nine cool things on a tuesday

March 15, 2016November 14, 2017 ~ jama ~ 17 Comments

1. It’s always nice to see new prints in Katie Daisy’s Wheatfield Shop — bright colors are just what we need to get us in the mood for Spring. Of course I have a weakness for hand lettered alphabets and I couldn’t resist the reminder to “Be Kind to Others.” These inkjet prints of her original watercolor and acrylic paintings come in three sizes. Lots more to choose from!

2. New Book Alert! Look what’s coming out next Tuesday, March 22 — Let’s Go to the Hardware Store by Anne Rockwell and Melissa Iwai (Henry Holt, 2016)! This is the same team who created the wonderful picture book Truck Stop (Viking Books, 2013), about a family who runs a diner and gets ready to serve a nice hot breakfast to all their regular customers (blueberry muffins! pancakes! bacon and eggs!).

This time, a family who’s just moved into a new house needs to do some fix-ups, so they visit the hardware store to get some tools and supplies:

When the new house needs fixing up, it’s off to the hardware store to find the tools and materials needed to get the job done―a hammer, a screwdriver, a shiny tape measure, and even a stepladder.

This family outing explores a familiar errand that fascinates plenty of young children: the hardware store. Anne Rockwell’s perfectly pitched story and Melissa Iwai’s child-friendly illustrations make this book ideal for the preschool audience.

Anne Rockwell is a household name to picture book lovers; it’s such a treat whenever she publishes a new book. And of course Melissa Iwai won me over big time when she published Soup Day (Henry Holt, 2010). 🙂 Love her cheery palette and engaging details (such a fun way to introduce kids to some basic tools). Her pictures make me miss the small neighborhood mom and pop hardware stores. Everything’s a big superstore these days. Click here to read Melissa’s post about doing the illos for the book.

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Matthew Winner

March 14, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 8 Comments

Matthew Winner is a blogger, a podcaster, a teacher librarian, and a daddy, among other super strengths. He’s the co-founder of All The Wonders, the host of the Let’s Get Busy podcast, and a 2013 Library Journal Mover & Shaker.

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Earl Grey tea with honey. I drink a cup of tea each morning to calm my mind and start my day with a bit of sweetness.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESS: (Co-author with Meghan Hearn) Teach Math with the Wii: Engage Your K-7 Students Through Gaming Technology (International Society for Technology in Education, 2013).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Eric Wight (FSG, 2015).

☕ Visit Matthew online at All The Wonders.com or say hi at @MatthewWinner.

☕ ☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out Matthew’s Let’s Get Busy Podcasts at All The Wonders — recent guests include Fred Koehler, Madelyn Rosenberg, Philip C. Stead, and Charise Harper and Anna Raff.

☕ ☕ ☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Bonus Pic: Matthew and his Squishy

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Philip Nel

March 10, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 12 Comments

*I write books about children’s books. I also teach, read, edit, grade, and occasionally sleep.*

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I like a cup of tea because it caffeinates me, but not as much as coffee does. (I also like coffee, but it tends to amplify my manic tendencies to the point of distraction.)

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children’s Literature (University Press of Mississippi, 2012); Crockett Johnson’s Barnaby, Volume One: 1942-1943 (co-editor with Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books, 2013); Crockett Johnson’s Barnaby, Volume Two: 1944-1945 (co-editor with Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books, 2014). Forthcoming: Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature and Why We Need Diverse Books (Oxford University Press, tentative pub date, late 2016).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: Rude Cakes by Rowboat Watkins (Chronicle Books, June 2015).

☕ Visit Phil Nel’s Kansas State University Homepage and his blog Nine Kinds of Pie. Phil also contributes to The Niblings Facebook Page. 🙂

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out The Crockett Johnson Homepage!

☕☕ ☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Enjoy Phil’s recent post, “Seuss on Film.” Interesting to see clips from the 1940’s, 1958, and 1964. The first, “Unusual Occupations,” is the earliest known film footage of Dr. Seuss. 🙂

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[review + giveaway] Alpha Beta Chowder by Jeanne Steig and William Steig

March 4, 2016September 9, 2017 ~ jama ~ 73 Comments

#52 in an ongoing series of posts celebrating the alphabet.

Foreword

A chowder is a robust goop
That’s more akin to stew than soup.
It can be brackish or divine.
Sit down and take a taste of mine.

So begins Alpha Beta Chowder, a wry, witty, and deliciously wicked ABC poetry book by husband and wife team Jeanne Steig and William Steig. This classic 26-verse feast of wacky wordplay was originally published by HarperCollins in 1992 and reissued by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books last month.

I admit this title has been on my radar for years but I only recently had the chance to read it. Of course I’m a longtime William Steig fan — I still sigh and swoon over Brave Irene and Dr. DeSoto, especially — but I wasn’t familiar with Jeanne Steig’s work, and boy, have I been missing out!

*Nasty numbskull Naomi and her nitwit Ma and Pa*

Goodbye, boring “A is for Apple” and “Z is for Zoo” — Jeanne’s cheeky alliterative rhyming poems feature a motley crew of odd and quirky mock heroes, many you’d rather read about than meet in person. God forbid you get stuck in a room with Noisome Naomi, a nervy newtish nightmare whose “voice is like a needle,” or come within hearing distance of Coaxing Carrotina and her blister inducing shrill cadenzas on the concertina. *covers ears*

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Tim Egan

March 3, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 9 Comments

Tim Egan writes and illustrates books for kids, usually involving odd animal characters. Most of his characters do not think of themselves as odd, although a few readily admit they are. The stories normally involve everyday things like boredom, adventure, pigs, food, music, sandwiches, planes, toast and household appliances.

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I love coffee. It makes me feel happy at the very start of each day. The first thing I do is make a pot for my wife, Ann, and me to share. No sugar, but a little cream (and a cookie for our dog, Betsy, with each cup!)

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Recently, I’ve been working on a series about a traveling mouse, Dodsworth, and his ridiculous duck. So far, they’ve been to New York, Paris, London, Rome, and their latest adventure is Dodsworth in Tokyo (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013). New eBook: The Last Talking Pig (Leepshin Publishing, 2015).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak, because it’s wonderful and beautiful and brilliant. The kitchen spread where Mickey is flying away is my favorite illustration in all books.

☕ Visit Tim Egan’s Official Website

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Read more about Dodsworth in Tokyo at Entertainment Weekly!

☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Check out this cool animated short, “Dodsworth and the Duck In The Shop!” How much do I love a duck who thinks about cakes and pies? 🙂