One thing I can say about Jon Scieszka is that he is such a blast. The fun we had with the book cart drill team at ALA… No, hold it. That wasn’t me, that was Mo Willems. Well, there was that fantastic tour of four guys where he was targeting reluctant readers — i.e., boys... Hmmm, now that I think about it, I saw the video at Adam Rex’s blog. But there was that launch of GuysRead that I was involved in… No, I guess I read about that. Huh. I guess I’ve never actually met the guy.
The thing is, I feel like I must know him, which is to me evidence of his successful run as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Because the man was everywhere. There were appearances, articles, and interviews. There were books and a website. I think at one point there was skywriting. All in the interest of promoting children’s literature, literacy, and reading. It’s no wonder that the kidlitosphere is turning out today to thank this man that we all know and love. (With thanks to A Year of Reading for organizing and rounding up the posts.)
It was an amazing inaugural run for a job that seems impossible: Promote a love of reading for no money and without really knowing the results of what you’ve done. OMG, he’s a book blogger! I AM SCIESZKA!
(Thanks Herr Ambassador Scieszka, for your tireless yet endlessly humorous work in children’s literature.)
Showing posts with label Shout-Outs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shout-Outs. Show all posts
I feel a little bit bad about National Poetry Month. I don’t think I pulled my weight. But like famous people who pay to offset their carbon footprint, let me direct you to some blogs in hopes of offsetting my own prose-heavy month.
At the newish blog Wild Rose Reader, Elaine wrote a poem a day for April. Bravo, poet lady, bravo. She even went the extra mile in dedicating poems to bloggers, and Sunday was my turn. Thanks for including me Elaine, and for giving National Poetry Month your absolute best.
Greg at Gotta Book took on a poem-a-day challenge, with a variety of styles and topics. I can assume (since I can’t remember) that some were of the fib variety of his own invention.
Emily Reads is all haiku, all the time with her special haiku reviews, and April was no exception.
Another haiku queen is A Wrung Sponge, who writes her poems alongside her lovely photos. She also handled the last Poetry Friday Round Up, which seemed particularly large.
April’s other Poetry Friday Round Ups were at Big A, little a, then at Tea Cozy, and then Big A, little a again, because clearly she doesn’t have enough to do. (Hah!)
Tomorrow, I’m going to read some poetry to my fifth grader’s class. I’ll read from Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich (I got this book on my county’s Summer Reading List this year — yeah!), and A Writing Kind of Day: Poems for Young Poets (to inspire the budding poets). I may also pull from Soft Hay Will Catch You: Poems By Young People (I love the idea of a collection of kids’ poetry). We couldn’t fit in a visit in April, but as the teacher reminded me, any time is a good time for poetry. Don’t forget that, and I won’t either.
At the newish blog Wild Rose Reader, Elaine wrote a poem a day for April. Bravo, poet lady, bravo. She even went the extra mile in dedicating poems to bloggers, and Sunday was my turn. Thanks for including me Elaine, and for giving National Poetry Month your absolute best.
Greg at Gotta Book took on a poem-a-day challenge, with a variety of styles and topics. I can assume (since I can’t remember) that some were of the fib variety of his own invention.
Emily Reads is all haiku, all the time with her special haiku reviews, and April was no exception.
Another haiku queen is A Wrung Sponge, who writes her poems alongside her lovely photos. She also handled the last Poetry Friday Round Up, which seemed particularly large.
April’s other Poetry Friday Round Ups were at Big A, little a, then at Tea Cozy, and then Big A, little a again, because clearly she doesn’t have enough to do. (Hah!)
Tomorrow, I’m going to read some poetry to my fifth grader’s class. I’ll read from Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich (I got this book on my county’s Summer Reading List this year — yeah!), and A Writing Kind of Day: Poems for Young Poets (to inspire the budding poets). I may also pull from Soft Hay Will Catch You: Poems By Young People (I love the idea of a collection of kids’ poetry). We couldn’t fit in a visit in April, but as the teacher reminded me, any time is a good time for poetry. Don’t forget that, and I won’t either.
Lately I’ve reserved Sundays to highlight blog posts that I’ve noticed during the week. But today, I’m just going to mention one. Because honestly, I can’t think of any others after turning my brain to mush watching hours of American Idol while folding umpteen loads of laundry. Did you know that you could actually watch so many episodes in a row that you could make yourself a little sick to your stomach? Neither did I.
Anyway, today Robin Brande really came through for me as she recounted her feeling of being overwhelmed by the mundane (like cleaning) because of time spent blogging. It’s a great conversation in the comments, and I hope other bloggers will stop by and share our little addiction. (Hi. I’m Pam. I’ve been blogging for a year now, and I may have a problem. Hi, Pam!)
But this was the second time Robin made me Think this week (twice in one week!). Lately, she’s been using Friday to ask readers how they took care of themselves during the week. Her way of being nice to herself reminded me of a post I did a long time ago, so I thought I would repost it. Enjoy, Robin and others:
Sometimes you just know that it isn’t working out. Sure, there was an initial attraction, but then... nothing. You’re just bored. Little irritations become big issues. “Who uses the word paradigm anyway?” You fight to stay invested. It may get better. It may be worth all the struggles in the end. But maybe you’re just not in that place now, for something light or something serious or something different. You know you need to make room in your life for something new, but it feels so wrong.
It’s okay to say, “It’s not you, it’s me,” when you’re dumping a book.
You can dump a decent book if it just doesn’t fit you, doesn’t engage you, doesn’t interest you, doesn’t make you want to keep reading. There are too many fish in the sea — or books on the shelves, as it were — to waste time on the wrong one. Even if it’s just the wrong book for you, for now.
I was not always this harsh, this cold. I would read the worst book to the very end, but I would be resentful. I wasn’t enjoying myself, or worse, wasn’t reading at all, stifled with guilt over the book I was avoiding. I had to change. I still find it difficult to let go, but it is getting easier.
Not too long ago I helped a friend get out of a bad book relationship. With a young child, she has limited time to read and was strugging with a book of short stories. We talked about it, and I told her it was time to move on. She took my advice and later confessed what a pleasure it was to finally remove the bookmark from the pages. The relief is like seeing your favorite contestant in the bottom two of American Idol and then she’s sent back to the bench and she’s safe for another week. Or something like that.
Anyway, today Robin Brande really came through for me as she recounted her feeling of being overwhelmed by the mundane (like cleaning) because of time spent blogging. It’s a great conversation in the comments, and I hope other bloggers will stop by and share our little addiction. (Hi. I’m Pam. I’ve been blogging for a year now, and I may have a problem. Hi, Pam!)
But this was the second time Robin made me Think this week (twice in one week!). Lately, she’s been using Friday to ask readers how they took care of themselves during the week. Her way of being nice to herself reminded me of a post I did a long time ago, so I thought I would repost it. Enjoy, Robin and others:
Sometimes you just know that it isn’t working out. Sure, there was an initial attraction, but then... nothing. You’re just bored. Little irritations become big issues. “Who uses the word paradigm anyway?” You fight to stay invested. It may get better. It may be worth all the struggles in the end. But maybe you’re just not in that place now, for something light or something serious or something different. You know you need to make room in your life for something new, but it feels so wrong.
It’s okay to say, “It’s not you, it’s me,” when you’re dumping a book.
You can dump a decent book if it just doesn’t fit you, doesn’t engage you, doesn’t interest you, doesn’t make you want to keep reading. There are too many fish in the sea — or books on the shelves, as it were — to waste time on the wrong one. Even if it’s just the wrong book for you, for now.
I was not always this harsh, this cold. I would read the worst book to the very end, but I would be resentful. I wasn’t enjoying myself, or worse, wasn’t reading at all, stifled with guilt over the book I was avoiding. I had to change. I still find it difficult to let go, but it is getting easier.
Not too long ago I helped a friend get out of a bad book relationship. With a young child, she has limited time to read and was strugging with a book of short stories. We talked about it, and I told her it was time to move on. She took my advice and later confessed what a pleasure it was to finally remove the bookmark from the pages. The relief is like seeing your favorite contestant in the bottom two of American Idol and then she’s sent back to the bench and she’s safe for another week. Or something like that.
Last week, as I was writing my Shout-Out Sunday post, I kept having the nagging feeling that I was forgetting something. It bugged me all the rest of the day and didn’t come to mind until the next day, when I finally remembered...
READERGIRLZ!
This website has been mentioned a lot, but it’s my turn to give the idea some play. Here’s some information from their press release:
I read this Meg Cabot post while working at the information desk at the library and had to cover my mouth to hide my laughter as the story kept getting funnier and funnier. It’s definitely for cat lovers, but this is choice stuff with my personal stamp of approval. Thanks to Robin Brande for pointing it out.
Always happy to jump on the Mo wagon (that didn’t sound dirty, did it?), I’d love to promote a project that I saw on his blog. A fan wrote in to mention that there’s a Camel Bookmobile that travels around the bush in Kenya. They invite book donations from authors and others, with picture books being particularly needed. Mo’s in and wants to know who’s going to join him. Well... duh, me. For now I can promote it, but I’ll probably put my Girl Scouts to work collecting books. They’re already collecting books for a middle school in DC, so why not? I don’t get stacks of picture books for review, but I know some of you do. If you want a cool place for them to go, consider the Camel Bookmobile.
READERGIRLZ!
This website has been mentioned a lot, but it’s my turn to give the idea some play. Here’s some information from their press release:
Starting on March 1, readergirlz founders Dia Calhoun, Janet Lee Carey, Lorie Ann Grover, and Justina Chen Headley will unveil a monthly book selection, featuring young adult novels with gutsy female characters. More than just a book club, readergirlz aims to encourage teen girls to read and reach out with community service projects related to each featured novel. As well, readergirlz will host MySpace discussions with each book’s author, include author interviews, and provide book party ideas, including playlists, menus, and decorations.This past week I learned about the extensive list of coming-of-age books put together by Chasing Ray. If you love your teen angst — and I know that I do — this is a great collection of the best. She’s also identified some key components making it that much easier to find a multicultural, gay character dealing with the death of a loved one. Or something like that.
Each book selection will dovetail to a topic, identified by the readergirlz divas and prominent children’s lit bloggers as topics teen girls should know about in this millennium. The first topic is Tolerance, a theme explored in the kick-off book selection for readergirlz, Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies). In conjunction with the first novel, teen girls will be encouraged to visit www.tolerance.org to learn how to safely stop bullying and to apply for one of the organization’s Mix It Up grants to break social and racial barriers within their schools.
I read this Meg Cabot post while working at the information desk at the library and had to cover my mouth to hide my laughter as the story kept getting funnier and funnier. It’s definitely for cat lovers, but this is choice stuff with my personal stamp of approval. Thanks to Robin Brande for pointing it out.
Always happy to jump on the Mo wagon (that didn’t sound dirty, did it?), I’d love to promote a project that I saw on his blog. A fan wrote in to mention that there’s a Camel Bookmobile that travels around the bush in Kenya. They invite book donations from authors and others, with picture books being particularly needed. Mo’s in and wants to know who’s going to join him. Well... duh, me. For now I can promote it, but I’ll probably put my Girl Scouts to work collecting books. They’re already collecting books for a middle school in DC, so why not? I don’t get stacks of picture books for review, but I know some of you do. If you want a cool place for them to go, consider the Camel Bookmobile.
Ages ago I mentioned the cliché rotation project at Defective Yeti, whereby old clichés are moved out in favor of new ones. As it turns out, my own cliché entry was listed on the website. (Old cliché: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” New cliche: “If you won’t shake your booty, get off the dance floor.”) The contest was such a hit, that D.Y. is keeping it going for a while. Check out what’s he’s got so far, and start thinking of your own. With all these clever writers in kids’ lit, we should be able to make a good showing. (Another favorite of mine updates “playing second fiddle” to “Jeeves in a Google World.”)
I was pleased as punch (that would be a good cliché to update) to see that Kelly Fineman interviewed Adam Rex, author and illustrator of the fantastic poetry book Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich. Kelly even asks real, in-depth questions that show she might know a thing or two about the author. Now, I don’t always read author interviews, but Adam Rex seems like the kind of person I’d like to hang out with at the neighborhood Chili’s. Though he probably know some hip Brooklyn bar where they hang baby dolls from the ceiling by their feet, so we could go there instead.
Earlier this week I saw this post of when Mo Willems met Dick Bruna. While Mo is my guy now, when I was a little girl my favorite book was Bruna’s The King. I still have my book where I added tears to the king’s face and colored in his bald head after he took off his crown. What caught my attention most in Mo’s description of the visit and the trip to Holland was this sentence: “I showed him some of my work while we discussed minimalism, modernism, Calder (who he used to see in Paris), Shultz (who he spent an afternoon with once), Matisse, color, process, and studio work habits over a lekker cup of tea.” Doesn’t that sound like such an intelligent discussion? I’m having trouble thinking of who my career idol might be, but even if I should find him/her, I doubt our conversation would reach that higher level. My idol as a blogger would probably have to be Dooce, and I bet our talk would run more toward potty training and public tantrums. I don’t have a librarian idol, and even if I did, I’d be more likely to share creepy patron and porn viewer stories. I’ve got to work on this.
I was pleased as punch (that would be a good cliché to update) to see that Kelly Fineman interviewed Adam Rex, author and illustrator of the fantastic poetry book Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich. Kelly even asks real, in-depth questions that show she might know a thing or two about the author. Now, I don’t always read author interviews, but Adam Rex seems like the kind of person I’d like to hang out with at the neighborhood Chili’s. Though he probably know some hip Brooklyn bar where they hang baby dolls from the ceiling by their feet, so we could go there instead.
Earlier this week I saw this post of when Mo Willems met Dick Bruna. While Mo is my guy now, when I was a little girl my favorite book was Bruna’s The King. I still have my book where I added tears to the king’s face and colored in his bald head after he took off his crown. What caught my attention most in Mo’s description of the visit and the trip to Holland was this sentence: “I showed him some of my work while we discussed minimalism, modernism, Calder (who he used to see in Paris), Shultz (who he spent an afternoon with once), Matisse, color, process, and studio work habits over a lekker cup of tea.” Doesn’t that sound like such an intelligent discussion? I’m having trouble thinking of who my career idol might be, but even if I should find him/her, I doubt our conversation would reach that higher level. My idol as a blogger would probably have to be Dooce, and I bet our talk would run more toward potty training and public tantrums. I don’t have a librarian idol, and even if I did, I’d be more likely to share creepy patron and porn viewer stories. I’ve got to work on this.
To ease my highly disorganized mind, I’m always sure that I’ll establish a set pattern for posting that will actually make my life easier. You know, like Middle Grade Monday, Teen Tuesday, Wee Ones Wednesday (okay, I just made that one up this very second), and so on. It seems like it would be so much easier to be organized that way. With that system in place, I’d have a Shout-Out Sunday.
But I’m a free spirit and ultimately disorganized. I post about what I want, when I want. I forget stuff. I let books slip through the cracks. I don’t always follow through on things. I commented on a few posts that linked to this month’s Carnival, thanking them for the links. But I never got around to them all. So thanks to all who linked to the 11th Carnival of Children’s Literature, as well as to those who participated.
I made some changes to my blogroll, but I didn’t elaborate on a few changes that could have used a little elaboration. So let me say now that I’ve enjoyed Miss Erin’s blog for a while, but her interview with Yellow Star author Jennifer Roy really impressed me. Boom! On the blogroll. Robin Brande is the one author that I have neither met nor seen here as a frequent commenter, but she is on my blogroll now, based almost entirely on this comment to the Seven Impossible Things self-interview:
I’d also like to draw attention to a blog that’s been on my blogroll for quite a while. If you haven’t visited A Wrung Sponge recently, I’d have you take a look. What makes her blog stand out is that she writes mostly about books with African and African-American themes and books featuring children of color. As a white mother having adopted two black boys, she is conscious of finding books that reflect their experience, educate them as to their history, and celebrate them in their culture. She’s separated out her adoption/family-type posts to another blog and has focused A Wrung Sponge on books and original poetry and photos. While I liked hearing about her family, I think focusing her blog makes her a stronger voice of diversity in the kidlitosphere.
To change the subject entirely, I’ll give a little personal update. My kitty cat who was so sick is doing fine. Very pleased about that. My kids had snow days from school that ended up rivaling their Christmas break for days spent home. Today we’re looking at a surprise snow that has a fair chance of closing school tomorrow. I’ve got to come up with something for these kids to do, because I’ve run out of ideas and stamina. Don’t be surprised if I let them run the blog tomorrow.
But I’m a free spirit and ultimately disorganized. I post about what I want, when I want. I forget stuff. I let books slip through the cracks. I don’t always follow through on things. I commented on a few posts that linked to this month’s Carnival, thanking them for the links. But I never got around to them all. So thanks to all who linked to the 11th Carnival of Children’s Literature, as well as to those who participated.
I made some changes to my blogroll, but I didn’t elaborate on a few changes that could have used a little elaboration. So let me say now that I’ve enjoyed Miss Erin’s blog for a while, but her interview with Yellow Star author Jennifer Roy really impressed me. Boom! On the blogroll. Robin Brande is the one author that I have neither met nor seen here as a frequent commenter, but she is on my blogroll now, based almost entirely on this comment to the Seven Impossible Things self-interview:
Thanks for interviewing yourselves! You’re right, it is nice to learn a little about the people behind the blogs. For example, I was convinced Eisha was a short, black woman. Don’t even ask me why. I had this whole wardrobe and hairstyle picked out for you and everything. Now I’ll have to recut all the paper dolls.At the “recut all the paper dolls” line, I knew that Robin must be a best friend I just didn’t know yet. Kiddosphere has been running a nice blog actually affiliated with her public library in a system very close to my own. She fuels my dream that one day, not only will my library system acknowledge my existence, but will tap into my knowledge and let me blog for them.
I’d also like to draw attention to a blog that’s been on my blogroll for quite a while. If you haven’t visited A Wrung Sponge recently, I’d have you take a look. What makes her blog stand out is that she writes mostly about books with African and African-American themes and books featuring children of color. As a white mother having adopted two black boys, she is conscious of finding books that reflect their experience, educate them as to their history, and celebrate them in their culture. She’s separated out her adoption/family-type posts to another blog and has focused A Wrung Sponge on books and original poetry and photos. While I liked hearing about her family, I think focusing her blog makes her a stronger voice of diversity in the kidlitosphere.
To change the subject entirely, I’ll give a little personal update. My kitty cat who was so sick is doing fine. Very pleased about that. My kids had snow days from school that ended up rivaling their Christmas break for days spent home. Today we’re looking at a surprise snow that has a fair chance of closing school tomorrow. I’ve got to come up with something for these kids to do, because I’ve run out of ideas and stamina. Don’t be surprised if I let them run the blog tomorrow.
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