3 poems from Judith Viorst’s What Are You Glad About? What Are You Mad About?

June 3, 2016September 9, 2017 ~ jama ~ 44 Comments

I’ll always remember the day I found Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day in the public library.

“Read me,” demanded a well worn copy left behind on one of the round wooden tables in the children’s room. I picked it up, read it all the way through, then sat down in a tiny chair to read it again.

I became a Viorst fan that day as I eagerly made my way through the other Alexander books. I found myself coveting train pajamas and contemplating a move to Australia. Totally nailing the child voice, Viorst (who made me very glad I didn’t have gum stuck in my hair) had a way of telling it true and assuaging frustration and calamity with just the right dose of humor. Months later, when the family across the street lost their cat, I gave them a copy of The Tenth Good Thing About Barney. Judith to the rescue again.

Her latest poetry collection, What Are You Glad About? What Are You Mad About? (Atheneum, 2016) is subtitled, “Poems for When a Person Needs a Poem.” Feeling a little lonely in your own skin? Or silly enough to eat a lamp for lunch? Maybe you’re fiercely jealous of too sweet, too kind, nauseatingly polite Anna May — why not bite or bop her? 🙂 What do you do when your best friend doesn’t want to be your best friend any more, or your mom is just too bossy, or your head is spinning from all those reading and writing rules?

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Maria Gianferrari (+ a giveaway!)

June 2, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 33 Comments

*Maria is a picture book reading/writing, tea-drinking, dog-loving, Becca-walking, birdwatching resident of Virginia, though her heart still lives in New England.*

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I cannot live without my loose-leaf German tea, Nizze Sahne Tee! Nizze = Nice as in France and Sahne means cream. It’s an aromatic black tea flavored with cornflowers and safflowers, so there are hints of blue and orange. I first discovered it on a trip to Berlin in 2000. Now I order it by the kilo. And this is my favorite tea mug, purchased at Woolworth’s in Berlin, Germany, a remembrance of our time living there
2004-2005 for my husband Niko’s sabbatical.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: My debut fiction picture book, Penny & Jelly: The School Show, illustrated by Thyra Heder, was published by HMH in July 2015; a companion book, Penny & Jelly: Slumber Under the Stars will be released in mid-June 2016. I also have a debut nonfiction picture book, Coyote Moon, with illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline, releasing on July 19, 2016 (Roaring Brook). In October 2016, Aladdin will publish another fiction picture book, Officer Katz & Houndini: A Tale of Two Tails, illustrated by Danny Chatzikonstantinou.

☕ FORTHCOMING IN 2017 AND BEYOND: Roaring Brook Press will also publish Hello Goodbye Dog, illustrated by Patrice Barton (2017); Highway Hawks, illustrated by Brian Floca (2018), and they recently acquired a second book with Bagram Ibatoulline, A Home for Bobcat. I also have a concept book called Terrific Tongues forthcoming from Boyds Mills Press as well as a haiku story about Great Horned Owls, Whooo-Ku, which will be published by GP Putnam’s Sons.

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOKS: Some recent foodie picture books that I loved are Pat Zietlow Miller’s Sharing the Bread as well as Mara Rockliff’s Gingerbread for Liberty. Some middle grade titles include Sarah Weeks’ Pie —you will become obsessed with pie-making after you read it; A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff, and Kat Yeh’s The Truth About Twinkie Pie —full of heart, though the twinkie pies themselves are not my cup of tea ;). And though I haven’t yet gotten to them, I’ve heard wonderful things about Tara Dairman’s Gladys Gatsby books: All Four Stars, The Stars of Summer, and Stars So Sweet.

☕ Visit Maria Gianferrari’s Official Website and her Facebook Author Page. Don’t miss Penny and Jelly’s Website and Instagram!

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out the Penny and Jelly Talent Show Kit!

☕☕☕ STILL THIRSTY: Smack your lips for this adorable Penny and Jelly Literary Lunch prepared by Nina at Mamabelly’s Lunches with Love.

☕☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Cool spreads from the forthcoming Officer Katz & Houndini: A Tale of Two Tails!

[lipsmacking review] The Hole Story of the Doughnut by Pat Miller and Vincent X. Kirsch

May 31, 2016September 9, 2017 ~ jama ~ 50 Comments

Let’s talk doughnuts. Which do you fancy– cake or raised? Powdered, cinnamon sugar, glazed, chocolate dipped, or frosted?

Though in the past I’ve dallied with lemon-filled, jelly, maple glazed, vanilla iced with sprinkles, and even (gasp!) gotten a bit risqué with a warm cruller or two, my true loyalty lies with the plain glazed ring doughnut, the fresher and softer the better. I live for that moment when you take that first luscious bite and the glaze cracks a bit, sometimes sticking to the edges of your mouth. Mmmmmm!

Now, tell me. For all the times you’ve eaten a ring-shaped doughnut, have you ever wondered who invented the hole? Thanks to The Hole Story of the Doughnut by Pat Miller and Vincent X. Kirsch, we surprisingly learn that a teenager with a knack for creative problem solving was actually responsible, and that his “aha” moment took place on the high seas!

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Jeremy Tankard

May 26, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 8 Comments

South African born, American and Canadian raised, Jeremy Tankard is the authorstrator™ of the best-selling GRUMPY BIRD books. He is also the illustrator of IT’S A TIGER! by David Larochelle; PIGGY BUNNY by Rachel Vail; HERE COMES DESTRUCTOSAURUS! by Aaron Reynolds; and MELVIS AND ELVIS by Dennis Lee. A reluctant reader for the first half of his life, he is sometimes surprised to find himself authoring books for a living. (Pictured here with his favorite mug — octopus design by A. Williams.)

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Chamomile tea. It’s classic. It’s healthy. It’s tasty. It’s my favourite drink while unwinding in the evening.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Grumpy Bird (Scholastic board book edition, March 2016), Melvis and Elvis written by Dennis Lee (HarperCollins, 2015), and Here Comes Destructosaurus written by Aaron Reynolds (Chronicle Books, 2014). Forthcoming: Hungry Bird (Scholastic Press, September 2016).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: I can’t think of any particularly food themed books off the top of my head. But in MY BOOK ABOUT ME [a fill-in-the-blanks baby book by me at age 4 with some help from my “friends” Dr. Seuss and Roy McKie], I list my favourite food as Pronutro, a South African cereal of sorts. It also says I like ice cream and apples and cherries. And then it says, “And please don’t give me any vegetables. I can’t stand it.” This book also claims that “I eat like a boy.” Of course this book also claims my nose looks like this… which is a blatant lie as you can see from that photo of me, so I’m not sure if this food information can be trusted. I love apple pie.

☕ HOTTEA IN THE FLESH: I will be launching HUNGRY BIRD at the upcoming Telling Tales Festival in Rockton, Ontario, on September 18, 2016.

☕ Visit Jeremy Tankard’s Official Website.

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Sophia Yang reads Grumpy Bird!

☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Mr. Cornelius’s favorite illo from Boo Hoo Bird. Cookies!

☕☕☕☕ STILL THIRSTY: Betsy Bird reads Jeremy’s classic Me Hungry! Remember this one? 🙂

[wet and salty review] ringo starr’s octopus’s garden with art by ben cort

May 20, 2016September 9, 2017 ~ jama ~ 42 Comments

A year ago today, a special online friend whom I met at my old LiveJournal blog passed away. Though Slatts and I never met in person, we bonded over our mutual love for the Beatles and Bob Dylan. For eight years, we chatted about lyrics, album covers, adolescent memories, and biographical tidbits. As an artist and musician himself, Slatts was the logical go-to guy for backstories and questions, and I greatly admired the many caricatures and portraits he created of my rock idols.

Since Ringo was Slatts’s favorite Beatle, it seemed like a good time to feature this Octopus’s Garden picture book published in 2014. It contains Ben Cort’s vibrant jewel-toned illustrations inspired by Ringo’s original lyrics, and comes with a CD of Ringo reading the story aloud + vocal and instrumental versions of the song.

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