This month's issue of the Horn Book newsletter has a terrific set of reviews of new holiday-themed books, just in time for the season. Among the reviews are a retelling of The Night Before Christmas set in Africa and a bunny Hanukkah story. The selections all look great, so check them out if you're ready to get in the holiday spirit!

Many aspiring authors ask us whether they need to find an illustrator for their picture book before submitting it to publishers. The answer: NO. As the ever-wonderful Editorial Anonymous writes, "Publishers do not want to receive manuscripts that are already illustrated. Publishers want to choose the illustrator themselves."

This is so true to the extent that submitting your manuscript with illustrations will make you more likely to be rejected. You may feel that the illustrations you submit are just a guide as to how you envision the final product might look. However, when a submission arrives with illustrations, it appears to the publisher that the author will not be willing to even consider using another artist.

For authors, the best thing you can do is focus on making your story the most engaging and well-written it can be. For illustrators, send in samples of your work separate from another author's unpublished manuscript. Good luck!

[Please note that Illumination Arts is not accepting submissions at this time, but this advice applies to other publishers as well.]

As you may be aware, Illumination Arts will be attending Seattle Bookfest this weekend. The event is free and open to the public. You can find us in Room 12. A few of our illustrators and one author will be doing workshops over the weekend in Room 15.

Saturday, October 24

• 10 a.m. - Interactive Illustrating with Mary Gregg Byrne
  The acclaimed One Smile illustrator will interact with her audience, using her wide range of artistic abilities to create an original character and story with everyone's participation.


• 11 a.m. - Mythbuster: Author and Illustrator Working Together with Terri Cohlene and Doug Keith
  The creators of Something Special team up to demonstrate how this award-winning children's book was created.

• 4 p.m. - Robert Rogalski: Illustrator, Sculptor, Puppeteer and Set Designer
  The artist will fascinate and amuse adults and children alike by demonstrating his methodology for creating his varied art works.

All four of these talented artists and authors will be available for signing autographs at our booth either before or after their workshops. Don't miss out on the chance to meet them!

Roonie B. Moonie is an adventurous little bee. His mother gives him some important advice for playing outside the beehive: "Stay out in the open. Be extra careful around strangers. And if you fly into trouble, remember to stay calm, listen to your feelings, and use your head."

When he gets lost while out playing one day, Roonie must pay attention to his feelings and remember his mother's safety rules in order to find his way home. Help your kids learn to listen to their own feelings with Roonie B. Moonie: Lost and Alone.

Whether out trick-or-treating or just lost in the grocery store, every child should be armed with these safety tips. Between now and October 31st, this vibrant book is on sale in our online store for just $12!

We've got our hands full with four different trade shows and conferences coming up this month. If you're planning to attend any of these shows, we'd love to see you at our booths!

• Washington Library Media Association Conference, October 8-10 in Yakima, WA. John Thompson, co-author of Just Imagine will be available for signing books throughout the show.
• WAEYC Annual Conference, October 15-17 in Bellevue, WA.
  On Friday, Oct. 16, Doug Keith and Terri Cohlene, creators of Something Special will be signing books from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 17, Franklin Hill, author of Wings of Change will be signing books from 1-4 p.m.
• American Montessori Society Fall Conference, October 16-18 in Garden Grove, CA.
  John Thompson, co-author of Just Imagine will be available for signing books throughout the show.
• Seattle BookFest, October 24-25 in Seattle, WA.
  This event is free and open to the public. Several of our authors and illustrators, including Doug Keith, Terri Cohlene, Franklin Hill, Mary Gregg Byrne, and Robert Rogalski will available for signing books at times during the show, as well as demonstrating their creative minds during workshops.

You won't want to miss these great opportunities to meet our authors and illustrators!

Children's literature bloggers are abuzz this week talking about the new website for young book lovers, Kidsmomo. The site has a lot of opportunities for kids to interact with books and each other, including a podcast, weekly Mystery Book Theater challenge, and book reviews by other kids.

I especially love the kid-friendly comment forms, which explicitly tell kids only to use their first name. Kidsmomo looks like a promising new way to engage children with their reading.

In a society that teaches that quiet activities like reading and learning are for girls, getting boys to read can be a bit of a challenge. Jon Scieszka, the national Ambassador for Young People's Literature and well-known author of The Stinky Cheese Man, comes to the rescue with a new web-based literacy program for boys called Guys Read.

Featuring reading lists with categories like "At Least One Explosion" and "Realistic Kids in Realistic Situations," this program is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Guys Read not only introduces boys to books they are likely to enjoy, but also engenders a club-like atmosphere which encourages them to share these books with one another.

The book lists cover a variety of age ranges, but are mostly geared toward older boys. For the younger crowd, we've got a couple of Illumination Arts titles that always seem to draw the attention of boys at shows. The Whoosh of Gadoosh features a zany world of laughter and misbehavior, akin to the Wayside School series. Dragon depicts the exploits of a prince and one angry, fire-breathing dragon.

[via Fuse #8]

As some of you may know, Dana Lyons, author of environmental picture book The Tree, is also a singer/songwriter specializing in a unique mix of comedy, ballads, and love songs. At the end of this month, Dana will be doing series of concerts and workshops in Homer, Alaska. To cap off the series, Dana will be joining hundreds of Homer citizens on the beach to create a mosaic to be photographed from the sky.

"The mosaic will focus on climate change and specifically on reducing coal use," says Dana. "Photographs of the event will be shown at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December."

What a fantastic, creative way to showcase the important issue of climate change! You can support Dana in his endeavors by visiting his website.

Mrs. Murphy's Marvelous Mansion is a visual treat for readers of all ages, and I was lucky enough to catch up with Robert Rogalski, the artist behind the book's colorful, outrageous illustrations. From his inspiration for Mrs. Murphy's dog Pickles to advice for first-time illustrators, Robert had such fun insights to share.

• Where did you draw your inspirations for Mrs. Murphy, her "mansion", and the other characters in the story?
  The look of Mrs. Murphy is a combination of my mom and my Aunt Barbara - especially the round face - and a few other women I knew growing up, like an art teacher I had who wore a colorful patchwork skirt. I made the panels on Mrs. Murphy's skirt different on each page to add a more whimsical feel. In order for her appearance-conscious neighbors to want to turn away from her, I thought Mrs. Murphy's outfits would have to be obnoxiously loud. I made her hat a focal point of her outfit, with all kinds of plumes and creatures hiding in it, because the way she dresses is an extension of her magical home.

  Mrs. Murphy's dog Pickles was inspired by my parents' overweight pug named Peggy Sue who I like to describe as an asthmatic sausage. Pickles is another extension of Mrs. Murphy's friendly, warm, and inviting personality. Pickles is obliviously happy no matter what, in contrast to Mrs. Murphy's uptight neighbors.

  The outside of her mansion is actually modeled on a very colorful outhouse. The interior is a little bit James and the Giant Peach and a little bit Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

  For me, each of the characters has a backstory. One of my favorite characters is Miss Black, whose look I modeled after Jackie O and who I imagine as a rather prissy cosmetics saleslady. Miss Green, I imagine, is the type of neighbor who measures her neighbors' lawns with a ruler. For this book, I was influenced somewhat by the look of the film "The Triplets of Belleville" and by Dr. Seuss, and my vibrant color palette might even have come from a package of Sweet Tarts.

For more of Rogalski's inspirations, challenges, and favorite scenes from Mrs. Murphy's Marvelous Mansion, read onward!

If you're running low on new books to read with your child, check out this year's winners of the Children's Choice Book Awards. The winners are determined by the votes of over 220,000 kids around the country. What better way to find a good book for your children than by the recommendations of their peers?

The full list is organized by grade level, so you can be sure to find lots of great books that are both age appropriate and tons of fun.