Yea!!!!! Scholastic announces they are re-launching the Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate in May.

In the series, five kids are given the power to morph into animal forms by alien beings. Applegate’s gift was to take have these stock series characters fight evil while vividly capturing each animal’s attributes (what kid, or adult for that matter, wouldn’t want to fly like a condor or swim like a dolphin?)

In my library, the copies are old, yellowed and ratty (they were published between 1996 and 2001). I would have tossed them years ago if our kids weren’t still taking them out.

Hold on to your seats, I am about to recommend a business audio. It is true that I rarely write about books (or audiobooks) for grown-ups, but I can’t stop talking about Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh.

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose Tony Hsieh Retail Price: $29.98 Audio CD: Unabridged Publisher: Hachette Audio – (2010-06-07) ISBN : 9781607882305

What is our experience as librarians with the business book category? Do we read them because the Director went to a “who moved my cheese” seminar and found a way to force the staff to read a book not of their choosing? Because the Four Hour Work Week has an appealing title and is on best seller lists? Did a friend recommended Freakanomics?

Business books are a genre I read for fun after a pile of picture books. My first reading of Managing The Non-Profit Organization by Peter Drucker was when I worked as a retail manager for a children’s museum. I was intrigued by the way he laid out organizational structure, interpersonal relationships and above all the difference between a for-profit entity and a non-profit.

I heard the rumors that everyone who worked on Composing a Life by Mary Catherine Bateson quit their job and went to something else, following “their calling.” Within a year of reading it, I, too, quit my job in publishing, enrolled in graduate school and started my career as a librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library. That’s what a thoughtful examination of how we evaluate our work will do… instigate change.

What is about Delivering Happiness? I’m not in a rut at work. I have high expectations of interesting developments, my managers encourage and support new ideas, curriculum and projects (like the recent BookFest@Bank Street). They expect me to stretch and grow, to mentor and teach, to be passionate about our work and to enjoy the daily work of teaching.

So here comes Tony Hsieh examining and sharing what makes Zappos.com a great place to work. He lays out how serendipity, exciting hard work, kindness, generosity, passion and personal growth can all be part of a corporate strategy for success. Hsieh’s presentation jells with my own philosophy of work life. To be passionate, to encourage others, to be of service, to blow off steam in productive but fun ways, to find ways small and big to improve how we do things to serve our students and teachers, and to do more with less, to learn that obstacles or misaligned philosophies are growth opportunities.

Hsieh’s passion for “delivering happiness” is palpable on the audio edition of the book. He sounds almost amazed at where life has taken him, he generously shares his mistakes and errors in judgement as well in a sure-why-don’t-we-try-that attitude. The audio includes the voices of others on his team who grew Zappos with him as well as Jeff Bezos after the Amazon buy-out. (More complicated than that… read the book).

It confirms my own business philosophy and articulates how I can grow within my organization as well as partner with those outside who share our core values.

Needless to say, I’ll be giving it to many friends this holiday.

Back in October, the NYT ran an article that made me crazy. If you’re not familiar with it, the title alone indicates why; “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children.”

The article asserted that picture books are in a decline and that a major factor is parents, who want to push their kids into reading chapter books. I wrote a rebuttal, explaining why picture books are still important for children; thanks to all of you who chimed in.

This week, Publishers Weekly‘s cover story carries a headline we can all toast, “Don’t Write the Obit For Picture Books Yet.” It also presents encouraging stats that refute that NYT‘s basic premise,

“The evidence: BookScan figures show that last year, picture books represented 10.8% of the overall children’s market—virtually the same as in 2005, when they represented 10.7%.”

The article goes on to quote publishers’ views of the market (definitely not declining) and gives an insightful look at the history of children’s book publishing and retailing. Great reading for the holidays!

We want to give books this holiday season. We want to give books because we want to share the joy of perfectly written, joyous-to-read-aloud picture books. We want to give books because childhood memories are made when we settle into the big armchair and share the adventures of a fearless mouse (The Tale of Despereaux). We want to give books because we want to be the ONE who introduced that seven-year-old to Clementine.

Specifically, I want to be the cool godmother who slipped a teen Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You. I also want to be the goddess who gave the perfect book to the kid who “doesn’t read.” I also want to give books because I want to support the “content providers.” I want my gift giving money to go to children’s book writers and artists.

Out of the thousands of new children’s books published this year, which ones will make the perfect gift?

Allow me; making the match is the most exciting moment for the children’s librarian or bookseller.

Lisa Von Drasek’s Annual Best Books to Give to Kids When You Have No Idea What to Get Them Because:

• You Don’t Know Them Very Well

• They’ve Read Everything

The following recommendations are sorted by age of recipient and topic.

Best New Baby

Perfect Piggies! Book and Plush Set Sandra Boynton Retail Price: $16.95 Hardcover: 24 pages Publisher: Workman Publishing Company – (2010-11-15) ISBN / EAN: 0761162305 / 9780761162308

(Ages 6 months and up)

From the genius who created Moo Baa La La La, a delicious bebop board book rhyming romp of buoyant pink piggies paired with a cuddly soft stuffed toy.

Best New Sibling

Pecan Pie Baby Jacqueline Woodson Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Putnam Juvenile – (2010-10-28) ISBN / EAN: 0399239871 / 9780399239878

(Ages 3 and up)
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There’s Going to Be a Baby John Burningham Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 48 pages Publisher: Candlewick – (2010-09-14) ISBN / EAN: 0763649074 / 9780763649074

(Ages 4 and up)

Is there an older sibling? Time to emphasize that the older brother and/or sisters are big, smart, and fabulous. Both of these give a humorous take on the uncertainty and terror that the impending infant can instill in the first child. No sugar coating and plenty of fun.

Best Concept Book

One Blue Fish: A Colorful Counting Book Charles Reasoner Retail Price: $9.99 Hardcover: 26 pages Publisher: Little Simon – (2010-07-20) ISBN / EAN: 1416996729 / 9781416996729

(Ages 2 and up)

The biggest, fattest, bluest number one stands out sharply out from a background of solid yellow. Lift the page and underneath swims a fish with scales in tones of blue that range from sky to gray to almost purple. We count the sets of animals up to ten yellow ducks. No reason not to count right back down again.

Best Picture Books of the Year

Animal Crackers Fly the Coop Kevin O’Malley Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers – (2010-04-13) ISBN / EAN: 0802798373 / 9780802798374

(Ages 5 and up)

In this punny retelling of the Brementown Musicians, the chicken (a pint-sized Henny Youngman…get it?) leaves the farm to become a comedian and avoid getting cooked on “Fry-day.” Along the road she picks up the usual suspects; an unwanted dog, a cat who would rather sing than catch mice, and a cow with jokes on the brain, all done in detailed pen-and-ink illustrations with color wash.

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The Quiet Book Deborah Underwood Retail Price: $12.95 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children – (2010-04-12) ISBN / EAN: 0547215673 / 9780547215679

(Ages 4 and up)

A cohort of cuddly critters, softly rendered in pencil sketches demonstrate the various forms of quiet,  from “First one awake” to “Don’t scare the robin” quiet. As we read between the lines with hints from the illustrations, big feelings of embarrassment, sadness and joy emerge in the telling.

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My Garden Kevin Henkes Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Greenwillow Books – (2010-02-23) ISBN / EAN: 0061715174 / 9780061715174

(Ages 4 and up)

It may seem strange to recommend a summery garden book in the dead of winter but I would be remiss not to recommend one of the best books of the year in a gift-giving round-up. Caldecott-winning picture book creator, Henkes begins the story subtly with a little girl helping her mother in the garden then takes off in a flight of fancy as the child imagines if this was her garden, the flowers would re-appear instantly after being picked… there would be no rabbits eating the crops because the rabbits would be chocolate and she would eat them!

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The Rabbit Problem Emily Gravett Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – (2010-11-02) ISBN / EAN: 1442412550 / 9781442412552

(Ages 6 and up)

Is there a really smart six-year old in your life? One who takes joy in teasing out puzzles or figuring out logic problems? This is THE book. Gravett in the form of a monthly calendar graphically renders the Fibonacci problem “If a pair of baby rabbits are put in a field, how many pairs will there be: a) at the end of each month? b) After one year?“ We follow the progress of January’s one lonely rabbit through the humorous interactive lift-the-flap, pop-up pages, containing February’s knitting pattern for a lovely striped hoodie to a very crowded December that explodes rabbits off the page.

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A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea Michael Ian Black Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – (2010-09-07) ISBN / EAN: 1416979220 / 9781416979227

(Ages 6 and up)

Do you know a family with a snarky sense of humor? One with a fine appreciation of the absurd?  The deadpan narrator assures us that although we may think a parade made up of a lot of pigs would be a lot of fun; it is assuredly a bad idea. Perhaps we were not aware that pigs do not want to wear snappy uniforms, tend to shuffle rather than march and do not appreciate rousing marching tunes, preferring sad country ballads. Oh, and the only floats pigs would enjoy are the ones with root beer and ice cream. Artist Hawkes conjures up cute cartoony pigs as well as realistically rendered decidedly sticky ones for our enlightenment.

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How Rocket Learned to Read Tad Hills Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Schwartz & Wade – (2010-07-27) ISBN / EAN: 0375858997 / 9780375858994

(Ages 5 and up)

Rocket, a spotted fuzzy dog had no interest in reading until a tiny yellow bird flew into his life. She read aloud to him, taught him the glories of the “wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet” and how to spell words like grrrr and whoosh. The passage of time as fall turns to winter is exquisitely portrayed as the bird leaves for the winter and Rocket practices what he had learned.

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Clever Jack Takes the Cake Candace Fleming Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Schwartz & Wade – (2010-08-24) ISBN / EAN: 0375849793 / 9780375849794

(Ages 5 and up)

Jack has been invited to the Princess’s birthday party. Although he is poor, he uses his wits to gather the resources to make her present, a two-layer cake with candles and a ripe succulent strawberry. On the way to the festivities he encounters aggressive blackbirds, an ogre at a toll bridge and a greedy bear, all who whittle away the cake. What will the princess think if he arrives empty-handed?

The Perfect Teacher Present

Miss Brooks Loves Books (And I Don’t) Barbara Bottner Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers – (2010-03-09) ISBN / EAN: 0375846824 / 9780375846823

(Ages 5 and up)

An overly enthusiastic school librarian oppresses our droll narrator. To make matters worse the student must select a book to present for Book Week. “I ask my mother if we can move to a new town. My mother says there’s a librarian in every town. I ask if she wants to do my assignment for me. ‘I’ve already been to first grade,’ says my mother.” It’s a pitch perfect read aloud.

Best Information Books

Bones Steve Jenkins Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 48 pages Publisher: Scholastic Reference – (2010-08-01) ISBN / EAN: 0545046513 / 9780545046510

(Ages 5 and up)

Jenkins cut-paper collage art never ceases to amaze. Here he looks at bones… animal bones, mammal bones, bird bones and frog bones. Fact-filled and endlessly fascinating; did you know that there are 206 bones in the adult human body? That a stork has thin, hollow bones to make to light enough to fly? That bugs have their skeletons on the outside, an exoskeleton?

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Animal Pop!: With 5 Incredible, Life Size Fold-outs (In Your Face) National Geographic Retail Price: $14.95 Hardcover: 20 pages Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books – (2010-10-26) ISBN / EAN: 1426307160 / 9781426307164

(Ages 4 and up)

This is the book for the kid that is crazy about animals. Here is a perfect compendium of facts and photographs about tigers, dolphins, turtles woves and pandas to peruse. The animal profiles contain thumbnail sketches that show where they live, what they eat as well as some snapshots of typical development or how they communicate. AND……a stunning pop-up life-size photograph of the animal.

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The Sounds of Star Wars J.W. Rinzler Retail Price: $60.00 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Chronicle Books – (2010-09-01) ISBN / EAN: 0811875466 / 9780811875462

(All Ages)

Yes this is the most unexpected pick of the list.  Rinzler was the sound engineer for the Star Wars movies. In this oversized encyclopedic volume, he describes how the movie’s sounds were crated. Press 003 on the digital audio box to hear the robot’s voice, the sound of the light sabers, and the “growls” of baby Emma that became the basis for sound of the Sando aqua monster.  Over three hundred pages of movie stills and archival photos, 256 sound bites; the perfect gift for the geek in all of us.

Best Easy Readers

Bink and Gollie (Junior Library Guild Selection (Candlewick Press)) Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 96 pages Publisher: Candlewick – (2010-09-14) ISBN / EAN: 076363266X / 9780763632663

(Ages 6 and up)

Two best friends, one short, one tall, one impulsive, one deliberate are introduced in this limited language chapter book. I could try but nobody says it better than Sarah Ellis in the New York Times Book Review.

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Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! Grace Lin Retail Price: $14.99 Hardcover: 48 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2010-07-01) ISBN / EAN: 031602452X / 9780316024525

(Ages 6 and up)

These identical twin sisters are not so identical since Ling sneezed during a haircut. Newbery Honor author, Lin, presents two distinct girls with different strengths, likes and dislikes in a brightly colored early chapter book.

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Cat the Cat, Who Is That? Mo Willems Retail Price: $10.99 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Balzer + Bray – (2010-02-16) ISBN / EAN: 0061728403 / 9780061728402

(Ages 4 and up)

From the author of the award-winning Elephant and Piggie and the Knuffle Bunny series, a new cast of characters is introduced in the simplest of language for our brand new reader buddies. The repetitious language, quiet humor and plots that turn on early childhood issues make these instant classics. Give the whole set.

Best Early Chapter Book

Lulu and the Brontosaurus (Junior Library Guild Selection (Atheneum)) Judith Viorst Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 128 pages Publisher: Atheneum – (2010-09-14) ISBN / EAN: 1416999612 / 9781416999614

(Ages 5 and up)

“There once was a girl named Lulu, and she was a pain. She wasn’t a pain in the elbow. She wasn’t a pain in the knee. She was a pain – a very big pain – in the b u t t.”

Viorst’s entertaining storyteller voice paired with Smith’s humorous pencil sketches, packaged in an old-fashioned cloth bound irregularly shaped vertical volume, give us a story that begs to be read aloud. Every child will recognize Lulu who gets what she wants, when she wants or throws a fit and then gets what she wants. We heave a sigh of relief when she gets her comeuppance in a most unexpected way.

Best Graphic Novels

The Little Prince Graphic Novel Antoine de Saint-Exupery Retail Price: $19.99 Hardcover: 112 pages Publisher: HMH Books – (2010-10-18) ISBN / EAN: 0547338023 / 9780547338026

(Ages 9 and up)

Better known to kids for his Little Vampire series, Joann Sfar tackles adapting this beloved classic of the downed pilot and his mysterious friend, a small boy from another planet who tells tales of his travels. This illustrated edition perfectly captures the tone of the original as well as illuminating the characters such as the dashing pilot, the selfish rose and the geographer with no interest in exploration.

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Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword Barry Deutsch Retail Price: $15.95 Hardcover: 144 pages Publisher: Amulet Books – (2010-11-01) ISBN / EAN: 0810984229 / 9780810984226

(Ages 10 and up)

“Yet another Troll-Fighting 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish Girl” says the tag line and basically that’s all you need to know. Part fairytale, part fantasy/quest tale unusually set in an observant family, we know immediately that Mirka is not like all the other girls at school. Due to a complicated set of mishaps, our protagonist finds herself stalked by a pig, hounded by a bully and enthralled by the prospect of fulfilling a greater destiny. Nothing is as it seems in this compelling volume, the first of the series.

Best Books for the Kids who love Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda Tom Angleberger Retail Price: $12.95 Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: Amulet Books – (2010-03-01) ISBN / EAN: 0810984253 / 9780810984257

(Ages 10 and up)

The story unfolds as individual students in alternating chapters relate the mysterious ability of a folded paper finger puppet named Yoda to give sage advice to a class of sixth graders. Not the usual school story of friendship, bullies, and first girlfriends told in journal entries, cartoons, and doodles.

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Finn Reeder, Flu Fighter: How I Survived a Worldwide Pandemic, the School Bully, and the Craziest Game of Dodge Ball Ever Eric Stevens Retail Price: $9.99 Hardcover: 80 pages Publisher: Stone Arch Books – (2010-01-15) ISBN / EAN: 1434225623 / 9781434225627

(Ages 9 and up)

The non-event of the swine flu epidemic seems long ago, but this extremely funny story of a kid whose teachers, friends and family begin dropping like flies is perfect for the kid who has run out of Wimpy Kid books and refuses to touch anything else. Gross humor abounds as Finn becomes the last kid standing.

Best Novels for the Kid Who Reads Everything

Out of My Mind Sharon M. Draper Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Atheneum – (2010-03-09) ISBN / EAN: 141697170X / 9781416971702

(Ages 10 and up)

Imagine if you had no control of your body, that although you had plenty to say about almost everything, all anyone heard is grunts and groans. We hear Melody’s voice in her head as she navigates the world of typical students and finds a way to let everyone know what is inside her mind.

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One Crazy Summer Rita Williams-garcia Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Amistad – (2010-02-01) ISBN / EAN: 0060760885 / 9780060760885

(Ages 10 and up)

It was the summer of the Black Panthers, when three sisters are shipped west to spend time with the mother who abandoned them when the youngest was still an infant. Delphine, only eleven, is charged with being responsible for the younger two as their mother continues to neglect their care. Should she call her dad? Will her mother ever BE a mother?

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The Search for WondLa Tony DiTerlizzi Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – (2010-09-21) ISBN / EAN: 1416983104 / 9781416983101

(Ages 10 and up)

For the kids who loved Harry Potter and the The Lightning Thief, comes this excitingly original fantasy quest tale of a little girl, Eva Nine who was raised in an underground residence with only the company of a many-armed robot caretaker named Muthr. Abundantly illustrated with obvious references to Baum’s Wizard of Oz, readers can delight in sinking into a whole new world filled with magical creatures, heart stopping adventure scenes and sly embedded humor.

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A Tale Dark and Grimm Adam Gidwitz Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 192 pages Publisher: Dutton Juvenile – (2010-10-28) ISBN / EAN: 0525423346 / 9780525423348

(Ages 10 and up)

This would be the under-the-radar book. Who is this book for? For the kid ready to graduate from Goose Bumps, for the kid who wants a really scary book, for the kid looking for action but also for the thoughtful kid. This book is a well-crafted retelling of classic (read bloody, gory, not-cleaned-up, not Disney) Grimm’s Tales with the construct that Hansel and Gretel were actually the main characters of all the stories. Gidwitz knows his tales and provides pitch perfect pacing. We can imagine him as the charming narrator reminding us again and again to take the little ones out of the room. Follow that advice.

Best Novels for 12 and Up

Fever Crumb Philip Reeve Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press – (2010-04-01) ISBN / EAN: 0545207193 / 9780545207195

For the young adults who have already gobbled up the Hunger Games series, a new fantasy adventure set in an alternative London. Reeve, a pioneer of the Steam Punk genre presents Fever Crumb, who is the only female member of the Order of Engineers. Fever’s past is a mystery and her future is in jeopardy as she tries to survive in the dangerous streets. e are pleasantly surprised when at the very end this fast-paced tale is revealed as a prequel to the Hungry City Quartet (HarperCollins).

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Revolution Jennifer Donnelly Retail Price: $18.99 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers – (2010-10-12) ISBN / EAN: 0385737637 / 9780385737630

For those supernatural romantics, here is one just for them.

Donnelly, whose previous novel was the critically acclaimed and award winning A Northern Light, weaves the popular culture of present day Brooklyn Heights with the terror of Paris during the French Revolution.  Part mystery, part romance and part fantasy, we witness Andy Alpers is a high school senior as she is breaking down, not just because of her mother’s erratic behavior but also in response to her younger brother’s death. She is going to be kicked out of her competitive private school if she doesn’t complete her senior project (which she hasn’t even started). Can it get worse? Her father arrives to intervene and forces her to relocate to Paris. Can she make her escape? Does she really want to?

YA — Contemporary Angst/Humor

Will Grayson, Will Grayson John Green, David Levithan Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Dutton Juvenile – (2010-04-06) ISBN / EAN: 0525421580 / 9780525421580

The co-authors have written a coming of age novel in the voices of two high-school students who meet accidently and coincidentally have the same name. This is as much a book about friendship as it is about finding one’s place in the world. What does it mean to acknowledge and support a friend who is gay? And of course there is a musical.

Final Next Installment of a Series

A Conspiracy of Kings Megan Whalen Turner Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Greenwillow Books – (2010-03-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061870935 / 9780061870934

(Ages 12 and up)

While every one was going crazy over Mockingjay, I was relishing the final (UPDATE: Good news! It’s been pointed out that is is NOT the final installment. The author herself said in an interview that  she’s planning two more books in the series. Thanks for the link, Susan Cassidy) in The Queen’s Thief series, set in a fantasy kingdom built of palace intrigue, mistaken identities and romance. The first, The Thief, was a Newbery Honor. This volume is just as satisfying as the previous three.

The discussion about the price of picture books rages on. In response to my defense of current prices on a cost-per-use basis, one person replied,

Yes, books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar may get read over and over again to a child, providing hours of entertainment for a reasonable price. But a parent might just as easily spend the $20 on a book that their child has no interest in whatsoever. Perhaps they’ll sit through one read if you’re lucky, but still you’ve just spent that $20.

Yes, librarians and other knowledgeable advisers can steer a parent towards more likely contenders, but even in those cases the book may not appeal to your child. There are probably some kids out there in the world who won’t like that Caterpillar (though I find it hard to believe!) and thus each purchase becomes a riskier proposition for a parent.

Playing picture book roulette when buying for a kid is asking for heartache. Fortunately, you don’t have to resort to that. Good children’s librarians know what to recommend because they actually read the books.

A grown-up who wants a book on spiders can just be directed to the spider book section to pick for himself, but a children’s librarian needs to conduct an interview. First we judge development; “What is the child reading right now?” Then, we probe a little further…

• “Do you want a story about spiders?” (The Very Busy Spider, by Eric Carle, or Charlie and Lola, I’m Just Not Keen on Spiders, by Lauren Child).

• “An Information book about spiders?” (Nic Bishop’s Spiders).

• “How well can the child read, or will a grown-up be sharing the book with her?”  (Tarantula Scientist in the The Scientists in the Field series).

My go-to for recommendations that I trust (and that that parents and teachers can access) is The Cooperative Children’s Book Center, (CCBC). It offers well thought-out, current, diverse, developmentally appropriate recommendations. My favorite list is Ten Author’s Every Childcare Provider Should Know.

In addition, I also regularly refer to these resources:

• The Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street, is now in its 100th year of selecting the Best Books of the Year (PDF’s by age group are available free online. It is also available at the same site in book form).

• ALA/ALSC Notable Books for Children

• Best Science Books of the Year

What are your recommended children’s book lists or awards that I should be looking at?

After my rebuttal on the merits of picture books, I received this comment from a famous best-selling author by email,

Our publisher pals need to re-think ….the high prices they are charging…$18 for a book when you are struggling to keep/find a job is impossible.

The esteemed young adult author, Marc Aronson stated recently on CCBC_Net listserv (available only to subscribers), that these “books are so slim they disappear, a parent faces a relatively high cost (say $16) for a relatively short immersion experience (32, 40, 48 pages plus the effort the parent puts into engaging the child spread by spread).”

WHAT?!!!!!

Consider the Return on Investment

Rounding up, let’s say a hardcover picture book is twenty dollars. Let’s consider The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In many households, it is read every night for four months, or 120 hours. This experience is seventeen cents a reading.

“Plus the effort the parent puts in engaging the child spread by spread.” Is Marc Aronson looking for a fight? That “effort” is bonding with a young child, that “effort” is building early literacy skills, that “effort” will pay off in untold dividends in a stronger vocabulary, ability to track cause and effect, and create the beginning of the understanding that one can derive enormous enjoyment from the words on a page. Let’s add to this – shared meaning and fun.

A child who is having a whiny moment can be reminded of Llama, llama Red Pajama. A child inappropriately seeking attention can be distracted with a story on a bus or a train. Whether in hard copy, on a Nook or an iPad, a picture book can save a restaurant meal from a too hungry, too tired child meltdown.

Need a study?

“Children’s Access to Print Material and Education-Related Outcomes,”  says that not having access to print materials  (i.e., books) in the home is detrimental to a child’s ability to succeed in the elementary school years.

Want to talk money?

Let’s compare to other monetary wants of childhood…

• The DVD of a new movie, $30.
• New cool electronic hamsters, $15 dollars a piece, collect them all! Accessories, $20 a set.
• A dancing Micky Mouse $93
• PlayScool Alphie, $45.
• Can a parent leave a movie theater or museum less than $40 lighter in the wallet?
• One dinner at McDonalds for a family of four?

Where is your $16 to $18 going? We can agree that the artist and the writer should get paid. How about the art director who created the object? The editor who discovered, nurtured the writer and championed the book? The publisher who produced the books, balanced the books, and kept things on schedule? The marketing people who had to shine a light on THIS book in a crowded market, let librarians, booksellers, and parents know about this fabulous new illustrator?

Mr. Aronson also suggests some ways to get books in the hands of parents and children for less money (for instance, creating subscription plans). Let’s not reinvent the wheel. There is a way. Paperback. The top selling paperback picture books on Amazon are  $6.00 and $7.00. Scholastic Book Clubs distribute through classrooms and sell paperbacks at affordable prices. REading is Fundamental gives books away (www.rif.org).

Is there a place where a parent can go for expert advice on picture books for their child? A community center where professionals have selected the best of what is available and share this knowledge freely with anyone who walks through the door? A place where parents can borrow books read to their children?

Oh, right — THE LIBRARY.

How much will borrowing a pile of picture books cost? Nothing, nada (admittedly, that’s not really true. Tax dollars paid for them and for that expert). If the books for children in your local library are ratty and old, use your voice to demand a children’s librarian who is knowledgeable, to raise funds for new books.

Going without picture books is not an option. The loss to a child of not sitting with a parent or older sibling, turning those thirty-two pages, poring over the art, repeating joyfully those juicy words, cannot be replaced.

A week of Starbucks’ Lattes — $24.50

The cost of a Michael Jordan sneaker? — Seriously.

Snuggling with a five-year-old, laughing over John Scieszka’s Truckery Rhymes?

Priceless.

The buzz you heard over the weekend came from children’s librarians on the listservs, infuriated by Friday’s NYT article, “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children.” According to the article, parents are pushing their preschoolers and early elementary children into “chapter books.” As a result, new picture books “languish on the shelves,” so publishers are releasing fewer titles.

As I read the article, I was steaming. Maybe there are other reasons for fewer titles;

• Could it be that there was a glut of picture books over the last ten years and this pulling back is a sane course correction?

• Could it be that, because of the economic downturn in the last few years, publishing has downsized?

• Could it be that public libraries have lost funding, certified school librarians across the country are being laid off and that is a large part of  the market for hardcover new picture books?

• Could it be that conservative communities don’t want books with witches or scary tales resulting in fewer fairytales and folktales?

The article only looks at bookstores. Do library circ numbers reflect a fall off in picture books? It seems not; Joann Jonas of the San Diego County Library system says that “picture books carry our circulation. We budget or funds accordingly.” Sno-Isle (WA) PL reports on their collection development staff blog,

Picture books are not dying out in Sno-Isle Libraries. Our picture book collection is allotted 32% of the overall Juvenile Book budget and circulation figures show that 777,489  picture books were checked out in the first nine months of 2010.

But what about parents snatching picture books from tiny hands and forcing “chapter books” on children barely old enough to decode the words?

Those parents overlook what picture books can do for young minds. Think of Jon Scieszka’s perennial favorite The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf (Viking Childrens, 1989) with its sophisticated unreliable narrator. To enjoy and understand this story, kids need to know the classic Three Little Pigs, they need to comprehend the lying language of Alexander T. Wolf, and have the visual literacy to peruse Lane Smith’s collage art for contradicting evidence of the verbal story. These critical thinking skills are strengthened through reading and rereading picture books.

The hundreds of comments on the listservs lay out salient points for librarians confronted with parents who think their kids are “too old” for picture books. I have tried to distill them below;

• The text of picture books is often written at a higher reading level. Children need to hear this higher vocabulary to acquire language before they can read it.

• The pictures give children practice in visual literacy. Excellent picture books are ones that you can go back to again and again, discovering something new every time.

• Early series chapter books are great for reading practice but their vocabulary and sentence structure are simplistic and their plots formulaic.

• Picture books provide self recognition; think of the work of Ezra Jack Keats, Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems, and Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret-Chodos-Irvine

• Picture books help negotiate emotional milestones, think Robie Harris’s Mail Harry to the Moon.

• Picture books for older children give a window into history, cultures and communities  other than our own with sophisticated artistic representation. Let’s look at just one artist, Gregory Christie, Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan, Only Passing Through: The Story if Sojourner Truth, and the joyful, exuberant, juicy language-filled Yesterday I had the Blues.

• Rhythm, rhyme, and repetition of early  picture books support the learning of reading skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension and fluency.

• Reading picture books does not exclude reading aloud fabulous chapter books like My Father’s Dragon and Ramona the Brave.

My charge to readers — Copy the NYT article and post it along with my rebuttal. Pull the best of your picture book collection for display and label with cards or standees or bookmarks what skills children are gaining by sharing these books with their parents, caregivers and teachers. Do the same on your website or blog. School librarians, rally around the teachers who are using picture books in the classrooms. Continue to buy these books for your collection; if we don’t support these artists and writers, there may come a time when the pickings are slim.

PS. Check out this list of fabulous picture books to read aloud, selected by Bank Street College of Education’s School for Children 1st through 4th graders and almost 2,000 students from our cooperating schools

Featuring: Laurie Halse Anderson, Jon Scieszka & Leonard Marcus
Link here for more information and to register

Below is this year’s list of Mocks, from Bank Street School.

Mock Newbery 2011

Mock Printz 2011

A small moment of gloating if I may. Last year when I posted that our kids picked When You Reach Me, there were a few comments sent to me by e-mail, that of course our kids who live and go to school on the Upper West Side of Manhattan picked a book about their neighborhood. Hah! (if readers recall, my kids picked the real winner). My favorite kid comment was, “I loved this book because it was all the genres at once, realistic, historical fiction, fantasy and a mystery.”

I am in for marathon sessions of booktalks in the coming weeks. Wish me luck.

Registration is now open for this year’s BookFest, which I am proud to say is being hosted by Bank Street College of Education, where I am the Coordinator of School Services and Children’s Librarian.

The event, which is designed for adults, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 30 and features a keynote address by Laurie Halse Anderson, a panel of authors led by Jon Scieszka, on how to write for kids who choose not to read and a panel devoted to Margaret Wise Brown, who began writing children’s books while a student at Bank Street. This year marks her hundredth birthday celebration.

This is a great opportunity for children’s librarians to get together with colleagues. For more details and registration (required; closes 9/10), please go to BookFest@Bank Street.

Like many of you, I grabbed a copy of Mockingjay yesterday and dove right in. The third and concluding volume in the Hunger Games series is a roller-coaster, video game ride from the let’s-recap-what you-may-not-recall beginning to its shocking climax.

Of the reviews to date, I feel Jenny Brown nailed it on Shelf Awareness,

Sometimes what moves us to survive also causes our downfall, and sometimes what causes our downfall moves us to compassion. [Mockingjay] leaves us with haunting questions: Can individuals survive as a collective? Or will a united cause subsume the individual? And how much of what makes us individuals are we willing to sacrifice.

Set aside a few hours; you won’t want to put this one down.

Kudos to the cover designers. As we look at the three books on the shelf, the first one is black with the mockingjay symbol radiating dystopia; the second, burning red like “Katniss, the girl on fire” plunged back into the games, and the last, an optimistic light blue with a naturalistic mockingjay breaking free.

It looks like this one is truly a crossover title. On the listserv CCBC-Net yesterday, Alison Hndon, Youth Selection Team Leader for Brooklyn Public Library noted that about 2/3 of the 300 holds were placed by adult patrons.

By the way, that other book getting big coverage this week, Freedom by Jonathan Franzen? it’s lagging well behind Mockinjay in holds.

Before I leap into my picks of kids books for September, I wanted to  mention that, while at ALA, Jo Ann Jonas, the woman who inspired me to become a librarian, and I made a recording for StoryCorps. We both enjoyed talking about why we love about our jobs.

Part of what continues to inspire me is discovering new books that kids will love. Below are some of my favorites for next month.

Bedtime Books

A Bedtime for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton, Candlewick.  Ages 4 and up.

The bear  who likes things in his house to be “just so” and the mouse (small, and gray and bright-eyed of course)  from A Visitor for Bear return to deal with going-to-bed rituals.

A Bedtime for Bear (Bear and Mouse) Bonny Becker Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 48 pages Publisher: Candlewick – (2010-09-14) ISBN / EAN: 0763641014 / 9780763641016

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Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems by Jane Yolen, Andrew Fusek Peters, and illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Here is a Little Poem is an essential buy for every children’s room. It is one of my favorite collections for young children. The same team brings together poems, old and new for nighttime reading paired with Karas’s dreamy paintings.

Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems Retail Price: $21.99 Hardcover: 96 pages Publisher: Candlewick – (2010-09-14) ISBN / EAN: 0763642495 / 9780763642495

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Max and Ruby’s Bedtime Book, by Rosemary Wells, Viking. Ages 3 and up

Very short stories of our favorite sister and brother bunnies are collected in a lavishly illustrated volume perfect for settling our own little ones during the night time read-aloud ritual.

Max and Ruby’s Bedtime Book Rosemary Wells Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 48 pages Publisher: Viking Juvenile – (2010-09-21) ISBN / EAN: 067001141X / 9780670011414

Board Book

The Baby Goes Beep, by Rebecca O’Connell, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max, Albert Whitman. Baby to toddler.

Baby goes beep, Baby goes splash, Baby goes shhhh. Hats off to Whitman for bringing back this rollicking repetitious toddler read aloud in a board book edition.

The Baby Goes Beep Rebecca O’Connell Retail Price: $7.99 Board book: 16 pages Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company – (2010-09-01) ISBN / EAN: 0807505080 / 9780807505083

Picture Books

I’m Big!, by Kate Mcmullam, illustrated by Jim Mcmullan, Balzar and Bray. Ages 4 and up

The latest from the creative duo of I Stink, I’m Bad, and I’m Mighty bring forth a not-so-little lost sauropod (check out the book trailer).

I’m Big! Kate Mcmullan Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Balzer + Bray – (2010-09-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061229741 / 9780061229749

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Children Make Terrible Pets, Peter Brown, Little Brown.

A very feminine girl bear finds a little boy in the woods and brings him home for a pet.  She names him Squeak for the noise he makes. Domesticating a human turns out to be more than she can handle because children DO make terrible pets.  Brown makes the most of this ludicrous premise with his detailed cartoon drawings and deliberately tongue-in-cheek storytelling.

Children Make Terrible Pets Peter Brown Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2010-09-07) ISBN / EAN: 0316015482 / 9780316015486

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A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea, by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, Simon and Schuster. Ages 5+
In a droll serious tone the narrator details why it would be imprudent to stage a parade with a hundred pigs. Hawkes double page spreads of realist paintings not-at-all picture-book-cute (bringing to mind more Jamie Wyeth than David McPhail) instill an understanding of the madness of expecting porcine mammals to dress up in majorette costumes, play band instruments and tether balloons to the earth. Did you know pigs lack of any appreciation for floats except for the root beer kind?

A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea Michael Ian Black Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – (2010-09-07) ISBN / EAN: 1416979220 / 9781416979227

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Three Little Kittens, retold and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, Dial. Ages 2 and up.

Caldecott award winning illustrator, Pinkney, presents the sweetest little kittens who lost their mittens.

Three Little Kittens Jerry Pinkney Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Dial – (2010-09-30) ISBN / EAN: 0803735332 / 9780803735330

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Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier, Little Brown. Ages 8 and up.

Very little is known about Dave the Potter. He could read and write, skills not common during a time when slaves were forced to be illiterate. He created huge well-crafted pots that survive to this day. The author weaves Dave’s own words in lyrical text that supported by Collier’s multi-media collage illustrations In this well-researched picture book biography

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave Laban Carrick Hill Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2010-09-07) ISBN / EAN: 031610731X / 9780316107310

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Dust Devil, by Anne Isaacs, illustrated by Paul Zelinsky. Random House

Remember Swamp Angel? The heroine of that tall tale of the greatest Tennesse woodswoman has moved to Montana where she and her trusty steed Dust Devil find themselves up against the meanest bad guy ever.

Dust Devil Anne Isaacs Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 48 pages Publisher: Schwartz & Wade – (2010-09-14) ISBN / EAN: 0375867228 / 9780375867224

Easy to Read

Bink and Gollie, By Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile, Candlewick.

Two authors who are friends team up to write an easy-to-read chapter book about two very different best friends. One is tall, one is small. One is deliberate, one is enthusiastic.  The retro-modern, luminous art perfectly matches the authors’ dry absurd humor, imagination and other-worldliness. Can’t wait for number two.

Bink and Gollie Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 96 pages Publisher: Candlewick – (2010-09-14) ISBN / EAN: 076363266X / 9780763632663

Graphic Novel

Babymouse #13: Cupcake Tycoon, Jennifer L. Holm, Random House. Ages 7 and up

This series are  graphic novels in the best sense; compelling, emotionally satisfying with three dimensional characters that we have grown to love. As a series it is remarkable because the most recently published in the is just as engaging as the first. which is not always the case.

Babymouse #13: Cupcake Tycoon Jennifer L. Holm, Matt Holm Retail Price: $6.99 Paperback: 96 pages Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers – (2010-09-28) ISBN / EAN: 037586573X / 9780375865732

Transitional

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other Man-made Catastrophe , by Lenore Look and LeUyen Pham,Schwartz and Wade. Ages 7 and up

I suspect the Alvin Ho series has not been as popular as it could be, so here’s my pitch. A transitional reader (Henry and Mudge but before Fudge) with a reading level similar to Junie B Jones, Judy Moody but with a boy main character who just happens to be Chinese. Alvin is quirky and funny and kids can relate to his trials and tribulations with school, teachers, friends and parents. Did I mention laugh-aloud funny?

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other Man-made Catastrophes Lenore Look Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 192 pages Publisher: Schwartz & Wade – (2010-09-28) ISBN / EAN: 0375863354 / 9780375863356

Chapter Book

This Isn’t What It Looks Like (Secret Series) by Pseudonymous Bosch. Little Brown. Ages 8 and up.

I don’t know if these have taken off at your library, but at Bank Street, our kids can’t wait to get their hands on the 4^th fourth in the series (the first was The Name of This Book is Secret).

This Isn’t What It Looks Like (Secret Series) Pseudonymous Bosch Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 432 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2010-09-21) ISBN / EAN: 0316076252 / 9780316076258

Upper Middle Grade

Guys Read: Funny Business edited by Jon Scieszka, Harper ages 10 and up.

Jon Scieszka IS my hero. The former ambassador of children’s literature tirelessly campaigns for children’s right to read — anything they want. Especially boys’ right to read fun, high-interest, adventurous, and sometimes grossly humourous books that the stereotypical female teacher might raise her eyebrows at as “Not appropriate.” Study after study has shown that self-selection is the magic key to life-long reading. Sieszka has gathered his writer buddies and convinced them to contribute this short story collection. Teachers are often scouring my library for short story collections and this one fits the bill. Kids will recognizer their favorite authors, Jeff (Wimpy Kid) Kinney, Adam (True Meaning of Smek Day) Rex, Mac (Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem) Barnett, Kate (Tale of Desperaux) Dicamillo, Eoin (Artemus Fowl) Colfer are among the contributors. Are some of the stories gross? Duh. Will some of the content make a grown-up squirm? You bet. Do the stories, engage, delight and provoke? Without a doubt. Just what the literacy specialist ordered. Thank you, Mr. Scieszka.

Guys Read: Funny Business Jon Scieszka Retail Price: $6.99 Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Walden Pond Press – (2010-10-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061963739 / 9780061963735

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The Search for WondLa, by Tony DiTerlizzi, Simon and Schuster. Ages 10 and up

This IS the big book. DiTerlizzi of Spiderwick fame opens this wide-ranging fantasy novel with a girl who lives underground and is raised by a robot named Mothr.  My 4^th and 5^th graders couldn’t put it down and were begging for more.

The Search for WondLa Tony DiTerlizzi Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – (2010-09-21) ISBN / EAN: 1416983104 / 9781416983101

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What Happened on Fox Street, by Tricia Springstubb, illustrated by Heather Ross, Balzar and Bray. Ages 9 and up

Mo loves her neighborhood and is looking forward to her best friend’s return for the summer. It would have been easy to overlook this sleeper, a seemingly quiet story of two long-time friends on a dead-end street, but Fox Street is much more than that. It is about change that happens even though we resist it. It’s about forces beyond our control. It’s about the pain of growing up as well as the everyday joys of friendship.

What Happened on Fox Street Tricia Springstubb Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Balzer + Bray – (2010-09-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061986356 / 9780061986352

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Reckless, by Cornelia Funke, Little Brown. Ages 10 and up

Funke, the master of the richly imagined world populated with mystery and danger (Inkheart) presents a new series drawing on the dark side of traditional fairytales.

Reckless Cornelia Funke Retail Price: $19.99 Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2010-09-14) ISBN / EAN: 031605609X / 9780316056090

Young Adult

Half Brother, by Kenneth Oppel, Scholastic. Ages 12 and up

What if your parents uproot your life and move you to a distant small town where you know no one? What if they bring a baby chimpanzee into the new house and try to raise him as your brother? What if they think they can teach him to speak in sign language , would that be okay with you?

Half Brother Kenneth Oppel Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press – (2010-09-01) ISBN / EAN: 0545229251 / 9780545229258

Welcome to the fall publishing session, which officially begins this month. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting my month-by-month picks of the season, but first some not-to-be-missed July titles, followed by my picks for August.

JULY

How Rocket Learned to Read Balzar and Bray Ages 5+

A tiny yellow bird teaches a sweet fuzzy-faced doggy to read. Meet some new characters from the creative genius who brought us the developmentally perfect Duck and Goose. We hear it will be on the upcoming 8/15 NYT Picture Book best seller list at #4. No surprise.

How Rocket Learned to Read Tad Hills Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Schwartz & Wade – (2010-07-27) ISBN / EAN: 0375858997 / 9780375858994

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Clementine, Friend of the Week, Sara Pennypacker  illustrated by  Marla Frazee  Hyperion, Ages 7+

This is the one that we have been waiting for, Clementine, the most irrepressible character since Ramona, is back. Will Clementine’s friend, Margaret come through for her or will we find out what friendship is really about?

Clementine, Friend of the Week Sara Pennypacker Retail Price: $14.99 Hardcover: 176 pages Publisher: Hyperion Book CH – (2010-07-27) ISBN / EAN: 1423113551 / 9781423113553

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Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? My First Reader, Bill Jr Martin illustrated by Eric Carle Holt, Ages 5+

Did you know that this read-aloud classic was originally published as a beginning reader? Neither did I. Restored to the smaller trim size, with dramatic page turns, emergent readers will be amazed how quickly their reading skills pick up with this old favorite.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? My First Reader Bill Jr Martin Retail Price: $8.99 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) – (2010-07-20) ISBN / EAN: 0805092447 / 9780805092448

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Brett Helquist  Ages 8+

This is a reprint of short spooky tales just right for the re-telling.  Newly refreshed covers by the artist who did Lemony Snicket will have these jumping off the shelf.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Collected from American Folklore Alvin Schwartz Retail Price: $5.99 Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: HarperCollins – (1986-07-09) ISBN / EAN: 0064401707 / 9780064401708

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School!: Adventures at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School, Kate McMullan and George Booth.Feiwell and Friends. Ages 8 and up

McMullan captures the humorous trials and tribulations of school aged children’s in this richly illustrated volume packed with puns.

School!: Adventures at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School Kate McMullan Retail Price: $12.99 Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: Feiwel & Friends – (2010-07-20) ISBN / EAN: 0312375921 / 9780312375928

AUGUST — Picture Books and Young Readers

Bones: Skeletons and How They Work, written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins, Scholastic Ages 7 and up

Packed with facts and elegant cut paper illustrations, Jenkins lets us peer into the skeletal structure of a array of beings. He compares the human foot to the horse, the tiger, and the eagle. Turning the page of a human ribcage, we find a stunning gatefold of a six-foot-long python’s 200 pairs of ribs.

Bones Steve Jenkins Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 48 pages Publisher: Scholastic Reference – (2010-08-01) ISBN / EAN: 0545046513 / 9780545046510

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Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy, Denise Fleming Holt, Ages 2 and up

Fleming’s dyed paper pulp painting glow in what is sure to be a bedtime classic.

Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy Denise Fleming Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) – (2010-08-03) ISBN / EAN: 0805081267 / 9780805081268

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Brontorina, James Howe, illustrated by Randy Cecil, Candlewick

A dinosaur wants to dance, needs to dance, but is there a ballet studio big enough for her?

Brontorina James Howe Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Candlewick – (2010-08-10) ISBN / EAN: 0763644374 / 9780763644376

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The team that created On The Farm, an exquisitely illustrated volume of short poetry about domesticated animals, turn to their talents to animals from diverse wild habitats, including the savannah, the dense jungle and the snows of the arctic.

In the Wild David Elliott Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Candlewick – (2010-08-24) ISBN / EAN: 0763644978 / 9780763644970

AUGUST — Middle Grade

Ninth Ward, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Little Brown, Ages 10 and up

Twelve-year-old Lanesha survives the devastation of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.  Her mother died in childbirth and she was raised by aging Mama Ya-Ya.  Not to be missed. It will be a Today Show “Al’s Book Club” pick.

Ninth Ward Jewell Parker Rhodes Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2010-08-16) ISBN / EAN: 0316043079 / 9780316043076

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Three Black Swans, Caroline B. Cooney, RH Ages 12 and up

Cooney is a favorite of Bank Street’s middle school children since they discovered The Face on the Milk Carton. They are going to eat this one up, a suspenseful mystery of twins separated at birth. Or, are they more than twins?

Three Black Swans Caroline B. Cooney Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers – (2010-08-24) ISBN / EAN: 0385738676 / 9780385738675

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AUGUST — Young Adult

Mockingjay,  Suzanne Collins  – Aug. 24, 2010

No one needs to be told to buy the final volume in the Hunger Games trilogy. The real question is “How many will be enough?” It’s a one-day laydown, so get those orders in, sign the paperwork so the library can circ the books on publication date.

Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) Suzanne Collins Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press – (2010-08-24) ISBN / EAN: 0439023513 / 9780439023511

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Glee: The Beginning: An Original Novel,  Sophie Lowell, Poppy/Little Brown.
I read it the moment I got my hands on it; just right for a fangirl like me. We can look forward to five more, published twice a year (the next one, Glee: Foreign Exchange is coming in February).

Glee: The Beginning: An Original Novel Sophia Lowell Retail Price: $9.99 Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Poppy – (2010-08-03) ISBN / EAN: 0316123595 / 9780316123594

The kids from Bank Street school wish a happy 100th birthday to the timeless Margaret Wise. Part of the American children’s literature movement of creating book that reflect the experiences of children, her books are still bestsellers to this day.

For years, it’s been the accepted wisdom that best sellers from other countries do not translate to the US. Carlos Ruiz Zafon is one of  a new breed of writers that is disproving that old theory. His literary thriller, The Shadow of the Wind, called “the most successful novel in Spanish publishing history after Don Quixote” appeared on best seller lists when it was published here, as did his next book, The Angel’s Game. Originally from Spain, Ruiz Zafon lives in both Los Angeles, where he has been a script writer, and Barcelona.

He actually made his start as a YA novelist. His first book, The Prince of Mists, was published for young adults in 1993, when he was in his twenties. An award winner and best seller in Spain, it  was recently published here and repeats the magic of his adult titles, landing on the 5/23  NYT Children’s Chapter Books list at #7. With touches of gothic and supernatural horror as well as a page-turning adventure, it’s about a boy and his two sisters, who relocate with their family from the city to a small town on the Spanish Coast to escape WWII, only to discover themselves in grave danger.

The author published three more YA titles in Spain. All have been acquired by LBYR for publication in the US, to be released on a yearly basis

The Prince of Mist Carlos Ruiz Zafon Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2010-05-04) ISBN / EAN: 0316044776 / 9780316044776

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