Tiny Treasury

I was planning on continuing my series on place-specific books this week (I have the Mounties book in hand) but I ran across this post on a Gaming MMO and couldn’t help myself. It kind of goes to the heart of my posts from last week about censorship and banning.

Many of the commenters (including myself) criticized the parent’s failure to review the game before buying it. This is exactly the kind of logic that many librarians and school administrators use to justify book banning - that the parents aren’t doing their job.

What do you think? If this were a book instead of a video game, should the clerk have spoken up? Other parents? Would a ban prevent this kind of thing from happening?

It’s the Friday Fifteen! Today’s guest is author Lauren Barnholdt.

1. Where are you now?
I just moved to Boston, Massachusetts. So far I’m loving it!

2. What were your favorite books as a kid?
I read everything and anything. Beverly Clearly, Judy Blume, Baby-Sitter’s Club, and Sweet Valley High were my favorites

3. What are you reading now?
I just finished DRAMARAMA by E.Lockhart. I’m looking forward to checking out the library now that I’m settled into my new place!

4. Do you have kids?
Not yet!

5. What projects are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on my next tween book, which will be out sometime next year.

6. What is your biggest writing or illustrating luxury?
Hmm. I suppose being able to write in my pajamas all day! And I’m a sucker for buying office supplies — pretty pens, colorful post-its, etc.

7. Coffee or tea?
Both.

8. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).
This is embarrassing, because I have horrible taste in music. I’ll go with Christina Aguilera, Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox Twenty, Gavin Degraw, and Justin Timberlake.

9. What would I be surprised to know about you?
That I can be really shy! When people read my blog, they think I’m really outgoing, but in real life, I’m actually quiet.

10. What college did you attend (in what subject)?
I went to a state school in New York, and majored in psychology.

11. If you weren’t working with kids’ books, what would your dream job be?
That’s a tough one. I guess famous pop star? Which is ridiculous, because I cannot sing a note.

12. What’s the best thing on TV right now?
Grey’s Anatomy — I love, love, love this show.

13. How did you get your “big break” into the field?
I’d been writing for years, had been through two books and was on my third agent (eek!) I started writing my first YA book, REALITY CHICK, and my agent started sending it out. Two weeks later, we had an offer.

14. Which celeb would you want most to meet?
Nick Lachey.

15. Who is the best book character EVER?
Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye.

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Thanks Lauren!

For more info, you can check out Lauren’s website. Stay up to date with Lauren’s projects on her blog. And don’t forget to catch her new book:

The first 50 educators to email kids.marketing@simonandschuster.com will receive a FREE Summer Reading Prize Pack, complete with galleys and promo! Please remember to include your name and mailing address in the body of the e-mail and “SUMMER!” in the subject line.

Note that S&S cannot ship to P.O. or APO Boxes.

A couple of years ago, someone gave us No David by David Shannon. Katie loved it. She wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it as it earned a nod as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1999.

It’s really interesting to see the feedback on the book. On some of the European sites, it garners near perfect reviews. In the US, the feedback is more mixed: people either loved it or hated it. Those that hated it tend to focus on the perception that the book is “too negative.” As you can probably surmise from the title, the book largely revolves around David not behaving as he should. My humble opinion? Those parents are reading waaay too much into it. Katie loves it because she, too, has a wild streak. She breaks things. She doesn’t always sit still when she should. She gets herself into trouble a lot because, well, that’s what four year olds do. And I think she can relate to David. She giggles at his behavior and tells me solemnly what he should be doing. And in the end, she knows, like David, that misbehaving doesn’t mean that you’re not loved. So when David’s mom tells him, “Yes, David, I love you” - no matter how badly he’s acting - Katie understands that, similarly, while I may not always love her behavior, I love her. I don’t see the negativity in that at all.

I know that there are a lot of parents who have difficulty telling their children “no” because it’s somehow perceived as bad parenting. I happen to think that those parents are wrong. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with setting boundaries and creating ground rules (and if you knew how wildly liberal my own parents think I am in this respect, you’d be amazed) for children. And that’s the reason why this book is a hit with me, too. As a parent, it gives me a great springboard for discussion with my girls about David’s behavior - such as why he shouldn’t play with the bat and the ball inside the house - that they can relate to and talk about.

So say “yes” to No, David. I think you’ll be glad that you did.

David Shannon, Caldecott

It’s Tell Me True Tuesday!

A reader wants to know, “How many books did Carolyn Keene write? And is it true that she also wrote the Hardy Boys books under a different name?”

I’ll answer the second question first. No, Carolyn Keene did not author the Hardy Boys books. I’ll post about those in the future.

The reason that I can say that emphatically is because (and hold onto your hats, you Nancy Drew idealists) Carolyn Keene isn’t a real person. And she’s not just a pseudonym for one person. She is a pseudonym for many people. (more…)

It’s Take Your Daughter to Work Day.

My second guest blogger is daughter, Amy, age 2. This is what she had to say (I’m warning you in advance, she’s a talker!):

Because I do like books.

I like the Rainbowfish Book. Because I do. I like it when they say “Ahh, Octopus.” The small one can’t have a glitter fin. But everybody is happy.

I like to read books. Really. Books are my favorite. Because I do.

Kathleen likes Winnie books. Winnie the Pooh books, she likes, because those are her favorite. She has one, two, three, four, five on her bookshelf. She likes pencil books, too. She’s got nice books, too. Bowling books, too.

Take Your Daughter to Work Day

It’s Take Your Daughter to Work Day! So, my kids are taking over the blog.

My first guest blogger today is Katie, age 4.

I like the Cars book. I like the pictures on the front. I get in pajamas and read. Sometimes, at night time, we read.

I like library books. They are my favorite because I get to see the library. Some day, I want to go to the library with the tree in it, that’s my favorite, with the seats pushed into the tree. It was super cool. I know it is. I want to go back.

That’s it.

Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund

April 16, 2007, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the Virginia Tech community and the world beyond.

To remember and honor the victims of those tragic events, the university has established the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund to aid in the healing process and generate financial support.

The fund will be used to cover expenses including but not limited to:

• Grief counseling
• Memorials
• Communication expenses
• Comfort expenses
• Incidental needs

If you plan to give, please click the link below:

Penguin Group’s Young Readers has announced the upcoming release of the latest in the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, Little Miss Splendid and the Princess. The popular series was penned and illustrated by Roger Hargreaves until his death in 1988. His son, Adam, continued the series for a bit until selling the rights to Chorion Publishing.

And speaking of princesses, don’t forget to enter our Princess for a Day contest!

princess, Roger Hargreaves, Mr. Men and Little Miss

HarperCollins Publishers has announced that several new books will be released today.

They are:

Angie Sage’s Septimus Heap, Book Three: Physik (illustrated by Mark Zug) - Check out Angie’s awesome website for the Septimus Heap books.

Suzanne Williams’ Ten Naughty Little Monkeys (illustrated by Suzanne Watts). You can find out about Suzanne here.

Ginger Foglesong Guy’s My Grandma/Mi Abuelita (illustrated by Vivi Escriva)

Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars #2: Flawless. Check out Sara’s web site here.

Jane O’Connor’s Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy (illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser). Jane O’Connor will be on tour promoting her book. Click here for tour details.

Or a Pansy.
Or an Azalea.

You get the picture.

Continuing the garden theme this month (hooray for spring!), I thought it would be fun to think of characters in children’s books with flower or nature inspired names. It was actually harder than I originally thought. Here’s my list, let me know what you can come up with…

Rose from Rose In Bloom
Aurora Rose from Sleeping Beauty
Tiger Lily from Peter Pan
Ivy from Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways
Princess Marigold from Once Upon a Marigold
Flower from Bambi

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature has been awarded to Banco del Libro, a non-profit Book Bank that has been distributing books to Venezuelan children since 1960. This marks the first time that the award was given to an institution.

The award, named after Astrid Lindgren who authored Pippi Longstocking, includes a cash prize of $710,000. The award was established by the Swedish government in 2002 following Lindgren’s death and is the largest children’s book award in the world. The official presentation of the world will be made on May 30 at the Skansen Museum in Stockholm by Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria.

Banco del Libro is headquartered in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and works to promote reading in Venezuela. It has started school library networks, founded a publishing company and runs Latin America’s largest documentation centre for children.

Last year’s winner was American writer Katherine Paterson, who wrote one of my favorite books, The Great Gilly Hopkins as well as the recently popular Bridge to Terabithia.

Katherine Paterson, Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Banco del Libro, Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature

Don’t forget to vote for the best children’s books ever!

I’m fortunate enough to have some decent weather this weekend. Philly had temps in the 50s on yesterday and expects high 40s today (hallelujah!). For those of you stuck in rain, snow or freezing cold, and maybe some cabin fever breaking out among the kids, check out this web site: Kids Space.

There are a number of cool sections to the site where children are encouraged to be creative - a games site, it’s not. At the Gallery, kids can show artwork in six categories including Abstract, Animals, Fantasy, Scenery, Science and Technology, and People. At the Story Book, kids can read stories as well as submit their own (how cool is that?). At Beanstalk, kids can created a picture book with other kids online. And there is also an On Air Concert section where kids can play and share music.

I love the interactive features and that it encourages children to read and create. Yeah, I know it’s not technically a children’s book but it promotes reading and writing. What could be better than that?