Cover To Cover Kids

A Garden for Pig and Up We Grow

2010-10-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

I blush to confess I was of voting age before I realized that pickles come from cucumbers. My excuse is that I didn't care for either one, so I never gave them much thought. But it's safe to say the farm-to-plate life cycle of our daily fare was seldom emphasized in a post-war era that touted convenient packaging and quick preparation.Something was lost amid all that processed convenience, and

Illyria

2010-08-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

(Viking, $15.99, ages 14-up)The jacket blurb read like a torrid teen romance and I set the book aside. Then I noticed the starred reviews -- from Booklist and Publishers Weekly -- and the fact that this slender novel had won the World Fantasy Award. And the fact that author Elizabeth Hand has won lots of awards, written 10 novels and reviewed for The Washington Post, Salon and the Village

Stand Straight, Ella Kate

2010-07-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has shot a head taller than friends, seemingly overnight, will feel for Ella Kate Ewing, a real-life giant who lived from 1872 to 1913. A shy, sensitive girl, Ella Kate suffered taunts and unwanted attention as a result of a glandular disorder that caused galloping growth. By age 22, she stood 8-foot-4 in her size 24 shoes.But living large has its compensations, as we learn in Stand

The Outside of a Horse

2010-07-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

The bond between horse and human is a staple of children's literature, but few titles in recent memory bring as much dimension and topical interest to the genre as The Outside of a Horse, by Ginny Rorby (Dial, $16.99).The title comes from an old English proverb, "There's nothing so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse." That certainly proves true for Hannah Gale, a young teen in

Seattle is a stop on Suzanne Collins' November Mockingjay tour

2010-07-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Northwest fans of The Hunger Games trilogy are in for a treat: Author Suzanne Collins will stop in Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., this November as part of a 12-city tour to promote Mockingjay, the final title in the futuristic series. We'll let you know the details of when and where as soon as publisher Scholastic Inc. finalizes the tour dates.Meanwhile, Scholastic announced it is increasing the

Hot Wings? Hot Damn!

2010-06-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Even if you've never cracked one of Stephenie Meyer's mega-selling Twilight novels, you can't help but notice they made hunky teen vampires very, very hot -- and made Meyer very, very rich. And to think.... it all started with a dream.New Yorker writer Larry Doyle recently had a dream of his own -- about the Next Big Thing:Angels.Specifically, one specific celestial cutie -- "very buff," he muses

Yes, Virginia, Books Matter

2010-06-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

Two new studies published in Science Daily underscore the important role books play in children's educational attainment.In one of the largest and most comprehensive studies ever conducted on what influences the level of education a child will attain, researchers found that being raised in a home filled with books boosts a child's future educational attainment as much as having college-educated

The Girl Who Inspired the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

2010-05-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

I came to Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy a bit late in the game, having finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo only a couple of weeks ago. Now I'm as hooked as the rest of the populace. Last week I saw the Swedish film version at Bainbridge Island's historic Lynwood Theatre, and I stayed up till 1 this morning devouring the final pages of The Girl Who Played with Fire (only to be vexed at

Restoring Harmony

2010-04-25T20:21:00.001-07:00

My parents had met at grad school in Seattle, and their stories of laughter, music, food, wine, and friends were a stark contrast to the empty, abandoned street that stretched out in front of me. After all the big governments had seized the last of the oil, which crashed the world economy and caused the Great Collapse of 2031, most people had left the city and moved out into the suburbs, where

Q&A: "Paper Daughter" Explores the Legacy of Exclusionary Laws in Seattle's Chinatown

2010-04-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

After a hit-and-run driver claims the life of her father -- a veteran Seattle journalist -- 16-year-old Maggie Chen stumbles across troubling clues that raise questions about her father's past -- and her own identity. Proceeding with a summer internship at her hometown paper, the Herald, Maggie delves into a story that ends up casting a cloud over the reputation of her highly respected father.

"Magic" Webcast on Climate Change

2010-03-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

Climate change affects us all, but kids have the biggest stake in the outcome. They also hold the promise of new ideas to get our planet through the crisis. So who better to lead the discussion than Ms. Frizzle of "Magic School Bus" fame?Classroom students can catch the Friz -- and her real-life creators, author Joanna Cole and illustrator Bruce Degen -- at 10 a.m. (PDT) April 20 in a live

Hans Christian Andersen Winners

2010-03-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

British author David Almond and German illustrator Jutta Bauer have won the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award, bestowed every two years by the International Board on Books for Young People.The award, the most prestigious international award in children's literature, is given to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature.David

Hans Christian Andersen Short List

2010-03-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

You may not have heard of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal but you've probably heard of some of the past recipients: Maurice Sendak, Paula Fox, Katherine Paterson, Martin Waddell, Virginia Hamilton, Anthony Browne and on and on.Although the award doesn't have the Caldecott and Newbery's name recognition among American consumers, it is the most prestigious award in international children's

Page Ahead: View From the Judges' Table

2010-02-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

"Does anyone have any thoughts about the next category?"Susan Waller, development coordinator for the Page Ahead Children's Literacy Program, scanned the faces of the judges ranged around the conference table high above downtown Seattle. We were there to select the winners of Page Ahead's Best Books for Kids, the literacy group's inaugural children's book contest.I bit. With the confidence of

Runaway Storm

2010-02-08T18:43:00.000-08:00

"Escapist fiction" is usually just a figure of speech, but a new adventure series by D.E. Knobbe puts escape front and center. Runaway Storm (Emerald Book Co., $16.95), the leadoff title, takes readers 12-and-up along for the ride as an unhappy teen kayaks through Canada's Gulf Islands in a desperate show of independence from his estranged parents.Nate has spent a miserable year in New York with

Reading: Fun for One or Social Pastime?

2010-01-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

The New York Times has an intriguing piece in this Sunday's "Week in Review." It explores whether book clubs and online forums have changed the essentially private nature of reading for pleasure.I was happy to see the article focused quite a bit on books for children and teens, because the books we read and cherish when we're young feel so intensely personal. In fact, writer Motoko Rich begins

Newbery, Caldecott Awards Announced

2010-01-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

We have a winner....and another winner...and another! At its midwinter meeting in Boston this morning, the American Library Association announced winners of the top prizes for children's books, audio books and video.When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, won the 2010 Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children's literature. The publisher is Wendy Lamb Books, a division of Random

Countdown to Awards Day

2010-01-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

Oscar night may be weeks away, but come Monday we'll learn the winners of the so-called "Oscars of children's books" -- the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott and Printz medals awarded by the American Library Association.The awards event begins at 7:45 a.m. EST (4:45 a.m. PST) on January 18. If you're an early bird, you can watch the proceedings live by logging onto http://alawebcast.unikron.com/.

"Ambassador" Katherine Paterson

2010-01-05T17:18:00.000-08:00

You already know how important children's literature is, but the message doesn't always get the prominence it deserves. That's why some of the heavyweights of the field created the post of National Ambassador for Young People's Literature two years ago.Jon Scieszka, the inaugural ambassador and a wildly funny overgrown kid in his own right, has completed his term and a successor has been chosen.

Baby-Sitters Club Back in Business

2010-01-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

Never was babysitting more alluring than in the late 1980s, when Scholastic launched a children's book series that went on to become a pre-adolescent rite of passage and one of the blockbusters of the publishing world.The Baby-Sitters Club, designed as a four-book run, grew to include four related book series, a TV show and a movie and was the first children's series to hit the USA Today

Jan Brett -- a Treasury and Dueling Mittens

2009-12-20T13:08:00.000-08:00

With 33 million books sold, Jan Brett is one of the most beloved children's book illustrators around -- and for good reason. Her artwork is flat-out beautiful, with bright colors, fine detail and lively good humor that speaks to children and keeps her stories moving smartly. If you haven't jumped on the Brett bandwagon, this is a good time to do it, as Putnam has two new releases that feature

A Season of Gifts

2009-12-16T16:15:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Dowdel isn't a church woman, and she doesn't "neighbor." In fact, she is downright cranky, well-armed and old enough to have one foot in the grave. Yet, in her own inimitable way, she manages to make Christmas of 1958 merry and memorable for Bob, Phyllis and Ruth Ann -- the preacher's kids who live next to her ramshackle house in a podunk, Illinois town.A Season of Gifts is classic Richard

Judging the Best

2009-12-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

Once again this blog got derailed by the pressures of full-time college courses. It's great to have a break and turn my attention once more to children's books.Here's a nice welcome back: I was invited to be one of the judges for the inaugural children's book contest of the Page Ahead Literacy Program, which gives new books to low-income children. The Seattle organization, which is about to

Jeff Kinney, A Not-So-Wimpy Author

2009-10-15T13:49:00.001-07:00

At 38, Jeff Kinney has yet to realize his longtime dream of being a newspaper cartoonist -- and, given the state of the newspaper industry, he's smart enough to know he dodged a bullet on that one.Instead, he has become a bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The fourth installment, subtitled Dog Days, was released Oct. 12 with an initial print run of four million copies, and a

"Wimpy" Author Coming to Seattle

2009-10-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

Here's your chance to see a superstar of the children's book world. Jeff Kinney, author of the hugely popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, will be signing books Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. at Seattle's University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE.Later this week I'll post a Q&A with Kinney. My e-mailed questions are heading his way, and I'll get his answers up asap after I hear back.Meanwhile,

More Technorati housekeeping

2009-10-12T20:27:00.001-07:00

b3nryv6a2x

Technorati housekeeping

2009-10-12T12:03:00.001-07:00

up8f69xntd

A "Wild" Argument

2009-10-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

It takes healthy self-confidence to diss Where the Wild Things Are, a picture-book classic that is widely acknowledged as one of the greats. Bruce Handy does just that in today's New York Times book section. (See http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/books/review/Handy-t.html?ref=books) He argues that Maurice Sendak's tale of Max, who tames monsters in a far-off land after his mother sends him to his

Lois Lowry's First Picture Book

2009-10-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

Any new title by Lois Lowry commands attention, but her latest -- Crow Call -- has an extra element of suspense, because it is Lowry's first foray into picture-book writing. Let's hope it's not her last.One of the giants of the children's book field, Lowry is best known for the thought-provoking novels -- The Giver and Number the Stars -- that made her a two-time Newbery Medalist. But she has a

The Omnivore's Dilemma for kids

2009-10-04T12:15:00.001-07:00

Not long ago, my 18-year-old son headed off to Western Washington University, toting a copy of this year's all-campus reading selection: Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. A day or two later, by coincidence, I received an advance review copy of the same book, adapted for young readers. I can't help feeling a sense of irony that my "baby adult" son is speeding through the grownup version

Public (Library) Option

2009-09-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a clever piece of writing from the San Francisco Chronicle lampooning the fear-mongering vis-a-vis a proposed public health-insurance option. The rhetoric of inflamed opposition looks pretty comical when viewed through the lens of a bedrock institution beloved by bibliophiles.Yep, watch out for those public libraries. Next thing you know, they'll be forming "children's circles" to

A Moment With the Spiderwick Creators

2009-09-12T13:34:00.000-07:00