Freight Train

This classic concept book, published in 1978, still works every time I read it (which is at least once a night). Donald Crews' bright, simple and artistic book is a surefire hit with little boys (and anyone else who is obsessed with trains). It has a rhythmic easy-to-read text and the illustrations are wonderful... he makes the reader feel as if they are really watching the train go by. My favorite pages are the last three: "Moving in darkness, Moving in daylight. Going, Going.... gone." It's one of the few concept books (not including alphabet books) that has received a Caldecott Honor. I like the hardcover and paperback versions the best because the pictures are nice and big... but the board book is a good option if you have a baby in your life. No illustrations were harmed to make the board book, and the text works well for babies.

If you've read the book as often as I have, you may be curious what the numbers and letters on the black tender and steam engine mean. 1978 (on the tender) refers to the year the book was published... and N & A (on the steam engine) are the initials of Donald Crews' daughters Nina and Amy.

There's a companion book (which is only published as a board book) called Inside Freight Train. You can literally pull the train cars apart and see what's inside. I like this book, but it gets damaged easily (the flaps don't pull apart that well)... and I think the original works better. But Inside Freight Train is a great choice for babies and toddlers learning about books because it's fun for them to play with.

Whichever version you find, this is a classic waiting to be discovered.

Predictions for Harry Potter 7

Assumption One= I have lots of guesses about what will happen in the final Harry Potter book

Assumption Two= It is impossible to guess the plot of any Harry Potter book, because J.K. Rowling surprises me (and everyone else) every time.

Assumption Three= I'm going to post what my guesses are anyway.

Assumption Four= Nobody will make too much fun of me (fingers crossed) on July 22 when it turns out that all my guesses are wrong.

So... disclaimers out of the way... here's what I think. They're not really spoilers (spoilers are when you have actual information about the book, which I don't... although if you haven't read all the books, you might not want to continue reading this post.)

My wild stab-in-the-dark guesses (some of which are based on the scores of J.K. Rowling interviews I've read), in no particular order:

• Time traveling will be involved.
• Harry and Voldemort go "behind the veil" in the Ministry of Magic.
• Regulus Black is not R.A.B.
• The initials R.A.B. have nothing to do with identifying the person they refer to. They refer to an acronym like "Really Amazing Boy".... in the way that the Half Blood Prince didn't refer to an actual "prince."
• My craziest guess that will be wrong... R.A.B. is Snape.
• Snape isn't working for Voldemort or Dumbledore, he's working for himself.
• "Godric's" Hollow has something to do with Godric Gryffindor.
• The mirror that Sirius gave Harry in Book 5 will be REALLY important.
• There is a graveyard at Hogwarts that will be important.
• There is a female ghost at Hogwarts (who has been mentioned twice in passing) and will figure into the plot of Book 7.
• Professor Trelawney really isn't a flake- she's actually a competent fortuneteller.
• My husband's guess: Harry/Trelawney will use Divination to find the Horcruxes.
• The ending will be something no one could have ever predicted, and it will be fabulous.

If you want to make your own predictions... there's a wonderful quiz at The Leaky Cauldron where you can get all your guesses down before the book comes out. If the link to the quiz section doesn't work, go to Leaky's main page and click on quizzes on the left hand side. A word of warning... it's a LONG quiz, so be sure you have some time to do it before you start.

UPDATE: So five of my predictions (out of thirteen) were correct. Not so good... but I'm proud that I got the female ghost prediction right.

Orange Pear Apple Bear

This recently published book is a wonderful addition to the list of great books for babies.

It only has FOUR words (five, actually- if you count the last page)... all of which are in the title. It's incredibly creative and the pictures are so humorous and expressive. The words are all easy words that little kids can recognize. So many books for babies are overly complicated and wordy- but this one is just right. This is one of the few books that I think would convert into a fantastic board book.. plenty of white space and the pictures are centrally located on the page. More importantly, the target audience for this book is babies- who will shred the hardcover edition... so a board book would really be helpful. That being said, it can also be appreciated by older readers.... my three year old LOVES this book. Kudos to Emily Gravett for creating something so wonderful and accessible.... I hope it will become a classic.

But, really, I fell in love with the bear (and you will too).

The Higher Power of Lucky

Read this book. Not because it won this year's prestigious Newbery medal (which it did), not because it incited controversy(which it also did).... read it because it's a fabulous book.

What's so great about it? It's funny, heart wrenching, quirky, and hard to put down. It feels both incredibly modern.... and simultaneously timeless. I don't feel like this book could have been written twenty years ago because of the contemporary feel of it.... but I also think I could pick it up in twenty (or sixty) years and enjoy it as much as I do now.

The characters are so achingly well described, and are all so imperfect and.... human. The location is so vivid and detailed that when I read this book, I feel like I'm sweltering in the heat in Hard Pan waiting for my shipment of government food to arrive.

One of my favorite things in the book is the last page... the author's note to the reader. Susan Patron is a librarian, after all, and she tells you just where to find the website for the International Guild of Knot Tyers, the bibliographic information for Are You My Mother?, etc.
Actually, this is probably my second favorite thing.... because my favorite is really Chapter 22 "bonne nuit" which is... a perfect chapter.

The first time I read The Higher Power of Lucky it was very very quickly. I was taking an advanced seminar in children's literature in library school... and the semester started 2 days after the ALA awards were announced. Our professor had scheduled members of this year's Newbery and Siebert committees to talk to us- which was fantastic... but they were scheduled for three weeks from the first day of class. Which meant everyone in my class had to read all the Newbery, Siebert and Caldecott medalists and honor books in the next three weeks. The reading was no problem, but tracking them all down when they had just become the most popular books in the country overnight.... well, that was a problem. (Example, the day before The Higher Power of Lucky won the Newbery it was ranked over #700,000 on Amazon's bestseller list.... the day it won it was ranked #4.) The Higher Power of Lucky was the hardest of all the books to find because its initial printing had been fairly small, and it had been published fairly recently. My professor had a copy, which my class passed around like contraband... I think I had under 24 hours to read it before I had to give it to another classmate.

And, sigh.... after all that... the class session where we were going to talk about the book got cancelled due to snow. Fortunately, one of my classmates did her term paper on 50 years of books about 10 year old girls (and how Lucky compared to her 10 year old predecessors)... so we did get to discuss the book after all.

And now I have a copy all my own (autographed, no less!) so I can enjoy the book over and over.
I'll have to get a second copy to lend out.

Her speech at the Newbery banquet was beautiful, funny, heart wrenching... just like her book.... see my earlier post about the banquet.

In the precious thirty seconds I got to talk to author Susan Patron while she was signing my book at the ALA conference, I learned the following things:

• She is a joy to talk to.
• She REALLY likes it when you mention her other books published before Lucky (although she loves to hear about Lucky too.)
• It was surreal for her to be at the ALA conference as a Famous Author, instead of as a conference attendee.
• Yes, she does speak French.
• You can get a parsley grinder on Ebay for $4.

For Better or For Worse

Grad Girl commented on my earlier "What's this blog about?" post... "What happened with For Better or For Worse? I haven't read the comics in a while...I'm curious to know."

(By the way, it's so exciting to get comments! It means people are actually reading what I have to say.)

So what's going on with For Better or For Worse these days?
Well, for one thing, it's ending in a few months... well, kind-of-sort ending. See this interview from Editor and Publisher for more details. Basically, Lynn Johnston is pseudo-retiring.... the strip will continue, but the aging of the characters (which is one of the most interesting and unique parts) will freeze.

So, why is this a big deal in the comic strip world? Because it seems that the author is trying to wrap up ALL the storylines in the next few months, and the results are a bit stilted and awkward.... particularly what's going on with Elizabeth. There's been a lot of angst on the For Better or For Worse unofficial listserv and a lot of frustration among fans to see the protagonists forced in to happily ever after endings.

If you haven't read it recently.... it's worth catching up with it... because it looks like a major plot development is (inevitably) happening this week. There's a pretty extensive archive at the For Better or Worse website. By the way, if you do go the website- check out the John's Coffee Break game.... which may be one of the most addicting games ever, apart from Tetris.

Comic Strip poll

I'm a huge fan of newspaper comic strips (For Better or For Worse, Doonesbury, etc) .... and I'm always impressed at how huge the audiences are for these strips. Although they may seem like an obscure thing, you'd be surprised at the unbelievable number of people who follow them (either regularly or sporadically). I'll be posting more comments about my favorite strips in the future, but for now, I'm curious.... do you follow comic strips? See the poll on the right hand side.

On re-reading Harry Potter

There are so many reasons I love the Harry Potter books- but I think the main one is that they are so carefully crafted. Since J.K. Rowling had all seven books planned out before the first one was published, she was able to sprinkle the books with details that seem small when first introduced but become extremely important later.


I absolutely love reading the books the first time- there is nothing like the thrill of having no idea where the author is heading- but it's the rereading that has made me really appreciate them.


Let me give you an example.


At the end of the sixth book... (spoiler alert- don't read past this point if you haven't finished reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince yet)...







Extra space for anyone who wants to stop reading now







... there is a black cabinet that figures significantly into the plot. When Draco and Dumbledore are "conversing" on top of the astronomy tower- Dumbledore asks how Draco managed to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Draco replies that he "had to mend that broken Vanishing Cabinet that no one's used for years. The one Montague got lost in last year." (Half Blood Prince, page 586).


Okay, so it's easy to assume that this is the first mention of the cabinet, right? Nope- it's the FIFTH time it's mentioned. Take a look.

All page numbers refer to the hardcover Scholastic editions.


Harry is in Filch's office when he and Filch hear a huge BANG! on the floor above. Filch races out of his office (while Harry reads about the Kwikspell course.) When Filch comes back in, he says "that vanishing cabinet was extremely valuable!" (Chamber of Secrets, pg. 128)


Harry leaves Filch's office and "Nearly Headless Nick came gliding out of a classroom. Behind him, Harry could see the wreckage of a large black-and-gold cabinet that appeared to have been dropped from a great height. "I persuaded Peeves to crash it right over Filch's office," said Nick eagerly. "Thought it might distract him."(Chamber of Secrets, pg. 129)


In Book 5, Harry is upset when Draco deducts points from Gryffindor and he comments on it to Fred and George.
"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points," said Harry furiously...
"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break," said George.
"What do you mean, 'tried'?" said Ron quickly.
"He never managed to get all the words out," said Fred, "due to the fact that we forced him headfirst into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor." (Order of the Phoenix, pgs. 626-627.)

When Harry goes into the Room of Requirement in the sixth book to hide his Potions book

"he turned right past an enormous stuffed troll, ran on a short way, took a left at the broken Vanishing Cabinet in which Montague had got lost the previous year.
(Half Blood Prince, pg. 526)

Also, the cabinet in Borgin and Burkes is mentioned twice. Once in Book 2 (when Harry actually hides in it so that the Malfoys don't see him) and once in Book 6, when Harry, Ron and Hermione can't get a clear view of Draco talking to Borgin because the cabinet is in the way. I'll add the page references when I have the books in front of me.

This is just one example of how Rowling has littered clues and intriguing information throughout the series. Even if you've read the books before, I think they're always worth picking up again.

The Toolbox

This wonderfully simple book by Anne and Harlow Rockwell captures the joy children feel when discovering their father's toolbox. Each tool is rendered in loving detail with an engaging and easily understandable text. Published in 1971, the original (and the reprint) are both unfortunately out of print. However, the book was recently released as a board book, which I think is a terrific idea.

Typically when hardcover books are reformatted into board books, there are abridgements and changes to the original text and layout. The Toolbox is one of the few books that I think is an excellent adaptation. It preserves the spirit of the original, and the content is appropriate for toddlers between one and two years old (when they're still shredding and ripping up books- so the board book format is necessary.) Also, because the original book is filled with white space, the borders aren't sacrificed by shrinking it to a smaller size.

The only slight disappointment is that the handmade paper illustrations that Harlow Rockwell created for the book reproduce much better in the original book. In the board book the tools aren't nearly as beautiful as they are in the hardcover version. But this is a minor issue, and it is great to see this book in print in any format.

28 Tips for the ALA conference

This was my first ALA conference, and I asked everyone I could for advice. I posted to listservs, I asked my library school professors, I read all the wikis on the ALA website, etc.

And I got lots of great advice.

Having just lived through it- I can now offer my own advice for attending an ALA conference.

Here goes:

1. If you ask anyone what their advice is for the annual conference, they will answer "wear comfortable shoes."
2. Wear comfortable shoes.
3. If you're debating whether or not to go to the conference.... go.
4. If there's an event/luncheon/ceremony that you REALLY want to go to and it costs money..... go.
5. If it's your first time at an ALA annual conference- sign up for a mentor through New Members Round Table and ask for someone in the specific field that you're interested in. This was one of the best things I did- and I can't recommend it highly enough.
6. Pick a hotel as close to the convention center as humanly possible, even if you need three roommates to be able to afford the room.
7. If you LOVE children's books- go to the Newbery/Caldecott banquet. It's worth every penny (and then some).
8. Don't dither about the expensive events- because by the time you decide it's worth getting a ticket, the event will be sold out. Buy the ticket when you register.
9. If you go to the Newbery/Caldecott banquet- it makes a huge difference to be invited by a publisher because your seats are much better. If you get an invitation from a publisher for the banquet, accept it immediately.
10. If you go to an awards ceremony- read all the books being honored before you go. The awards are announced in January- so that gives you six months to catch up on your reading. It makes all the difference in the world to know the books- the award ceremonies are a million times better when you do.
11. If you have time, it's extremely helpful to read all (or as many as possible) of the books the winner of an award has written because they almost always mention their previous books in their speeches (particularly their first book).
12. If a winner has won the award in the past (for example, David Wiesner who has three Caldecotts to his name) find their other acceptance speeches and read them.
13. If there's a session you REALLY want to go to, and the authors are announced beforehand, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with their books before you go.
14. You have to pay for the books at the author signings. (This is not true at the Book Expo, so it caught me off-guard.) Hardcovers are $10. If there's an author you love, it's worth it to lug their book with you from home so you don't have to buy it at the conference.
15. If there's a book you LOVE, and it costs $10, and the author is right in front of you signing books- buy the book and get it signed. It's worth it.
16. Try to say something to authors that they don't hear all the time. The more specific you can be the better. Instead of saying to a picture book author "I love your illustrations," say "I love the detailed tiger picture in this book. How long did it take you to draw that?" If you know any of their previous lesser known books- definitely mention them.
17. Take pictures of the authors you see at the signings- no matter how stupid you feel about doing it- you'll be grateful ten years later when they win the Caldecott.
18. Even if you're not looking for a job right now, get your resume reviewed at the Placement Center. It's always good to have a current copy of your resume handy, and it's great to get such wonderful, professional advice.
19. If you plan to get your resume reviewed, go IMMEDIATELY to sign up for a slot..... even before you pick up your registration badge. All the weekend's sessions can fill up by the end of Friday.
20. Plan lunch and dinner breaks, otherwise it's really easy to skip meals and wind up hungry and exhausted.
21. Talk to everyone.... lines are great places to meet people.
22. Go to the informal happy hours, get-togethers for your college, interest group, etc.
23. Sit in on the Notable books committee meetings. All the other award committee meetings are closed, but this one is open, and absolutely fascinating to listen to.
24. Collect all the ribbons for your badge you can- for all the divisions you belong to. Makes a great talking point.
25. If the convention center has a bag check- make use of it- so you're not lugging so many books around.
26. Join the listservs of the divisions you're interested in BEFORE you go to the conference.
27. Enjoy every minute.
28. Go again next year.

Newbery/Caldecott/Wilder banquet

Where to start? This event was incredible...

I LOVED it. It was my first one- but I'm hooked now- I have to keep mortgaging my house to go again in the future and forevermore.

I committed the ultimate crime of not being invited by a publisher- and sat in the cheap seats in the waaaaaay back. The TV screens were essential... otherwise all I could see was David Wiesner and Susan Patron shaped blobs.

The good thing was that the people in the back got to the recieving line first- so I got to talk to EVERY author... before they started hurrying people along. I had talked to Kirby Larson at 10 am in the morning at her book signing- and when I saw her in the recieving line hours and hours (and tons of people later- for her) and she remembered MY NAME. Amazing. (And I wasn't wearing a name tag). I asked her how on earth she had done that- because she had met vast quantities of people that weekend- she said something to the effect of that she never forgets a fan- not one who loved her book so much. I had gushed all over Hattie Big Sky that morning- which I'm crazy about. That may have been the highlight of the night for me.

Speaking of Kirby Larson, it took a while for her to get to the stage after her name was announced.... and sitting in the way back I couldn't see what was going on. I started to wonder if she had bad seats too (which couldn't be possible) or if she had gotten lost on the way up to the podium. She cleared up the mystery with a very poignant post on her blog.

Jennifer Holm, author of Penny From Heaven looked incredibly glamorous. And she also remembered who I was! from when she visited my library school children's lit class. The Newbery committee chair mentioned that Jenny had had a baby two weeks ago (and she got huge applause)- but actually she gave birth TEN DAYS earlier- she was short-changed with the 2 weeks comment.

David Wiesner's speech was fantastic- I thought he had the right to phone it in- this being his third one and all. But he hit it out of the park. I saw him the next day at his book signing for Flotsam and said I was grateful he didn't title the book Cheese (he mentioned it his speech that he had briefly considered calling it that). He said he was grateful too- and thank god for his editor.

Here's the view from the cheap seats of David Wiesner... keep in mind that I had to STAND UP to get this picture. Read Fuse #8's post about what it looked like to those who were near the stage.

And Susan Patron- wow. Her speech was just amazing.... I was transfixed... and hung on every word. I had read Maybe Yes Maybe No Maybe Maybe- and that telling stories to her younger sister in the bathtub thing finally made sense. I liked when she paused for an earthquake (you won't find that in the recorded speech!) When I mentioned it to my husband later- he said- (and I can't believe he remembered this detail about her)... "she's from California.... she's much more attuned to possible earthquakes." I lived in California for two years... and yes... I paid a lot more attention to earthquakes.

They ended the banquet with the Carnegie Medal winning video of Knuffle Bunny. My three year old son LOVES Knuffle Bunny with an unbelievable passion. I had checked the viedo out of the library because I was planning on going to the Siebert/ Carnegie/ Geisel/ Batchelder award ceremony (which I miraculously made it to- the highlight was when Trixie Willems was carried up by her dad and thanked the crowd.) Anyway, my son watched Knuffle Bunny once and said "More knuffle?" Who was I to refuse? (It's only 7 minutes.) So he watched it again- actually TEN more times that night- and then the next night and then the next (well, you get the idea). So I've seen the movie approximately 495,267,922,589 times... and then they played it AGAIN while I was trapped in my seat at the banquet. ARGH! Although I do love it- and I was glad everyone saw it- I was VERY grateful when it ended.

What a wonderful wonderful evening. I can't wait for next year!

American Library Association annual conference

I'll be posting lots more about the ALA convention.... but first I just wanted to say how wonderful it was. The best part was meeting people who were as into books as I am, and who took the time to listen to what I had to say and act interested (even if they were a Newbery medal winner).

I think (I've almost) recovered from it.... at least, I think I can feel my feet again.

Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy!

What a wonderful book. I love Sandra Boynton's books- but I think this one is particularly special. What's so great about this 26-word book, you ask? I'm not sure everyone would think that "rough rough rough" makes engaging text... but the book isn't written for everyone... it's written for babies. And they're the ones who it really works for.

There's approximately three words a page, almost all of which repeat (which is perfect for a little, impatient listener), the book is over-sized (so it's easier for kids to see and turn the pages), the pictures are simple and not overly complicated.... and.... best of all.... there's an activity for the baby to do on every page. Touch and feel books, especially simple ones like this one, are a HUGE hit with babies.

By the way the "rough rough rough" line is on the same page as a picture of a dog, who has a "rough" paw... but when you read it aloud it sounds like "ruff ruff ruff" which is a pun even a baby can get.

It's funny to look at the publisher's picture of this book.... because the version I own has most of the cover ripped off, a sticky brown substance somewhere in the middle, and the egg shells are completely torn off the birds on the last page. Which goes to show you, even board books can't withstand the love and rough handling of a baby.

This book is of my favorites (and more importantly, one of my son's favorites) and it works every time with every baby I've met.

Board books for babies

I'm sure this will be the first post of many on this topic.... because I'm very opinionated about it.
Why? Because when I had a baby, I got lots and lots of board books (from friends, from the library, from the bookstore, from the library bookstore etc.) Which can be wonderful.
But my baby wasn't really interested in them.... they were mostly repackaged versions of other books that are incredibly popular such as Guess How Much I Love You and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. They were too long (sometimes more than a sentence per page... which asks a lot of a baby's attention span) and neither of us were enjoying the reading experience very much. Which broke my heart, because I had always heard you should read to your child from a young age- and I always wanted to read to my child- and here I had a child who couldn't care less about books.

Then, my friend Danielle recommended Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy! a touch, skritch, & tickle book by Sandra Boynton. It was the first time my son was actually independently interested in a book... he crawled over to feel the cover. And suddenly... I realized that I needed to find books written for babies. And so began a quest... and I ended up writing a rather longish paper about board books for library school. I'll post the board books in the links section that I think really work for babies (I've field tested them all carefully).

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

This book is pretty well known now, but I thought I'd mention it because I love it so completely. This was author/illustrator/animator Mo Willems debut book. It came out only a few short years ago (2003) but now Mo and his pigeons and knuffle bunnies seem to be everywhere (which is fine with me).

I have to admit, at first glance, it appears to be relatively unsophisticated, but deeper examination reveals its complexity. Illustrated in an extremely straightforward fashion with flat colors and a black crayon, the artistic style is not beautiful or breathtaking but it expertly conveys the story and character with just a few lines. The immaturity of the pigeon is well suited to this child-like style of illustration. Willems uses every inch of space to tell his story, including endpapers, title page and even the covers. He also employs subtle changes in background color and excellent use of white space. Through these techniques and a hysterical and simple text, the conflict slowly and expertly builds to a very clear and humorous climax. The flawless unity of illustration and story make this book so compelling... and makes my three year old laugh every single time he reads it (which is a LOT).

The Knight Bus

As a promotion for Harry Potter 7, Scholastic has sent the triple decker Knight Bus on a tour of libraries around the country. It boggles the mind why the book needs any marketing and promotion at this point, but who am I to complain? I got to go on the bus.

The pictures are much better on the Scholastic website linked to above, but I'm posting a couple of the ones I took in order to point out a few things (and to see if I can figure out how to successfully post pictures to this blog.)

Here's the thing that impressed me the most: they had the driver's seat on the LEFT (because it's a British bus, of course.) Also, the seat is an armchair with the big wheel described in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This seat is pretty obviously for show... it looks like a real seat on the right hand side folds down for the actual driver.

The bus is actually a double-decker bus (although it is painted on the outside to look like a triple decker) and the windows are also painted on. The actual bus is filled more with computer equipment than with wizard furnishings. Each person on the bus (and who has filled out an extensive release form) has a chance to record a 20 second video about why they love Harry Potter.

I was one of the only adults on the bus... and I peppered the Scholastic crew with questions. They said they get a lot of strange looks driving from city to city and a lot of near accidents as people on the interstate come to virtual standstills (while driving!) to pull out their cameras. Only one person (the driver) actually rides in the bus... the rest of the staff are in a different vehicle.

Just imagine the looks they get at truck stops and toll booths.

What does Wizards Wireless mean?

It's an obscure Harry Potter reference. So obscure, that it appears only three times in the books (if you've found more mentions, let me know!) It's the radio station that wizards listen to- and it seemed like the perfect name for a blog created via a wireless connection. All the major, non-obscure Harry Potter references like The Leaky Cauldron are already taken, so I thought I'd try something off the beaten path.

What's this blog about?

I get asked constantly for book recommendations for kids and thought I'd finally post them all in one place. A (growing) list will appear in the links and lists portion on the side of the page... but I also plan to discuss them- and why they made my list and what makes each one so good.

Most blogs about children's books highlight the up-to-the-minute current books... which I think is absolutely wonderful.

I have a somewhat different approach... to talk about books, no matter the publication date, that really connect with their readers (particularly if their readers are under the age of ten).

You also may have noticed that my blog is subtitled "Life, children's books and Harry Potter" so I may as well openly confess that I am a Harry Potter nut. Sadly, the last book of the series is coming out in a few short weeks, but I think there will be a lot of unanswered questions and interesting things to mull over- even after all the frenzy has died down.

I'm also a very avid reader of comic strips (the kind that appear in the daily newspaper) so I also plan to highlight some of my favorites- and talk about current developments (like: What the heck was Lynn Johnston thinking?)

So- there you go- reviews of children's books (and things related to children's books), Harry Potter, comic strips, and who knows what else.

Who am I?

Good question. I'm almost a children's librarian... currently slogging my way through grad school towards a master's in Library Science. I love children's books... and get excited about things like seeing David Wiesner in person. (who just won a THIRD Caldecott medal- the man is amazing).

I love talking about books, about Harry Potter (not very original- but they really are my favorite books), about kids (I have a very cute and adorable one), about books for kids... and we'll see what else comes up.

Welcome!

I think I'm the last person in the world to start a blog.

Why start now? I was sitting at a table in a bar this past Saturday (not something I usually do)... with 15 very cool people who were as interested in children's books as I am. What made it interesting was that virtually everyone present had a blog (at least 10 of the 15).... so people were introduced by the screen names- not their actual names.

I thought, what the heck, I can do this too. I have way too many opinions that I share with anyone who will listen. So I thought I'd give it a try... despite the fact that my 18 year old cousin informed me that "blogs are so three years ago."

So- welcome... and thanks for reading.