While supplies last, Cynsational readers are welcome to request a signed and/or personalized book plate(s) for Santa Knows by Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, illustrated by Steve Bjorkman (or any of my other books). Just be sure to include the title, your address, any personalization information, and note “Santa Knows” in the subject line.
More News & Links
AsianParent.com: online retailer offers “a large selection of Chinese children’s books, DVDs, and educational products.” Includes “Chinese Nursery Rhymes for babies, Chinese bedtime stories, Chinese classics, Chinese workbooks/activity books, bilingual books in both Chinese and English, as well as books with audio CDs and VCDs in Mandarin Chinese.” Also offers Chinese DVDs for Children.
Don’t miss Trash by Sharon Darrow (Candlewick, 2006). SLJ says: “Readers will appreciate the characters’ search for identity and efforts to find beauty in places not obvious.” PW cheers: “Amid gritty free verse, Darrow interweaves beautifully crafted forms such as the villanelle, sestina and pantoum, whose intricate patterns suit Sissy’s mournful voice.” And KLIATT sums it up as: “Excellent poetry, poignant story.” Read a Cynsations interview with Sharon.
Entries are now being accepted for the The June Franklin Naylor Award for the Best Book for Children on Texas History. “The book must have been published for the first time within the calendar year, January-December of 2006. The exception to this rule is the reprint of an early book for children that is annotated or revised to make its story accessible to today’s students.” See 2006 general guidelines. See information on the 2005 winners, author Anne Bustard and illustrator Kurt Cyrus for Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly (Simon & Schuster, 2005) and honor recipients, including author Kathi Appelt and illustrator Joy Fisher Hein for Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America (HarperCollins, 2005).
Trend Spotting: Sea Dogs: An Epic Ocean Operetta by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Marc Siegel (Atheneum, 2004) was spotted on prominent display under “new books” at Dragon’s Lair in Austin, Texas. Good news for older-reader picture books and literary trade in graphic novel format.
Young Adult Author Darlene Ryan: official author site features articles, children’s poetry, biography, newsletter and more. Darlene’s books include Rules for Life (Orca, 2004) and Saving Grace (Orca, 2006).