OUT & ABOUT: January 17, 2009

Susan Thomsen has the schedule for the Sydney Taylor Awards Blog Tour at Chicken Spaghetti.

From The Horn Book Magazine—Monthly Special Booklist for January 2009: American Presidents

From Shelftalker (January 15, 2009)—A Handful of Highlights from Candlewick's 2009 Spring/Summer List (And two of the highlighted titles are poetry books!)

From Publishers Weekly (1/12/2009)—Children’s Book Reviews (Includes reviews of two picture books, two fiction books, and a nonfiction book about Abe Lincoln—just in time for the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth.)

From The Washington Post (January 12, 2009)—Unexpected Twist: Fiction Reading Is Up

Book Event

The Foundation for Children’s Books

Graphic Novels: A User’s Guide

DATE: Thursday, January 29, 2009

TIME: 7:30 p.m.

PLACE: Walsh Hall at Boston College

From The FCB Website—Graphic novels: a format or a genre? Comics or literature? How to read them? How to evaluate them? Join us for a lively and informative panel discussion featuring Robin Brenner, youth librarian in Brookline and author of Understanding Manga and Anime; Maya Escobar, youth librarian in Cambridge with a passion for graphic novels and anime; and Alexander Danner, formerly a bookseller at Porter Square Books, co-author of Character Design for Graphic Novels, and a graphic novelist.

Jarrett J. Krosoczka at Boston College

The Foundation for Children’s Books
Conversations with…Author/Illustrator Series Presents

JARRETT J. KROSOCZKA

WHEN: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
WHERE: Walsh Hall at Boston College
TIME: 7:30 p.m.

Author/Illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka has been making books since the 3rd grade--fun, fresh books featuring vivid characters, be they animal or human. His picture book Punk Farm, the raucous story of a farm-animal band, is being developed as a feature film by Dreamworks, and the band gets loose in Punk Farm on Tour. His other picture books include My Buddy, Slug; Max for President; and Bubble Bath Pirates.

Moderator: Patricia Keogh, retired children's librarian and teacher of children's literature at area colleges.

Jarrett Krosoczka's Website

Jarrett's Blog

The Foundation for Children's Books Annual Meeting 2007

This will be a quick post because I have to sit myself down and write welcoming remarks for tonight’s spring meeting of the Massachusetts PAS North Shore Council of IRA and an introduction for Mary Ann Hoberman—who is going to be the featured speaker. Mary Ann is one of my favorite poets…and a topnotch presenter. I am really looking forward to seeing and hearing her again!

Last night I attended the Annual Meeting of The Foundation for Children’s Books at Boston College. It was also the last session of the Conversations with…series, New England Voices, which highlights the new work of area authors and illustrators. Last night we heard Mitali Perkins, Jamie Harper, and Jacqueline Davies read from their most recent books.

Anna Alter, Judy O'Malley of Charlesbridge, & Mitali Perkins

Mitali read an excerpt from RICKSHAW GIRL. She also gave us a rundown of the kind of presentation she does at middle schools. I have no doubt that she’s a smash hit at every school where she presents. She’s personable, funny, and full of life.

Jamie Harper read her humorous picture book MISS MINGO AND THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. She told us a truly funny story about a school visit, a tarantula, and her arachnophobia.

Jamie Harper Signing Books

Jacqueling Davies read her new picture book THE HOUSE TAKES A VACATION and an excerpt from THE LEMONADE WAR. Not only that—Jacqueline even brought along her famous lemonade stand…at which she did her book signing. What an ingenious marketing idea!!!

Now that I've figured out how not to take blurry pictures...I think I need to working on lighting. I guess I'll just have to READ THE MANUAL!!!

Out and About with Janet Wong and Grace Lin

I had been looking forward to the week of March 25th. Janet Wong was going to be in Boston visiting schools, the Cambridge Public Library, and speaking at an event sponsored by The Foundation for Children’s Books at Boston College. Grace Lin, Janet, and I had made plans to have dinner together on Monday night at a wonderful restaurant called Oleana.

A couple of days before Janet was due to arrive Grace emailed me to inquire about who was going to drive to the restaurant. She was concerned because it’s so hard to find parking in the area…and, she said, “I can’t parallel park.” Well, that’s something Grace and I have in common. I wrote back to her saying I could pick her up and drop her off—then drive around for a few hours until I could find a double space so I could pull in forward. Go figure…I have been driving for more than forty years and still haven’t mastered the art of parallel parking.


Monday, March 26th

Not to worry, Janet drove…and even though she has a large car, she parked it in a small space with ease. Janet Wong is my idol: a great children’s poet who can parallel park!!! I am in awe of her poetic and vehicular abilities.

We had a delightful dinner together. Janet and I, who are both more than a tad loquacious, kept jabbering away. Poor Grace barely slipped a few sentences into the conversation.

The food was delicious. I took just one “foodie photo” of the scrumptious Baked Alaska dessert. The meringue was like a silky, sweet cloud browned to perfection. Grace got it right when she said the meringue tasted like a toasted marshmallow. Yum! Sweet tooth alert: I’d go back just for the dessert.

Grace also wrote about our dinner out with Janet at Pacyforest, her personal blog.

Tuesday, March 27th

Grace and I went to Boston College to hear Janet speak. We sat with fellow Blue Rose Girl Anna Alter and Mary Newell DePalma, another talented children’s author and illustrator.

Mary Newell DePalma, Grace, Elaine, and Anna

Janet had a great interview with Patricia Keogh of The Foundation for Children’s Books. Janet was herself—open, honest, funny, ebullient…and sincere. We really enjoyed her presentation.

Pat Keogh and Janet

Then Janet, Grace, and I (the chauffeur) had a l-o-o-o-n-n-n-g drive back to the Inn at Harvard in Cambridge where Janet was staying. The drive was long in regard to time…not distance. We didn’t have to traverse miles and miles of roads in and around the Athens of America. You see, Grace and I have something else in common: no sense of direction. We get lost easily...and often. Lewis and Clark would have dumped us in a trice and never have given it a second thought. No one would ever nominate either Grace or me for a “Henry the Navigator” Award!


The Return of the Potato Chip Poet
Good News: Janet is returning to Massachusetts in mid April. And the “spud lovin’ poet” is coming to my house for my homemade potato pancakes…and other specialties! Grace and I will try to take lots of photos for all you foodies out there in the kidlitosphere.