June 2008 Archives

One of my favorite things about writing this blog is the opportunity it provides to share with you all the exciting books that are coming up. Here's a preview of the terrific books Illumination Arts has slated for 2009:

• Bunny Hits a Home Run, by Richard Andersen, is based on the true story of Ernest "Bunny" Taliaferro. The year is 1934 and Bunny is the star player on his American Legion baseball team. He also happens to be the only member of the team who is black. When the team goes to North Carolina for the regional championship, they get a lesson in racism and what it means to be a team. The story is wonderfully written and I can't wait to see how the illustrations turn out!


• Sparky and the Magic Blue Ribbon, by Helice Bridges and Adria Manary, is also based on a true story. Sparky tells the story of how Difference Makers International and the Blue Ribbon Program came to be. Both the program and the book are designed to show people that "Who I Am Makes A Difference!"


• Eggy Yolk and the Dirty Rotten Dozen, by Joe Nipote, is based in an Old West town populated by eggs. This humorous tale is filled with egg-related puns and wordplay. Eggy Yolk is the sheriff of Eggville. When the Dirty Rotten Dozen ride into town, Eggy must find a non-violent way to end the conflict.

These should all turn into fantastic picture books, so be sure to check back in the coming months. I will be posting more news and sneak peeks for these books--hopefully including illustrations and story snippets!

This week's book, Mrs. Murphy's Marvelous Mansion by Emma Perry Roberts, is your typical "Don't judge a book by its cover" story. Mrs. Murphy is a rather odd woman who lives in a very small, somewhat ugly house in the middle of her community. None of her neighbors, who live in uniform white houses, appreciate this blight on their "VERY FINE" neighborhood. But when Mrs. Murphy invites these neighbors over for lunch one day, they are treated to a more fantastic house than their wildest dreams could have created.

A large part part of what makes this book special are its whimsical illustrations by Robert Rogalski. Each page is vibrantly painted, using what seems like every color of the rainbow. Rogalski takes Roberts' simple words and breathes life into them. The artwork is truly a treat, so I would highly recommend you view the book on BigUniverse.com.

Published in 2006, Mrs. Murphy's Marvelous Mansion is the winner of the Coalition of Visionary Resources Award for Best Children's Book, as well as Creative Child Magazine's Preferred Choice Award.

Looking for a new way to browse books online? A new application called Zoomii just launched. What's so unique about Zoomii? It offers a graphical interface for browsing books, creating the feel that you're in a bookstore browsing.

If you're anything like me, sites like Amazon and BN.com are great if you know exactly what you're looking for. But when you're just trying to find something new to read, nothing beats a good old-fashioned bookstore. Zoomii is a step in the right direction, toward melding the two book-buying mediums.

Of course, because the application is so graphics intensive, it can be a little slow to load, so be patient. If you want to try it out, why not jump straight into the children's books.

[via Persona Non Data]

Having just recently been the recipient of an "I've just written the next Harry Potter" phone call, I must heartily concur with today's Editorial Anonymous post. Editorial Anonymous offers some terrific tips on determining your book's audience:

If I ask you if three-year-olds would like a book and you say "I don't know," what you're really saying is "I don't know what three-year-olds like." And that means that you don't get to write for them.

So be sure to read tons of children's books and get to know your audience, before you start writing your masterpiece.

It's awards season in the book industry, and I'd like to offer a hearty congratulations to both of our new releases for winning Creative Child Magazine awards this year!

Roonie B. Moonie: Lost and Alone is the proud recipient of their Book of the Year award in the Children's Storybooks category.

God's Promise put up a strong fight as a finalist for the Book of the Year award in the Children's Books category, but ultimately earned the Preferred Choice award.

The awards were decided by a panel of 50 moms and educators. Congratulations to Janan Cain, Maureen Moss, and Gerald Purnell. These are two beautiful books, and they definitely deserve the honors they've begun to garner.

I can't believe it's been three weeks since I've done a Book of the Week! Shame on me. Up this week, I've got We Share One World, a colorful book written and illustrated by sisters Jane Hoffelt and Marty Husted.

The book follows a young boy around the world, as he marvels at how similar the children of the world are to him. "You and I, we share one world," he smartly notes, "one golden sun, one silver moon."

As the pages progress from one country to the next, there is a terrific contrast between the illustrations, which highlight the uniqueness of each country, and the writing, which highlights the similarities of people around the world. The small maps on each page are a nice touch, making this book lend itself nicely to a world geography lesson. This is one picture book no elementary classroom should be without.

In 2005, the founder of Illumination Arts started a nonprofit foundation to help donate books to children in need. Over the past three years, that foundation--Inspire Every Child--has donated thousands of books to countless organizations, libraries, and schools around the country, including donations to International Book Bank, BookEnds, Green Halloween, and NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. If you would like to help be a part of these donations, visit the Inspire Every Child website.

A study by Scholastic found that a majority of children enjoy reading. 68% of all children, and 82% of young children ages 5-8, said they "like" or "love" reading books. The number decreases with age, though, so it seems that instilling a love of reading in your children early on is not enough.

If I had a solution for this, I'd be rich and famous, but the best advice I can give is: keep reading with your kids and providing them with books. When your eight-year-old proclaims, "I love reading!" don't assume your job is done. When they're 12 or 15 and reading is no longer "cool," it's important to make sure they are surrounded by reading options.

For this Father's Day, we've got a terrific sale on Your Father Forever. Between now and Father's Day--which is coming up on June 15th!--you can save over 35% when you order Your Father Forever direct from our website. Just add the book to your shopping cart. The savings are automatic!

This book is the perfect gift for new fathers or young dads. If you'd like to read this loving poem for yourself, head on over to BigUniverse.com, where the entire book is available for viewing.

Also, if your total (before shipping) comes to more than $25, don't forget to use the coupon code NEWSITE08 for an additional savings of 25% off the whole order.