Whew!

Really surprised - and disappointed! - not to see Wonder recognized, but a really great group of winners overall. I'll be back sometime later to clean up the formatting, add links, etc. Happy Awards Day!

2013 John Newbery Medal

Winner
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Honors
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
Bomb: the Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon written by Steve Sheinkin
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

2013 Randolph Caldecott Medal

Winner
This is Not My Hat illustrated and written by Jon Klassen

Honors
Creepy Carrots illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds
Extra Yarn illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Bennett
Green illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
One Cool Friend illustrated by David Small, written by Toni Buzzeo
Sleep Like a Tiger illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Mary Logue

2013 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

Winner

Up, Tall and High written and illustrated by Ethan Long

Honors
Let's Go for a Drive written and illustrated by Mo Willems
Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons written by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean
Rabbit and Robot: the Sleepover written and illustrated by Cece Bell

2013 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award

Katherine Paterson

2013 Andrew Carnegie Medal

Anna, Emma and the Condors produced by Katja Torneman

2013 Robert F. Sibert Medal

Winner:
Bomb: the Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon written by Steve Sheinkin

Honors

Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by Robert Byrd
Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip Hoose
Titanic: Voices From the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson

Mildred L. Batchelder Award

Winner
My Family for the War written by Anne C. Voorhoeve, translated by Tammi Reichel, published by Dial Books

Honors

A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return written and illustrated by Zeina Abirached, translated by Edward Gauvin, published by Graphic Universe, a division of Lerner Publishing Group
Son of a Gun written and translated by Anne de Graaf, published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture

Andrea Davis Pinkney will deliver the 2014 Arbuthnot lecture

2013 Pura Belpre Award for Text

Winner
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Honor
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano

2013 Pura Belpre Award for Illustration

Winner
Martin de Porres: the Rose in the Desert illustrated by David Diaz, written by Gary D. Schmidt

no honor books

2013 Michael L. Printz Award

Winner
In Darkness by Nick Lake

Honors

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Dodger by Terry Pratchett
The White Bicycle by Beverly Brenna

2013 Odyssey Award for Audiobook Excellence

Winner
The Fault in Our Stars written by John Green, narrated by Kate Rudd and produced by Brilliance Audio

Honors
Artemis Fowl: the Last Guardian written by Eoin Colfer, narrated by Nathaniel Parker and produced by Listening Library
Ghost Knight written by Cornelia Funke, narrated by Elliot Hill and produced by Listening Library
Monstrous Beauty written by Elizabeth Fama, narrated by Katherine Kellgren and produced by Macmillan Audio

2013 YALSA Excellence in Non-Fiction for Young Adults

Winner
Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Finalists

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal
Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip Hoose
Titanic: Voices From the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson
We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Levinson

2013 William C. Morris Award

Winner
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Finalists

Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby
Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo
After the Snow by S. D. Crockett
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth

2013 Margaret A. Edwards Award

Tamora Pierce

2013 Coretta Scott King Author Award

Winner

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Honors

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
No Crystal Stair: A documentary novel of the life and work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem bookseller by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

2013 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

Winner
I, Too, Am America illustrated by Bryan Collier and written by Langston Hughes - hooray!


Honors
H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination illustrated and written by Christopher Myers
Ellen's Broom illustrated by Daniel Minter, written by Kelly Starling Lyons
I Have a Dream illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Martin Luther King, Jr.

2013 Coretta Scott King Virginia Hamilton Practicioner Award

Demetria Tucker is the recipient of the Virgina Hamilton Practicioner Award for Lifetime Achievement

2013 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Books

Winner
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Honor Books
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Leslea Newman
Sparks: The Epic, Completely True Blue (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie by S.J. Adams

Learn more about the Stonewall Book Awards.

2013 Schneider Family Book Awards

Children's
Back to Front and Upside Down written and illustrated by Claire Alexander

Middle Grades
A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean

Teen
Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer and Peter Lerangis

Learn more about the Schneider Family Book Awards.

2013 Alex Awards

Caring is Creepy by David Zimmerman
Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman
Juvenile in Justice by Richard Ross
Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
My Friend, Dahmer by Derf Backderf
One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season by Chris Ballard
Pure by Julianna Baggott
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

Learn more about the Alex Awards.

A few more minutes...

As usual, formatting and such may be a bit of a mess as I rush to get the information posted as quickly as I can. I will go back and clean up typos after the announcements have ended and Max is napping. Thanks for checking in on this page for the lists! :)

Only 3 More Hours!

Soon, the 2013 ALA Youth Media Awards will be announced. Squee! It's always an exciting day for those of us who love books for young people.

Instead of typing out all the award descriptions again, I will refer you to last year's post describing the awards.

Since 2004, I have done my very best to blog the winners of the ALA Youth Media Awards as soon as they're announced. This year, I have a tornado of a toddler running about, but I will still do my best. I do promise that all the awards will be posted on this blog before nightfall at the very latest (honestly, though, I think I canget it done pretty quickly).

I rarely hasten a guess at who might win (since I am terrible at that game), but I feel so sure that the amazing Wonder by R.J. Palacio will win the Newbery and that The Fault in Our Stars is pretty much a lock for the Printz Award. No clue as to the Caldecott. (And I hope I haven't jinxed the other two by speaking their names aloud!)

So, less than 3 hours now until the awards begin. Stay tuned.

RIP: Gerald McDermott

I'm absolutely devastated to learn that award-winning author and illustrator Gerald McDermott died on December 26 at the age of 71. He had been creating art from a very early age and was admitted to class at one of the nation's finest museums, the Detroit Institute of Arts, when he was just four years old. He has always been a favorite of mine. I have been looking forward to sharing that love with my sweet boy. Thanks to all the beautiful books he left behind, I will still be able to, but so sad no new books will be created. You can learn more about him at his official website.

Good Morning, Darling Boy

"If there's any advice I have to give, I would say it's that. If you're looking for a way to get closer to your kids, there ain't no better way than to grab 'em and read. And if you put them in front of a computer or a TV, you are abandoning them. You are abandoning them because they are sitting on a couch or a floor and they may be hugging a dog, but they ain't hugging you. "  - Maurice Sendak

Dearest Max:

You woke up around 2:40 this morning, screaming. This is not usual, and I went in to you, only to find you standing in the crib, tears streaming down your face like your heart was broken. I picked you up and you stopped and nuzzled your head into my shoulder. Your diaper wasn't unusually full and nothing seemed to be visibly wrong, so I chalked it up to a nightmare and cuddled you. We sat in the rocker and rocked for a bit, then I nursed you before putting you back to bed.

When "real" wake-up time came, I entered your room as I do every morning, singing, "Good morning, Darling Boy, you are my only joy!" from Pierre: a coutionary tale in five chapters and a prologue and you smiled at me. Whatever had frightened you during the night was forgotten and you were happy once again.

When we came downstairs for breakfast, I turned on NPR and learned that Maurice Sendak died this morning around 2:45a.m. I realize that it sounds a little crazy, but I can't help but think that a little part of you felt that loss and woke up to mourn. His books have already been such a big part of your short life. Your name is at least partly inspired by Where the Wild Things Are. You came home from the hospital wearing a Max onesie and gave your Daddy a WTWTA t-shirt for his very first Father's Day. The first dvd you showed any interest in is a collection of Sendak stories. We sing the Nutshell Library books often, set to the wonderful music Carole King wrote for them. And, of course, we read something by Mr. Sendak almost every day. I really feel like we have lost a part of the family, that a dear uncle has left us.

But he hasn't, really. We will continue to share his stories and his illustrations and one day you will read them to your own children. And in this way, he will live on forever.

I love you, my Little Wild Thing. Let us wish Maurice Sendak much peace and love and thanks for all he has shared with us.

love,

Mama

Better late than never

Sheesh! Only took me pretty much all day, but I should have all the winners up now. I will come back later and add links and pictures.

I was nursing the Baby when the tweets about winners started coming over my phone. Eeee! It will always be the most excitng day of the year for those of us who love literature for young people. By the time the news that Chris Raschka had won his (well-deserved) THIRD Caldecott, I was spooning yogurt into Little Man's waiting mouth. I gave a Squee! of delight and ran to get Farmy Farm, also by Raschka, which is one of Maxs favorites just so we could share a book by the winner.

I am surprised there was no Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner (unless I somehow missed it?).

Okay. Time to gather my patient Little Man and spirit him away for books, bath and bed. I'll enhance the posts as I have time (hopefully all tonight).

John Newbery Medal

Winner:
Dead End in Norvelt written by Jack Gantos

Honors:
Inside Out & Back Again written by Thanhha Lai
Breaking Stalin’s Nose written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

Randolph Caldecott Medal

Winner: A Ball for Daisy illustrated and written by Chris Raschka - HOORAY! =:-D



Honors:
Blackout illustrated and written by John Rocco
Grandpa Green illustrated and written by Lane Smith
Me … Jane illustrated and written by Patrick McDonnell

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

Winner:
Tales for Very Picky Eaters written and illustrated by Josh Schneider

Honors:
I Broke My Trunk written and illustrated by Mo Willems
I Want My Hat Back written and illustrated by Jon Klassen
See Me Run written and illustrated by Paul Meisel

Andrew Carnegie Medal

Winner:
Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly Ellard of Weston Woods Studios, Inc., producers of Children Make Terrible Pets. The video is based on the book written by Peter Brown, and is narrated by Emily Eiden, with music by Jack Sundrud and Rusty Young, and animation by Soup2Nuts.

Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production

Winner:
 Listening Library,an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, Random House, Inc. for Rotters written by Daniel Kraus and narrated by Kirby Heyborne


Honors:

• Brilliance Audio for Ghetto Cowboy written by G. Neri and narrated by JD Jackson
• Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, Random House, Inc. for Okay for Now written by Gary D. Schmidt and narrated by Lincoln Hoppe
• Scholastic Inc., Scholastic Audiobooks for The Scorpio Races written by Maggie Stiefvater and narrated by Steve Westand Fiona Hardingham
• Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, Random House, Inc. for Young Fredle written by Cynthia Voigt and narrated by Wendy Carter

Robert F. Sibert Medal

Winner:
Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade written by Melissa Sweet

Honors:
Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene ‘Bull’ Connor written by Larry Dane Brimner
Drawing from Memory written and illustrated by Allen Say
The Elephant Scientist written by Caitlin O’Connell and Donna M. Jackson, photographs byCaitlin O’Connell and Timothy Rodwell
Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem written and illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer

Mildred L. Batchelder Award

Winner:
Soldier Bear written by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Philip Hopman, translated by Laura Watkinson


Honors:
The Lily Pond written by Annika Thor, and translated by Linda Schenck.

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture

The lecture will be delivered by...

Michael Morpurgo

Pure Belpre Award for Text

Winner:
Under the Mesquite written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Honors:
Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck written by Margarita Engle
Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller written by Xavier Garza

Pura Belpre Award for Illustration

Winner:
Diego Rivera: His World and Ours illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh

Honors:
The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred illustrated by Rafael López and written by Samantha R. Vamos
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match /Marisol McDonald no combina illustrated by Sara Palacios and written by Monica Brown

Michael L. Printz Award

Winner:
Where Things Come Back written by John Corey Whaley

Honors:
Why We Broke Up written by Daniel Handler and art by Maira Kalman
The Returning written by Christine Hinwood
Jasper Jones written by Craig Silvey
The Scorpio Races written by Maggie Stiefvater

YALSA Excellence in Non-Fiction for Young Adults

Winner:
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery written by Steve Sheinkin

Honors:
Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science written by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos
Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition written by Karen Blumenthal
Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) written by Sue Macy
Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein written by Susan Goldman Rubin

William C. Morris Award

Winner:
Where Things Come Back written by John Corey Whaley

Honors:
Girl of Fire and Thorns written by Rae Carson
Paper Covers Rock written by Jenny Hubbard
Under the Mesquite written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Between Shades of Gray written by Ruta Sepetys

Margaret A. Edwards Award

The winner of the Edwards award is...

Susan Cooper

Coretta Scott King Author Award

Winner:
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Honors:
The Great Migration: Journey to the North written by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Never Forgotten written by Patricia C. McKissack and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards

Winner:
Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom illustrated and written by Shane W. Evans

Honor:
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans illustrated and written by Kadir Nelson

Coretta Scott King Virginia Hamilton Practicioner Award for Lifetime Achievement

The winner is...

Ashley Bryant (yay!)

Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award

Winner:

Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright

 

Honor Books

a + e 4ever drawn and written by Ilike Merey

Money Boy written by Paul Yee

Pink written by ...Lili Wilkinson

with or without you written by Brian Farrey

Schnieder Family Book Awards

Best Children's Book:

No award given in the category for children ages 0 – 8. No submissions were deemed worthy for the award.



Best Middle School Book:
close to famous written by Joan Bauer (yay!)
AND
Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures written by Brian Selznick

Best Teen Book:
The Running Dream written by Wendelin Van Draanen

Alex Awards

Big Girl Small by Rachel DeWoskin
In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard
The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan
The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens by Brooke Hauser
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures by Caroline Preston
The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo

2012 ALA Youth Media Awards

Tomorrow is the most exciting day in the children's lit year -- announcement of the ALA Children's Book Awards. Basically, the Academy Awards as far as kids' books go.


Awards to be announced tomorrow are:

• Alex Awards for the best adult books that appeal to teen audience
• Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video
• Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children
• Coretta Scott King Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults that demonstrate sensitivity to "the true worth and value of all beings"
• Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement  recognizes an African American author, illustrator, or author/illustrator for a body of his or her published books for children and/or young adults who has made a significant and lasting literary contribution
• Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults
• May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site
• Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults
• Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States
• Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature
• Odyssey Award for audiobook excellence
• Pura Belpre Award for a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work "best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth"
• Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children
• Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience
• Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature given to books honored for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered experience.
• Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the outstanding book for beginning reader
• William C. Morris Award honors a book written for young adults by a first-time, previously unpublished author.
• YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.
  
  

I think that's all of 'em. I'm going to try to get in on the webcast and post the winners as announced. I'm not sure if I will be able to do it in real-time this year since I foolishly scheduled my Doctor's appointment around Baby's nap schedule and not around the Awards' press conference. What was I thinking?!? ;)

I will post everything as soon as I possibly can and then will go back and clean up my undoubtedly sloppy posts and add links and pictures.

UPDATE: So, I thought this through over and over tonight. If I put Baby in his Exersaucer, I can blog the awards before his nap and before my appointment. BUT... really? As much as I love live-blogging them, am I really gonna be super-stressed and ignore the child to do it? Sigh. Nope. So, for the first time since I started blogging, I won't have the awards up untila couple of hours after they are announced. (It's very likely no one cares about this excpet me, but I have always been proud of posting results immediately.)

R.I.P. - Russell Hoban

The sad news has come that Russell Hoban, beloved author of many classic children's books, died yesterday. He was 86 years old. Many of us grew up with Frances the Badger, the star of books like Bread and Jam for Frances and Bedtime for Frances.

I remember receiving The Mouse and His Child for one very early Christmas and falling in love with that story; In fact, I hope to read it to Max in a few more years.

I have always believed that the authors we love will live forever, as long as we remember and share their stories. If that is true, Russell Hoban will certainly live forever, as I have no doubt that generations to come will love the Mouse who seeks to become self-winding and will rejoice with Frances eating her favorite meal until she realizes, "What I am, is sick of jam."

The New York Times and The Guardian both have nice obituaries.

Wordless Wednesday

(I swear, I really will get some real posts up soon; I have a stack of Christmas books to review, so look for those in the next few days. In the meantime, enjoy this gratuitous cute Baby picture...)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

(I've been meaning to remember to do Wordless Wednesday posts for a while now.)

What Am I? books

Tonight I have three of the "My Look and See" books by Anne Margaret Lewis in front of me: What Am I?: Halloween, What Am I?: Christmas and What Am I?: Illinois.

Each book follows the same format. A two page spread with a flap covering the majority of the right page presents a "riddle." For example, from What Am I?: Halloween - "I am covered in fur. / I have big ears and very good hearing. / I love to dangle upside down." This is the text that appears on the left page, along with part of the illustration, a spooky house and what may be ... a wing? A black flap on the opposite page asks, "What am I? What could I be?" When the flap is lifted, the rest of the illustration reveals, "I am a funny bat. That's me!" The final two-page spread shows all the Halloween symbols together - an owl, trick-or-treaters, the aforementioned bat, etc.

What Am I?: Christmas includes primarily secular images, including Santa Claus. Interestingly, it also includes a "Christmas Angel," which might lead to a question from a wee one at storytime, so if you're using it in a public program or maybe the classroom and you're squeamish about that kind of thing, be aware.

What Am I?: Illinois includes such favorites as Sue (the Field Museum T. Rex), the state insect, tree, amphibian and more. (Wondering what the state amphibian is? You're gonna have to go get the book!)

All three books are boldly illustrated by Tom Mills. The pictures are straightforward with just enough of the "answer" peeking out from under the flap that a preschooler has a good chance of guessing the correct answer to each "What Am I? What Could I Be?"

Overall, I really liked these books. I can see them as a great addition to a preschool storytime at the library or in a classroom. They would also be fun to share at home with your favorite little person. After reading one of these books together, you could even team up to create your own "My Look and See" book, maybe about your family or neighborhood!

disclaimer: The books reviewed in this post were sent to me by Albert Whitman & Company to review for this blog. I read all the books and all opinions expressed here are my own.

A Trio of Board Books

Despite my lack of blogging, I have been reading. Not a lot, but some. I had a long list of books I had read that I meant to review, but I have given up hope of catching up. It's been so long (and my brain is currently a bit addled by Baby) that I'd really have to re-read a bunch. So, a fresh start.

Lucky for me (and you!), Albert Whitman has again sent e a box of books for review. I have divided them into loose groupings and hope to post reviews regularly until I have finished with this box.

Tonight, I'll look at the three board books we got. I read all three of them to my 4-month-old, multiple times. He seemed to like them but, then again, he seems to like every book I show him. He's 4 months old. Every book is a revelation.

First up is The Baby Goes Beep, written by Rebecca O'Connell and charmingly illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max. Can I just go on record saying that I always like Ken Wilson-Max's work? His bright colors and bold lines are absolutely perfect for the pre-reading audience this book is meant for. The text is simple ("The baby goes beep  the baby goes beep beep beep beep"), with each action occurring over a two-page spread. the first page shos the baby alone - beeping a toy car horn, for example. The second page shows the baby repeating the action with an adult; in the first case, beeping his Daddy's nose. Max giggled when I "beeped" his nose as I read (and especially when we got to "The baby goes smooch"). This book invites interaction between a caregiver and child. It could also be a great read-aloud for an infant lapsit program or toddler storytime.

Also by Rebecca O'Connell (this time illustrated by Amanda Guilliver), is Done with Diapers: A Potty ABC (also published as Danny is...). This larger board book is clearly for a slightly older set than The Baby Goes Beep. Each page features a picture of a child in one phase of potty training or another. The illustrations are cheerful - bright, warm colors and lots of white space. I also appreciate that the children possess a wide range of skin and hair tones. Under the illustration is a red sentence, beginning with the relevant letter: "C is for Clean." Each page's theme is expounded on briefly: "Clap for Caleb! He pooped in the potty and kept his clothes clean." Notice all the C's in that sentence: clap, Caleb, clothes, clean. Besides being a cheerful book to encourage little one embarking on potty-training, this title is also a very fuunctional alphabet book. Can't wait for Max for be really ready to share this one!

Finally for this evening, we have This Tree, 1, 2, 3 written by Alison Formento and illustrated by Sarah Snow. Of the three board books, this is the one I am most conflicted about. I like it, but something keeps me from loving it. Having read it aloud a number of times now, I think it is the framing around the "counting" portion of the book. It begins: "A tall tree stood behind Oak Lane School. It had a story to tell." Two pages later, we begin counting: "1 owl waits for the moon,' etc. It ends with, "Jake said, 'This tree counts!'" I see that this is an abridged board book edition of a (presumably) longer picture book; in my opinion, it would have worked better as a straight counting book. The animals on each page are fun to find and couont and the art has a kind of retro feel to it, rather like picture books I found in the school library as a child. I will definitely keep this book to share with my boy, but I would like the book much better if it had been abridged just a smidge more.

Thanks again, Albert Whitman, for some great books!

disclaimer: The books reviewed in this post were sent to me by Albert Whitman & Company to review for this blog. I read all the books and all opinions expressed here are my own.

I've been busy...

...with this little knucklehead:

He's pretty cool and we've decided to keep him, but he also eats up an enormous amount of time. Now that he's getting a little older, I hope to be able to steal away a few moments here and there to blog more.

(Besides, I owe Albert Whitman a host of book reviews! Eek!)

All the time "lost" has been worth it though...

My 101 Things

As some of you know, I am participating in the Day Zero project, wherein one creates a list of 101 things to do over the next 1001 days. I have a blog chronicling my attempt, though it has not been very well-maintained. I think I am going to see if I can merge the two blogs so they are both a part of this page (maybe I should add that to my list).

In the meantime, I am on Day 181 and have managed to cross off 14 items. Not as far along as I had hoped, but I'll cut myself some slack considering the massive time suck that having a new Baby has been. (Not a bad or toxic time suck, to be sure, but one nonetheless.) Feel free to take a peek at the list and leave any feedback.

Quotes o' the Day

‎"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were big things."   (Kurt Vonnegut)

"Remember: you are not managing an inconvenience, you are raising a human being." (Kittie Franz)