Meme: 5 Things About Me

I was tagged for this meme by Sarah at The Reading Zone and by Stacy at Welcome to my Tweendom. (Wondering what a meme is? There's a good definition here).

The rules of the meme get posted at the beginning. Each person answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the blogger then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?
I was the facility manager at a children's theater and I was coordinating the company's move into a brand new building. I was dealing with movers, buying pianos, packing and unpacking boxes, and a million other details. I can't believe that it's been five years already.

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?

• Finish my term papers for graduate school (which is the reason there haven't been too many posts here lately).
• Read bedtime stories to my son.
• Order books for the store I work at.
• Look through book catalogs for upcoming publisher meetings.
• Write my friend to thank him for putting me in the acknowledgements section of his book. His book just came out today, and when I got my copy, I saw that he had thanked not only me, but my whole family! That was a fantastic and incredibly thoughtful thing for him to do (and totally made my month). I should really tell him that.
  

What are five snacks you enjoy?

• raspberries
• strawberries
  
• blackberries
  
• blueberries
  
• tomatoes
  

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

• Buy books for everyone I knew
• give money to libraries
• give money to non-profit children's theaters
• give money to struggling independent bookstores
• endow scholarships
  

What are five of your bad habits?

• Chewing my nails.
  
• Not being as good a correspondent as I would like to be.
• Buying too many books.
• Having millions of books on my to-be-read pile.
  
• Flipping ahead in a book to make sure a character I like is going to make it.

What are five places where you have lived?

• Maryland
  
• Massachusetts
  
• Maryland
  
• California
• Maryland

What are five jobs you’ve had?

• Counselor at a boy scout camp
• Receptionist
• Box office manager
• Director of a performing arts center
• Researcher
  

What five people do you want to tag?
When tagging other people for memes, I pick blogs that are recent additions to my blog roll. That way even if they don't end up doing the meme, you can still check out their wonderful blogs. Don't worry, I won't be offended in any way if you don't want to do it.

In no particular order:

• Jenny's Wonderland of Books: a new blog from a librarian and a children's literature historian (and a fellow classmate a few semesters back).
• No Want Decaf!: a blog written by an editor at a children's publishing company. I'm having so much fun reading this blog and seeing her perspective.
• Destined to Become a Classic: isn't that a great name for a blog? This is a lovely blog about children's books for the middle grades.
• Rosie the Ribbeter: a funny blog about fairy tales written by my friend Cate. I know she's mentioned starting a blog several times, but didn't know she had actually done it... so it was a nice surprise to discover that she had already written several posts.
• Job Hunting Librarian: A great blog for librarians in the D.C. area seeking jobs. My guess is that if Jess does do the meme, it will probably be on her more informal I have a blog?
  

The day before

I just read a great post from Jen Robinson about her excitement for The Battle of the Labyrinth, the highly anticipated fourth Percy Jackson and the Olympians book. Jen, I hope you're not jealous that I've already handled the book. A whole box, in fact.

Publishers are very good about getting books to bookstores just before the release date. They want you to have enough time to process the book and get it in your computer system, but not enough time so that the booksellers can read the whole thing and post it on the internet. Also, they want to remove the temptation for the bookstore to sell it early.

What this means is that you get the book everyone is talking about a day before the book is released to the public. And, sometimes, even that one day can be tortuous.

A recent example is Mo Willems' new book, The Pigeon Wants A....
The object that the pigeon wanted was the subject of a huge publicity campaign. The book arrived at my store the day before the publication date, and I finally found out that the pigeon wanted a puppy. But I couldn't tell anyone. It was quite difficult to read speculation about it when I knew the answer. It was a relief when the next day arrived and I could put the book on the shelf, talk about it and write a blog post about it.

The worst of all was when Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was published. I was working at a large independent bookstore at the time. I helped carry boxes of the book into the store and couldn't read it. See this post for the rest of the story.

But, whatever discomfort it might cause me, it's very important not to sell books until the release date. For one thing, bookstores often sign affidavits. But, more than that, it's just not fair or ethical. As the sign on the Percy Jackson box said (or something to this effect): "Be a true Olympian! Don't sell until the release date."

The good thing, though, is that I only have to wait a day. The publishers have to keep those secrets far longer than I do.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers Documentary

I was thrilled to discover this morning that a documentary has been made about Phillipe Petit's amazing tightrope walk between the towers of the World Trade Center on August 7, 1974.

You may know Petit's name from Mordecai Gerstein's Caldecott winning picture book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. And if you don't know the book, give it a try. It sums up Pettit's incredible feat perfectly and succinctly and it's my favorite picture book.

For more about the documentary and Phillipe Petit, see David Segal's article "Traversing the Towers In a Moment of Joy" in today's Washington Post. The film is currently playing at the Tribeca Film Festival. I can't wait until it comes to a theater near me.

My favorite books to read aloud

This weekend I volunteered to do a storytime for kids at a huge outdoor festival. It was quite a challenge because people were constantly coming and going. The kids ranged from babies to ten year olds. There was loud music playing in the background and there were tons of other events going on in the immediate vicinity. I had to shout to make myself heard.

Plus, I was right near an enormous tent where 50,000 free cupcakes were being handed out.


So, I had some competition.

What to do? I decided to use my all time favorite books, the ones that always work as read alouds, no matter what. I did some old classics, which was very effective because it drew in an audience, and I mixed it up with a couple of new favorites. Here are the magic books I used, and they attracted a crowd despite the strong allure of the cupcakes.

• Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
• Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberly
• Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
• Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett (the British edition)
  
• The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
• The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
  

I've got a much longer list of books I use for storytimes at the store I work at, but that's a much quieter and calmer environment. I've got the books above memorized, and they've never failed me yet.

I'm not sure if this list would work for everyone, because each storyteller has their own style. My style works best with books that are funny and have audience participation.

I'm curious, if you do storytimes or read to kids (your kids or anyone else's), what books always work for you?

You want to know more about the cupcakes, don't you? There's more about them here and here and fabulous pictures here.

Book club bliss

I've wanted to be in a book club for years, but have never been able to find one that reads children's literature. I finally stopped looking and started a book club myself.

We've had a few meetings so far, and it's been pure heaven. The DC Children's Literature Bookclub (DC Kidlit for short) is a terrific mixture of children's librarians, teachers, library school grad students, bloggers, authors and parents. The meetings have been insightful, thought provoking and a lot of fun. It's wonderful to be able to have in-depth conversations about good books with fellow children's book lovers.

If you live in the Washington DC area, (or are in town for a visit) you're welcome to join us. We read a book from a different genre each month. All meetings are on Sunday afternoons at 3 p.m. at the La Madeleine Bakery in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Here's the upcoming reading list and schedule:

• May 4- Early chapter book: The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
• June 1- Juvenile fiction: The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
• July 13- Non-fiction: We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
• September 7- Poetry: This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness by Joyce Sidman
  

If you'd like to join the bookclub and vote on upcoming selections, e-mail me at: wizardwireless [at] gmail [dot] com, and I'll be happy to add you to the group's listserv.

The People in Pineapple Place

Every now and then I discover a fantastic book that I know I'll love forever. I found one today. It's called The People in Pineapple Place and was written by Anne Spencer Lindbergh (the daughter of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh). It was originally published in 1982.

It's a fantasy set in Washington D.C. about a street of people that are only visible to newcomer August Brown. August gets frustrated that no one else can see the wonderful world he's found (wouldn't you?) but he has great adventures with the (mostly) invisible children of Pineapple Place.

Why did I love it so much? It's timeless and believable in the way a good fantasy should be. It's set in my hometown and I just loved the descriptions of places I know well, such as the National Gallery and the carousel at Glen Echo Park. The characters were endearing. It had a terrific ending. And, most importantly, I could see kids reading this book and loving it as much as I did.

Monkeying Around

I made a monkey of myself last week.

I drew the short straw had the opportunity to wear a costume as part of an event our store was participating in.

I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. No, I can't resist. I have to add captions.

Getting dressed.

Putting on the feet.

Adding the head.

Putting on the hands.

Taking off the head to help a customer.

Trying to have a serious conversation with a customer while wearing a giant monkey costume.

The complete outfit.

Off to greet the public.

Observations I made while I was Curious George:

• It's hot in this thing.
• I don't know how those people at Disney do it.
• I can't see.
• It's really hot.
• It's very cute when kids run up and hug you.
• You don't need to smile when someone takes a picture of you.
• Did I mention that it's hot?

No one can make a monkey out of you if you do it yourself.

The power of being read to

The Kentucky Post has an inspiring article about prison inmates recording children's books on tape. The tapes get sent to the kids of the inmates, so that they can hear their fathers' voices (sometimes for the first time).

Do you remember...

...the first book you ever read?

Not the first book that was read to you (obviously), but the first book that you read all by yourself.

I do. It was a book called Susan's Special Summer by Joyce Boyle. I loved it because the main character had my name. It was one of my favorite books and my mom read it to me countless times. I remember being so excited the first time I could read it to myself. It took forever.... I just pulled it off my shelf and I see that it's 96 pages long... which was overwhelming at the time.

It's about a girl named Susan who spends the summer in a cottage with her parents before her baby brother is born. She explores the park near the cottage, has a wonderful encounter with a librarian, and gets to know her grandmother better. It also has a great map in the front of the book that I remember poring over. It may not sound exciting... but it was the book that helped me enter the world of reading (and that was exciting). It was published in 1954, has been out of print for a while and no one seems to have ever heard of it but me. It's got a special place in my heart and I remember every detail of it.

Do you remember that triumphant book where you finally cracked the code? If you do, I'd love to hear what it is.

I'll take picture books for $500, Alex

I'm a bookseller at an independent toy store. Or, perhaps I'm a permanent contestant on a game show called "Name That Children's Book!" It's hard to tell.

When I worked at a large independent bookstore, I frequently relied on the computer when someone asked me a question. I looked up authors and titles. I did subject searches. I checked if we had the book in stock. I found out what section it was shelved in.

The store I currently work at doesn't have a computerized inventory for books (because the computer program is set up to handle toys, not books). And, even if it did, I would rarely use it. I work primarily in the back of the store (where the books are) and the computer (which doubles as the cash register) is in the front of the store and is hard to access when it's busy (which is all the time).

As the book person, I constantly get asked questions from both customers and colleagues. Some are ones that you can't use a computer for: "what books would you recommend for a 3rd grade boy?" or "what's that book with the blue cover?" But, there are still plenty of straight children's literature trivia questions. Here's a few that I was asked yesterday.

• "Who wrote Clementine?" Easy one. Sara Pennypacker. Orange and white cover, it's face-out in early chapter books. The sequel just came out in paperback.
  
• "There's this book written in the early 1900's about two brothers... and one is always outsmarting the other." The Great Brain series by John Fitzgerald. Actually, the first book was written in the1960's but it's set at the turn of the 19th century. Look in juvenile fiction under F.
  
• "Do you know the Jesse Bear book?" Yes. It's called Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy Carlstrom. It's in the paperback picture book section. I just reordered it. We should have it.
• "The author of Amelia Bedelia wrote another series. What's it called?" Peggy Parish. Clues in the Woods. Mystery section.
  
• "Where is Diary of a Worm?" Hardcover picture books, under C for Doreen Cronin. "Does it come in paperback?" Nope.
  
• "Who's the author of Lentil?" Robert McCloskey. Red book. Paperback picture books. We have 3 copies.
  
• "Do you have any books about pirates?" Sure. We even have a whole pirate section. They're right next to the dinosaur books.
  

I'm always surprised at what I remember. I don't always realize I know the answer until someone asks a question. And, it's wonderful when you can find the book that someone is looking for.

Now I have a question of my own. Is there a bonus round?

Oh, and don't forget to vote in the new poll.

What the Pigeon Wants

Mo Willems has written a new Pigeon book, that's being released today. In a brilliant marketing move, the publishers have kept part of the title a secret. In all the publicity material, the book is called "The Pigeon Wants a..."

What exactly, the pigeon wants, has been a matter of guesswork and the subject of a contest. And, I've got to applaud Hyperion for keeping it under wraps. The title wasn't in the spring 2008 catalog. There were no early samples available. Heck, the name of the book wasn't even on the packing list, and the books were turned upside down inside the box.

But, now the big moment has arrived, and after keeping the secret for 18 hours (since the box arrived at my store), I can tell you that the Pigeon wants a..... Puppy.

And I can also tell you that it's a lovely, funny book. Mo Willems uses the standard pigeon formula, but deviates a little, which works really well. This looks like a great read aloud book that doesn't require as much screaming as previous Pigeon books. Plus, in a surprise plot twist, the pigeon actually gets what he wants for once. I'm curious to hear what other people think about it.

Who to call?

There are only seven U.S. publishers of children's literature.

No, not really. There are dozens. Hundreds. But, as a bookbuyer for an independent store, it sometimes it feels like there are just seven. Why? For several reasons.

First, (as you might expect) the big companies have bought the little companies. Little, Brown was bought by Time Warner. Time Warner was bought by Hachette. So, when I want to order a book by Little, Brown, I call Hachette.

Second, the big companies have tons of imprints. Arthur A. Levine Books (the U.S. publisher of Harry Potter) is an imprint of Scholastic. When I want to order an Arthur A. Levine book, I call Scholastic (except that HarperCollins does the distribution for Scholastic... see the next point... so actually I call HarperCollins.)

Third, a few of the really large publishers handle the ordering and distribution for publishing houses other than their own. For example, Random House handles the sales for National Geographic Books. Random House doesn't own National Geographic, they just take the phone calls, place the orders and ship the books. By contracting with Random House, National Geographic doesn't have to hire their own distribution staff.

If a customer asks if we have a book in our store, my first mental question is always: who's the publisher? And not just who is listed on the dust jacket. The copyright may say Dutton, but I know that Dutton is owned by Penguin. What I really want to know is: who do I call? You can't go by who the author is. Lots of authors have more than one publisher. For example, half of Sandra Boynton's books are published by Simon and Schuster, and the other half are published by Workman.

And even once you know who the publisher is, it's never straightforward. For Candlewick, you have to call Random House. For Scholastic, call HarperCollins. For First Second (which is an imprint of Roaring Brook) call Macmillan (which used to be called VHPS). And on and on and on. You get used to it after a while, but it's tough remembering who owns and distributes who. I've got a long spreadsheet with all this information on it and it's filled with cross-outs and additions.

Houghton Mifflin just bought Harcourt. Kingfisher moved from Houghton Mifflin to Macmillan. It never stops.

And, obviously, this situation exists outside of children's books. In a previous job, I worked with scientific and technical books and we dealt with hundreds of publishers. Still, there were about seven gigantic companies we were always calling. Interestingly, the major publishers in that field are completely different than the major publishers of children's books, so I had to learn a whole new set of imprints and distributors when I changed jobs.

So, to me, it feels like there are only seven children's publishers. Even though I know that's not true.

Poll results

I'm going to clean up the sidebar a bit, and post the results from a few recent polls.

Question: Have you seen the movie Cars?
Answers:

• A few times (9 votes)
• Nope (9 votes)
• Once (6 votes)
• Approximately 8 million times. I've lost count. (4 votes)

I made a few recommendations for books based on Cars in this post... in case you're a parent (like me) who has seen the movie more times than you'd like to admit.

Question: My reaction to the Thursday, March 14 for Better or For Worse strip is:
Answers:

• Bleah (14 votes)
• Finally (7 votes)
• Mixed (3 votes)
• Yay (2 votes)

For those who haven't been following For Better or For Worse lately, the March 14th strip I'm referring to is about Liz and Anthony getting engaged. According to the poll results, there don't seem to be a lot of fans of this development. I think what mainly bothers me about it is that it's been fairly love-less so far. It feels like they're making a business deal.

Question: Harry Potter 7 is being released as two movies. What do you think?
Answers:

• I love it. They'll have time to do it justice. (14 votes)
• I'm reserving judgment until I see it. (9 votes)
• I don't like it. Seems like an odd choice. (8 votes)
• I don't care either way. (5 votes)

I'm not sure which way to vote on this one. Actually, I think I agree with all four options.

There are two polls up now. One is based on this post about the ALA conference and the BookExpo. And I just added a new poll. I feel like I read a lot of books... but am always awed by how many books other librarians, booksellers and bloggers read. So, I'm curious. Taking this past week as an example of a typical week, how many new books (including picture books) have you read? They don't have to be newly published, just new to you.

Should you go to BookExpo America or ALA?

There are two huge conventions coming up for people in the book industry:

• BookExpo America: May 29-June 1 in Los Angeles, California.
  
• The American Library Association's (ALA) Annual Conference: June 26-July 2 in Anaheim, California.
  

Should you go to one of them? Both? I've been to both BookExpo and ALA and here's a comparison of the differences between the two that might help you decide.

The biggest question I have for you is: what's your reason for going?

To get free books.
BookExpo, hands down. There are certainly free books at ALA, but nothing compares to the sheer quantity of books you'll stumble away with from BookExpo. Someone once told me that they associate Book Expo with physical pain because of how many books you end up carrying around. To give you an idea of what they're talking about: at ALA, I walked away with bags of books. At BookExpo I walked (and dragged) away boxes of books.

To attend sessions, workshops and programs.
ALA definitely wins out on this one. BookExpo is a trade show and the exhibits are the main event. ALA is an enormous convention, and the exhibits are only one part of it. ALA has every kind of program, awards ceremony, discussion group and meeting on the topic of libraries and books you can imagine. There are programs at BookExpo too, but they take up only a few rooms in the conference center. The programs at ALA take up the meeting rooms of nearly every major hotel within five blocks.

To network with colleagues.
It depends on who your colleagues are. Booksellers? Go to BookExpo. Librarians? Go to ALA. For everyone else... such as bloggers, teachers, authors, the answer to this question is a little more fuzzy. If you want to talk with people about literature, then ALA is the place for you. BookExpo tends be more focused on the business aspect of things.

To meet authors.
This one is a tough call, but I think that BookExpo wins out in terms of sheer quantity. Here's a sampling of authors I met, spoke to and got autographed copies of their new books in ONE DAY at BookExpo. They include: Marc Brown, Tomie DePaola, Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Eoin Colfer, Lane Smith, Andrew Clements, Marc Teague, David McPhail, Mo Willems, Sandra Boynton, Ann M. Martin, Jon Muth, and Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket). The scary thing? That's only about half of the authors and illustrators I talked to that day.

In all fairness to ALA, there are an enormous number of authors there, too. If you're looking to hear authors talk, ALA is the place because of the plethora of fantastic and unforgettable speakers. They appear in workshops, give keynote addresses and beautiful award acceptance speeches. Plus, they're signing books all over the exhibit hall. You certainly won't lack for authors to meet at either conference.

To see every publisher in the known universe.
BookExpo. People who have only attended ALA may find this hard to believe, but there are even more exhibits at Book Expo than at ALA. How do I know? Both conferences were held at the D.C. Convention Center within the last two years. The ALA exhibits took up three ENORMOUS exhibit halls. The BookExpo exhibits took up all five exhibit halls.

On the other hand, I don't think that this really matters. Just about every major and minor publisher has a booth at both conferences. You'll see all the same publishers no matter which one you go to.

Are these conferences worth going to?
Absolutely. They're both wonderful, enriching and exhausting experiences. You'll meet more people (including famous authors) then you could have dreamed possible. You'll talk with countless people who love books as much as you do. You'll walk away with a ridiculous number of free books, pens and totebags. You'll get a terrific preview of the upcoming year in the book world and you'll feel prepared and on top of things as new books get released.

Which one should you go to?
That's a question you have to answer for yourself. It depends a great deal on where the conferences are located (in relation to where you live) and what your goals are. If you are a book lover, and in the book industry (or write reviews)... I'd recommend going to one per year, budget permitting. Alternate which one you go to each year, if you can. And if you're a librarian who has never been to the BookExpo, or a bookseller who has never been to ALA, give those conferences a try. You won't regret it and you may start looking at your industry from a different perspective.

Unfortunately, this year, both ALA and the BookExpo are in Los Angeles, only a few weeks apart from each other. This is great for people who live on the West Coast, but pretty depressing for the rest of us.

Plan ahead
If you can't go this year, go next year. Here are the upcoming locations for both conferences:

2009: BookExpo in New York City, ALA in Chicago.
2010: BookExpo in Washington DC, ALA in Washington D.C.
2011: BookExpo in Las Vegas, ALA in New Orleans.

ALA actually has all their convention dates planned between now and 2014, but even I can't think that far ahead.

In the next few weeks, I'll post specific advice for each conference.

Poll results: Harry Potter books

I tallied up the results of this poll a while ago but keep forgetting to post them.

The question: Which books mentioned in the Harry Potter series would you like to read?
The answers:

• Tales of Beedle the Bard (11 votes)
• Enchantment in Baking (10 votes)
• Hogwarts: A History (10 votes)
• Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying, and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian (9 votes)
• Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed (6 votes)
• History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot (6 votes)
• Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore by Rita Skeeter (6 votes)
• Rune Dictionary (6 votes)
• Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle (5 votes)
• Charm Your Own Cheese (5 votes)
• Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy (5 votes)
• Powers You Never Knew You Had and What To Do With Them Now You've Wised Up (5 votes)
• Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts (5 votes)
• Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts (5 votes)
• Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions (5 votes)
• Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage (4 votes)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (4 votes)
• One Minute Feasts: It's Magic! (4 votes)
• Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts (4 votes)
• Standard Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk (4 votes)
• Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires by Eldred Worple (3 votes)
• Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble (3 votes)
• Invisible Book of Invisibility (3 votes)
• Men Who Love Dragons Too Much (3 votes)
• Numerology and Gramatica (3 votes)
• Ancient Runes Made Easy (2 votes)
• Death Omens: What To Do When You Know The Worst Is Coming (2 votes)
• Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard (2 votes)
• Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit (2 votes)
• Flying With the Cannons (2 votes)
• Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger (2 votes)
• Moste Potente Potions (2 votes)
• One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore (2 votes)
• Sonnets of a Sorcerer (2 votes)
• Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky (2 votes)
• Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch (1 vote)
• From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide (1 vote)
• Intermediate Transfiguration (1 vote)
• Jinxes for the Jinxed (1 vote)
• Magical Me by Gilderoy Lockhart (1 vote)
• Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling (1 vote)
• Monster Book of Monsters (1 vote)
• Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp (1 vote)
• Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches (1 vote)
• Voyages With Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart (1 vote)
• Wanderings With Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart (1 vote)
• Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe (0 votes)
• Break With a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart (0 votes)
• Flesh-Eating Trees of the World (0 votes)
• Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality (0 votes)
• Gadding With Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart (0 votes)
• Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests (0 votes)
• Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broom Care (0 votes)
• Holidays With Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart (0 votes)
• Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean (0 votes)
• Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy (0 votes)
• Prefects Who Gained Power (0 votes)
• Spellman's Syllabary (0 votes)
• Travels With Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart (0 votes)
• Year With The Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart (0 votes)

I agree, I'd love to read The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Thanks to Amazon (see this post) we can now at least read plot summaries of each story. Maybe this book will be published one day. That would be wonderful.

I'd also love to get a copy of all the cookbooks in Mrs. Weasley's kitchen. Enchantment in Baking and One Minute Feasts: It's Magic! would both be a real asset in my ridiculously busy life.

I'd like to read all the Gilderoy Lockhart books (although it appears that no one else would)... simply because I need a good laugh. Think of the humor value of those books!

I'm surprised that Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard got any votes... it was the assigned book in Professor Umbridge's class and sounds very boring.

I'm curious about the rest of The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, particularly the chapter about Harry and Dumbledore. But I also think this book would drive me crazy and I'd end up flinging it across the room before long.

If I lived in the wizarding world, I think I'd be the only person (other than Hermione) who would have read Hogwarts, a History from cover to cover.

For those who voted for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander and Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp you're in luck. J.K. Rowling has published these books and they're very funny (and useful when reading the Harry Potter series). I highly recommend them for die-hard Harry Potter fans.

A question for bloggers

What aspects of blogging have surprised you the most?

I'll go first.

The rich community of children's literature bloggers.
When I started, I had no idea how many blogs there were about children's books. I've been delighted to find such a bright, talented and generous community. I've learned so much about children's books and blogging from all of you.

How many people read my blog.
I thought that maybe a couple of people would read my blog occasionally. I've been overwhelmed (in a very nice way) with the number of people who read, comment and subscribe to Wizards Wireless. There have also been far more links to Wizards Wireless from other blogs than I would have dreamed possible, and I consider each one a huge compliment.

Who reads my blog.
Friends and family members from all over the country. People who have never met me. Librarians. Parents. Teachers. Authors. My brother. More people than I could have imagined.

That I still have something to say.
My main concern about starting a blog was that I'd run out of things to say after about a week. It's been nine months (and over 200 posts) later... and there's so many things I still want to talk about. Looks like I should keep writing.

Your turn. What's surprised you about blogging?

Paper, please!

Successful books are usually released in paperback roughly a year or two from their original publication in hardcover. Sometimes, it takes longer. And sometimes, paperback editions are never released.

Paperback books are important for several reasons. They’re lighter (makes a difference when you’re lugging tons of books around). They travel better. And, they’re cheaper… usually a third the price of a hardcover book. Quality paperbacks last longer than you’d think. I have some well-loved ones from my childhood that I’m currently reading with my son.

Here are several popular children's books and series that are currently available only in hardcover with no plans (that I know of) for paperback versions. As a children’s bookseller at an independent store, I get asked for one of the books below in paperback at least once a day.

The Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. Published by Candlewick Press.

This is an early reader series… and books in this genre usually sell for $4 to $6. The Mercy Watson books sell for $13 each. As beautifully produced as the books are, most people aren’t willing to pay that much for early readers. Books in this series include:

• Mercy Watson to the Rescue
• Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride
• Mercy Watson Fights Crime
• Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise
• Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig (being released in July 2008).

The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Sal Murdocca. Published by Random House.

Books 1-28 of this series have been released in paperback. So have books 33-36. But for some reason, the following books are still only available in hardcover. I get asked for the paperback versions of these Magic Tree House titles more than any other books on this list. Books in hardcover only:

• #29: Christmas in Camelot
• #30: Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve
• #31: Summer of the Sea Serpent
• #32: Winter of the Ice Wizard

The Bear series by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman. Published by Simon and Schuster.

This is a wonderful picture book series for the 3-5 year old crowd that I wish were in paperback. A few titles are available as board books, but they’re really too lengthy for babies. Books in this series include:

• Bear Snores On
• Bear Wants More
• Bear’s New Friend
• Bear Feels Sick
• Bear Feels Scared (being released in August 2008)

If You Give A…. series by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond. Published by Laura Geringer Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

These titles have been released as board books, as books and CD combinations, as collections, as oversized books and in Spanish, but not as paperbacks. The first one was published in 1985. Please, oh, please, the time has come to put these books in paperback. Books in this series include:

• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
• If You Give a Moose a Muffin
• If You Give a Pig a Pancake
• If You Take a Mouse To The Movies
• If You Take a Mouse To School
• If You Give a Pig a Party

The Click Clack, Moo series by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin. Published by Simon & Schuster.

This is a very funny series of books that unfortunately are only in hardcover. I attended the White House Easter Egg Roll last year, and was impressed to hear Duck for President being read aloud by Lynne Cheney. It's nice to see that Duck has finally made it to the White House. Books in this series include:

• Click Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
• Giggle, Giggle Quack
• Duck for President

Moose and Hildy by Stephanie Greene, illustrated by Joe Mathieu. Published by Marshall Cavendish.

You may have not heard of these, but you should. The Moose and Hildy books are a series of funny early chapter books that are unfortunately only available in hardcover. The first book originally appeared as a picture book, and I applaud the publisher for repackaging it as an early reader. I wish they could go one step further and release these books in paperback. Books in this series include:

• Moose’s Big Idea
• Moose Crossing
• Pig Pickin’
• The Show-Off

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems. Published by Hyperion. Actually, there are currently no Mo Willems books available commercially in paperback. I really wish there were.

And here’s some excellent news. As I was making this list, I originally put at the top Toys Go Out, a lovely early chapter book by Emily Jenkins. But I just saw that the book is in fact being released in paperback in September 2008, and there’s also a sequel appearing at the same time.

Wait a second, you say. You’ve seen some of the books listed above in paperback… you’re sure of it. Yes, you’re right. Some of these titles have been produced in cheap paperback editions for Scholastic book fairs. But, these versions are flimsy and not available commercially to bookstores.

I'm sure there a lot of reasons why the books I’ve mentioned haven't appeared in paperback. They probably have to do with budgets, artistic issues, the price of manufacturing the books, and many other things. But, as a bookseller, all I see is the books getting put back on the shelf repeatedly because they’re too expensive. Maybe if the publishers knew how many times this happens with books that would be flying off the shelves otherwise, it might upset them as much as it upsets me.

Of course, if I ruled the world, all books would simultaneously appear in hardcover and paperback. Wouldn't that be lovely?

Poetry Friday: Winnie-The-Pooh

I'm reading an absolutely enchanting book with my son. It's about a bear named Pooh and his friends Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo and Christopher Robin. (We haven't met Tigger yet. He isn't introduced until the second book.)

You've heard of it, you say?

My son hasn't. It's just wonderful to watch him discover these incredibly famous characters for the very first time. Also, I'm realizing (as countless other parents have realized) what a fantastic book Winnie-the-Pooh is to read aloud. It's filled with poems, songs, creative text arrangements (in a pre-computer era) and short chapters, all of which work well with a young crowd. Also, Ernest Shepard's immortal "decorations" break up the words nicely and keep my son interested.

Since today is Poetry Friday, here's one of my favorites poems from the book. It's a song that Pooh hums to himself as he climbs up the honey tree in chapter one.

"It's a very funny thought that, if Bears were Bees,
They'd build their nests at the bottom of trees.
And that being so (if the Bees were Bears),
We shouldn't have to climb up all these stairs."
-A.A. Milne

The Poetry Friday round-up today is at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup.

And, see this post for more about my face-to-face encounter with Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed bear at the Central Children's Room in the Donnell Library Center.

Christmas is coming

If you did a double take when you saw the title of this post, then you'll know exactly how I feel. I got my first catalog from a publisher today that had Christmas books in it. Yes, in March. Yikes.

If I'm not ready for Halloween, let me tell you, I'm definitely not ready for Christmas.

Poll results

Clearly, most of my readership consists of fellow bloggers. That's what I found out from this poll.

Question: Do you have a blog?

Answers:

• I have two or more blogs. (14 votes)
• Yes. (13 votes)
• I contribute to a group blog. (4 votes)
• No. (3 votes)
• I'm thinking of starting a blog. (1 vote)
• What's a blog? (1 vote)

To the person who voted for "I'm thinking of starting a blog," I say go for it. And, once you do, let me know the address so I can read it.

To the person who voted for "What's a blog?"... you're reading one. Here's a brief description from Blogger, and incidentally, the page also contains a link for you to start your own blog.

Harry Potter: In essence divided

I don't usually post about the Harry Potter movies (my main interest is really in the books)... but I thought this piece of news was pretty big.

The Los Angeles Times has just confirmed a longtime rumor that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be split into two movies. The movies will be filmed at the same time, but will be released in theaters six months apart.

You can read more about it here at The Leaky Cauldron.

What do you think? See the new poll.

For Better or For Worse: Finally

The readers of Wizards Wireless are good guessers.

Here's the results from a recent poll I posed for readers of For Better or For Worse.

Question: "When do you think Anthony is going to propose?"

Answers:

• In the next two weeks (8 votes)
• Never (I hope), but I'm being realistic, so I voted for one of the other choices too. (6 votes)
• In the next two months (3 votes)
• In the next six months (1 vote)
• In the next year (1 vote)

After you've patted yourself on the back for your all-knowingness (which is a word I just invented)... head on over and check out today's strip. But, you already knew what was going to happen, didn't you?

And check out the new poll I just added.

Comics comments: Doonesbury and For Better or For Worse

There's a great plot twist today in Doonesbury. I'm so impressed how Trudeau took a character that I thought was unimportant and turned the tables. Unfortunately, you'll only get the joke if you've been reading Doonesbury regularly for the last 4 months (and the last 20 years). But if you have, you'll find today's strip very funny.

As for today's For Better or For Worse strip... I think Anthony is about to propose. He just realized that there are other people interested in Liz, and he should act now. I think that's what's going to happen when they meet the next day. What do you think? Leave a comment or see the new poll in the sidebar.

Lightning McQueen books

As you read the title of this post, which category did you fall into?

Category 1: Parent or grandparent of a boy between the ages of 2-5. Your first thoughts were probably along the lines of: "there are BOOKS about Lightning McQueen? Really? Where can I get them? Is rush shipping available?"

Category 2: Everyone else. You probably asked yourself: "who is Lightning McQueen?"

For those of you who fall into the first category, yes, there are books about Lightning McQueen. See the specifics below. And for those of you in the second category, he's the main character in the Pixar movie Cars. Here's a picture of him:


I've done some informal observation and have found that just about every little boy I've met is obsessed with this movie. I think it's for two reasons. One, it's about cars. (I guess that's rather obvious from the title). Two, it doesn't have any scary parts. (If you think that's also obvious because it's a movie for kids, then you probably haven't watched a lot of kids' movies lately. Almost all of them have inexplicably scary parts).

Please keep in mind that I'm recommending the books below only for Cars-crazed kids. I'm not endorsing them as good literature, but here are some resources if you're looking for them. I usually hate this kind of commercial stuff, but I also recognize that sometimes a kid just wants to read about something they're interested in. And, the important thing is that they're reading.

Disclaimers aside, here are the (relatively) good books I've found on the subject. And, yes, I'm the parent of a Cars addict.

Old, New, Red, Blue! This is a basic opposites book using the Cars characters, and it's a good choice for the 2-3 year old crowd. There are only a few words per page, which is just right for that age range. It's a small paperback so it travels well. I highly recommend it.

Cars Little Golden Book: This book retells the movie. The paragraphs are a bit too long, but the illustrations of the various cars (which is really all my son is interested in) are pretty good. My main quibble with this book is that it cuts off the story well before the ending and doesn't include the all important final race.

Cars Ultimate Sticker Book: DK has tons of sticker books, and this one is fairly typical. I think it has way too much text and it's a little advanced for the 2-3 year old age range. But, it has 60 stickers of Lightning McQueen and friends, and works well as a travel activity.

Cars Resuable Sticker Book: I like this sticker book better than the DK sticker book, because it has a lot more stickers. Plus, there are tons of activities. My main issue with it is that it's oversized and it's difficult to fit into a diaper bag, purse or backpack. Also, we found the stickers to be reusable only a few times each... after that they stopped working.

The Fast Lane: A basic coloring book featuring Cars characters. The pictures are large and easy to color. It's 64 pages, which is a good size for a coloring book.

Have you come across any other Cars books that you'd recommend or that your kids liked?

Have I lost all my credibility as a reviewer by writing this post?

If I Ruled the World

To: All Publishers
Subject: Urgent Memo

No book that I like should ever go out of print. This includes books that I read when I was a kid, books that I saw once at a used book sale and meant to buy but didn't, and any book that anyone has ever mentioned to me that sounded cool.

Also, please keep the exact same cover, illustrations and font that the book had the first time I read it. I can't tell you which edition I read... maybe it was the first, maybe the 21st.... but I'm sure you can figure it out telepathically.

All books that you publish should be in hardcover because they're really prettier that way, and more durable for libraries. Please also publish all your books in paperback, because that would make me so much more likely to buy them. I would appreciate if you would publish both hardcovers and paperbacks at the same time, because I really hate waiting a year or more for the cheaper copy to be released.

My library (like all libraries) takes a little while to process new books, so I end up waiting months for the hot new book that everyone is talking about. By the time I get the book, everyone has stopped talking about it. If you would kindly send all new books to libraries about 3 months before they're released... that would just be lovely.

Books that I don't like can go out of print whenever you feel like it.

Thank you for your attention to these important matters.

Poll results

Here are the results from a recent poll I conducted.

Question: Which sources do you consult the most when deciding what books to read?

Answers:

• Blogs (17 votes)
• Friends (15 votes)
• Award lists (10 votes)
• Libraries (9 votes)
• Word of mouth (8 votes)
• Reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (7 votes)
• Reviews in professional journals (7 votes)
• The blurb on the book's dust jacket (7 votes)
• Your book club (5 votes)
• Bookstores: independent stores (4 votes)
• Reviews on Goodreads or LibraryThing (4 votes)
• Reviews in newspapers or magazines (4 votes)
• Bookstores: chain stores (3 votes)
• Conferences (3 votes)
• Websites: other than those listed above (2 votes)
• Your kids (2 votes)
• Your parents (2 votes)
• Other (2 votes)
• All of the above (0 votes)

Although this is a very small sample, it made me curious. Are blogs that influential? Does everyone read blog reviews or are they mainly read by other bloggers? I set up a poll on the sidebar that doesn't answer either question, but does ask if you're a blogger yourself.

And, continuing on this tangent for a moment... if blogs are really that powerful... that is to say, if more people consult them more than any other form of marketing or word of mouth... then that is really intriguing. And if it is true, do you think publishers are aware of this trend?

For Better or For Worse: Not going to happen

Based on the FBoFW strips yesterday and today, I'd say it's a forgone conclusion that Warren will not be the knight in shining armor. So, Monday was just a red herring, which is what a lot of you said in the comments of this post.

We're gearing up for a big "let me tell you why Anthony is so much more reliable and stable than you" speech and a "since Anthony is so wonderful, maybe it's time to get married and snatch him up" realization. And then, a "hey, I wonder if Mike and Deanna have an old wedding dress in their attic that I could use?"

Is it just me, or has Liz looked like a lot like Elly and Michael in the last week? And, why do both Anthony and Warren feel they have "no hoooome" without Liz... when neither of them has ever had a home WITH Liz?

Really, though, I'm just thrilled to see the plot moving forward.... wherever it goes.

Look! It's an article!

Bloggers frequently link to their published articles in their posts. I've never done that, though, for the very good reason that I haven't had an article to direct your attention to thus far. But now, here's my big chance.

I have an article this month in ALSConnect. It's the newsletter of The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

Except, ummm... you can't read it unless you're a member of ALSC, because you need a password to access it. So, if you are a member, you can log in to see my very short article on the last page of the newsletter with advice for attending the ALA annual conference. And, if you're not a member, check out this post (one of the first ones I wrote on this blog) which contains a much, much longer version of the same advice.

Hey, it's a start, right?

For better or For Worse: Wohoo!

Oooooh, this is great. Check out today's strip.

Hopefully this will go somewhere. It probably won't, but hey, I can dream, right?

Monkey and Me: Multiple editions

About a month and a half ago, I made a list of new books that I'm looking forward to. One of the books on my list was Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett.

I saw the book in October very briefly during a meeting with a publisher rep and loved it instantly. It has great rhythm, bounce, repetition and is perfect for little kids. Hopefully, one day soon it will be released as a board book.

A few months later, I was lucky enough to visit Powells, the legendary independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon. And, as I walked into the children's section, what did I see but Monkey and Me? I knew wasn't being published by Simon and Schuster until March so I did a little checking. I found out that what Powells had for sale was the British edition of the book, which had already been published by Macmillan. I was thrilled to see it so early, and I snapped it right up. I've been reading it to my son since and he loves it.

It's March now, and the American edition has finally been released. I eagerly took it out of the box when it arrived at the store I work at, and went to show it to my colleagues. And you know what? When I got to the last page, I found that it was different than the British edition I've been reading with my son. There's a very small change, but it's a change nonetheless.

The British edition ends like this:
"Monkey...and...me,
We went... (turn the page)
...home for tea."

The American edition ends like this:
"Monkey...and...me,
We went... (turn the page)
...ZZZZZ."

The illustration on the last page is the same, and it shows the protagonist (a cute little girl) fast asleep in front of her snack. But the "ZZZZZ" changes the rhythm of the original, and doesn't work as well when you're reading it aloud.

I don't know why this bugs me, but it does. I think American kids could figure it out... and books are precisely where you learn about customs from other countries. Mr. Gumpy's Outing, a wonderful classic by John Burmingham (a British author) mentions tea at the end, and I've never heard of anyone being confused by it.

Regardless, if you have little kids, definitely check out Monkey and Me. It's a great storytime and read aloud book for ages 1-4.