Take Note, Publishing World

Fuse #8 has asked for Manga titles for kids, "Manga on par with Babymouse."

The silence has been deafening.

I wish I could list title after title that I have discovered in my reading for the Cybils nominating committee for the graphic novels section. I haven't seen Hikaru No Go (main character is a sixth graders) or Yotsuba (sounds like a cutesy child Amelia Bedelia) but I will say that Kat & Mouse is quite a stretch for "KIDS (not teens)." The two main characters are seventh graders and the book features a two page spread overview of the Expensive East Coast Private School cafeteria that includes scores (Brains, Evil, Cool, Sports) for each of the cliques.

I poked around Google a bit and found MangaBlog on Manga4Kids, a site which reviews Manga for parents of children 13 and under, and gives feedback on plot, character & morality, violence, sexuality/body functions, language, and substances in each title.

But clearly, the publishing world needs to take note of this niche and get busy!

First Must-Have Picture Book of 2007

I didn't think I'd post today but, since I found the most amazing new picture book, I had to share! I think it could be our first CYBILS nominee in the picture book category for 2007! (Wonder when nominations open!?) It was a Christmas present from my older daughter to my younger daughter (who kept it a secret from me, knowing that I would want to keep it myself!) I would advise you to, "Run out and buy one today!" It is called 17 THINGS I'M NOT ALLOWED TO DO ANYMORE by Jenny Offill. I fell in love with it immediately. It is a great, fun story of a little girl who has great ideas, that don't seem so great to everyone--especially not to her mother! ("I had an idea to staple my brother's hair to his pillow.... I am not allowed to use the stapler anymore.") The story is great and the pictures add so much! The pictures of the main character bring out her lively spirit and the backdrop illustrations are quite amusing. This book is a first (children's) for this author. It reminds me a bit of Judith Viorst's writing--a strong voice that I am excited to have discovered on Christmas morning. A definite must have. If you received a bookstore gift certificate as a holiday present, I would definitely recommend using it to buy this book!

Our First 2007 Book Review: KIMCHI AND CALAMARI

Can you believe that it is time for 2007 books!? I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of KIMCHI AND CALAMARI by Rose Kent. Since she had read that I am a mom by adoption, she thought I might like it. She was right!

KIMCHI AND CALAMARI is a book about a middle school boy named Joseph, who is part of an Italian Family. Joseph was born in Korea and adopted by his parents when he was a baby. He has two younger sisters. I loved this book for two reasons. It is a great coming of age story. Joseph is a character that you care about. He is going through the normal teen stuff (girls, school, etc.). I also loved it because of the adoption piece. Joseph is struggling a bit with his identity that becomes a bit more complicated after a school assignment that asks him to write about his heritage--is he Italian or Korean? I think that this book will be a great one for my daughter as she gets older and wonders about her own heritage and tries to figure out who she is. The thing I like most about this adoption thread, is that Joseph is still living his life--his issues about his birthfamily are one part of his life, but not his whole life. His parents are believable in the way they respond. I imagine the adoption community will give big praise to this book. I don't know of another book for middle grade kids that approaches adoption and birthfamily searches in such an authentic, yet age-appropriate way. Joseph is a teenager in the book. But as I read it, I realized that the span of reader age-appropriateness is broad. If a child needed this book when he/she was in elementary school, I think it would be appropriate. Rose Kent did a great job of writing an engaging story with a good plot. She wrote about a character that I loved and wrote about adoption as one part of a child's identity.

I feel so lucky to have read this book before it is actually in bookstores. I plan to tell all my friends who have adopted children about it. And I am looking forward to anything else Rose Kent may write:-)

I lucked out on my first 2007 read. Hopefully, this is a sign about how the whole year of reading will go!

Baby/Young Child Gift Idea

So I am LOVING the new-to-me blog Pixie Stix Kid Pix. It is taking me a while to catch up on the posts but I can tell this could become one of my new favorites! There is a great list on the blog that I wanted to share--it is the 12 essential board books. I often put together a basket of board books for new babies, baby showers, holiday gifts for young children. This list is invaluable. If you buy lots of board books for kids, it is definitely worth checking out. If not, the blog is worth checking out for all of the other great stuff!

Poetry Friday for Christmas

One of my family's most beloved Christmas Eve traditions was Mom reading us the Christmas story from the Bible and Dad reading us THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. I can still hear his voice when I read it.

Here are my favorite parts:

A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Clement Clarke Moore

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The moon, on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave the luster of midday to objects below;
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As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
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And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
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“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Gifts for Book Characters

Thank you Gregory at GottaBook for another fun holiday diversion -- gifts for book characters. (This, along with elfing yourself.)

My favorite recent read is CASTLE WAITING by Linda Medley, a 450+ page YA graphic fairytale. Here are gifts (too bad I couldn't think of cool office supplies for all of them!) for some of the characters in CASTLE WAITING:

Jain -- her very own happily ever after
Rackham -- a subscription to GQ
Simon -- a collection of early readers -- UNLEVELED, of course!
Chess -- a membership at Gold's Gym...as if he needs it!

And for the Solicitine Nuns -- nothing! They have it all already: intelligence, wit, cunning, compassion, beauty...and BEARDS!

(I hope that was enough of a tease to let you know you MUST read this book!)

Cool Office Supplies

I figure most people who read this blog love books AND cool office supplies. I just found a great site for fun journals, file folders, pencils and more. It is called See Jane Work. If you love office supplies, I would check it out. Also a great place for small gifts!

(Mary Lee, I know you are still home recovering--don't spend too much time on this site or you'll go broke!)

Levelmania Continues

So, as reported on Blog from the Windowsill, some kids are not allowed to check out books from the school library that are above or below their "level". UGH! I am trying to get the actual blog link because I really don't want to believe this craziness! The stories about the leveling disaster don't stop. Choice is so important to our newest readers. I agree completely with the title of the post about this: "as if I didn't feel enough like smashing my head into a wall". My feelings exactly. I will let you know if I get the link to the blog that reported this newest leveling disaster.

Boys and Literacy

Ralph Fletcher, author of BOY WRITERS: RECLAIMING THEIR VOICES and Tom Newkirk, author of MISREADING MASCULINITY: BOYS, LITERACY, AND POPULAR CULTURE were interviewed on New Hampshire's Public Radio. You can listen to the interview on the site. Such a hot topic these days.

Go Elf Yourself!

You know you want to be a dancing elf, and now you can!

Mary Lee's an elf! Franki's an elf! Bess the Dog is an elf!

Happy Craziness to all, and to all a good night!