September 2009 Calendar / News & Notes / Mysteries MARK YOUR CALENDAR Upcoming Events for Children's Librarians

Urban Lit Workshop Presented by BAYA:
The Bay Area Young Adult Librarians are presenting a workshop on Urban Lit, a type of fiction growing in popularity with teens. Aimed at Adult, YA and Branch librarians, attendees will learn how to build their urban lit collections and provide quality readers' advisory on this popular genre. This workshop is $20 in advance and will be held on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009, 9am-Noon, at the San Leandro Library, 300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro, CA. For registration information, go to: baya.org .

2010 Regina Medal Winner Is Gail Gibbons
Author/illustrator Gail Gibbons will receive the prestigious Regina Medal at the annual conference of the Catholic Library Association in Minneapolis on April 7, 2010. The award is presented annually to a living person or persons whose body of work has made a significant contribution to the field of children's literature. Gibbons, who has published over 140 books for young readers, is known for her simple but informative text and her clear, colorful illustrations. Her most recent books are Tornados!, Elephants of Africa, Coral Reefs, and Snakes!.

Poet and Author Karla Kuskin Dies:
Karla Kuskin, a noted children's author and illustrator whose work combined sly wit and propulsive vitality with deep thoughtfulness about the essential natures of people, animals and things, died in August, at her home in Seattle. She was 77. The cause was cortical basal ganglionic degeneration, a neurological disorder, her son, Nicholas Kuskin, said. A longtime Brooklyn resident, Ms. Kuskin had lived in Seattle in recent years. The author/illustrator - often both at once - of more than 50 books for young people, Ms. Kuskin was known in particular for the volumes of rhymed verse she wrote and illustrated. They include In the Middle of the Trees (Harper, 1958); The Rose on My Cake (Harper & Row, 1964); and Soap Soup and Other Verses (HarperCollins, 1992). Her popular picture books include All Sizes of Noises (Harper, 1962), The Philharmonic Gets Dressed (Harper, 1982) and The Dallas Titans Get Ready for Bed (Harper, 1986).

BayNews needs you! BayNews welcomes any articles, news, ideas on storytime or programs, etc. Just send any articles as a Word attachment to email, to Penny Peck at baynews@bayviews.org. Thanks!

Page, Claire and Bicknell, Joanna Carry Me Animal series. Make Believe Ideas, 2008. $6.99 each:
Carry-Me Baby Animals, ISBN 9781846107191.
Carry-Me Wild Animals, ISBN 9781846107214.
Carry-Me Pets, ISBN 9781846107207.
Carry-Me Farm Animals, ISBN 9781846107184.
Color photos of animals are set onto brightly colored cartoon backgrounds of fields and jungles. There is a tactile inset for the baby to touch: fake fur, velvet, plastic, or other cloth to give the impression of an animal's fur, a duck's beak, or a fish's scales. The text is from the animal's point of view: “Hello! I'm Paddy Puppy! I have lots of lovely spots. Woof! Woof!” Each book has a cut out near the top that serves as a handle so you can carry the book. Very sturdy, and the tactile element adds appeal, especially for those with learning or vision disabilities.

Genechten, Guido Van Look at That!series. Clavis, 2008. $6.95 each.
Look at That! Wild Animals, ISBN 9781605370118.
Look at That! Farm Animals, ISBN 9781605370101.
Simple equals success when it comes to board books, and these are simple while still being distinctive. On each page is a colorful cartoon drawing of an animal, captioned just with the word for that animal. These books work for teaching a baby or toddler the names of animals, as well as serving as a very easy reader. The animals have expressive faces that add appeal.

Hills, Tab Duck and Gooseseries . Schwartz and Wade, 2009. $6.99.
Duck and Goose: How Are You Feeling? ISBN 9780375846298.
Duck and Goose: Find a Pumpkin. ISBN 9780375858130.
Duck and Goose, featured in several picture books, are perfect for the board book format. Bright yellow Duck and white Goose are shown in the grass, with a blue sky and other elements of nature in the expressive painted illustrations. In How Are You Feeling?, they demonstrate emotions like scared, proud, selfish, and patient. In Find a Pumpkin, they look all over the meadow for a pumkin, until another bird points them toward the pumpkin patch. Clear, fun, and simple books for babies and toddlers.

Harper, Jamie Baby Bundtsries. Candlewick, 2009. $6.99 each.
Yum Yum, Baby Bundt, ISBN 9780763637781.
Blast Off, Baby Bundt, ISBN 9780763637774.
Big sister feeds her baby brother in Yum Yum, and in Blast Off she plays with him at the park. The non-rhyming text is playful and describes what is happening in the full color cartoon illustrations that have a 1950's retro feel. These will be especially appropriate for a preschooler who has a baby sibling.

Global Fund for Children. Global Babies/Bebes del Mundo. Charlesbridge, 2009. $6.95. ISBN 9781580892506.
One of the rare board books to get on ALA/ALSC's Notable Children's Books list, this bilingual version in English and Spanish features the same clear color photos as the original. Babies in clothing to represent their home country are shown alongside a spare text celebrating babies.

Boynton, Sandra. Night-Night, Little Pookie. Robin Corey Books, 2009. $5.99, ISBN 9780375854095.
Mama pig helps Little Pookie get ready for bed in another of Boynton's brilliant and subtly funny board books. Parents will enjoy reading this as much as the toddler listening. The rhyming text and color cartoon illustrations are as original as her earlier books.

Lester, J.D. Mommy Calls Me Monkeypants. Illus. by Hiroe Nakata. Robin Corey Books, 2009. $7.99, ISBN 9780375845024.
A rhyming text describes various pairs of mothers and children, including humans and animals, and the nicknames a parent will have for the baby. The soft watercolor illustrations are joyous, and parents will enjoy reading this to their babies and calling them some of the names, including “snuggle-up” and “funny face.”

Nicholls, Paul. Blast Off to the Moon! Penguin, 2009. $6.99, ISBN 9780843134742.
Simple facts about astronauts are paired with color cartoon illustrations that have a computer feel to them. Geared more to preschoolers who can understand who Neil Armstrong is, this board book can serve as an easy reader, but is not suited to babies or toddlers.

Schindel, John. Busy Chickens. Photos by Steven Holt. Tricycle Press, 2009. $6.95, ISBN 9781582462752.
Schindel's tenth board book features photos of chickens, not the cutest or cuddliest animal. Still, the rhyming couplets and color photos are fun, especially the baby chicks.

British Broadcasting Corporation. Planet Earth: Baby Penguins. Scholastic, 2009. $6.99, ISBN 9780545080828.
Emperor penguins are described in a simple text, matched to clear color photos. The penguins are given human feelings in the story, so toddlers can identify with them. Sure to be popular.

John & Wendy. Mommy Loves Me. Penguin, 2009. $5.99, ISBN 9780843135268.
The author and illustrator, just billed as “John & Wendy,” have created a sweet book, almost too sweet. Pairs of mother and child animals are shown in color cartoons on white backgrounds. The rhyming text at times misses but the sentiment is popular so this will have fans.

Alda, Arlene. The Book of ZZZs. Tundra, 2009. $7.95, ISBN 9780887769061.
Originally published in 2005, this joyful board book features Alda's noted color photographs. Both humans and animals are shown asleep, alongside a text describing how we all need sleep, and sleep in different positions and places. A fun photo album -style board book for toddlers.

Various. Mother Goose. Groundwood, 2009. $9.95. ISBN 9780888999337.
Originally published in 1994 as Mother Goose: A Canadian Sampler, this board version features fifteen rhymes, each illustrated by a different artist. Both the original and this version are published to raise funds for the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program. On the one hand, adults can appreciate the various styles of art, but on the other hand the toddler may feel the book is too “busy” and some of the illustrations are quite dark. This doesn't work as well as the Rosemary Wells Mother Goose books.

Submitted by : Penny Peck, San Leandro Public Library

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