Monday, November 23, 2015

Monday's Riddle: Horn of Abundance...

Hello, Riddlers! Can you guess our theme? A beautiful symbol to remind us to give thanks for all that we are and everything we have. ; ) ~ F

A silent horn that sounds good cheer overflows on the table this time of year. Perhaps it was Zeus who made it deliver or Hercules strength over the god of the river. There are so many stories that tie in, but the true message here is to give thanks and dig in.

What am I referring to?

I gave you a clue!



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Friday, November 20, 2015

Coverage of the 2015 Children's Book Fair


A place where readers, writers and illustrators come together to talk about stories. We're always inspired at this event, and if you love books, it does not disappoint. Here's part two of our day...


Pierre Collet-Derby, illustrator for Goodnight Selfie, was very nice, and it was cool to see photos of his studio. It's amazing how fast he's able to produce such vivid illustrations! 


After the star of this story gets her brother’s hand-me-down camera-phone and a quick lesson in the "selfie," there is no stopping her! Anything can be turned into a selfie, and a host of adventures and misadventures caught on camera... read more
Tommy Greenwald's presentation was interesting, and it was fun to learn about how his sons were the inspiration for his books. All three of them are awesome kids, but just weren't into reading, and so he wrote something he though they'd like. Voila! Charlie Joe Jackson was born as a character- a combination of Tommy's three sons, Charlie, Joe, and Jackson. Pretty neat! 


Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he's managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he's in middle school, avoiding reading isn't as easy as it used to be... read more
Pamela Zagarenski was a lovely person to chat with. Her book, The Whisper, is beautiful, and the illustrations are simply magical! 

Step inside the pages of a little girl's magical book as she discovers the profound and inspiring notion that we each bring something different to the same story... read more!


That's it for this year! We're looking forward to the next book fair.
Happy reading!

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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Connecticut Children's Book Fair 2015


A place where readers, writers and illustrators come together to talk about stories. We're always inspired at this event, and if you love books, it does not disappoint. Here's a sneak peek inside...



It was wonderful to meet Cynthia Lord. Her presentation was inspiring, and it was interesting to hear about her new book A Handful of Stars. The research for this story was fascinating to learn about, and we're looking forward to reading it. Check out our review for Rules, another excellent book to dive into!


When Lily's blind dog, Lucky, slips his collar and runs away across the wide-open blueberry barrens of eastern Maine, it's Salma Santiago who manages to catch him. Salma, the daughter of migrant workers, is in the small town with her family for the blueberry-picking season... read more!




It was a treat to chat with Wendell and Florence Minor. Their presentation was interesting, and we enjoyed hearing about how their inspirations come from loving the creatures on Earth. It's wonderful that many of the stories and pictures they create are modeled after life in their own backyard, where the magic lives!


In amazingly lifelike, luminous paintings, Wendell Minor, one of America’s finest wildlife and landscape painters, reveals the variety of animals that surround us when we are awake and when we are sleeping... read more! 



Jeanne Birdsall was lovely to meet. She's very warm and has an open heart. We enjoyed her presentation about The Penderwicks, and we're looking forward to hearing about her upcoming books.

When Flora and her pesky little brother, Crispin, are whisked away by a swirling and swooping wind, she gets the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to give her brother away. With tempting offers from a dragonfly, the man in the moon, and even the wind itself... read more! 




Stop by Friday to find out who else we ran into at the book fair!
Happy reading. ;)  

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