Vampire Babies Help Libraries
Do You Know a Vampire Baby?? Do those baby teeth look a too pointy? Does that baby bite just a little too hard? Admit it, have you ever suspected a teething baby or toddler of vampirism??? The big brother in the hilarious picture book Vampire Baby by Kelly Bennett and illustrated by Paul Meisel (Candlewick Press) sees the signs in his very own baby sister! Bring out the vampire in your child and your library could win books! Easy as… 1… 2… 3! Your Vampire Baby Photo = Free Books for Libraries Select a set of hilarious vampire lips from the Vampire Baby Kit! Snap a photo of...
Read MoreHarry Potter Welcomes Unaccompanied Minors
Reading Harry Potter increases tolerance? A new study conducted in Italy and England and published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology showed that young people that read J.K. Rowling’s series and discussed sections of the book that deal with prejudice showed improved attitudes towards immigrants, GBLTQ citizens, and other minority groups. More here. Imagine that. Those who identified with Harry standing up for mudbloods and house elves and thwarting the malevolence of the Malfoys are better citizens. Speaking of citizens and the need to be better, there are certain American citizens...
Read MoreLet Me Stand Alone: Illustrating Rachel Corrie’s Words
“If the words I use buzz away from my lips meaninglessly…” —Rachel Corrie Thanks to the efforts of the Corrie family to publish Let Me Stand Alone: The Rachel Corrie Story (W.W. Norton), Rachel’s worlds did NOT buzz away meaninglessly. After Rachel’s tragic death in Gaza in 2003, the Corries collected her journals and poems into a moving collection of one young woman’s hopes and musings. Audiobook narrator Tavia Gilbert transformed those journal entries and poems into an unforgettable performance in time for the 10th anniversary of Rachel’s passing. Listen to Tavia talk about Rachel Corrie...
Read More20,000 Librarians Walk Into Vegas…
20,000 Librarians walk into a Vegas casino… It sounds like the set up to a bad joke. Even my Ethiopian American cab driver got the joke. Dropping me off at the Convention Center for the week-long ALA Annual Convention, he said, “Here it is party, party all day and all night. But you women are quiet and thinking. How can you be here? It is almost funny.” 20,000 librarians, publishers, and other book professionals walk into a Las Vegas casino bombarded with cigarette smoke, slot machine clangs, loud music, and scantily-clad women. With the dawning realization that this casino has...
Read MoreCurious City on the Brown Bookshelf
Honored to be invited by author/illustrator Don Tate to write about “Making Your Own Market” for The Brown Bookshelf, a website “designed to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers.” “For me, children’s book marketing on the Brown Bookshelf or off has never been about social media, press, coverage, or other perils of “self-promotion.” For me, marketing has always been about storytelling and discovery. The best marketing finds ways to: retell a story beyond the framework of the book engage readers deeper in the story...
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