the Day

Beautiful Yetta: The Yiddish Chicken
by Daniel Pinkwater (Author) and Jill Pinkwater (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Yetta, beautiful Yetta, manages to escape from the butcher’s shop. But now she is lost in Brooklyn—a strange place filled with rude rats and dangerous buses!

Snippet: Yetta, beautiful Yetta, will not be sold. She will not be soup. She will not be roasted chicken on a Friday night. She is free. She is in Brooklyn.
_____________________________________________________________________

Chapter Book of the Day

Nerd Camp

Nerd Camp
by Elissa Brent Weissman (Author)
272 pages

Booktalk: Ten-year-old Gabe is excited to go to the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment, but then he meets his new stepbrother, Zack, who doesn’t like nerds. Now what? Gabe makes a chart to figure it out…

Snippet:
PROBLEM: Am I a nerd who only has nerdy adventures?
HYPOTHESIS: No.

THINGS I CAN TELL ZACK
(I am not a nerd.)
1. I am going to a sleepaway
camp for six weeks!

THINGS I CAN’T TELL ZACK
(I am a nerd.)
1. It is the Summer Center
for Gifted Enrichment.

The 2011 Cybils Middle Grade Novel Winner!

_____________________________________________________________________

March 2012 Online Workshops

The March 2012 workshops will begin on Wednesday, March 7th.

Which workshop is best for you?

New to children’s books?
Learn about the different types of children’s books in the Children’s Book Genres Workshop.

Passionate about literacy?
Find out how you can write for children learning to read in the Children’s Literacy Workshop (for Writers).

Ready to write?
Write and edit your book in the

After you finish a writing workshop you can work through two more edits in a “work-in-progress” workshop, by rewriting your picture book or easy reader or working on the next chapter of your children’s chapter book or children’s novel.

The March workshop dates are March 7-April 25, 2012.

_____________________________________________________________________

February 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

The carnival will go live today at The Fourth Musketeer.

_____________________________________________________________________

My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Three Hens and a Peacock
by Lester L. Laminack (Author) and Henry Cole (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Nothing unusual ever happened on the Tuckers farm. Until the day that peacock showed up…

Snippet: The hens were squawking and clucking and flapping their wings. “We do all the work around here. I’d like to see that peacock lay one single egg.”
_____________________________________________________________________

Chapter Book of the Day

When Life Gives You O.J.
by Erica S. Perl (Author)
208 pages

Booktalk: For years, 10-year-old Zelly Fried has tried to convince her parents to let her have a dog. After all, practically everyone in Vermont owns a dog, and it sure could go a long way helping Zelly fit in since moving there from Brooklyn. But when her eccentric grandfather Ace hatches a ridiculous plan involving a “practice dog” named OJ, Zelly’s not so sure how far she’s willing to go to win a dog of her own. Is Ace’s plan so crazy it just might work . . . or is it just plain crazy?

Snippet: The whole mess started with a note:

KID,

SEE ME IMMEDIATELY WHEN YOU GET THIS.
DO NOT SPEAK OF THIS TO ANYONE, NOT
EVEN YOUR PARENTS OR YOUR BROTHER.

ACE

P.S. I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR THIS.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dC_3625Y7c]
_____________________________________________________________________

5 Great Books About Spring

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Spring Babies
by Erica Silverman (Author) and Betsy Lewin (Illustrator)
New babies are born on the ranch. (See the video!) Easy reader with 5 chapters

How Do You Know It’s Spring?
by Allan Fowler
Learn the facts in this Rookie Read About Science easy reader.

Poppleton In Spring
by Cynthia Rylant (Author) and Mark Teague (Illustrator)
See how Poppleton welcomes spring. Easy reader with 3 chapters

Spring Things
by Bob Raczka (Author) and Judy Stead (Illustrator)
Celebrate spring with one new “ing” word per page in this easy to read picture book.

Wake Me In Spring!
by James Preller (Author) and Jeffrey Scherer (Illustrator)
Mouse promises to wake up Bear in the spring. Level 2 easy reader
_____________________________________________________________________

February 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Our February 2012 host is The Fourth Musketeer.
Add YOUR post to this carnival by commenting here.
The deadline for adding your post is February 26th.
The carnival will go live on February 28th.

_____________________________________________________________________

Literary Link

‘Reading Rainbow’ to Return as an App (via @ReadingRainbow + @sljournal)
_____________________________________________________________________

My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

February Carnival Of Children’s Literature

February 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Dear friends,

I’m sorry to say that the carnival software we have been using since 2006 has stopped working. Please go to the carnival announcement post here and add your link to the comments. Margo, our February host, is now an editor on our carnival round up blog, so she will collect all of your links there and add them to this month’s carnival.

Our February 2012 host is The Fourth Musketeer.
Add YOUR post to this carnival by commenting here.
The deadline for adding your post is February 26th.
The carnival will go live on February 28th.

_____________________________________________________________________

Picture Book of the Day

Peter Is Just a Baby
by Marisabina Russo (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Peter can’t do any of the things that his big sister can. She can leap, and skip, but he can only crawl.

Snippet: I can even count to three in French — un, deux, trois — and ask for apple pie a la mode.
_____________________________________________________________________

Chapter Book of the Day

The Way We Fall
by Megan Crewe
308 pages

Booktalk: When sixteen year old Kaelyn lets her best friend leave for school without saying goodbye, she never dreams she might not ever see him again. But then a strange virus begins to sweep through her island community. As patients start dying, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.

Snippet: Sept 2
Leo,
While the ferry was carrying you to the mainland, I was on West Beach with Mackenzie and Rachel. Mackenzie had decided we should have one last summer swim before school starts tomorrow, but the breeze was so chilly, none of us ended up wanting to go in the water. So we just walked on the sand, talking and speculating about how junior year will go.
_____________________________________________________________________

Literary Links

Loreen Leedy booktalks Seeing Symmetry at Nonfiction Book Blast

Sorry, Pinterest Users: Websites Can Now Block Pinning [VIDEO] (via @mashable)
_____________________________________________________________________

My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Me . . . Jane
by Patrick McDonnell (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Here is the story of a little girl named Jane who dreamed of a life helping animals and grew up to help change the world. (Childhood drawings of Dr. Jane Goodall are included in this biography.)

Snippet: Jane had a stuffed toy chimpanzee named Jubilee.

BONUS! See the video and hear the story behind the book!

The 2011 Cybils picture book fiction winner!

_____________________________________________________________________

Chapter Book of the Day

Stupid Fast
by Geoff Herbach (Author)
320 pages

Booktalk: My name is Felton Reinstein, which is not a fast name. But last November, my voice finally dropped and I grew all this hair and then I got stupid fast. Fast like a donkey. Zing!

Now they want me, the guy they used to call Squirrel Nut, to try out for the football team. With the jocks. But will that fix my mom? Make my brother stop dressing like a pirate? Most important, will it get me girls–especially Aleah?

So I train. And I run. And I sneak off to Aleah’s house in the night. But deep down I know I can’t run forever. And I wonder what will happen when I finally have to stop.

Snippet:
This could be a dark tale!
It’s not.
I don’t think so.
Maybe.
I can’t sleep. It’s 1:03 a.m. Almost September. The weather is warm, even though it’s football season. There’s a huge moon in the sky, but I can’t see it from the basement, where my bedroom is. I saw plenty.
Tonight.
Dark tale? My dad did commit suicide.
Not so dark? It’s me. I hop up and down.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQWkjsjHL_I]

The 2011 Cybils young adult book fiction winner!

_____________________________________________________________________

5 MORE Great Books About Presidents

Abe Lincoln and the Muddy Pig
by Stephen Krensky (Author) and Greshom Griffith (Illustrator)
Abe Lincoln is on his way to give an important speech when he comes across a pig stuck in the mud. What will he do? Level 2 easy reader

Abe Lincoln’s Hat
by Martha Brenner (Author) and Donald Cook (Author)
Abe Lincoln keeps all of his papers in his hat! Level 2 easy reader

Barack Obama: Out of Many, One
by Shana Corey (Author) and James Bernardin (Illustrator)
A skinny little boy with a funny name grew up to be President. Level 3 easy reader

George Washington and the General’s Dog
by Frank Murphy (Author) and Richard Walz (Illustrator)
George Washington is fighting in the American Revolution when he sees a lost dog on the battlefield. Level 3 easy reader

Thomas Jefferson and the Ghostriders
by Howard Goldsmith (Author) and Drew Rose (Illustrator)
One night young Thomas Jefferson visits the Native American burial mound near his house and thinks he hears ghosts. Level 2 easy reader
_____________________________________________________________________

February 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

February 2012 host is The Fourth Musketeer.
Please send in a link to YOUR post by February 26th.
The carnival will go live on February 28th.

_____________________________________________________________________

Literary Link

Inkling’s new iPad pub platform is software based instead of page based (via @ebooknewser)
_____________________________________________________________________

My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Nonfiction Monday

Picture Book of the Day

Polar Bears
by Mark Newman (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Explore the world of the polar bear on land and under water with wildlife photographer Mark Newman.

Snippet:
Polar bears are not really white.
Despite what they look like and what most people think, polar bears are black, not white. Under all that warm thick fur, their skin is totally dark.
_____________________________________________________________________

Chapter Book of the Day

Sky Sailors: True Stories of the Balloon Era
by David L. Bristow (Author)
144 pages

Booktalk: For more than a century before airplanes, people explored the sky in balloons. From 1783 to the early 1900s, aeronauts flew into storms, crossed large bodies of water, sailed over enemy armies, and soared to deadly altitudes.

Snippet: Strange creatures lurk in the dark corners of the world, and sometimes they come out to get you. Countless stories tell it that way. On August 27, 1783, the villagers of Gonesse, France, saw the stories come true.
_____________________________________________________________________

Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is Wendie’s Wanderings

_____________________________________________________________________

January 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Our January 2012 host is Delightful Children’s Books.
The carnival is now open! Come by for a visit…

_____________________________________________________________________

Children’s Book Genres Workshop

A children’s book isn’t just one kind of book – there are 6 very different children’s book genres. Each genre meets the needs of a different stage of childhood. How are books for the stages of childhood structured? What story layers do the books have? What promises do they make?

In the Children’s Book Genres Workshop you will begin at the beginning with a child’s everyday world (realistic fiction) as you read 3 books for each stage of childhood and look beneath the surface to see how each children’s book genre is put together.

The next Children’s Book Genres Workshop begins on February 1st. This online workshop does not have a physical meeting place or classroom hours. You will have 8 weeks to complete the 6 lessons in this online workshop. Turn your lessons in as you complete them, the next day…or on the due date two weeks later.

After you discover the genre that is right for you, take the Intensive Picture Book Workshop, the Children’s Literacy Workshop (for Writers), the Children’s Chapter Books Workshop or the Children’s Novels Workshop and begin writing your own children’s book!

The February workshop dates are February 1-March 14, 2012.

_____________________________________________________________________

My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

The Big Day!

2012 ALA Youth Media Awards

Today is the big day! The eyes of the publishing world will turn to Dallas at 7:45 a.m. CT on Jan. 23, 2012, when the American Library Association (ALA) announces the top awards in children’s and young adult literature as part of the ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 20 – 24.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/IkEn8kHDnyI]

The 2012 Youth Media Award announcements include:

ALA will host a live Webcast from the Dallas Convention Center begining at 7:30 a.m. CT, Jan. 23. (Virtual seating will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.) You can also follow the announcements live via twitter at @ALAyma.

____________________________________________________________________

January 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Add your post about this year’s winners to our carnival!

Our January 2012 host is Delightful Children’s Books.
Please send in a link to YOUR post by January 26th.
The carnival will go live on January 28th.

_____________________________________________________________________

Nonfiction Book Blast 2012

Kathleen Krull booktalks
Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought)
on the Nonfiction Book Blast blog today…

Save the date! June 23, 2012 Nonfiction Book Blast 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

_____________________________________________________________________

Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is Shelf-employed

_____________________________________________________________________

My NEW chapter book is Save the Best for Last, Abby (All-Star Cheerleaders)

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

The Snow Blew Inn
by Dian Curtis Regan (Author) and Doug Cushman (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Emma can’t wait until Cousin Abby arrives so their sleepover can begin. But a blizzard shows up instead of Abby. Other guests arrive and arrive and arrive. Soon the inn is full. But where is Abby?

Snippet:
Is cousin Abby coming down the trail?
“Not yet, not yet,” calls Mr. Owl. “Storm, storm!”
_____________________________________________________________________

Chapter Book of the Day

The Masterwork of a Painting Elephant
by Michelle Cuevas (Author) and Ed Young (Illustrator)
144 pages

Booktalk: Ever since he was an infant, Pigeon Jones has lived on the back of an artistically gifted white elephant named Birch.

Snippet: I was born a restless sort, a tumbleweed, a wanderer if you will, and the night my parents left me on the orphanage steps, I didn’t wait around to be found. I crawled right out of that basket and made my way into the world.
_____________________________________________________________________

December 2011 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Our December 2011 host is Jean Little Library.
The carnival will go live today!

_____________________________________________________________________

Online Writing Workshops

The next Children’s Novels Workshop is Jan 4-Feb 22, 2012.

_____________________________________________________________________

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)

December 2011 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

December 2011 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Our December 2011 host is Jean Little Library.
Please send in a link to YOUR post by December 26th.
The carnival will go live on December 28th.

_____________________________________________________________________

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)

Tales from Long Ago

Picture Book of the Day

A Christmas Spider’s Miracle
by Trinka Hakes Noble (Author) and Stephen Costanza (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Long ago in a faraway place there lived two mothers. One, a humble peasant woman who struggled daily to provide for her children. And the other, a mother spider who also worked hard to care for her family. And although it would appear they were as different as night and day, these two mothers had more in common than would first seem.

Snippet: Folks could barely wait until Christmas Eve, that long cold night when everyone would light candles to fill the darkness with hope.
_____________________________________________________________________

Chapter Book of the Day

The Last Dragon
by Jane Yolen (Author) and Rebecca Guay (Illustrator)
144 pages

Booktalk: Two hundred years ago, humans drove the dragons from the islands of May. Now, the last of the dragons rises to wreak havoc anew — with only a healer’s daughter and a kite-flying would-be hero standing in its way.

Snippet: At first the dragon looked like any young lizard, for he had not shed his eggskin, which was lumpy and whitish, like clotted cream. But he grew fast, as dragons will.
_____________________________________________________________________

December 2011 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Our December 2011 host is Jean Little Library.
Please send in a link to YOUR post by December 26th.
The carnival will go live on December 28th.

_____________________________________________________________________

Literary Links

5 tips for releasing a book app (via @eBookNewser)
_____________________________________________________________________

Blog Countdown #3

Dear Readers,

Due to technical difficulties (see below) I am moving ALL of my blogs here to Booktalking.

Q. Why are you moving your blogs during the busy holidays?
A. Two reasons:
1. I’m being innundated by foreign language spam.
2. The Feedburner subscription service has locked me out.

This means that while others have found me (in a BIG way!) I can no longer find you. I can’t access my subscriber lists. I’ve had the same login since 2006, but Feedburner was sold to Google and now my passwords no longer work!

I have to START OVER.

1. I will consolidate ALL 8 blogs into 1 at Booktalking.
2. I will count down for two weeks (from 10-1)…and then close the other 7 blogs.

If you read this blog via a Google subscription, please click here and sign up for email with WordPress. (It’s the widget on the right that says “Send me this blog via email.”) Then I can see you – and help you – if you need assistance with your subscription.

Thanks!
Anastasia
_____________________________________________________________________

My NEW picture book is Road Work Ahead (Viking)

November 17, 2011

https://twitter.com/#!/asuen1/status/137154286260981761
https://twitter.com/#!/asuen1/status/137185755779969025
https://twitter.com/#!/asuen1/status/137217225743532032
https://twitter.com/#!/asuen1/status/137248692209074177
https://twitter.com/#!/asuen1/status/137276358551277568