Today is the Day for Mock Elections!

Today is the day of the ACPL Mock Caldecott & Mock Geisel election programs. Check out the great discussions on the blogs:

ACPL Mock Caldecott
ACPL Mock Geisel

Or join us for the programs if you can. The Mock Caldecott is from 9am to 1pm and the Mock Geisel is from 2pm to 6pm in the Globe Room at the Main Library.

Stay tuned for the announcement of our Mock Award Winners!

ACPL Mock Geisel!

Are you looking for the best early readers of the year? Check out the ACPL Mock Geisel blog for some ideas. The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is given annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author and illustrator of the best early reader book of the year.

At ACPL we hold a Mock Geisel Award program to decide the book that WE think should win. Join us!

This Friday -- Fabulous Fridays Homeschool Book Clubs!

Homeschoolers - this Friday, October 2, from 2:30-3:30, our Fabulous Fridays Book Clubs will be meeting. It's so much fun to talk about books!

Early Reader Round-up - Grades K-2 - will be discussing Little Bear, by Else Holmelund Minarik.









Reading Rocks! - Grades 3-5 - will be talking about Poppy, by Avi.










Do you have other books that are your favorites? Bring them along and share your ideas with the group. Parents are invited too!

Cybils 2009

It is almost time for nominations for the CYBILS (Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Award)! The award is presented in several categories with new panelists & judges being announced now on the CYBILS blog. I am happy to serve as an Easy Reader judge for the second year with a wonderful group of bloggers. Nominate your favorite book in each category (easy readers & short chapter books, graphic novels, non-fiction picture books, non-fiction middle grade & young adult, fiction picture books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, fantasy & science fiction, and poetry) after October 1st!

I Love My New Toy! by Mo Willems was the winner of the 2008-09 CYBILS easy reader award.

Serious About Series

Books in a series are a great way to keep your child reading through the summer and beyond.

Series books come in all levels, from beginning readers to advanced chapter books.

Mysteries to sports to fairies to dragons - there is something for everyone!

Stop in and let one of our friendly librarians help you and your child find a series that will hook them on reading!

Get Graphic!

Graphic novels are great options for young readers - they offer fast-paced action, conflict and heroic endeavors - all things young readers embrace!
Graphic novels also provide a perfect bridge for young readers transitioning from picture books to text-only books.
Many of the issues that emerging readers have traditionally struggled with can be eased by graphic comics' simple and inviting format.
Stop in the library and take a graphic novel home today!

A Child's Book Review: Little Bear's Visit

Little Bear's Visit by Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak was reviewed by 6-year-old Fiona:

I read Little Bear's Visit to my sister and Mama. I especially like the last part when Little Bear thought he wasn't tired and then he fell asleep. I think that is funny!

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

Fabulous Fridays Homeschool Book Club!

Last month, the Early Reader Roundup kids met to discuss Good Night, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas. After talking about the book, everyone made a story spinner like the one that you see pictured here.

Don't miss the Fabulous Fridays Homeschool Book Clubs this Friday at 2pm:

• Early Reader Roundup (Grades K to 2) will be discussing Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, by Erica Silverman

• Reading Rocks! (Grades 3 to 5) will be discussing Frindle, by Andrew Clements

Reading Rocks! Goes Undercover

On Friday, January 16, the Reading Rocks! Homeschool Book Club for 3rd - 5th Graders met to discuss The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse by Bruce Hale, the first title in the Chet Gecko Mystery series. After a great discussion, we made our own detective disguises.

Join us for our next Fabulous Fridays Book Club on February 6th from 2-3pm, when our titles for discussion will be...
Early Reader Roundup (Grades K-2): Good Night, Good Knight, by Shelley Moore Thomas
Reading Rocks! (Grades 3-5): Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan

2009 American Library Association Awards

John Newbery Medal:
"The Graveyard Book" written by Neil Gaiman

Newbery Honor Books:
"The Underneath" written by Kathi Appelt
“The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom” written by Margarita Engle
"Savvy" written by Ingrid Law
"After Tupac & D Foster" written by Jacqueline Woodson

Randolph Caldecott Medal:
"The House in the Night" written by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes

Caldecott Honor Books:
"A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever" by Marla Frazee
"How I Learned Geography" by Uri Shulevitz
"A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams" by Melissa Sweet

Sibert Medal:
“We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball,” by author and illustrator Kadir Nelson

Sibert Honor Books:
“Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and Rediscovery of The Past,” written by James M. Deem
“What to Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!” written by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award:
"Are You Ready to Play Outside?" by Mo Willems

Geisel Honor Books:
"Chicken Said "Cluck!' " by Judyann Ackerman Grant, illustrated by Sue Truesdell
"One Boy" by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
"Stinky" by Eleanor Davis
"Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator" by Sarah C. Campbell

Coretta Scott King Author Award:
“We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball,” written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books:
“The Blacker the Berry” by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
“Keeping the Night Watch” by Hope Anita Smith, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
“Becoming Billie Holiday” by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award:
“The Blacker the Berry,” illustrated by Floyd Cooper, written by Joyce Carol Thomas

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books:
“We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball” written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
“Before John Was a Jazz Giant” by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Sean Qualls
“The Moon Over Star” by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Pura Belpré Author Award:
“The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom” by Margarita Engle

Pura Belpré Author Honor Books:
“Just in Case” written by Yuyi Morales
“Reaching Out” written by Francisco Jiménez
“The Storyteller’s Candle / La velita de los cuentos,” written by Lucía González

Pure Belpré Illustrator Award:
“Just in Case” illustrated by Yuyi Morales

Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Books:
“Papá and Me” illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez, written by Arthur Dorros
“The Storyteller’s Candle / La velita de los cuentos” illustrated by Lulu Delacre, written by Lucía González
“What Can You Do with a Rebozo?” illustrated by Amy Córdova, written by Carmen Tafolla

Andrew Carnegie Medal:
Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly of Weston Woods Studios, producers of “March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World,”

Odyssey Award:
“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” written/narrated by Sherman Alexie

Odyssey Honor Audiobooks:
“Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady,” written by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren
“Elijah of Buxton,” written by Christopher Paul Curtis, narrated by Mirron Willis
“I’m Dirty!” written by Kate & Jim McMullan, narrated by Steve Buscemi
“Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale,” written and narrated by Carmen Agra Deedy
“Nation,” written by Terry Pratchett, narrated by Stephen Briggs

2009 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecturer:
Kathleen T. Horning, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC)

Mildred L. Batchelder Award:
“Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit” originally published in Japanese, written by Nahoko Uehashi, translated by Cathy Hirano, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

Batchelder Honor Books:
“Garmann’s Summer,” originally published in Norwegian, written by Stian Hole, translated by Don Bartlett
“Tiger Moon,” originally published in German, written by Antonia Michaelis, translated by Anthea Bell

A Child's Book Review: Fish and Frog

Robert, age 4, says of the Brand New Readers collection Fish and Frog
by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Valeria Petrone:

"I like all four of the books. 'Fish Makes Faces' always makes us chuckle."

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

The new Elephant & Piggie book has arrived at the ACPL! Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems is here. Hurray!

If you like early readers, check out the ACPL Mock Geisel blog to see a list of the best new early readers of the year. If you have read any of the books that you see there, be sure to leave a comment, we would love to have your opinion on the titles.

Hooray for Fly Guy!

I love Fly Guy. We go way back. Fly Guy might be my favorite fly character, though I do love Old Black Fly too.

The great thing about Fly Guy is that just when I think I have found my favorite Fly Guy book ever - Tedd Arnold writes a new one that I like even more! Last year There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy made me laugh super hard and while I still think that one is funny, I think that this year's Hooray for Fly Guy! might be EVEN FUNNIER!

A Favorite Food Book

Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban is a classic picture book about delicious bread and jam. Frances doesn't like to eat eggs, she doesn't like to eat breaded veal, she only likes to eat bread and jam. What happens when her parents decide to give her bread and jam at every meal? Read this picture book with a child to find out!

This story is available in early reader format as well, find it here.

Early Reader Roundup: On the Go with Mr. & Mrs. Green

The Early Reader Roundup kids met on Friday, September 5th to discuss On the Go with Mr. & Mrs. Green by Keith Baker. After the discussion, the kids created their very own board games with words from the book. Check out more pictures of the program here.

Fabulous Fridays Homeschool Book Club: Danny and the Dinosaur

While gathering information for the Fabulous Fridays Homeschool Book Club on Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff, I found some great dinosaur information. Here are a few of the highlights:

Websites:

• Visit the Carnegie Museum to watch scientists dismantle and re-build Apatasaurus louisae
  
• Visit the Field Museum to explore the "What Lived with Sue?" interactive dig
• Visit the American Museum of Natural History to take a virtual tour of the Hall of Dinosaurs
  

Books:

• Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs! by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
• Prehistoric Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
• Dinosaur Tracks by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

The Kudlinski book was fascinating to me because most of what I know about dinosaurs I learned in the 3rd grade and the thinking has sure changed since then!

ACPL Mock Geisel

Parents, teachers and interested adults - do you enjoy reading children's literature? Sign up now for the ACPL Mock Geisel program or visit the blog to read and comment on this year's best early readers. The second reading list is now available. The actual discussion and election will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2009 from 2 to 6pm.

A Child's Book Review: Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman was reviewed by 3-year-old Robert:

This book knows all about lost and found.

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

A Child's Book Review: Bean Thirteen

Bean Thirteen by Matthew McElligott was reviewed by 3-year-old Robert:

I like when they pick beans. I like when they eat the beans.

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

Early Reader Roundup: I Am Invited to a Party

The Fabulous Fridays Homeschool Book Club: Early Reader Roundup met yesterday afternoon to talk about the book I Am Invited to a Party by Mo Willems.

We made Elephant & Piggie puppets from fun stuff on Willems' Pigeon Presents website, we wrote our own Elephant & Piggie stories, we talked about emotions and even made some faces. Check out more photos of the program on Flickr.

Homeschoolers in Grades K to 2: Join us on Friday, May 16th @ 1:30 p.m. to discuss Nate the Great and the Mystery of the Stolen Base by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.

Homeschoolers in Grades 3 to 6: Join the Reading Rocks group on Friday, May 16th @ 1:30 pm. to discuss Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis.