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The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats

Celebrating Ezra Jack Keats

March 29, 2016 3 Comments

Jackie: This is the time of year when I read the Travel Section of the Sunday paper. I just want to go away from gritty snow, brown yards and come back to Spring. Well, there are no tickets on the shelf this year so Phyllis and I are taking a trip to the city created by Ezra Jack Keats. And why not?… more

Marion Dane Bauer

March 10, 2016 1 Comment

In this interview with Marion Dane Bauer, we’re asking about her novel-in-verse, Little Cat’s Luck, our Bookstorm™ this month, written for second, third, and fourth graders as a read-aloud or individual reading books. It’s a good companion to her earlier novel-in-verse, Little Dog, Lost. When the idea for this story came to you, was it a seed or a full-grown set of characters and a storyline?… more

Juxtaposition

March 9, 2016 2 Comments

jux·ta·po·si·tion | jəkstəpəˈziSH(ə)n/ | noun the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect. Example: “the juxtaposition of these two images” Juxtaposition. The word has been swimming around my head for several weeks. The best month of my entire career filled with some of my proudest moments as an educator happening at the same time big decisions are being made by the “powers that be,” changes that will profoundly affect what happens each day in Room 123.… more

Feeling Cranky

February 24, 2016 1 Comment

Phyllis: February is the month for lovers and for love. And it’s the month where some of us also get a little grumpy. Gray slushy snow — no good for skiing or building snow people — lines the streets. The weight of winter coats wears old. And even though we do love February, we thought we’d look at books about grumpiness — just in case anyone else might feel a little, well, cranky once in a while.… more

Theater: “The Story of Crow Boy”

February 20, 2016 No Comments

Take heed and take heart, those of you who are makers of books for the young. Your stories matter, these works of first Art you create for children through text and through pictures. Write and draw truth and joy and friendship and power and overcoming and the exquisite natural world and human experience.

Middle Kingdom: Denver, Colorado

February 17, 2016 2 Comments

The books that most delight middle school and junior high readers often straddle a “Middle Kingdom” ranging from upper middle grade to YA. Each month, Bookology columnist Lisa Bullard will visit the Middle Kingdom by viewing it through the eyes of a teacher or librarian. Bookology is delighted to celebrate the work of these educators who have built vital book encampments in the transitional territory of early adolescence.… more

Bambi

January 21, 2016 10 Comments

by Melanie Heuiser Hill When I was 16, my aunt gave birth to twin boys. We did not see them nearly often enough as they were growing up (we were separated by several states), but the memories I have of those boys when they were little are clear in a way they are not with regard to my other cousins.… more

Stephanie Roth Sisson

January 13, 2016 No Comments

The first Princess Posey book was published in 2010. How long before that were you asked to illustrate the book? And were the plans to have it be a single book at that time or were there already intentions to publish more than one book about Posey? Susan Kochan and Cecilia Yung at Penguin contacted me in November of 2008 about the Princess Posey series.… more

Two for the Show: Winter Stories

December 23, 2015 1 Comment

by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Phyllis Root Jackie: Ah winter. Season of holidays and snow. Such a richness of stories. Phyllis: I have a shelf full of favorite Christmas books. What most of them have in common is story, not just about Christmas itself but also about families celebrating their connection to each other. They meet my own test for a good Christmas story — take away Christmas from the setting and the story still has a strong heartbeat about love, family, community, and caring for each other. … more

Skinny Dip with Loretta Ellsworth

December 16, 2015 2 Comments

What keeps you up at night? Usually my son Andrew – he’s blind and sometimes gets day and night mixed up. What is your proudest career moment? Finishing a novel, meaning writing and revising until I’m satisfied with it – no matter what happens with the manuscript, I know I’ve accomplished an amazing goal. Describe your favorite pair of pajamas ever When I was young I had a pair of footie pajamas that I loved and wore out.… more

Chair of Honor for Vera B. Williams

November 11, 2015 2 Comments

by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Phyllis Root Jacqueline Briggs Martin: Some writers teach us craft. Some writers inspire us. Vera B. Williams does both. As part of celebrating her wonderful life and career we want to take another look at her lovely stories and her busy life. One of the many remarkable things about her books is that they “erupt” (as she said) from the activities of her life.… more

Skinny Dip with Rick Chrustowski

November 11, 2015 1 Comment

What animal are you most like? Sometimes I am a Zen-like praying mantis, sitting and watching the world. And other times I am hopped up like a hummingbird zipping around trying to get a bunch of things done at once or, if I am at a party, trying to meet everyone in the room. Which book of yours was the most difficult to write or illustrate?… more

Authors Emeritus: Lynd Ward

October 6, 2015 No Comments

Born in Chicago on June 26, 1905, Lynd Ward, the son of a Methodist minister, grew up moving around and living close to new immigrants. Ward was a sickly baby and the family moved to northern Canada for several months hoping his health would improve. Upon the family’s return, Ward, now a healthier child, never lost his bond with the wilderness.… more

Quirky Book Lists: Classroom Pets

September 1, 2015 No Comments

Thinking about adding a classroom pet? Read and think again!
8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel [÷] 1 Dog = Chaos
written by Vivian Vande Velde
illustrated by Steve Bjorkman
Holiday House, 2012 Squirrel likes living near a school playground. He’s not so sure about going inside, though, especially when he’s chased there by a dog and all the classroom pets get involved.

… more

Two for the Show: How Does Your Garden Grow?

August 12, 2015 2 Comments

by Phyllis Root and Jacqueline Briggs Martin It’s high summer in the garden, with an abundance of vegetables to harvest and flowers abuzz with pollinators. Crunchy carrots, leafy kale, sun-warm tomatoes, garlic bulbs, green beans, zucchini (some gigantic) all offer themselves to the gardener. But more grows in a garden than plants. People grow, too, and connections between people take root and blossom.… more

Catch You Later, Traitor Companion Booktalks

August 4, 2015 1 Comment

To get you started on the Bookstorm™ Books …
America in the 1950s Edmund Lindop with Sarah Decapua
21^st Century Books, 2010 Topic-centered chapters, e.g.: the transition from WWII, the Korean War, the 50’s economy and society, the Red Scare Photo-illustrated Report material galore, including substantial back matter

Bat 6 Virginia Euwer Wolff
Scholastic, 1998 In rural Oregon not long after WWII, the annual softball game between 6^th grade girls from two towns is a cauldron of secrets, simmering racism, class divide, hope and friendship.

… more

Candice Ransom: Being Ten

August 4, 2015 1 Comment

Every summer I wish I was ten again, the perfect age for the perfect season. At that age I was at the height of my childhood powers. And as a reader, books couldn’t be thrust into my hands fast enough. Every morning I’d eat a bowl of Rice Krispies, with my book at the table (my mother wouldn’t let me do this at supper, though I often kept my library book open on the seat of the next chair).… more

Interview with Gene Luen Yang

July 28, 2015 No Comments

The Shadow Hero
written by Gene Luen Yang
illustrated by Sonny Liew
First Second, 2014 What qualifies a comics character as a superhero? You’ve asked a question that lies at the very heart of geekdom. I don’t know if there’s a solid answer. Most superheroes have superhuman abilities, but not all. Most superheroes wear colorful costumes, but not all. … more

Skinny Dip with Debra Frasier

July 22, 2015 1 Comment

What is your favorite holiday tradition: When I was fourteen years old I assumed the role of Christmas Ambrosia Maker in my southern-novel of a family. I was the youngest appointee, ever, and surprising, as it requires welding a very sharp serrated knife, but I had a knack for it. We were a “fruit-rich” family due to a small, scraggly orange grove west of Vero Beach, FL.… more

Bookstorm: The Shadow Hero

July 7, 2015 No Comments

In this Bookstorm™: Shadow Hero written by Gene Luen Yang
illustrated by Sonny Liew
First Second, 2014 As we become a culture adapted to screens, visuals, and moving pictures, we grow more accustomed to the storytelling form of the graphic novel. For some, their comfort with this combination of visuals and text telling a story satisfies a craving to “see” the story while they’re reading.… more

How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen

June 25, 2015 3 Comments

by Melanie Heuiser Hill I have written before about the need for longer picture books in addition to the shorter ones making up the current trend in picture book publishing. I want to stay on the record as saying there’s plenty of reason to keep publishing picture books that are longer than 300 – 500 words. I’m an advocate for 3000 – 5000 words — a story with details!… more

Ready for the World with Powerful Literacy Practices

June 9, 2015 2 Comments

by Maurna Rome I believe whole-heartedly in the importance of reading aloud daily to my students. On days I fail to meet this goal, I go home feeling like I’ve let the kids down. I recall the frenzy of Valentine’s Day with the excitement of school-wide bingo, special class projects and more than enough candy — but no time spent reading aloud.… more

Skinny Dip with Nancy Loewen

May 20, 2015 No Comments

What keeps you up at night? At various times: Panera’s iced green tea; the sound of my 18-year-old daughter raiding the fridge; playing Sudoku on my phone; and, as with everyone, a head full of this-and-that. What is your proudest career moment? I’m going to reach way back for this one, more than 20 years ago.… more

Cathy Camper: Writing Lowriders in Space

May 5, 2015 No Comments

Lowriders in Space
written by Cathy Camper
illustrated by Raul the Third
Chronicle Books, 2014 When did you first become aware of (or involved in) lowrider culture? Probably in the early 1980’s, when I visited a friend of mine who lived in the Mission District of San Francisco. There were a lot of lowriders in the neighborhood, and since we were young women at the time, we’d get flirtatious attention from guys showing off their cars when we walked down the street.… more

Raul the Third: Illustrating Lowriders in Space

May 5, 2015 No Comments

Lowriders in Space written by Cathy Camper
illustrated by Raul the Third
Chronicle Books, 2014 When did you first become aware of (or involved in) lowrider culture? I feel like I’ve been aware of lowrider culture for my entire life. When I was in high school I would draw the type of imagery you might see used as décor on a lowrider.… more

We Didn’t Always Know the Way

April 21, 2015 2 Comments

by Vicki Palmquist A step-by-step, slightly tongue-in-cheek but mostly sincere, guide to reading a book, How to Read a Story by Kate Messner, illustrated by Mark Siegel (Chronicle Books), will have you and your young readers feeling all warm and cozy and smart. With advice in Step 2 to Find a Reading Buddy, we are cautioned “And make sure you both like the book.”… more

Chris Van Dusen: Illustrating Leroy Ninker Saddles Up

March 31, 2015 2 Comments

Leroy Ninker first appeared in Mercy Watson Fights Crime as the criminal. Did you consciously change his appearance for Leroy Ninker Saddles Up to make him a more sympathetic character? I’m not sure that I consciously changed his appearance. I tried to make him look like the same character. In the original series he was wearing a robber’s mask which gave him a slightly sinister look.… more

Katherine Tillotson: Illustrating Shoe Dog

March 1, 2015 No Comments

I have always been attracted by collage. In the past, I have enjoyed cutting up patterned paper and arranging the pieces in unexpected ways. The computer has made it possible to re-imagine the technique of collage. Now I am able to combine marks that would have been impossible to mix if I was working conventionally.