The American Library Association has published its 2006 notables lists.

Highlights from Notable Children’s Books include: Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart (recommendation), illustrated by Raul Colón and written by Pat Mora (Knopf, 2005) and Yum! Yuck! A Foldout Book of People Sounds by Linda Sue Park (author inteview) and Julia Durango (live journal), illustrated by Sue Ramá (Charlesbridge, 2005); Stars Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dust by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Ann Jonas (Greenwillow, 2005); Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (Harcourt, 2005)(author interview)(excerpt); The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich (HarperCollins, 2005)(excerpt); Babymouse: Queen of the World! by Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm, illustrated by Matthew Holm (Random House, 2005)(interview with Matthew); Shakespeare’s Secret by Elise Broach (Henry Holt, 2005)(author interview); Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War II by Joseph Bruchac (Dial, 2005)(author interview); The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Hyperion, 2005)(author interview); Queen Sophie Hartley by Stephanie Greene (Clarion, 2005), and Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time by Lisa Yee (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, 2005)(author interview)(excerpt).

See also the Notable Children’s Recordings List; Notable Children’s Video’s List, and Notable Computer Software for Children List.

Cynsational News & Links

I’m saddened to report that my grandmother Dorothy died last week. She was the inspiration for one of my short stories, “The Naked Truth,” which appeared in an anthology titled In My Grandmother’s House: Award-Winning Writers Tell Stories About Their Grandmothers edited and illustrated by Bonnie Christensen (HarperCollins, 2003). I offer related thoughts on spookycyn.

Writing with a Broken Tusk: A Blog About the Writing Process and the Creation of Books for Children from author Uma Krishnaswami (author interview).