May 2012 Carnival of Children’s Literature

It is my pleasure this month to host the Carnival of Children’s Literature.  I wish I had time to leave comments on every one of these posts; I have had a fabulous time reading through them and have discovered many, many great new-to-me blogs. 

Early Literacy

• Jeanette at SpeakWell, ReadWell shares a Texas-sized tall tale, Holler Loudly by Cynthia Leitich Smith and Barry Gott.  This one sounds like a hoot, not to mention a perfect book to use in an early elementary speech class. 
• Julie at Instantly Interruptible asks the question, “Do children love Maurice Sendak’s books as much as adults do?”  Click over to weigh in with your opinion.
• Amy at Delightful Children’s Books shares 20 Fantastic Books for Kids Learning to Read.  What a great resource!

Fiction

• Pat at Read, Write, Repeat shares an interview with Drew, a newly-minted five year old boy, about the book Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton and Tom Lichtenheld.  It’s a winner in Drew’s book. 
• Jen at Jen Robinson’s Book Page reviews The Extraordinary Education of Nichoas Bendict by Trenton Lee Stewart.  I loved the first book in the Mysterious Benedict Society series, but I’ve gotten sidetracked and haven’t read the rest.  Jen’s review has definitely reignited my interest in all things MBS!
• Lisa at Adventures in Writing & Publishing shares a quick review of Magic Tree House book #47, Abe Lincoln at Last!  Be sure to read this one if you have young readers who love history (or who you want to love history!)
• Iron Guy Carl at Boys Rule Boys Read! gives us a “blast from the past” and two thumbs up for Island of the Blue Dolphins, even as a must-read for boys! 
• Julie Hedlund shares a “perfect picture book” from a favorite author of mine, Patricia Polacco.  Bun Bun Button is a book my girls and I have already enjoyed, so I agree completely with Julie.   
• Katy at Books YA Love reviews an interesting-sounding YA fiction selection, Project Jackalope by Emily Ecton.  This sounds like a suspenseful and entertaining story!
• Margo at The Fourth Musketeer recommends a new novel-in-verse by Betsy Rosenthal entitled Looking for Me.  She says it deserves a place on the Sydney Taylor Award consideration list, and given my eldest daughter’s affinity for the All-of-a-King Family books, I am extremely excited about adding Looking for Me to our TBR list!
• Maeve at Yellow Brick Reads shares “Seven Lessons We Can All Learn from Pippi Longstocking.”   Pippi fans, be sure not to miss this fun post!
• Ali at Fantastic Reads reviews A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge.  This is a new-to-me-author, but I am really intrigued by this fantasy novel which Ali desribes as being “as rich and perfumed as the food and court life it describes.” 
• At Booktalking, Anastasia shares a perfect picture book just in time for Father’s Day–I Love My Daddy by Giles Andreae and Emma Dodd. 
• I share my memories of first meeting Russell Hoban’s Frances in a Read Aloud Thursday post here at Hope Is the Word. 

Poetry

• Do NOT miss this performance of Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” by Renee LaTulippe at No Water River.  This is a simply fabulous performance!  I can’t wait to share it with my girls.  (Of course, there’s way more to the post than just the performance, too.) 

Nonfiction

• Shirley at SimplyScience introduces us to the book Cool Engineering Activities for Girls.  Shirley says this is a great STEM book, and I concur that it looks like something that would get a lot of attention at my house with my girls. 
• Jennifer at Jean Little Library highlights the book Citizen Scientists by Loree Burns.  As a homeschooling parent who strives to frequenly incorporate nature study into her lesson plans, I am super excited about this book.  Thanks, Jennifer!
• Gail at Original Content writes about Minette’s Feast:  The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat as it fits into the subgenre of creative nonfiction.  This is my favorite way to serve up facts to my children, so I am very eager to get my hands on this book. 
• Shirley at Everything Cruises highlights “Five Cute Books to Teach Your Kids about the Sea.”  A couple of her picks are new to me, and since we’re planning a beach trip in the next few months, I think I’ll look them up.  Thanks, Shirley!
• Zoe at Playing by the Book shares several titles united by one theme:  “Urban Landscapes:  Picture Books about Changes over Time.”  She shares books set in many different countries, and she was even inspired to create an urban play set/village of houses for her children.  This is just so creatively wonderful!
• Polly at The Little Wooden Horse highlights Leo Geo by John Chad, a book that sounds and looks terribly intriguing, almost to the point of defying description.  Do check it out!

Illustration

• Sandie at  Picture Books in ELT shares Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett, a book that surely must be seen to be appreciated.  Sandie says it’s “gobsmackingly wonderful,” and I believe her. 

 Interviews

• Lisa at Shelf-Employed interviews Chad Beckerman, Creative Director at Abram’s Books for Young Readers, about his part in the production of Minette’s Feast:  The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat.  I have always been extremely interested but remain ignorant about how a picture book comes into existence, so this interview is enlightening.  Don’t miss it!
• At Jama’s Alphabet Soup, Jama Rattigan chats with Margo Sorenson, author of the picture book Aloha for Carol Ann.  This interview covers all the bases, from the meaning of the word aloha to rejection letters to a recipe for mango shortbread. 
• Carmela at Teaching Authors interviews Natalie Ziarnik, author of the picture book Madeleine’s Light.  Reading about the evolution of an idea into a published work is fascinating, and the story of Madeleine’s Light is particularly so. 

Book Projects

• Kerry Aradhya at Picture Books & Pirouttes is starting a brand new series introducing picture book characters who dance.  Do you know of a character she should add to her list? 

 That’s a lot o’ good reading!  Enjoy!

Next month’s Carnival of Children’s Literature will be hosted by Reading, Writing, and the World of Words.   Visit the Carnival of Children’s Literature blog for more information about how to participate.