April 28th, 2011 | posted by: Lynette

The Twelve Days of Springtime

by Deborah Lee Rose

This charming picture book for ages 4-9 is a delightfully fresh take on the traditional 12 Days of Christmas carol. The beautiful spreads of this counting book will delight young readers as they find activities that can be part of their own springtime days.

“The kindergarten gang from The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003) and The Twelve Days of Winter (2006, both Abrams) is back in a hilarious counting book that welcomes spring. The text could be sung or acted out. Areas of the primary curriculum are presented within the illustrations showing insect study, plants, and metamorphosis. Many aspects of kindergarten life are revealed through the entertaining illustrations such as a child with her stuffed animal, field trips, music class, and various learning centers. Even the class hamster has fun on the field trip to the farm, rowing a boat in the stream, and riding on a turtle near a pond. [The Twelve Days of Springtime is]…a perfect choice to use with a group.” ~from School Library Journal

April 2nd, 2011 | posted by: Lynette

50 Amazing Authors To Recognize on Children’s Book Day

Every year, April 2nd is a day for schools, libraries and bookstores to celebrate Children’s Book Day. Whether throwing an elaborate shindig or something a little more low-key, the one thing these springtime celebrations have in common is the desire to honor the best of the best kid-lit authors and books. Anyone planning to spend Children’s Book Day with a few good reads may want to browse this list for some suggested authors. By no means neither definitive nor objective (beyond researching award-winners and classics), so please take no offense to any exclusions or inclusions. Thanks to Batchelor’s Degree online for the list!

  1. Avi: This highly-decorated author delights children and young adults with historical fiction, animal tales and adventures, with Nothing But the Truth probably considered his most popular work.
  2. L. Frank Baum: Parents and children alike still delight in the tales from the whimsical Land of Oz — and not just the one about the iconic wizard, either!
  3. Ludwig Bemelmans: As both an artist and an illustrator, Ludwig Bemelmans brought little redheaded Madeline to life and launched her to children’s series stardom.
  4. Stan and Jan Berenstain: The Berenstain Bears are a staple of American children’s literature, with their many adventures teaching kids some extremely valuable life lessons.
  5. Judy Blume: With plenty of awards and enduring titles such as Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, Blubber and the Fudge series, Judy Blume is an essential author for any Children’s Book Day list or celebration.
  6. Marc Brown: For the past 35 years, this beloved author and illustrator has brought the ups and downs of Arthur the aardvark and his amazing anthropomorphic pals to kids and their parents alike.
  7. Joseph Bruchac: Joseph Bruchac pulls from his Abenaki background (as well as other Native American cultural traditions) to educate people of all ages about the endangered civilizations. Along with the bestselling Keepers series, he also brings his heritage to schools through musical and poetic performances.
  8. Jean de Brunhoff: Babar the Elephant and his gentle exploits came into existence thanks to the storytelling efforts by author and illustrator Jean de Brunhoff, inspired by bedtime stories his wife Cecile would tell their sons.
  9. Betsy Byars: Busy Betsy Byars has multiple prestigious awards — including the Newbery — and over 60 publications to her name. The Summer of the Swans is probably her most famous work to date.
  10. Eric Carle: The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other books punctuate educational stories with Eric Carle’s signature illustrations, fraught with amazingly vivid colors and textures.

    The Very Busy Spider

  11. Lewis Carroll: Because Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Jabberwocky‘s clever wordplay and whimsical worlds both left an indelible mark on popular culture, Lewis Carroll certainly earns Children’s Book Day accolades.
  12. Sandra Cisneros: Though mostly known for her gorgeous poetry and adult prose, Sandra Cisneros’ fantastic Hairs/Pelitos celebrates diversity found within a family.
  13. Beverly Cleary: Ralph Mouse and Beezus and Ramona Quimby are only a couple inhabitants of Bevery Cleary’s veritable zoo of beloved children’s book characters.
  14. Roald Dahl: Both adults and kids still laud the quirky, if not downright bizarre, tales by the beloved author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach and plenty more magical classics.
  15. Tomie dePaola: This author and illustrator earned amazing honors — like the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor Award — for enduring works such as Strega Nona and 26 Fairmont Avenue.

    A story to read again and again...

  16. Nikki Giovanni: Kids and parents who love poetry as much as prose should pick up the seriously cool collections Hip Hop Speaks to Children, Ego Tripping and Other Poems for Young People and Vacation Time.
  17. Kenneth Grahame: The Wind in the Willows embroils readers in the fantastic adventures of fanciful Mr. Toad, gruff Mr. Badger and the other inhabitants of the Wild Wood.
  18. Nikki Grimes: All of Nikki Grimes’ prosaic and poetic output for children are great reads, but the Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade makes for the best introduction.
  19. E.L. Konigsburg: Earning a Newbery Medal for From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler inspired E.L. Konigsburg to keep writing challenging (but entertaining) fare for children and yong adults.
  20. Madeleine L’Engle: Many budding young science fiction aficionados first discovered the genre thanks to the intelligent complexities found in the accessible A Wrinkle in Time series.
  21. Paul Fleischman: One of the most decorated authors of children’s and young adult fiction boasts a bibliography bursting with essentials. Seedfolks and its portrayal of a diverse neighborhood’s community garden is probably the best place to start.
  22. Jeff Kinney: The series of Diary of a Wimpy Kid cartoonish graphic novels channels many common frustrations children and young adults experience.
  23. C.S. Lewis: Regardless of their religious convictions, a diverse number of readers absolutely adore the The Chronicles of Narnia books and keep them flying off library and classroom shelves.
  24. Astrid Lindgren: Astrid Lindgren’s vivacious Pippi Longstocking continues to delight both children and adults with her boundless energy, wish-fulfilling lifestyle and utter devotion to her more conventional friends.
  25. Lois Lowry: The critically-lauded Lois Lowry won two Newbery Medals for The Giver and Number the Stars, but pretty much everything else she’s written — especially about the quirky Krupnik family — still warrants reading.
  26. Betty MacDonald: Kids who never picked up any books featuring Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and her magical cures for common behavior issues are missing out on some absolutely hilarious stories!
  27. L.M. Montgomery: Male and female readers alike enjoy L.M. Montgomery’s tales from Prince Edward Island, particularly intrepid, fiery ingenue Anne Shirley.
  28. Walter Dean Myers: Three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Walter Dean Myers receives both critical praise and plenty of challenges for his fearless depiction of race, class, urban and war issues in young adult novels such as Fallen Angels and Monster.
  29. Scott O’Dell: All young readers with a particular love of the adventure genre needs to pick up the beloved novels Island of the Blue Dolphins and The Black Pearl for page-turning good times.
  30. Peggy Parish: Not only is the Amelia Bedelia series absolutely hilarious, it also teaches kids the difference between literal and figurative language.
  31. Gary Paulsen: Gary Paulsen’s historical works (notably, Nightjohn) and adventures (notably, Hatchet, the Brian series and The Tucket Adventures series) are absolutely essential reads for fans of the genres.
  32. A.A. Milne: Though primarily an adult author, A.A. Milne’s Hundred Acre Woods — populated with the likes of Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and their human pal for life Christopher Robin — rightfully earned him a spot in the kidlit canon.
  33. Patricia Polacco: Patricia Polacco’s amazing oeuvre includes stories of Jewish faith, culture and tradition, family, friendship and plenty more. Try Mrs. Katz and Tush, which chronicles a satisfying friendship between an African-American boy and an old widow.
  34. Hans Augusto and Margret Rey: Without Curious George, the curious little monkey, the world of children’s literature would certainly sport a giant, gaping yellow hole.
  35. Louis Sachar: There exists a distinct tonal difference between the adventurous Holes and completely wacky Wayside School series, young readers certainly find enough space on their shelves for Louis Sachar’s most beloved books.
  36. Antoine de Saint-Exupery: The Little Prince continues to enchant kids and their parents as a science fiction-tinged fantasy fully of gentle wonder perfect for sharing.
  37. Jon Scieszka: Children tired of the same old fairy tales should pick up Jon Scieszka’s joyfully postmodern collaborations with Lane Smith (most especially The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man (and Other Fairly Stupid Tales) for brand new twists and perspectives.
  38. Maurice Sendak: Beloved author and illustrator Maurice Sendak channels tender charm and imagination into every work, but earns particularly generous accolades for In the Night Kitchen and Where the Wild Things are.
  39. Dr. Seuss: Without Dr. Seuss, this author must preach, there would be no Lorax, no Horton, no sneech! No Cat in the Hat, nor fish that is blue. Neither Maisey, nor Grinchy, nor ol’ Thing Two! Thankfully life granted him time, so now kids of all ages can enjoy his great rhyme.
  40. Shel Silverstein: Through songs, multiple poetry collections and prose works such as the thought-provoking narratives of The Missing Piece and The Giving Tree, this wildly talented individual remained many kids’ favorite writers on into adulthood.
  41. Gary Soto: No matter the age bracket or preference towards prose or poetry, the wonderful, prolific Gary Soto has likely published a suitable, interesting read. Try Too Many Tamales and Marisol first!
  42. Jerry Spinelli: Maniac Magee earned Jerry Spinelli a Newbery Award, while Wringer garnered a Newbery Honor. Most of his works, however, make for very worthwhile reading.
  43. John Steptoe: John Steptoe wrote and illustrated 10 of the 15 children’s books with which he was involved, earning the prestigious Coretta Scott King Award for Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, Mother Crocodile (written by Rosa Guy) and The Story of Jumping Mouse. Because of his 20-year career, influence and devotion to promoting African and African-American themes, the kidlit community distributes an award in his honor.
  44. Mildred D. Taylor: This author fictionalized her family history in the epic novels involving the Logan family, most notably Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
  45. Theodore Taylor: Before his 2006 death, Theodore Taylor earned a staggering 11 literary awards for his children’s and young adult classics. The Cay, Timothy of the Cay and The Trouble with Tuck are probably his most recognizable publications.
  46. E.B. White: Stuart Little, Charlotte the spider and Wilbur the pig are only a few of the highly memorable characters populating E.B. White’s persistently popular children’s novels.
  47. Laura Ingalls Wilder: The semi-autobiographical, widely-read Little House series is a great way to introduce kids to life in America’s pioneer past.
  48. Gene Luen Yang: Sweet-natured graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang produces some amazing art and stories for kids, many of them pulling from Chinese and Chinese-American themes. American Born Chinese rightfully earned him an Eisner Award, a Michael L. Prinz Award and several other prestigious nominations.
  49. Laurence Yep: While Laurence Yep’s career boasts plenty of amazing reads for a variety of different age groups, both the Newbery Honors went towards novels in the Golden Mountain Chronicles series. These epics explore the transition of a Chinese family before, during and after some members immigrate to America.
  50. Jane Yolen: Sometimes referred to as “The Hans Christian Anderson of America,” prolific author Jane Yolen publishes an eclectic assortment of children’s, science fiction, historical and fantasy literature — titles as diverse as the Commander Toad series and The Devil’s Arithmetic.

February 7th, 2011 | posted by: Lynette

Penelope The Purple Pirate Goes to School

Melissa Northway, the author of Penelope The Purple Pirate, has taken her app on the road – and straight to school! Miss Kristen’s class from Child’s World Preschool in Irvine, California, gathered eagerly around to see, hear, and play with Penelope on the iPad. Melisa reports that the children inched their way up closer and closer to her – (until they were pretty much on top of her at the end!)  Even the shy children were able to get involved and touch the screen for the sound effects. They really got excited to touch the screen and so they had to take turns.  There were eight children and everyone got a chance to touch the screen.

After the story was finished, Melissa went through the questions at the end of the app about what is Penelope’s favorite color, and what the children’s favorite colors are. Noteworthy answers were “all the colors – except black” and one girl answered “all the colors in the rainbow!”   The children’s  comprehension was really good and they stayed attentive throughout the entire Q&A.

At the end, there was a treasure chest filled with “goodies. ” The children were able to pick out two items and had to leave the rest for the next adventurous pirate.  They thought that was great fun!

January 19th, 2011 | posted by: Lynette

Fireside Stories: Tales for a Snow Day

We woke up this morning to the entire neighborhood covered in a sheet of ice – and, much to my son’s delight – no school! What could be more conducive to a cozy morning reading by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate by your side?

Fireside Stories, from Barefoot Books. Available from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fireside-Stories-Caitlin-Matthews/dp/1846860652

Even though this beautiful collection of stories is entitled Fireside Stories: Tales for a Winter’s Eve, my son and I can attest to the fact that these are darn good stories for any time of the day. This children’s book is a collection of traditional tales, beautifully illustrated, with handsome borders and colorful images. The eight tales in Fireside Stories, retold by Caitlin Matthews, come from Scotland, Russia, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Canada.

Drawn from countries and cultures around the world, these wonderful wintry stories express the magnificence of the season. From a group of courageous Russian animals to a legend about a bag of warmth that can keep winter away forever, these cozy stories will keep out the winter chill. So next time there’s a snow day, cuddle up and share a story by the fire!

January 10th, 2011 | posted by: Lynette

iPads Gaining Ground in Schools

A sixth grader uses his new school-issued iPad in the classroom in Scottsdale, AZ. Photo by Joshua Lott.

With the beginning of the new year, a growing number of schools are turning to iPads as a powerful and versatile educational tool of choice for students from Kindergarten through high school and for subjects from math to history.

A recent article from the New York Times explains that, “educators laud the iPad’s physical attributes, including its large touch screen (about 9.7 inches) and flat design, which allows students to maintain eye contact with their teachers. And students like its light weight, which offers a relief from the heavy books that weigh down their backpacks.”

The Times article cites examples of teachers using the iPad as replacements for textbooks, apps for illustrating step-by-step animation of complex problems in math, and apps that include all of Shakespeare’s plays for Literature classes.

Many of the school districts are paying for their iPads through federal and other grants, including money from the federal Race to the Top competitive grant program, which administrators in Durham, N.C., are using to provide an iPad to every teacher and student at two low-performing schools.

“It’s not about a cool application,” said Dr. Brenner, a Roslyn Heights, NY superintendent. “We are talking about changing the way we do business in the classroom.” He said the iPads would also save money in the long run by reducing printing and textbook costs; the estimated savings in the two iPad classes at his school are $7,200 a year.

“It’s not about a cool application,” Dr. Brenner said. “We are talking about changing the way we do business in the classroom.”

December 22nd, 2010 | posted by: Lynette

When the Earth Grows Warmer – the hottest year on record

A page from Eric and the Enchanted Leaf: When Earth Grows Warmer, by Deborah Frontiera

2010 was the hottest year on record, according to NASA, which uses data going back 131 years, and the 2001-2010 decade was also the hottest on record. In 2010, more than a dozen record high temperatures were set, including a high of 128.3F in Pakistan in May of this year. Wow, that’s hot!

Our newest title in the Eric and the Enchanted Leaf series by Deborah Frontiera is When Earth Grows Warmer. An accessible introduction to the problem of global warming for kids, this app offers some practical suggestions of things that even young readers can do to help the environment. Frontiera’s story, coupled with great pictures of the polar regions, tropical rain forests and cities illustrate the importance of taking care of our earth home. The app is available for the iPhone or the iPad in English and Spanish versions.

December 15th, 2010 | posted by: Lynette

Read Early, Read Aloud, and Read Often!

Reading opens doors to new worlds!

Read early, read aloud and read often – PicPocket Books always encourages children and families to follow this advice – whether you’re reading print books or books on mobile devices like the iPad or iPhone. Other proponents of literacy and reading also echo these recommendations to read early, read aloud and to read often.

The well-established Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) book distribution and reading motivation program has given over 300 million new books to children who might not otherwise have books to call their own.

Read Early, Read Aloud is also the goal of a new campaign sponsored by the First 5 Commissions of Southern California.

The Family Child Care Language and Literacy Project targets child care centers to promote more early reading opportunities in day-care type settings. Specialists modeled ways that care providers can work with children; they offered tips for reading to infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers; they encouraged providers to set up dramatic play areas where they can engage children in conversation; and they demonstrated ways to build youngsters’ comprehension skills and vocabulary. The 15-month project brought about a 20 percent increase in the number of times a day child-care providers read to children; and a 29 percent decrease in the number of hours the TV was on.

Let’s keep reading!

November 19th, 2010 | posted by: Lynette

A Season of Thanks

As I reflect on the past year of growing my business and creating and publishing picture book apps, I certainly have a lot of be thankful for.

The MomsWithApps group (and co-founders Lorraine, Jill and Alesha) has been a tremendous support and a source of inspiration. Lorraine’s initiative and spirit of collaboration that sets the tone for MWA has been a guiding light and a model for many of us.

MomsWithApps has also been a fantastic source of information, resources and contacts. I deeply appreciate the conversations and communication – taking place through many different channels – with Ian, Pierre, Jill, Jitka, Lynn, and many others. Again, a very special thanks to Lorraine for the heads up about the MomInspired grant submission opportunity this summer. Also a huge thank you to Krishna of NSCPartners for his extremely generous collaboration and help with development questions.

A really big thanks goes out to Kimberly Clark, especially Steve Paljieg and to Maria Bailey from BSM for the Huggies® MomInspired award and their amazing continued support with strategy, networking and marketing.

I am also grateful to the wonderful publishers, authors, graphic designers, voice talent, reviewers, and testers we work with. Looking back, it is fantastic to see how large that circle has grown, and all the talent that comes together to create PicPocket Books.

Last, and certainly not least, I want to recognize all kids, big and little, who love stories and who want to read anywhere, anytime. I wish you all a plentiful season of thanks and hope that you find yourselves surrounded with books!

October 23rd, 2010 | posted by: Lynette

Halloween guest post by author Deborah K. Frontiera

Halloween is next week, and it means different things to different people. Some people celebrate it by trick-or-treating and dressing in funny , clever, or scary costumes. Others have parties, make mischief or associate the season with witches, bats, skeletons or wicked things. The following post was written by Deborah K. Frontiera, the author of the series Eric and the Enchanted Leaf,  including the book A Night With Echo. In her books, Deborah reminds us that all living creatures have a place in the balance of nature, and helps dispel myths and negative attitudes people may have about animals like spiders, bats, and wolves.

Going Batty for Halloween

by Deborah K. Frontiera

Halloween is a great time for children to enjoy a great book about bats—those little beneficial flying mammals that have wrongly earned such a bad reputation.

That reputation probably began because bats are creatures of the night. Things of the dark, of the night, of the lack of light, got lumped together with the Christian idea of  “sin,” also associated with darkness. Some where back in time, people got the idea that since November 1 is All Saints Day, the “powers of evil” must rule the night before—“all Hallows Eve,” which became “Halloween.” Whatever the history, we tend to think of bats along with witches, werewolves, and all of that “bad” stuff.

I’ve seen many creative ways people choose to celebrate Halloween. Many churches have costume parties where kids and grownups must come dressed as a biblical character or saint. Others allow all types of non-scary costumes: princes, princesses, super heroes, movie or TV characters, etc.

In the school where I taught for many years, teachers taught science units on spiders, bats, or other “scary” creatures in an educational way at Halloween time. They also celebrated with a costume parade of literary characters. One of the second grade classes there chose my book, Eric and the Enchanted Leaf: A Night with Echo. They learned a great deal about bats from my book and other non-fiction sources and then the entire class made “Bat Hats” and wore them for the school parade. You can see a picture of the teacher and some of the students in the “News” section of my web site: www.authorsden.com/deborahkfrontiera

No matter what you do in the week leading up to Halloween and on the night itself, Eric’s adventure with Echo will be a fun addition to your plans. Download it to your iPhone, iTouch or iPad, or order the printed version through my web site.

And most of all, have a happy Halloween.

October 3rd, 2010 | posted by: Lynette

The e-Book May Bring Kids Back to Literature

A Reuters article from September 30, 2010 points out that as kids spend more and more time using cell phones and other mobile technology, the time that they spend reading for pleasure decreases.

The article reports results from a study conducted by the Scholastic and Harrison Group with the following findings:

1. 40% of parents think that time spent online and using mobile digital devices would reduce time for books and for engagement in physical activities.
2. 33% of parents are concerned that technology would detract from time spent with family
3. 33% of children said that they would read more books for pleasure if e-books were more available to them.
4. 66% of children claimed that they would still read print books even with greater e-book availability.

Francie Alexander, the chief academic officer of Scholastic, believes that e-books can have an important educational role. She explains, “If we can meet kids where they are and get a third of all kids, many of them struggling readers, to spend more time reading for fun on e-books, that additional time spent building fluency and vocabulary will not only help them become more proficient at reading, but will help prepare them to tackle more complex texts that they will encounter in high school and college.”

Ms. Alexander’s statement really resonates with my belief: if having kids’ books available on your iPhone means more exposure to stories and enthusiasm for reading for kids, then we consider that a success!

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