children's literature
November 1, 2009
- Another great review for An Apple Pie For Dinner – many thanks, Children's Literature!Granny Smith wants to bake an apple pie for dinner. She has everything she needs—except apples! So she picks some plums and heads out the door thinking she might find someone in need of plums with apples to trade. Instead, she finds a woman in need of plums with feathers to trade. Being good-hearted, ...
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August 25, 2009
- When I chose the name "Granny Smith" for the generic old woman in An Apple Pie For Dinner, I simply thought it was a fun play on words for a character so passionate for pie. I had no idea there really was a Granny Smith behind those yummy green baking apples!!Chef Graham Kerr (remember the "Galloping Gourmet"?) clued me in, I did some research, and the rest is, well, Apple ...
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August 20, 2009
- Today's the day! My first children's book, An Apple Pie For Dinner, is now officially published!It's a retelling of an English folktale in which kind old Granny Smith, in search of apples for a pie, makes a series of trades, bringing happiness to all she meets. Fabric artist Carol Baicker-McKee spent nearly a year meticulously handcrafting the 3-D multimedia illustrations - the detail is truly ...
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July 4, 2009
- It's no coincidence that Jimmy Cannon, the main character in When The Whistle Blows, shares a name with Fran Cannon Slayton, author of the new novel for middle-graders. Slayton dug deep into her family history to pen her debut about train-loving Jimmy, his evolving relationship with his father, and his coming of age in a small railroading town.Written in a series of vignettes, Slayton's book ...
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June 16, 2009
- I've been trying for a few months to catch up with Ellen Jensen Abbott, author of Watersmeet, her debut fantasy novel for young adults. I wanted to know more about how she wrote and sold her story of Abisina, an outcast on a quest to find her father and the home she's never known. It's a rich tale that explores the dangers of discrimination and the power of family. Plus, we also share the ...
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June 2, 2009
- Though Ann Haywood Leal's career as an elementary school teacher helped her craft the detail-rich characters in Also Known As Harper (Holt), her touching debut novel for middle-graders, it was what she observed at her local soup kitchen that actually inspired them."When I first started volunteering there, I didn’t expect to see all of the families with children," she says. ...
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May 31, 2009
- Happy to say I am officially a new member of AuthorsNow!, the largest group of debut children's and teen book authors on the Internet.As staff-slashing continues and promo budgets dwindle at publishing houses large and small, it's now more important than ever for an author to get the word out about his or her new title. Collaborative groups such as AuthorsNow! – and many others, like Class ...
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May 20, 2009
- What a wonderful surprise stuffed in my mailbox this afternoon – a copy of the actual hardbound An Apple Pie For Dinner!Totally unexpected, as I'd only just received a few days ago one of the last set of F&Gs (folded and gathereds, the book's unbound printed pages) that the Marshall Cavendish sales staff could spare. The F&Gs were lovely and exciting, but it's just not the same as ...
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May 11, 2009
- Does the world really need another book about fairies? Yes, if it's Ammi-Joan Paquette's charming The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies. Combining a backyard adventure with a fairy hunt, kids are encouraged to find the wonder in nature as they search for those ever-elusive fairies.Especially delightful are Christa Unzner's gorgeous illustrations, seamlessly blending art and photography. Impish ...
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April 29, 2009
- Not long ago, and as I perused the children’s section for the perfect gift for the girliest of eight year-olds, I spied a book I’d never seen before: Madeline and the Cats of Rome. As a child, I loved the Madeline books by author Ludwig Bemelmans. I knew those hallmark opening lines by heart, and I loved those twelve little girls in two straight lines. So, I was a bit confused to see ...
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