Howdy to the Reading Rockets at Council Oak Preschool in Round Rock, Texas! They have been reading Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu (Morrow/HarperCollins, 2000).

Speaking of Jingle Dancer, readers may want to take note. Full Circle Videos: Native American Art, Cultures, and Music offers a 30-minute DVD, “Jingle Dress” for $19.95. View an interior page from Jingle Dancer.

Congratulations to Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, whose upcoming book, Steady Hands: Poems About Work has been matched to a “fabulous illustration team,” even if she won’t say who they are yet! Tracie mentions my personal conviction that writers must celebrate all good news–big, small, and in the middle. There’s so much rejection in this business. We must embrace joy whenever we can.

Thanks to Cynsations LJ syndication reader Julia Durango for cheering my recent interview with Charlesbridge editor Yolanda LeRoy. Julia’s books include Cha-Cha Chimps, illustrated by Eleanor Taylor (Simon & Schuster, 2006) and Dream Hop, illustrated by Jared Lee (Simon & Schuster, 2005)(excerpt). Watch for Angels Watching Over Me, illustrated by Elisa Kleven (Simon & Schuster, 2007). Learn more about Julia Durango.

More News & Links

The Ballyhoo: Writers, Illustrators & Circus Stars: a new blog from author-illustrator Carlyn Beccia. Carlyn is the author-illustrator of Who Put the B in the Ballyhoo? (Houghton Mifflin, 2007).

Ben Franklin’s 300th Anniversary: Themed Reviews from Children’s Literature. See also Aviation: Themed Reviews.

Good Girls: A Novel; Because Every Girl Is Good: a new blog about Good Girls by Laura Ruby (HarperCollins, 2006)(author interview). Learn more about Good Girls at Backstory (seriously, this is a must-read link).

Lorenzo and the Turncoat by Lila and Rick Guzman (Arte Publico Press) is the winner of the Arizona Authors Association Annual Literary Contest in the published children’s literature category. Second place went to Shelby by Stacy A. Nyikos, illustrated by Shawn N. Sisneros (Stone Horse) and third to The Wall by the Phoenix Writers Club, edited by Eileen Birin (Neelie). Read a Cynsations interview with Lila.

Congratulations to Wendy Mass on the publication of Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life (Little Brown, 2006).

Princess Nevermore Fan Site: celebrating author Dian Curtis Regan, the Princess Nevermore Revised Edition (Darby Creek, 2007), and its companion book, Cam’s Quest (Darby Creek, 2007). Read a Cynsations interview with Dian.