Susanna Hill's Valentiny Writing Contest!

I am participating in one of Susanna Hill's fabulous writing contests. This year the theme is "Grumpy" and entries must be under 214 words. The deadline is February 12th and I strongly encourage everyone to participate or at least go and read some of the other wonderful entires. You can join in the fun by visiting here. 

And now without further ado I give you my story.

Walrus and Penguin (207 words)

Hmmmph!

What’s wrong Walrus?

I’m grumpy.

Why?

I just am.

Aww don’t be grumpy! I bet I can make you smile.

Bet you can’t.

Bet I can! I am a 1,000,000% sure I can make you smile.

You mean 100%. 

Nope! 1,000,000%! I'm gonna make you smile if it’s the last thing I do!

Hmmph.

Plan A

Knock knock!

Who’s there?

Walrus.

Walrus who?

Walrus Poo! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

That’s not funny.

Plan B

Look! A puppy! Ain’t he cute? Tell me he’s not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. 

He’s not the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

Shhh! You'll hurt his feelings! 

Plan C

Tra la la la la! What a beautiful day! I sure hope I don’t slip on this banana peel...

Aghhh! THUD!

Ow.

Plan D

Ta-da! I made you banana cream pie! 

I don't like banana cream. 

YOU DON'T LIKE BANANA CREAM?!!! Unbelievable! That's it! You'll never smile again! You're going to be grumpy FOREVER!!!

SPLAT!

Did you just throw that banana cream pie at my face? 

Hehe...maybe.

You're smiling right now aren't you?

Yes.

Ha Ha! I did it! You're smiling! You’re finally smiling!

Okay okay. Don’t rub it in.

Mmmm! This banana cream pie is delicious! 

Hey Penguin?

Yes?

Thank you.

You’re welcome. 

4 Reasons Why EVERYONE Should Read Graphic Novels

"Oh this is the nerd section."said a mother to her 5 year-old daughter heading toward the graphic novel section in the library. She then steered her away to what she deemed more suitable reading material. This is just one of many random comments I overheard that dismiss graphic novels and comic books as a lesser form of literature. Our society seems regard them as dumbed down books full of violence, sexual objectification of women, and unrealistically buff, caucasian men running around in capes.

                                                                                         Image from Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics"

Please do yourselves a favor and don’t fall for those stupid oversimplified labels. GRAPHIC NOVELS ARE AWESOME! They are complex, diverse, severely underrated works of art and they deserve a chance, not just from kids, but from EVERYONE! One of my biggest regrets is that I spent the first 23 years of my life snubbing graphic novels. If it wasn't my for an my friend, Mary Uhles, who introduced me to my first graphic novel, I may never have discovered the remarkable world of Scott McCloud, Craig Thompson, Jillian Tamaki, and hundreds of other brilliant authors and illustrators. I've been reading them like crazy ever since trying to make up for lost time. The world of graphic novels is bigger and better than ever and it’s time people started taking advantage of it. Here are 4 reasons why you need to get yourself to the nearest bookstore/library and start reading a graphic novel TODAY! 

1. Visuals Help you Retain Information

          

Just think about it. Teachers have long used pictures, graphs, maps, and visual demonstrations to help their students retain information. Not only do visuals catch people’s attention, it leaves an imprint. Graphic novels do the same thing.There are tons of informative nonfiction graphic novels out there that allow the readers to digest information on a level that text alone cannot achieve.

2. They are Fast Paced

I guarantee that you will read more if you start reading graphic novels. They are the kind of books that keep you up till 4 in the morning because you simply can’t put them down. I usually struggle to stay awake past the first two pages when reading a regular novel at night, but graphic novels are a whole different story! They pull you in. They carry you at a pace unmatched by other all genres. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

3. They Exercise the Brain in Different Ways

When reading graphic novels we learn to pay attention to detail, drawing from visual cues to deduce information not given in the text. You have to learn how to interpret pictures as well as the text. It is a highly participatory form of reading that calls both the right and the left side of your brain to action.

4. They Encourage Empathy

Pictures can be incredibly powerful tools in helping you crawl inside character’s skin and feel what they are feeling. There’s something about visually seeing a look on someone’s face or the posture in their shoulders that impact you more powerfully than words can. 

I’m not trying to say that graphic novels are better than other forms of literature. That’s not what this post is about. I’m just saying the graphic novels are a totally legitimate and can be remarkable assets to your personal library. Diversity is good. When you avoid graphic novels because they’re in “the nerd section” you are limiting yourself. You’re missing out on a wonderfully unique and magical experience. Don’t do that. Give yourself permission to try something new. Read a graphic novel. I promise you won't regret it!

Picture Book Oscars of 2016

It's award season! The ALSC Book awards were announced last Monday (Congratulations Christian Robinson and Matt de la Pena for creating the first picture book to ever win a Newbery medal!) The Golden Globes were were last weekend, and Oscar nominations come out tomorrow! In the spirit of the season I am hosting my own Picture Book Oscars, and idea inspired by Corey Rosen Schwartz, that is just too fun to resist, especially for a picture book enthusiast such as myself.

First Category...

Best Kid Appeal (Based off my 4 year-old son's favorites)

Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep! - Todd Tarpley and John Rocco

I’m Trying to Love Spiders - Bethany Barton

Samurai Santa - Rubin Pingk

There was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight - Penny Klostermann and Ben Mantle

I Thought this was a Bear Book - Tara Lazar and Benji Davies

And the winner is...

                                                 I Thought this was a Bear Book!!!

Best Illustrators

Joseph Kuefler for “Beyond the Pond”

Brendan Wenzel for “Beastly Babies”

Julie Morstad for “This is Sadie”

Rafael Lopez for “Drum Dream Girl”

Ekua Holmes for “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hammer”

And the winner is...

Rafael Lopez!!!

Best Male Character

Dewey Bob from “Dewey Bob”

Dragon from “There was an Old Dragon who Swallowed a Knight”

Leo the Ghost from “Leo the Ghost"

Boy from “Wait”

The Little Gardener from “The Little Gardener"

And the Winner is...

Leo the Ghost!!!

Best Female Character 

Sadie for “This is Sadie”

Girl in Red Coat for "Sidewalk Flowers"

Mei for “Noodle Magic”

Sonya for “Sonya’s Chickens”

Bernice for “Bernice Gets Carried Away”

And the winner is...

Girl in Red Coat!!!

Best Nonfiction Picture Book

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore - Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and R. Gregory Christie

The Blue Whale - Jenni Desmond

Water is Water - Miranda Paul and Jason Chin

A Nest is Noisy - Dianne Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long

I’m Trying to Love Spiders - Bethany Barton

And the Winner is...

The Blue Whale!!!

And finally...

Best Fiction

Noodle Magic - Roseanne Greenfield Thong and Meilo So

Beastly Babies - Ellen Jackson and Brendan Wenzel

Sidewalk Flowers - Jon Arno Lawson and Sydney Smith

There was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight - Penny Klostermann and Ben Mantle

Night World - Mordicai Gerstein 

And the winner is...

Sidewalk Flowers!!!

Congratulations to all the winners! It's been a fantastic year for picture books. Thanks for joining me.

Who Would You Like to Have Thanksgiving Dinner With?

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I have put together a bracket of my favorite families from books, movies and tv shows to determine which family I would most want to spend Thanksgiving with. For me the winner is...the Gilbreths from the book "Cheaper By the Dozen." Who would you most want to break bread with on Thanksgiving day?

Categories

Television

The Weirs - Freaks and Geeks

Bluths - Arrested Development

The Starks - Game of Thrones

Hills - King of the Hill

Belchers - Bob’s Burgers

Pritchetts- Modern Family

The Sopranos - Sopranos

Crawleys - Downton Abbey

Literary

Dashwoods - Sense and Sensibility

Joads - Grapes of Wrath 

Bells - The Crossover

Cratchits - A Christmas Carol

Finches - To Kill a Mockingbird

Gilbreths - Cheaper by the Dozen

The Marches - Little Women

Boatwrights - The Secret Life of Bees

Cinematic

Portokalos - My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Tenenbaums - The Royal Tenenbaums

Von Trapps - Sound of Music

Sycamores - You Can’t Take it With You

Hoovers - Little Miss Sunshine

Corleones - The Godfather

Grants - Nebraska

Orefice - Life is Beautiful

Childhood Favorites

Weasleys - Harry Potter

Ingalls - Little House on the Prairie

Buckets - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Darlings - Peter Pan

Incredibles - The Incredibles

Burns - Rescue Bots

Kusakabes - My Neighbor Totoro

Robinsons - Swiss Family Robinson

Bracket

Roxaboxen

Today I want to talk about a very special book.

Title: Roxaboxen

Author: Alice McLerran

Illustrator: Barbara Cooney

Ages: 4-7

Opening: Marion called it Roxaboxen. (She always knew the name of everything.)

What it's About: A group of kids discover a piece of land covered in rocks, cactus, and old wooden boxes and then turn it in to their own magical world.

Why I LOVE this Book: Some of my fondest memories from when I was a little girl include exploring outside, finding a special place, and making it my own. My friends and I used to gather juniper berries, Strip bark from the trees for bacon, and create little campfire pits. We would spend full afternoons in these places, pretending to be orphans, pioneers, native americans, etc. It was bliss. So when I discovered this book that captured so well that magical world of untethered childhood play I was nearly jumping up and down with excitement. I couldn't wait to go home and read it to my own 4 year old son.

Create Your Own Roxaboxen

1. Hook up with a buddy or group of friends. These sorts of adventures are far more fun if you have a team to share them with. Each child bring new ideas to the table and it's wonderful to watch them learn to work together.

2. Find a special place, it could be in your very own back yard, or where you can immerse yourself in nature and let creativity run uninterrupted.

3. It's okay to bring supplies from your house. Empty flower pots, yarn, boxes, cloth, all these things can be useful when creating your own special place.

4. Utilize nature's resources! Gather sticks to make fences. Collect wild berries, leaves, and bark for food. Nature is full of potential tools and elements for pretend.

5. Step back and allow the kids to do the work. As parents I know it's tempting at times to take over, but it's so important to allow the kids the freedom to come up with their own ideas and carry them out themselves. Help them if they ask for it, and throw out ideas if they are having trouble coming up with their own, but let this be their place, not yours.

6. Have fun!

The Best Picture Books Of All Time!

Happy National Picture Book Month! I am so happy to discover there is a whole 30 days devoted to celebrating the world I've immersed myself in for the past 3 years. Picture books are my life! Just ask any of my co-workers at the library. They'll tell you that at the end of every shift I'm walking away with an armful of picture books. I currently have 72 checked out, and they're sitting on a shelf in my 4 year old's bedroom just waiting to be opened. Every night Samuel and I snuggle up and step into the worlds created for us by Mo Williams, James Marshall, Maurice Sendak and hundreds of other brilliant children's book authors and illustrators. I may forget to have him brush his teeth or change him in to pajamas, but I never neglect to read him his bedtime stories. It's the most important ritual of my day.

In honor of National Picture Book Month I would like to share with you our top 10 favorite picture books. These are the books that threw us into fits of giggles, or caused an unexpected burst of emotion in me as I tried to wipe away the tears before Samuel could see. These are the books that I can recite word for word. These are the books that made me want to be a children's book author/illustrator in the first place. They are my haven, inspiration, and delight. They are the best of the best, and I hope you'll enjoy them too.

Samuel's Top 10

1. Tin - Chris Judge
2. Sneeches and other short stories - Dr. Seuss
3. Rhyming Dust Bunnies - Jan Thomas

4. There are No Cats in this Book - Vivian Schwartz
5. No David! - David Shannon
6. Bedtime for Mommy - Amy Krouse Rosenthal and LeUyen Pham
7. Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site - Sherri Duskey Rinker
8. Room on the Broom - Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
9. Hooray for Hat! - Brian Won
10. Go Dog. Go! - P. D. Eastman

My Top 10 

1. A Story, A Story - Gail E. Haley
2. The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein

3. Julius the Baby of the World - Kevin Henkes

4. Heckedy Peg - Audrey and Don Wood
5. The Mitten - Jan Brett
6. Home - Carson Ellis
7. Are You My Mother? - P. D. Eastman
8. Ernest the Moose - Catherine Rayner
9. No Fits Nilson - Zacharia O’Hara
10. The Eleventh Hour - Graeme Base

What are your favorites? What are the books that you loved as a child? What are the books that your own kids pull off the shelves over and over again? Please share! 

When the North Wind Blows

I am very excited to announce the upcoming chapbook of Christmas poetry by the talented Catherine Valentine and cover illustration by...yours truly!  I am honored to be a part of this beautiful book.  Stay tuned because it will be available soon around Thanksgiving!  You won't want to miss it!