Forest Born, Princess Academy educated YA Author Shannon Hale Writes Episode Seven of
The Exquisite Corpse Adventure!! with a very creepy illustration by Calef Brown! Loyal readers, hold onto your hats, mittens, gloves, purses, your cat Widgeon, and all you hold dear! We now give you a taste of the Episode Seven: THE BEAST PIT!
“Joe held the baby tighter. Nancy raised her hands in karate pose and turned slowly, daring the villains to attack.
‘Now don’t be foolish,’ said the unfamiliar and unfriendly voice behind them.
Into the circle of shadowy figures strode a man so large, so horrifying, so disquieting that I tremble to describe him. Let me simply say that his rear was where his face should be and his rear . . . spoke.”
excerpt from The Exquisite Corpse Adventure: Episode Seven by Shannon Hale
To find out what The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is all about, and to find educational support materials to help you expand your children’s and teens’ literacy and literary experience, go to:http://www.thencbla.org/Exquisite_Corpse/exquisite_home.html
NCBLA Board Members and Award-Winning Authors Patricia and Fredrick McKissack Write the Latest Exquisite Corpse Adventure with a Marvelous Illustration by James Ransome! "As Genius Kelly built up speed, heading for Max, Nancy stuck out her foot and tripped the pig who slipped, slid, and fell flat on his nose. That gave Joe, who had recovered from his spill, just enough time to snatch up the baby and run into the woods. Genius Kelly followed, snorting and sniffing and hurling insults and threats like lightning bolts."
And look for Pat and Fred McKissack's latest books at your neighborhood library and bookstore! Here are some of their recent titles:
Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters by Patricia McKisssack
Abby Takes a Stand by Patricia McKisssack
And a Christmas Classic for Holiday Gift Giving--
Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters
by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack
And here are just a few of James' Ransome's (http://www.jamesransome.com)delightful books to share with the Young People in your life! All make great gifts!
Young Pele: Soccer's First Star by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James Ransome
Helen Keller: The World in Her Heart
by Lisa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James Ransome
Sky Boys by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by James Ransome
What Lincoln Said by Sarah L. Thomson, illustrated James Ransome
Finding the perfect book or two for the young people in your life can be a daunting experience. Bookstore shelves are overflowing with tall books and tiny books, books that tell tales of faraway princesses and books about animals both cute and exotic, even books that sing, talk, and sparkle! How does one choose?
Find out what the child or teen has read already. Ask them what authors they like to read.
Discover the subjects and topics that interest them.
Find out if they prefer fiction or nonfiction, fantasy or reality.
Don't be afraid to ask your neighborhood children's librarian or children's books seller for suggestions and advice.
Read your local newspaper's book section. Many newspapers and magazines feature book suggestions this time of year.
Be consumer savvy. The books with biggest marketing budgets are not necessarily the best books for you child or teen. And conversely, a book you've never heard of may contain the story that changes your child’s or teen's life. Natacha says, "Just because a book jacket may look promising does not mean the story is going to live up to it. We all fall victim at one time or another to 'judging a book by its cover.'"
Take into consideration the content and age recommendation. I think great care needs to be taken, especially if a young reader is at a higher reading level. Even though the child can read the material the content is not always appropriate.
No one is ever too old for a picture book!!
Consider all possibilities: great literature and fun, entertaining books. Says Natacha, "Think of books in terms of chocolate mousse and a Hershey kiss. There are moments for both!"
Reading Rockets Buying Guide Makes Wonderful Recommendations
If you prefer to walk into the bookstore with a list in hand, be sure to check out Reading Rockets’ fabulous annual Books as Gifts Buying Guide! This year’s buying guide includes a carefully selected collection of poetry, bedtime stories, biographies, tales about dinosaurs and owls and dust bunnies, and much more — 80 terrific titles, for kids up to 9 years old. Created by children's literature expert Maria Salvadore, whose only criteria is the quality of the story, the list also recommends books for kids to read on their own and books for kids to read with a caring adult.
One Additional Recommendation Consider Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, which was was featured on the “Martha Stewart Show” last December as one of The New York Times “Eight Great Books for the Holidays!” This award-winning stunning anthology includes original poetry, historical fiction, nonfiction, and primary source materials about American history using the White House as a unifying theme. It's a perfect book for kids of all ages, families, teachers, classrooms--anyone who loves art and history and literature!
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough introduces this creative tour de force, in which 108 renowned authors and illustrators have donated their poetry, prose, and art to help advance the cause of young people’s literacy and historical literacy. The illustrations, essays, short stories, presidential letters, personal reflections, and historical accounts in Our White House inform and entertain, offering a window on more than 200 years of American history.
"The Endless First Chapter" in The New York Times- Have You Lost Your Reading Attention Span? Get it Back!
But I do believe this: I need books.
"Without books, I am starting to feel mentally flabby,” I complained to Dr. Maryanne Wolf, the author of “Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain,' after I phoned her to ask for help.
“There’s a good reason for that,” she said.
Deep reading — the kind that you engage in when you get lost in the syntax and imagery and the long, convoluted sentences of a really meaty book — is a special sort of exercise that creates a new part of the brain that did not exist at birth." Michelle Slatalla
Ms. Slatalla's essay addresses how quick-fix reading and the increasingly audio/visual interpreted world can effect your attention span. Have your reading habits changed over the years with electronic venues reaching into every crevice of our lives? Have your children's reading habits changed?
“It’s semi-miraculous, really,” said Dr. Wolf, the director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University. “We don’t have genes for reading. It’s an activity we invented, and by doing it, we show that our brain has the capacity to go beyond itself, to take all these circuits that were created for oral language or vision, and do something entirely different with them — deduction, critical analysis, imagination, contemplation.”
at Your Neighborhood Bookstore or Online Book Outlet!
Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review!
“Eight years in the making, this anthology of White House history convenes an all-star roster of 108 children's authors and illustrators, as well as a few scholars and former White House employees and residents and it is a blue-ribbon choice for family sharing during an election year. Chronologically ordered, the entries range from poems to presidential speeches, satirical cartoons to stately portraits. . . . The volume makes the invaluable point that history does not have to be remote or abstract, but a personal and ongoing engagement.”
The Horn Book Starred Review!
“With something for adults and children alike is the sumptuous new anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out. . . . The contributors are all luminaries of the children’s book field. A fascinating, eminently browsable, and accessible entrance into the People’s House.”
School Library Journal Starred Review!
“This handsome compendium is rich with excerpts, poems, and other writings about the historic residence, many of them personal in tone and subject. With artwork as eclectic as the text, the book offers glimpses into the presidents, their concerns, their families, and the mansion itself.”
Featured on the “Martha Stewart Show” as One of The New York Times “Eight Great Books for the Holidays”
On the December 15, 2008 “Martha Stewart Show,” Martha advised procrastinating audience members and viewers to “Think books! I do!” as ideal holiday gifts. With that in mind New York Times book review editor Sam Tanenhaus shared recommendations of eight great books. Our White House was one of those books—the only children’s book on his list!
L.A. Parent Recommendation!
“This is the definitive White House book for history buffs young and old. Whether you seek ghost stories, architectural details, or personal accounts . . . you will not be disappointed. With amazing artwork and entries spanning more than 200 years from literary luminaries ranging from Charles Dickens to Walt Whitman, Gregory Maguire to David McCullough, there is material enough to keep you coming back for more.”
Awards
2009-2010 National Endowment for the Humanities We the People “Picturing America” Bookshelf Award
2009 American Library Association Notable Children’s Book for All Ages
2009 National Council for Social Studies and the Children’s Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
2009 International Reading Association Teachers’ Choices Booklist Selection
Amazon.com Best Books of 2008 Top 10 Editors’ Pick for Middle Readers
Parents’ Choice Foundation Recommended Book Award, Fall 2008
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year 2008
The Horn Book Fanfare, Best Books of 2008
Publisher’s Weekly 2008 Best Books of the Year, Children’s Nonfiction
Publishers Weekly 2008 Cuffie Award, Best Nonfiction Treatment of a Subject, Honorable Mention
Scripps-Howard News Service Favorite Children's Book of 2008
WWW.ourwhitehouse.org named a 2009 American Library Association “Great Websites for Kids”
Find out more about
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out at the Our White House companion educational website: WWW.OURWHITEHOUSE.ORG
