Childrens Books

“Senior Publicist - mediabistro.com (blog)” plus 2 more

2010-04-12T10:05:00.001-07:00

“Senior Publicist - mediabistro.com (blog)” plus 2 more

Senior Publicist - mediabistro.com (blog)
Apple Vally couple shares laughter, kidney - KSTP
Olathe educators spend spring break in Kenya - Olathe Daily News

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Senior Publicist - mediabistro.com (blog)

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 05:27 AM PDT

Hi there, we still love you!

But we require an email and password to view Job Details. (Don't worry, it's free!) Please log in or click register below.

Apple Vally couple shares laughter, kidney - KSTP

Posted: 10 Apr 2010 08:20 PM PDT

After 25 years of marriage, people say there is little doubt that Stacy and Wayne Waibel make a good match.

The laughter that fills the couple's Apple Valley home hides any sign of the obstacles they have had to overcome

"My world was pretty simple before I met Stace," Wayne Waibel said with a chuckle.

Stacy's world, however, was never simple.

At nine-years-old doctors diagnosed her with diabetes. At 19 she lost her sight and 11 years later the disease took her kidneys, Stacy said.

"When you go on dialysis it just drains you, physically and, I guess, emotionally too because you know you're just hanging on," Stacy said.

Her first kidney transplant lasted 14 years until the Stacy says she got the same bad news all over again.

"Your kidney's failing. You might want to start thinking about getting a donor," Stacy said, recounting what doctors told her.

After testing a dozens potential donors, only one match appeared. One with her husband, Stacy said.

"There was no doubt in my mind that I was it. It was 'Oh of course I match'," Wayne Waibel said.

So, in July 2009, Wayne gave his wife on of his kidneys.

"It wasn't something that I've always wanted to do necessarily or was even aware that it could be done. So, life with her has been quite an education for me," Wayne said.

Now the couple wants to educate others about the surgeries. Stacy wrote a series of childrens' books based on her poodle Rudy. The book "Rudy Gets a Transplant" teaches kids and adults the same lesson she and her husband learned, Stacy said.

"A lot of people don't know we're born with two kidneys and we only need one so we have one we can give away to help others," Stacy said.

And the Waibels are just thankful they really are a perfect match, Stacy said.

"I'm glad he did it. Yeah, he's special. He's a keeper," Stacy said.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Olathe educators spend spring break in Kenya - Olathe Daily News

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 07:21 PM PDT

While students from Olathe's Woodland Elementary School enjoyed time away from school during spring break, five of the school's educators continued teaching and learning—in Kenya.

The group traveled to Kenya to visit a new school, the Hope preschool, that recently opened in Machakos, a village of about 140,000 people southeast of Nairobi. Woodland Elementary Principal Stacy Shipley went on the trip and said the group took five 50-pound suitcases full of supplies that students and parents from Woodland Elementary collected for the new preschool.

She said one memorable moment of the trip was when Olathe educators gave each of the 32 Kenyan children and their mothers with a gift-wrapped book donated by Woodland Elementary staff.

"These children have never had a book of their own or been given a wrapped gift," Shipley said. "They didn't know how to unwrap the books or hold them at first. They were just so delighted to have them."

Along with Shipley and husband Rob, a school counselor at Clearwater Creek Elementary, the Olathe group consisted of Woodland Elementary teachers Janell Azwell, Terri Stein, Jonann Ellner and Katie Glasscock. Other Olathe travelers were Tom Bassford, executive director of Significant Matters, a local organization that provides assistance to non-profits, and John Gakuha Wilson, founder and chief executive officer of Hope Kenya, a non-profit community development organization.

Bassford's organization assisted Wilson years earlier in setting up Hope Kenya, which provides childhood and health education as well as economic development opportunities for his native country and community. The group funded their own trips and spent most of their seven-day stay in Machakos, Wilson's hometown.

The group's first stop was Nairobi, capital of Kenya, where they toured the city's slums and glimpsed the extreme poverty and challenges that exist in Kenya. Azell, a second grade teacher at Woodland, said it was overwhelming to see how many Kenyans live. She said about 500,000 people lived in the relatively small area and many don't have basics like food and water.

"That tour, along with our entire visit, made us feel we definitely aren't finished," Azwell said. "We all feel called to keep this relationship going."

The group also visited several schools in Kenya and found each classroom had about 50-60 students with several children sharing a desk. Writing utensils and school supplies were primitive or not available. Shipley said one school visit was particularly poignant.

"We drove through rain and thick mud to get to the school," Shipley said. "When we arrived, the children were standing in the rain in their gray, tattered school uniforms and no shoes, singing Kenyan songs to welcome us."

The teachers came back from their trip with several goals. They plan to stock the library at the Hope Community Center, which houses the preschool. Although the Olathe Public Library has donated older reader books to the library, the teachers want to provide childrens books and are planning a book drive for the preschool in the 2010-11 school year.

Stein, a third grade teacher at Woodland, said the school will kick off a program called "Save a Sole" during Earth Week (April 19-23) to collect used shoes that will be sent to Machakos for children and villagers who need them. Extras, however, will be sold with proceeds funding the operational expenses of the new preschool.

The educators are also encouraging sponsorship of the preschool's children. A teacher's salary, instructional supplies and two meals a day cost $30 a month. But the group's biggest project is the purchase of land behind the school, which includes two sheds where alcohol is currently being made.

"It's similar to a crack house being by one of our schools," Shipley said.

Shipley said the group "feels charged" to raise $7,000 to purchase the land so the community center can grow crops and provide an atmosphere more conducive to educating children. She also said 100 percent of donated funds will go to projects designated by each donor and that money will be managed by Significant Matters in Olathe.

Wilson said it was an honor to introduce American educators to the rural communities of Machakos. Their commitment to education reminded him of a quote by noted anthropologist Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Wilson also said the group's dedication to change through community education in Olathe and around the world, can have far-reaching affects.

"These people took time away from their families. They spent their spring break learning about this little village in the middle of nowhere and they shared and demonstrated what education can do for both African children, many of them orphans, and American children," Wilson said. "That is a powerful gift from Kansas."

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

“Children's Books - Denver Post” plus 3 more

2010-04-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

“Children's Books - Denver Post” plus 3 more

Children's Books - Denver Post
UI grad school's Storytelling Festival scheduled for ... - News-Gazette
Local authors find success as self-publishing gains ground - The Oakland Press
Is Nike ad the right course for Tiger Woods? - Tacoma News Tribune

Children's Books - Denver Post

Posted: 11 Apr 2010 12:02 AM PDT

Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine, $15.99. Told from the point of view of a child with Asperger's syndrome, this story maintains a disconcertingly (if character-appropriate) even tone in describing a horrific event and its fallout.

As the story opens, Caitlin is eyeing her brother's Eagle Scout project, a wooden chest. Now, following his death in a school shooting, the chest evokes his funeral casket.

She is hyper-literal, an Asperger's symptom. When someone tells her they need to "know where you're coming from," Caitlin's startled response is: "I come from here," indicating the room where the conversation takes place. She refers to the day of the shooting as The Day Our Life Fell Apart, as succinct and accurate

a measure of time as B.C. and A.D.

Knocking against debris in the chaotic wake of her brother's death, Caitlin seizes upon the idea of finishing her brother's chest. Can she persuade her devastated father that this is what they both need? Ages 9 to 12.

A Stone in My Hand, by Cathryn Clinton, $6.99. For a Palestinian girl, living in Gaza City in the late 1980s and early '90s means being constantly alert to the Israeli soldiers patrolling the streets.

Malaak, 11, climbs to her home's roof daily to search for her father, who disappeared (was he in prison? a victim of a suicide bombing?) when he went to seek work in Israel. She copes with his absence by taming a dove, and worries about her volatile brother. His anger at the presence of Israeli soldiers and settlers seems to increase every day.

Quietly, the pacifist sister does her best to literally and figuratively disarm her brother, especially by relocating the stash of stones he hides to throw at Israeli soldiers. But what happens when she's too late to stay his hand? Author Clinton creates a tense image of life in a city where Palestinians constantly feel besieged. Ages 11 and up.

Bag in the Wind, by Ted Kooser, $17.99.

Kooser, a former U.S. poet laureate, follows the journey of a plastic bag, accidentally freed from a landfill by a bulldozer. Tugged aloft by the wind — plastic bags make excellent impromptu kites — the bag first witnesses the vehicles dragging more stuff to the landfill, then travels farther afield.

Sometimes it's noticed, irritating a territorial red-winged blackbird, or pleasing a can collector. Other times it blends into the countyside and urban camouflage before ending up in the arms of one of its unconscious saviors. Ages 3 and up.

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, by Francisco Stork, $17.99. Three young Latinos form an odd trio: Vengeful Pancho, determined to murder his sister's lover;

cancer patient D.Q., who comes up with the Death Warrior concept; and gentle Marisol, a teen care provider.

Both boys fall hard for Marisol — D.Q. with the ardent hope of a born romantic, Pancho unwillingly, because ardor clouds his fixation on murder. They also find themselves wrestling D.Q.'s formidable mother, a vastly wealthy woman determined to save her estranged son.

This is an intricate, engaging story, with the occasional parallel to "Don Quixote," about the fictions people tell themselves when the truth is too daunting, and the ways they manage to forge bonds despite (sometimes because of) their lies. Ages 12 and up.

The Dreamer, by Pam Muñoz and illustrated by Peter Sìs. $17.99.

Celebrated poet Pablo Neruda grew up as Neftalí Reyes, a timid boy whose father has neither time nor patience for music or art. Yet in this inhospitable environment, questions and images sprout like relentless seedlings in Neftalí's fertile mind:

"What does the wind give? What does the wind take away? Where is the storehouse of lost and found?"

Through Muñoz, Neftalí perceives a lyrical world where even a malicious fire makes "thoughts and cares and affections (grow) singed and curled," sending "the remnants of his soul (floating) into the sky like gray snowflakes."

How splendid that such a battered soul could become a voice that spoke so eloquently for others whose disappointments made them mute. Ages 12 and up.

Claire Martin: 303-954-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

UI grad school's Storytelling Festival scheduled for ... - News-Gazette

Posted: 11 Apr 2010 06:29 AM PDT

URBANA – The Center for Children's Books at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science along with the Spurlock Museum will host their annual Storytelling Festival at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Spurlock Museum Auditorium, 600 S. Gregory St., U.

The festival will feature an eclectic mix of stories from around the world, from a child's failed attempt to get a pet to a Japanese folk tale about a judge with a creative approach to administering justice. Stories will be performed by a select group of library students, alumni and faculty and will include new storytellers and seasoned professionals.

"The Festival is a great opportunity for the community to enjoy the art of storytelling, and it provides our emerging student storytellers with a chance to shine," said assistant Professor Kate McDowell, who teaches storytelling courses at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science and facilitates Story Coach, a monthly meeting where students and faculty practice storytelling.

The cost for students is $5 with a student ID and $8 for the public. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Some material may not be appropriate for children. For more information, call the Center for Children's Books at 244-9331 or e-mail the center at ccb@illinois.edu.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Local authors find success as self-publishing gains ground - The Oakland Press

Posted: 11 Apr 2010 07:05 AM PDT

By BETH ROBINSON KELLMAN
Special to The Oakland Press

Click to enlarge

Jean Stoick (left) holds "Lost in the Woods," a self-published children's picture book in this file photo. Carl R. Sams II holds "Stranger in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy," which has sold more than 1 million copies.

Author Virginia Woolf founded Hogarth Press in 1917 with a small hand press in her dining room.

In that tradition, many authors today use various forms of self-publishing to see their work in print.

Self-publishing means the author foots the bill. Some pay print-on-demand companies to do design, layout and printing. Some form publishing companies. Some work with companies that are author-funded traditional publishers.

Carl R. Sams II and wife, Jean Stoick, of Milford are professional wildlife photographers who have co-written several award-winning children's books. Their work also appears in publications such as Audubon and National Geographic.

Having published with a traditional publisher, they were dissatisfied with the lack of creative control. In 1999, they decided to self-publish "Stranger in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy."

"We had complete control and that was wonderful," Sams said. "You're going to have to promote it anyway."

Sams and Stoick began by printing 20,000 books. "We spent everything we had on this project. Our friends thought we were crazy," Sams recalled. "Twenty-thousand books is a lot. We never imagined we'd have three New York Times best-selling children's books."

Selling photographs at art fairs, they had accumulated a 20,000-name mailing list, which they used to publicize their book. They also sold it as a fundraiser for the Rainbow Connection, a nonprofit that fulfills wishes for Michigan children with life-threatening illnesses.

Positive local press had shoppers requesting the book at Borders and Barnes and Noble, which eventually picked it up. They then published "Lost in the Woods" and "First Snow in the Woods."

The books have been translated into seven languages, made into films and have won numerous awards. Last year, they sold 80,000 books and 15,000 videos.

Tom Grace, best-selling author of thrillers "Spyder Web," "Quantum Web," "Twisted Web," "Bird of Prey" and "The Secret Cardinal" wrote his first novel on his lunch hours. The successful architect from Dexter described the book as "an infection."

"The cure for this is to get it into the book store," he said.

Grace began soliciting agents. "I've got enough (rejection letters) that I could probably wallpaper my office." In 1999, he created a publishing company and ran 2,000 books, selling them to local bookstores out of his car.

"There's definitely still a stigma to self-publishing," Grace said. "But we're starting to see a change."

He traveled to Book Expo America. There, he gave a copy to a woman at a large publisher. He later learned that she threw it in the trash pile. Truth being stranger than fiction, the book slid off the trash pile and into her bag. The publisher looked at the stowaway book, liked it, and decided to represent Grace as his agent.

Soon after, Grace had a three-book deal.

Royal Oak author Gerry Boylan stopped at a dozen rejection letters and contracted with Bookpros in Austin, Texas. Boylan, who runs a private equity firm, describes self-publishing as "a journey of art to commerce."

Owner Mike Odom identifies Bookpros as an author-funded traditional publisher. He attributes self-publishing's whiff of illegitimacy to poor-quality print-on-demand material.

"Ninety percent of what's written out there is not commercially viable," he said.

Both cite "The Fine Print of Self-Publishing" by Mark Levine as an invaluable author resource.

Bookpros gets 300 submissions each month. "Ten to 15 are publishable," Odom said. Based on author interviews, Bookpros accepts six to eight for publication.

For $15,000 to $25,000 plus the cost of books, Bookpros provides cover design, layout, editing and "access to the market."

Boylan has written a novel, "Getting There," and a collection of short stories, "Gerry Tales," both of which will go to print in June.

Odom emphasizes that a book's success still depends on the author.

"You gotta pay your dues," he said. "You gotta get out there and push it."

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Is Nike ad the right course for Tiger Woods? - Tacoma News Tribune

Posted: 11 Apr 2010 07:12 AM PDT

Wednesday night, on the eve of the first tournament he will play as an internationally known serial adulterer, Tiger Woods tested the waters of a related venue and revenue stream, appearing in a 30-second Nike spot, broadcast on the Golf Channel and ESPN. Or perhaps it was Nike testing the waters. In any event, they waded in together.

The association of athletic ability and moral wholesomeness dies hard in the American mind. But it's an old canard, the stuff of moldy children's books, Jack Armstrong radio serials and empty Wheaties boxes – a sort of cultural propaganda meant to promote sports not just as the foundation of sportsmanship, but as a way to distract young minds, and especially bodies, from other, less savory pursuits. As we have learned again and again, this is often not the case. If anything, like the pop stars and movie actors they functionally resemble, professional athletes find opportunities for unsavory pursuits markedly increased.

The ad, shot in black-and-white, shows a silent Woods out on what looks like a golf course, seeming ... serious? sad? ... as the voice of his father chides him from beyond the grave: "Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are and did you learn anything."

Papa Earl Woods might have been originally discussing the choice of a club or an angle of attack, but here it is meant to remind us both of Tiger's sexual misadventures and, in a more positive way, that Woods is, like the rest of us, another person in process.

Although smartly conceived and perfectly executed – I have a certain chilly admiration for the ad-brains who created it over who knows how many meetings and e-mails – it is an odd, disquieting piece. That it's been shot in black-and-white, with a hand-held camera, is meant to connote seriousness, authenticity, facing facts in the cold light of day.

But it's all a conceit, carefully calibrated and thoroughly arranged: The day itself did not appear in black-and-white; the light flashes near the end, which stylistically recall the shoestring aesthetics of the "true to life" French New Wave, are no accident. Woods, costumed and probably powdered, hit his mark, and for 30 seconds tried to look inoffensive. And the use of his father's voice is just creepy, recalling those digitally mashed-up commercials in which Fred Astaire, too dead to refuse, was made to dance with a vacuum cleaner and an already late John Wayne got friendly with a bottle of beer.

And this is a commercial – that is to say, phony – a staged image of contrition that works as an act of defiance: It says, "Think what you want of us, but we are back in business." Dressed, in branded Nikewear, Woods is playing a part, that of a small boy suffering through a reprimand. You can't know from watching the ad how he actually feels about any of it, but his presence says, "I would like to get my career going again."

As for Nike, they were never in the wholesomeness business, anyway. What they sell, and have always sold, is a lot closer to sex: Just do it.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

“Product recalls this week include children's books ... - San Francisco Examiner” plus 3 more

2010-04-10T10:07:00.001-07:00

“Product recalls this week include children's books ... - San Francisco Examiner” plus 3 more

Product recalls this week include children's books ... - San Francisco Examiner
Curious George gets a show at Jewish Museum in New York ... - Denver Post
Gwyneth Paltrow Offers Advice On Picking Children's ... - Musicrooms.net
Product recalls this week include children’s books ... - Gaea Times (blog)

Product recalls this week include children's books ... - San Francisco Examiner

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 03:21 PM PDT

Recalled products this week include children's books with foam bindings that could detach and pose a choking hazard. Also on the list are wood furniture with coatings that could have high levels of lead, and women's coats that don't meet flammability standards.

There was another recall of children's hooded clothing made with drawstrings, despite industry guidelines to avoid such strangulation hazards.

Among the recalled items this week:

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

DETAILS: Gund is recalling baby paperboard books with plastic handles designed as baby rattles. The miniature books include the titles "Animals," "Numbers" and "Colors." The books were also sold as a three-book set. They were manufactured in China and imported by Gund of Edison, N.J., and sold at gift and specialty stores nationwide from January 2009 through March 2010.

WHY: The plastic foam used to fill the book bindings can detach, posing a choking risk to infants and young children.

INCIDENTS: The company has received three reports of children putting detached plastic foam in their mouths, but no reports of injuries.

HOW MANY: About 15,000

FOR MORE: Call 800-436-3726; visit http://www.gund.com or http://www.cpsc.gov.

____

WOOD FURNITURE

DETAILS: Several styles of decorative wood chests and tables imported by Hammary Furniture Co. of Lenoir, N.C. The furniture was manufactured in the Philippines, China and Vietnam, and sold in department stores and furniture stores from November 2001 through November 2009.

WHY: The surface coating on the furniture could have high levels of lead, which is toxic to young children if they ingest it.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

HOW MANY: About 7,000

FOR MORE: Call 888-577-4098; visit http://www.regcen.com/hammaryrecall or http://www.cpsc.gov.

____

WOMEN'S PEACOATS

DETAILS: The plaid, blue-and-white coats were manufactured in China and imported by Foria International Inc. of City of Industry, Calif. They were sold at Bass Pro Shops around the country between October 2009 and January 2010.

WHY: The coats don't meet federal flammability standards.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

HOW MANY: About 800

FOR MORE: Call 888-999-6568; visit http://www.cpsc.gov.

_____

CHILDREN'S HOODED JACKETS

DETAILS: The Mecca jackets with drawstrings were made in China and distributed by 5 Star Apparel LLC, of New York. Burlington Coat Factory, Marshalls and other retail stores nationwide from April 2008 through December 2009.

WHY: The jackets have drawstrings through the hood that can pose a strangulation hazard to young children.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

HOW MANY: About 11,500

FOR MORE: Call 646-273-1225; visit http://www.cpsc.gov.

______

BICYCLE COMPONENTS

DETAILS: Civia Cycles, the Bloomington, Minn.-based importer of the Taiwanese-made bikes, is recalling the bikes' forks, which connect the front wheel to the bicycle frame. The recall involves all Civia Hyland bicycles sold with original equipment carbon fiber forks and all Civia Carbon forks sold as aftermarket products. The bikes and forks were sold by specialty bike retailers nationwide from April 2008 through February 2010.

WHY: The fork can crack or break, posing a fall hazard to the bicyclist.

INJURIES: Civia Cycles has received two reports of forks cracking, and one report of a fork breaking, resulting in a facial cut and bruised ribs for the rider.

HOW MANY: About 800

FOR MORE: Call (877) 774-6208; visit http://www.civiacycles.com or http://www.cpsc.gov.

____

FROZEN TUNA STEAKS

DETAILS: Whole Foods Market is recalling yellow fin tuna steaks had best-by dates of Dec. 5, 2010. The fish was sold in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Connecticut, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Rhode Island, Maine and Washington, D.C.

WHY: The steaks could have elevated levels of histamine. High levels of histamine can cause an allergic reaction called scombroid poisoning. Symptoms may include: tingling or burning sensation in the mouth, facial swelling, rash, hives and itchy skin, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

INCIDENTS: Two reported.

FOR MORE: Call 954-338-6891

____

EYE DROPS AND NASAL DROPS

DETAILS: US Oftalmi is recalling select over-the-counter eye drops and nasal drops that were sold nationwide.

WHY: The drops might not be sterile and could cause infections.

INICDENTS: No infections reported.

FOR MORE: Call 954-338-6891

____

FAJITA SEASONING MIXES

DETAILS: McCormick & Co. Inc. of Sparks, Md., is recalling select fajita seasoning mixes that were sold nationwide beginning Feb. 15.

WHY: The packages contain wheat and milk, which are not listed on the label. This could be dangerous for people with wheat or milk allergies.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

FOR MORE: Call 800-632-5847

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Curious George gets a show at Jewish Museum in New York ... - Denver Post

Posted: 10 Apr 2010 06:09 AM PDT

NEW YORK — Ever wonder why Curious George is so curious? Or why the monkey hero of the "Curious George" children's books is so fond of travel, so prone to mischief, yet always narrowly escapes disaster?

A new exhibit at New York's Jewish Museum suggests that curious readers need look no farther than the real-life adventures of the intrepid husband-and-wife team who created the beloved character.

H.A. and Margret Rey — he changed the name from Reyersbach — were German Jews living in Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion, increasingly concerned about finding safe haven. Two days before the Germans marched into Paris, they fled on bicycles carrying drawings for their picture books, including one about a mischievous monkey then called Fifi.

Curator Claudia Nahson explains that Hans and Margret created the monkey character that is always on the run while they themselves were on the run. The recurring motif of the monkey's narrow escape from danger is another autobiographical detail.

While the exhibit touches on the harrowing conditions they endured on their four-month flight in 1940 from France to New York, it's more about the unusually long and fertile artistic collaboration between Hans and Margret, whose fiery personality is said to be the inspiration for George's insatiable curiosity and spunk.

Hans Rey was a gentle, pipe-smoking, self-taught artist who toiled for a time in commercial art designing circus posters before launching his career as a writer and illustrator of children's books. Margarete Waldstein, who shorted her name to Margret, was the more assertive of the two. She had studied art and photography at the famed Bauhaus School in Germany and had strong opinions about nearly everything, including her husband's work.

Both loved animals. Hans liked to sketch in zoos, and the couple kept pet marmosets in their apartment in Brazil in the 1930s. Margret even knitted sweaters to keep the tiny monkeys warm on the couple's cold ocean passage to Europe in 1936, but the creatures didn't survive the voyage.

The exhibition features nearly 80 original drawings and vibrant watercolors for the more than 30 books the couple wrote and illustrated. The most famous, of course, is Curious George — the "good little monkey" captured in the wilds of Africa by a man in a large yellow hat and taken to the city to live in a zoo and later, the man's home.

The idea for George began in an earlier book about a lonely giraffe named Raffy who befriends nine monkeys, the youngest of which is called Fifi. Eventually, the Reys decided to develop a story just about Fifi. It was one of the stories they smuggled out of France, only to learn when they got to the U.S. that American publisher Houghton Mifflin had doubts about the name Fifi for a boy monkey.

And so Fifi became George in the United States — and Zozo in Britain. With George VI then king of England, it seemed disrespectful for a monkey to have the same name as the British sovereign. The Curious George books, including the seven original stories by Margret and Hans, were eventually translated into many languages, selling tens of millions of copies worldwide.

It's not hard to see why. With simple lines and bright, buoyant colors, the Reys created an imaginary world full of innocence and optimism. No reader would ever discern that their lighthearted, good-natured outlook was entirely at odds with the circumstances they faced in the years leading up to and during World War II.

The exhibit will be on view at The Jewish Museum through Aug. 1 then travel to the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, where it will run from Nov. 14 through March 16, 2011.

More info

thejewishmuseum.org/

louiseborden.com/

houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/cgsite/

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Gwyneth Paltrow Offers Advice On Picking Children's ... - Musicrooms.net

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 10:38 PM PDT

09/04/2010

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has offered her advice on picking children's books in her latest GOOP newsletter.

The 37-year-old star revealed the books her mother Blythe Danner used to read to her as a child and said she is always on the lookout for different literature to read to her kids - Apple, five, and Moses, four.

She said: "Some of the best memories I have from childhood are of my mother lying in bed with me and reading me stories.

"I can remember way back when books like Pat the Bunny and Goodnight Moon were appropriate, so we're talking decades. We had a few greatest hits, Elouise and The Chronicles of Narnia being frontrunners.

"That time together was pretty indelible. I'm always looking for great books I may not know about to read to my kids. We've put together some recommendations that are worth checking out."

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Product recalls this week include children’s books ... - Gaea Times (blog)

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 03:28 PM PDT

Recalls this week: books, furniture, coats

There was another recall of children's hooded clothing made with drawstrings, despite industry guidelines to avoid such strangulation hazards.

Among the recalled items this week:

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

WHY: The plastic foam used to fill the book bindings can detach, posing a choking risk to infants and young children.

INCIDENTS: The company has received three reports of children putting detached plastic foam in their mouths, but no reports of injuries.

HOW MANY: About 15,000

FOR MORE: Call 800-436-3726; visit www.gund.com or www.cpsc.gov.

____

WOOD FURNITURE

WHY: The surface coating on the furniture could have high levels of lead, which is toxic to young children if they ingest it.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

HOW MANY: About 7,000

FOR MORE: Call 888-577-4098; visit www.regcen.com/hammaryrecall or www.cpsc.gov.

____

WOMEN'S PEACOATS

WHY: The coats don't meet federal flammability standards.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

HOW MANY: About 800

FOR MORE: Call 888-999-6568; visit www.cpsc.gov.

_____

CHILDREN'S HOODED JACKETS

WHY: The jackets have drawstrings through the hood that can pose a strangulation hazard to young children.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

HOW MANY: About 11,500

FOR MORE: Call 646-273-1225; visit www.cpsc.gov.

______

BICYCLE COMPONENTS

WHY: The fork can crack or break, posing a fall hazard to the bicyclist.

INJURIES: Civia Cycles has received two reports of forks cracking, and one report of a fork breaking, resulting in a facial cut and bruised ribs for the rider.

HOW MANY: About 800

FOR MORE: Call (877) 774-6208; visit www.civiacycles.com or www.cpsc.gov.

____

FROZEN TUNA STEAKS

INCIDENTS: Two reported.

FOR MORE: Call 954-338-6891

____

EYE DROPS AND NASAL DROPS

DETAILS: US Oftalmi is recalling select over-the-counter eye drops and nasal drops that were sold nationwide.

WHY: The drops might not be sterile and could cause infections.

INICDENTS: No infections reported.

FOR MORE: Call 954-338-6891

____

FAJITA SEASONING MIXES

DETAILS: McCormick & Co. Inc. of Sparks, Md., is recalling select fajita seasoning mixes that were sold nationwide beginning Feb. 15.

WHY: The packages contain wheat and milk, which are not listed on the label. This could be dangerous for people with wheat or milk allergies.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

FOR MORE: Call 800-632-5847

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

“Gwyneth Paltrow offers advice on picking children`s ... - Monsters and Critics” plus 3 more

2010-04-09T10:03:00.001-07:00

“Gwyneth Paltrow offers advice on picking children`s ... - Monsters and Critics” plus 3 more

Gwyneth Paltrow offers advice on picking children`s ... - Monsters and Critics
Silly parents, iPads are for kids (and their books) - Christian Science Monitor
Reading 'Excellence' group kicks off Tuesday - Nashville Tennessean
120,000 items at the Hunterdon County Library book sale - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

Gwyneth Paltrow offers advice on picking children`s ... - Monsters and Critics

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 04:44 AM PDT

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has offered her advice on picking children's books in her latest GOOP newsletter. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow arrives for the Children of the City 'Champions of Hope' Benefit Gala at the Tribeca Rooftop, NYC - Johns PkI / Splash News The 37-year-old star revealed the books her mother Blythe Danner used to read to her as a child and said she is always on the lookout for different literature to read to her kids - Apple, five, and Moses, four. She said: 'Some of the best memories I have from childhood are of my mother lying in bed with me and reading me stories. 'I can remember way back when books like Pat the Bunny and Goodnight Moon were appropriate, so we're talking decades. We had a few greatest hits, Elouise and The Chronicles of Narnia being frontrunners. 'That time together was pretty indelible. I'm always looking for great books I may not know about to read to my kids. We've put together some recommendations that are worth checking out.'

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Silly parents, iPads are for kids (and their books) - Christian Science Monitor

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 08:33 AM PDT

Every parent wants his child to read – but on a $499 device? Yes, it seems – if the device is an iPad.

According to Publishers Weekly, "Parents immediately started snapping up picture book apps from Apple's online store. In fact, children's stories held 6 of the top 10 paid iPad book-app sales spots as of press time."

PW goes on to catalog an impressive list of children's book offerings available for the iPad, including some titles being offered for free. Top selling children's lit iPad apps, they note, include "The Cat in the Hat," "Dr. Seuss's ABC," "Toy Story 2 Read-Along," "How to Train Your Dragon," "Miss Spider's Tea Party," and "The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg." In the iBookstore, the bestselling children and teens' titles were "Eclipse," "The Lightning Thief," "Twilight," "Breaking Dawn," and "The Berenstain Bears Go to Sunday School."

Typical prices for children's book apps range anywhere from $2.99 to $9.99, PW reports.

What does this enthusiastic embrace of digital books for young readers mean for sales of paper-and-ink children's books? Bookstore owners will have to hope that they've got it right over at Disney Publishing Worldwide. Jeanne Mosure, Disney senior vice president and group publisher, told PW that the experience of reading on the iPad "just makes children more excited about the prospect of reading more and buying more books."

Marjorie Kehe is the Monitor's book editor.

Would you encourage your child to read on an iPad? Join the Monitor's book discussion on Facebook and Twitter.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Reading 'Excellence' group kicks off Tuesday - Nashville Tennessean

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 07:43 AM PDT

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content]

There will be snacks and games and special readings by characters from children's books. This kick-off will also serve as an informational meeting for parents and possible volunteers. If you are interested in helping our children succeed, be a part ...

120,000 items at the Hunterdon County Library book sale - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 04:58 AM PDT

By Renee Kiriluk-Hill/Hunterdon County Demo...

April 09, 2010, 7:57AM

RARITAN TWP. -- Books for all ages, tastes and collections, as well as music, movies and software are up for grabs at the 14th annual Friends of the Hunterdon County Library Book Sale on Saturday and Sunday. There will be more than 120,000 titles spread among dozens of categories, in large "rooms" at the National Guard Armory on Route 12.

Among the rows of donated books, shoppers will find "an incredible profusion of cookbooks... hundreds of biographies... a large section on pets, with a couple of hundred books on cats... craft books that add color, feeling and spice to a holiday for your family," said volunteer Tom Mullen.

One cavernous room is filled with fiction, a second with nonfiction and a third room houses children's books. There are three new categories this year: teen/young adult readers, military and unexplained - meaning astrology, ghosts, UFOs and other cryptic phenomena.

Mullen's advice is to "come early, bring a big bag and plan for a long day," re-energizing at the food sales area manned by Boy Scout Troop 288 of Annandale.

Volunteer Jean Allured adds, "Come Saturday for the best selection and Sunday for half price." They offer a tip for fans of books-on-tape (or CD): most are with the fiction books, not in the multimedia sales room.

Shoppers on Saturday should allow extra time for traffic; one of two annual county Electronics Collection days is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the nearby county complex on Route 12. That's also where book sale shoppers catch the free shuttle to the armory, which has limited parking.

Through Friday, anyone who joins the Friends for 2010 may get into the sale up to two hours early on Saturday. Those who haven't can pay $20 for early admittance.

Normal hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. After the sale closes, representatives of schools, hospitals, prisons and charitable organizations come to glean the piles at no charge.

Mullen said shoppers should bring a bag, but leave rolling cases at home because "there are hundreds of shoppers" filling the aisles.

Rare and unusual books are priced higher. Otherwise, most hardcover or large trade paperback books for adults cost $2 or $1 for regular paperbacks. Young adult hardcovers are $2, paperbacks 50 cents. Children's books are $1 or 50 cents.

LPs, sheet music and pamphlets cost 50 cents. Most software, CDs, DVDs and books on cassette range from $2 to $5.

Membership in the nonprofit Friends costs $3 for students or older than age 62; $5 individual; $10 family; $25 patron; and $50 corporate. Proceeds of the book sale and memberships benefit the County Library system.

For more on the Friends, visit hclibrary.us/friends/friendspage.htm.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

“Have bad parents taken over children's books? - The Guardian” plus 3 more

2010-04-08T10:06:00.001-07:00

“Have bad parents taken over children's books? - The Guardian” plus 3 more

Have bad parents taken over children's books? - The Guardian
Children's books that made an impact - Salem News
Gund of Edison recalls children's books manufactured in ... - Bridgeton News
Brasch Words - American Reporter

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Have bad parents taken over children's books? - The Guardian

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 03:41 AM PDT

Don't look now ... Angry parent and child. Photograph: Roger Bamber

The Famous Five's parents might be loving, but they clearly aren't that bothered about spending a lot of quality time with their kids, who are left in peace to adventure on Kirrin Island or at Smuggler's Top. Pauline, Petrova and Posie of Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes are orphaned. James of Giant Peach fame's parents are killed in a rhinoceros accident and he's sent to live with the evil aunts Spiker and Sponge. All the best books for children get rid of the parents early on – which is why I am intrigued by a theory laid out in the New York Times.

Children's books editor Julie Just is arguing that "it took a surprisingly long time for bad parents to show up in children's books ... in the classic stories, from Cinderella to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the hero's parents are more likely to be absent or dead than cruel or incompetent". These days, though, with the growth in young adult fiction, she believes "the bad parent is enjoying something of a heyday", with some of the best YA novels reliably featuring "a mopey, inept, distracted or ready-for-rehab parent": Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr, Natalie Standiford's How to Say Goodbye in Robot, Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls – even the bestselling Twilight, Shiver and The Hunger Games series.

Hmm. This interests me. I haven't read the novels she mentions, apart from Twilight (where she's right – the mother and father are ineffectual, rather hopeless background figures), but the best YA fiction I've read of late doesn't exactly bear her theory out. In Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy, not only are hero Todd's parents dead but so are his guardians. In Siobhan Dowd's Solace of the Road, Holly Hogan walks out on her foster family. In Anna Perera's Guantanamo Boy, Khalid is kidnapped when on holiday with his family in Pakistan. The absence of parents works in YA fiction just as it does in children's books: because the young protagonist is forced to make decisions on his or her own, without the moral compass or preconceptions or restrictions of the adult world.

And – as Neil Gaiman points out – bad parents have always been around. "Remember that in the first edition of Grimm's Fairy Tales, those stepmothers were plain old mothers," he writes on his blog. He's backed up in a National Geographic article, which explains that the Grimms refined and softened their stories to meet demands for "virtuous material for the nursery": "In the Grimms' hands, cruel mothers became nasty stepmothers, unmarried lovers were made chaste, and the incestuous father was recast as the devil."

But then it's always easy to think up exceptions to a trend, just as it's possible to think of examples: David Yelland's The Truth About Leo, for example – the former Sun editor's first YA novel, about a boy struggling to deal with his alcoholic father, which is just out. I have to say, I think I prefer my children's – and YA – fiction as free as possible from adult influences – would Treasure Island have been as fun if Jim's mum and dad were along for the ride, or The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, or A Walk in Wolf Wood? But what do you think? Trend or no trend? Good or not good? Parents or no parents?

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Children's books that made an impact - Salem News

Posted: 01 Apr 2010 09:07 PM PDT

What children's book changed the way you see the world?

For actress Julianne Moore, it was "Little Women." Comedian Jay Leno better understood his penchant for comedy through reading "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel." For Robert Ballard, explorer of the Titanic wreck, it was, not surprisingly, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea."

Many people can recall a children's book that resonated with them — which Anita Silvey set out to capture in her recent book, "Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Children's Book."

Silvey, who will host a discussion at Gordon College next Thursday, culled responses from 110 notable people, including painters and dancers, inventors and scientists, financiers and politicians.

"It was a dream project to work on," said Silvey, former publisher of children's books at Houghton Mifflin and former editor-in-chief of The Horn Book Magazine.

"Every time I go to a cocktail party, ride the elevator or take a taxi cab, I always say, 'What did you read as a child and why do you remember it?'" said Silvey, 62. "I talked this for years."

But it wasn't until a friend suggested the idea for the book that the light bulb went on.

"It took me all of a nanosecond," she said. "I wanted to have people from different places in life reflecting on the children's book that had shaped them."

In her book, Silvey includes an essay from each person, her own notes about each selected book, and an excerpt and often artwork from the book.

On the North Shore, "Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Children's Book" was selected as the fourth annual Community Read in Hamilton and Wenham — a book residents were encouraged to read.

On Thursday, April 8, Silvey will speak at Gordon College, which is sponsoring the event in partnership with the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library and the Friends of the Library.

"People get really animated about their favorite book or the book that meant the most to them," said Jan Dempsey, director of the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library. "Her book was really a catalyst for very good discussions about children's literature."

During her visit, Silvey said she plans to talk about the people she interviewed and her observations.

"I'll talk, and then I hope I'll get to listen," said Silvey, who lives in Westwood. "I'm hoping people will be willing to share some of their own stories."

"We're excited to have her come," Dempsey said.

Q&A with Anita Silvey

How did you choose the subjects for your book?

I did a lot of research. I wanted people who both had distinguished themselves in leadership positions and who would also have something interesting to say.

Who surprised you most?

Kirk Douglas was one who surprised me. He's "Spartacus." He's Mr. Tough Guy. He played every "mean guy" role in Hollywood, and he started to talk about "The Bobbsey Twins."

How were the interviews?

Some of the people wrote essays. ... The interviews were my favorite part. I just loved talking to these people. For them, these were such good memories. Steve Forbes talked about his mom putting him in her lap and reading. I was bringing them back to very precious times in their lives.

Why have you dedicated your career to children's books?

I think they are the most thoughtful and the most tightly worked-out communication from adults to children. ... You really have that unique opportunity for a child to encounter in a page of a book what they need to hear.

Want to go?

Anita Silvey, author of "Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book"

What: Anita Silvey lecture and book signing

When: Thursday, April 8

Time: Meet the author from 6 to 7 p.m.; lecture at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Gordon College Ken Olsen Science Center, 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham

Cost: $8, $5 for students/seniors

Information and tickets: Call the Hamilton-Wenham Library at 978-468-5577, or visit http://hwlibrary.org

Book signing: Silvey's book will be for sale and people can also bring their copies for Silvey to sign

What children's book make a big impact on you?

Lorraine Der

Children's librarian, Hamilton-Wenham Public Library

Book: "Puss in Boots"

Why: "I loved the characters, the illustrations, the language, and it was just a fun book. I loved animals — particularly cats — and I liked the idea that a cat could be your friend, and such a good, loyal, intelligent and clever friend. I also loved to say, 'Marquis of Carabas.' It was a treasured book from my childhood that I reread many times."

Cheryl Opolski

Head of children's services, Salem Public Library

Book: The "Dick and Jane" books

Why: "Because they taught me how to read, in a nutshell. We didn't have TV and there were obviously no computers, and reading was a great thing. It was nice to be able to have the key that unlocked the world of reading to 'The Bobbsey Twins,' Louisa May Alcott, Cherry Ames, Trixie Belden mysteries, ... 'Anne of Green Gables' and many more books."

Emily Nichols

Head of children's services, Beverly Public Library

Book: "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster

Why: "It's about this boy (Milo) who is very bored; then this magic tollbooth shows up with a car and takes him to an alternate world where he learns to see the world in a different way. ... There is a scene where Milo goes to this city, and because everyone was looking down at the street and not up at the buildings, they actually disappeared because no one was paying attention to them. It profoundly shaped the way I look at the world. You have to be engaged in the world around you or it disappears."

Carol Bender

Children's librarian, Peabody Institute Library, Peabody

Book: The picture book "The Little House" by Virginia Lee Burton, and the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Why: They "helped shape my sense of home. ... To me these stories reveal that home is not a singular place that as an adult I would someday leave behind, but rather a safe and special place that I create and share with family and friends wherever I happen to live. In this day and age, I'm especially glad for their message that space is temporal, but relationships lovingly tended are forever."

JoAnne Powell

Head of children's services, Peabody Institute Library, Danvers

Book: "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel," by Virginia Lee Burton

Why: "Captain Kangaroo would do a reading session. ... One of my favorite books he read was 'Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.' I just got a lot out of it. I think it was the steam shovel and all the work that Mary Anne (his steam shovel) did. I just related to that. If there's work to be done, that's me."

Society leaders' take on influential children's books:

Peter Lynch, investor and fund manager: "The Hardy Boys" by Franklin W. Dixon

Deval Patrick, Massachusetts governor, "Liza Lou and the Yeller Bel:y Swamp" by Mercer Mayer, which he read to his two daughters

Kathy Bates, actor: "Impunity Jane" by Rumer Godden

Judy Blume, children's author: "Madeline" by Ludwig Bemelmans

Roger Ebert, film critic: "The Saturdays" by Elizabeth Enright

Maurice Sendak, author of "Where the Wild Things Are": "Harold and the Purple Crayon" by Crockett Johnson

Jay Leno, comedian and "Tonight Show" host: "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" by Virginia Lee Burton

Tiki Barber, broadcaster, former pro-football player: "The Little Engine That Could" by Watty Piper

Stan Lee, Marvel Comics writer who created the Hulk and Spider-Man: "Poppy Ott" by Leo Edwards

Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS: the Babar books by Jean de Brunhoff

Seven Pinker, Harvard researcher, psychologist and professor: "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back" by Dr. Seuss

Pete Seeger, folk singer, activist: "Rolf in the Woods" by Ernest Thompson Seton

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Gund of Edison recalls children's books manufactured in ... - Bridgeton News

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 06:02 PM PDT

By The Associated Press

April 06, 2010, 8:53PM

www.cpsc.gov About 15,100 Gund Baby paperboard books, manufactured in China and imported by Gund of Edison, have been recalled because the plastic foam filling the book bindings can detach and pose a choking risk.

The recalled items include "Animals" (item number 059174), "Numbers" (item number 059175) and "Colors" (item number 059176). The books were also sold as a three-book set (item number 059173), pictured.

The company has received three reports of children putting detached plastic foam in their mouths, but no reports of injuries.

The books were sold at gift and novelty stores around the country between January 2009 and March 2010.

For more details, call (800) 436-3726 or visit gund.com or cpsc.gov.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Brasch Words - American Reporter

Posted: 07 Apr 2010 09:50 PM PDT

Brasch Words
LEGACIES, CELEBRITIES, AND MEDIA SKANKS
by Walter Brasch
American Reporter Senior Correspondent
Bloomsburg, Pa.

Back to home page

Printable version of this story

BLOOMSBURG, Pa -- NBC news correspondent Jenna Bush Hager had a news exclusive. And, like news exclusives in the Era of Infotainment, this one was broadcast by the entertainment division. Specifically, Jenna Bush interviewed her mother, Laura Bush, on 38th episode of "The Jay Leno Show."

It makes no difference what the questions or answers were. Journalism hasn't been a priority of television for a long time. What matters is that a network hired someone with no background into a job with an income substantially above what most journalists earn. Jenna Bush isn't the only one to parlay dubious credentials onto network television. Beauty pageants - it makes no difference if it's the Miss Rutabaga or Miss America contests - are full of contestants who say their ambition is to be a tv anchor or an actress, whichever comes first.

Now, Jenna Bush, in her mid-20s, had also become a best-selling author, something that rarely happens even to the best writers. HarperCollins, owned by Rupert Murdoch of Fox News fame, printed an initial 500,000 copies of Ana's Story in 2007. The press run was about 100 times greater than the average run of a first book by even a good writer.

A year later, HarperCollins published a children's book co-written by Jenna Bush and Laura Bush, who promoted their books on the major talk shows, including "The Tonight Show, with Jay Leno." Thousands of publicists and authors literally beg to get network exposure. Most books that do get published can be found in the remainder bins - or recycling bins - within a year of publication - if the author is fortunate enough to even secure a contract.

The Bushes aren't the only celebrities who have written children's books. Among dozens of celebrities who easily found publishers for their children's books were Julie Andrews, Bill Cosby, Katie Couric, Jamie Lee Curtis, LL Cool J, Jay Leno, Will Smith, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Shaquille O'Neal.

Superstar pro athletes can often get book deals in the six- and seven-figure range. Among them are 7'5" NBA star Yao-Minh, whose command of English is minimal, but who scored a $1.5 million advance for his autobiography; and Dennis Rodman, aided by a fluorescent-hued hair, multi-body tattoos, and a seven-figure advance, who wore a dress and feather boa in Detroit and a wedding dress in Manhattan to promote his own in-your-face autobiography.

O.J. Simpson was a cross-over - a superstar pro athlete and a criminal. Criminals whose stories make the front pages, and who while in prison "find" religion and do a great job of feigning repentance, can often secure book deals.

Thousands of 20-something students and recent graduates have worked extremely hard, usually in anonymity, to earn internships, many of them unpaid, in the media or in government. However, unlike most interns, Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton's presidential playmate, became a best-selling author. And, like other celebrity-authors, she was able to parlay her notoriety into numerous talk-show appearances, all of which helped promote Monica's Story and more than $2 million in income.

Add Paris Hilton to the list. In 2004, she secured a book contract for an autobiography, reflecting her entire 23 year life of entitlement and near uselessness. Of course, the book became a New York Times best-seller.

At one time, "legacy children," the ones whose parents or grandparents earned fame or fortune, would have settled for being admitted to the parents' Ivy League colleges, even if minimally qualified, and then getting some job in the family business. But now the omnipotence of the mass media has given the entitled darlings other opportunities.

Chances are there's a tv gig or a book contract somewhere in their futures. And all that this says is that those who work hard to learn and perfect their craft, perhaps to contribute ideas to society, and hoped-for mass distribution, will probably continue a life of anonymity while buried by the train wrecks that have become the mass media.

AR Senior Correspondent Walter M. Brasch, an award-winning former newspaper reporter and editor, is a syndicated social issues columnist, author, writer-producer, and professor of journalism at Bloomsburg University.

“Children's Books Examiner | - Examiner” plus 3 more

2010-04-06T10:02:00.001-07:00

“Children's Books Examiner | - Examiner” plus 3 more

Children's Books Examiner | - Examiner
Linda Cress Dowdy - Buzzle
Stories speak all languages - Fairfield Champion
Vandergrift's architecture lures big-budget film - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Children's Books Examiner | - Examiner

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 06:49 AM PDT

Advertise with us

Join our Affiliate Program
Careers
RSS Feeds
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Contact Us
Walden Media
AEG Worldwide | AEG Live
Foundation for a Better Life

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Linda Cress Dowdy - Buzzle

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 09:19 AM PDT

Linda Cress Dowdy is a published author and has had over 5 titles on the Publisher's Weekly best sellers list. A graduate of The University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism, Linda has over 15 years experience in writing, editing and publishing. Children's books are her passion and she launched book and magazine publishing for several children's character properties worldwide.Today Linda is publishing her own children's titles as President of Green Sweater Publishing and writing articles, blogs, press releases and marketing materials for companies such as CardsDirect and First Class Wedding Invitations.

Homepage:
http://www.cardsdirect.com/

Stories speak all languages - Fairfield Champion

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 08:22 AM PDT

INTERNATIONAL Children's Book Day celebrations were turned upside down at English language education college ACL.

The Fairfield college used the day Good Friday, April 2 to inspire adults to improve their English skills by reading children's books.

The adult students read children's books aloud to the others and to children in the ACL childcare centre on Thursday.

Co-ordinator Jenny Johnson said the day was a great opportunity for students to put their English skills into practice.

``We think it is a great way for our students to learn English,'' Ms Johnson said.

``Reading English is not something they are used to.

``Depending where they came from, literacy can be a really big issue.

``Reading, writing, speaking and listening are the four key skills and this exercise involves improving three of them.''

The students who took part in the activity were migrants or refugees re-settling in Australia and learning English for the first time.

Caiyun Huong arrived in Australia three years ago from China.

She said she usually read books in Cantonese and was grateful for the opportunity to practise.

``When I first came here I found English very hard,'' Ms Huong said.

She said she enjoyed the activity but was nervous about reading out loud.

``I usually practise English by reading books to my daughter,'' Ms Huong said.

``We always read Cinderella.''

Mai Ta moved to Australia from Vietnam nine months ago.

She said she read the same books as her daughter.

``I read English books to my daughter but she is better than me at English now,'' Ms Ta said.

International Children's Book Day was first celebrated in 1967 to commemorate the birthday of writer Hans Christian Anderson on April 2.

Ms Johnson said she hoped to make the celebration an annual event at ACL.

``Students can use the day as an extra English lesson,'' she said.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Vandergrift's architecture lures big-budget film - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 07:46 AM PDT

Frederick Law Olmstead, meet Stephen Spielberg.

That, of course won't exactly happen, since the legendary architect who designed Vandergrift died decades ago. But his stamp on the borough has lured the legendary filmmaker's production company, DreamWorks Studios, to town.

Mike Fantasia, a location manager with DreamWorks, said Monday the film company will be setting up shop in Vandergrift to film "I Am Number Four."

"We have about 20 locations where we'll be filming within 50 miles of Pittsburgh," Fantasia said.

But Vandergrift will take a back seat to none of them.

"It's our 'hero town' — it's the main town in the movie," Fantasia said.

He said that there also may be other locations in the Alle-Kiski Valley used, such as New Kensington and Hyde Park.

Fantasia, who said he's been in the area for about seven weeks, appeared Monday night with his associate, Don Martino, before borough council to inform it of DreamWorks' plans.

He received permission to start working in earnest with merchants, property owners, police and local officials to coordinate the film crew's activities and needs.

As for when the filming will begin, Fantasia said: "I'm not exactly sure. Right now it's scheduled for the last week of May and the beginning of June." He added that could change, however.

Borough Manager Steve DelleDonne said Olmstead definitely played a role in getting DreamWorks attention.

"He (Fantasia) said there was a woman in the company who knew about Vandergrift and it being designed by Olmstead," he said. "So they came here to see it, and they fell in love with the curved streets."

"It provided the best setting for the movie, based on the script," Fantasia said. "The fact that Frederick Law Olmstead designed the town gives it a very unique look."

He said the entire movie will be filmed in the Pittsburgh area, and the production budget is "millions of dollars."

As for the impact on the local economy, Fantasia said, "We're going to be buying food locally; we're going to be renting 150 hotel rooms for weeks at a time; we'll be renting cars.

"We're coming here with a lot, and we're going to leave all of it behind."

Subscribe to the Tribune-Review today

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

“Eggs race and roll on White House lawn in Easter ... - Monsters and Critics” plus 2 more

2010-04-05T10:18:00.001-07:00

“Eggs race and roll on White House lawn in Easter ... - Monsters and Critics” plus 2 more

Eggs race and roll on White House lawn in Easter ... - Monsters and Critics
You Don't Need an iPad But once you try one, you won't ... - Slate
Facebook dumbing friendships down? - canada.com

Eggs race and roll on White House lawn in Easter ... - Monsters and Critics

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 09:42 AM PDT

Washington - The US First Family converted the south lawn of the White House into a playground for the traditional Easter Egg Roll on Monday, touting fitness and tackling an epidemic of childhood obesity around the country. US President Barack Obama (L), the First Lady Michelle Obama (2-L) and their daughters, Sasha (C) and Malia (R), stand beside the Easter bunny (Back) on the Truman Balcony during the annual Easter Egg Roll event. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS President Barack Obama mostly took a back seat at the event to his wife, Michelle, and children Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8. Michelle told the gathered crowd that the spectacle was aimed at teaching children 'about beginning to live a more healthy life.' The annual White House tradition has taken place off and on since the late 19th century, complete with the traditional egg roll race and readings from favourite children's books. 'You've got to exercise your brain just like you exercise your body,' Obama told a group of children as he sat down for a lively - and holiday-appropriate - reading of the Dr Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham. In the races, children under 12 propel the hard-boiled eggs with wooden spoons. Admission was mostly by lottery. This year was broadened to include sports, dance and yoga events to highlight a healthy lifestyle, led by sports stars including the local Washington Redskins football team and US Olympians. Michelle Obama has led a campaign since February to combat obesity among children. The White House will host health professionals on Friday to discuss ways to tackle the problem.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

You Don't Need an iPad But once you try one, you won't ... - Slate

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 08:38 AM PDT

I picked up my iPad at a San Francisco Apple Store early on Saturday morning, and I spent the rest of the weekend putting Apple's new touch-screen computer through its paces. Here are my first impressions:

You don't need an iPad; it's an indulgence. Over the last couple of months, I've received countless comments from readers puzzled over my early exuberance for Apple's tablet computer. The iPad, they argued, was the Paris Hilton of PCs, undeniably glitzy but of no discernible utility. It appeared to fill no obvious role in life—if you've already got a computer and a phone, why do you need one of these things?

The simple answer is: You don't. So far I've done almost nothing with the iPad that I couldn't have done on either my computer or phone. If I were to run into a kind-hearted mugger tomorrow who forced me to give up only one of my gadgets, I'd throw him the iPad without hesitation. I need my phone and my computer to get things done, but I don't really need a tablet computer. The iPad is a luxury—like Steve Jobs' Mercedes roadster, it's the sort of thing you buy if you've got extra money and you want a fun, stylish gewgaw.

So, why would you pay at least $500 for a machine that merely replicates your other gadgets' functions? Because the iPad is the best media-consumption device ever made. Or, to put it another way, there is no better machine to use on the couch, the bed, or in the bathroom. Not long ago we had other ways to occupy ourselves in these places. But as TV, movies, books, newspapers, and magazines migrated to computer screens, our machines began to infiltrate every part of our lives. Yet neither the laptop nor the phone is especially well-suited for use while lying down or otherwise slumping around. The laptop is too bulky and the phone is too small. The iPad bridges this gap—its size, shape, and interface make it the perfect machine for your most intimate moments of leisure.

When you're lying down, you hold the iPad up with one hand a few inches away from your face, just like you'd hold a book. If you're sitting, you cross your legs and lay the iPad on your thigh. I found it just the right size for both positions, though at 1.5 pounds, it's a tad too heavy to hold up for very long. I recommend buying Apple's $40 case, which folds back to act as a kind of stand; I used it to rest the device on my chest without needing to support it all the time. (But beware—while surfing the Web in bed on Sunday morning, my self-standing iPad slipped and fell on my face. It hurt.)

It's the iPad's speed and touch interface that makes it a breakthrough leisure device. Pretty much every fun thing you'd do on your phone or laptop is better on the iPad. Movies and TV shows sparkle on the vibrant screen, and third-party iPad games are more powerful (and thus more addicting) than those on the iPhone.

It's difficult to describe how pleasant it is to surf the Web on the iPad without sounding like an Apple ad. The best thing you can say is that after a few minutes, you forget you're using a computer at all. The iPad loads Web pages instantly, and once you fall into the rhythm of tapping, pinching, and flicking to move objects on the screen, you feel like you're interacting with tactile, responsive paper rather than a flat piece of glass.

Slate V: Farhad Manjoo Lets People Test Drive His iPad

The iPad's killer app is reading. The iPad is especially great for settling in with a book or a long article. Indeed, in nearly all scenarios, the iPad makes a better book-reader than the Kindle. Yes, Apple's tablet lacks the Kindle's paperlike E Ink screen, but that's a feature, not a bug. E Ink e-readers can't display color images and animation, and they don't do graphic design. Those elements are critical to the presentation of newspapers, textbooks, magazines, children's books, and lots of other printed content—all of which the iPad handles beautifully.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Facebook dumbing friendships down? - canada.com

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 06:50 AM PDT

Debunking one of our most cherished beliefs about companion animals, a new Canadian study finds that dog owners who live alone, and have limited human...

1 hour ago
Comments ()

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

“The Creepiest Children's Books Ever (PICTURES) - Huffingtonpost.com” plus 2 more

2010-04-04T10:08:00.001-07:00

“The Creepiest Children's Books Ever (PICTURES) - Huffingtonpost.com” plus 2 more

The Creepiest Children's Books Ever (PICTURES) - Huffingtonpost.com
Sid Fleischman, at 90; wrote children’s books - Boston Globe
Imagination brings these children's books to life - Everett Herald

The Creepiest Children's Books Ever (PICTURES) - Huffingtonpost.com

Posted: 29 Mar 2010 06:23 AM PDT

Growing up, we all had at least one book that affected our psyche - some in more positive ways than others. The right book at the right time can teach children a lot more than any advice an adult can impart. But then there's these. Not only are these books creepy and/or hilarious to adults, but any kid who reads them is most likely in for a traumatizing treat.

Get HuffPost Comedy On Twitter, Facebook, and Google Buzz! Know something we don't? E-mail us at comedytips@huffingtonpost.com

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Sid Fleischman, at 90; wrote children’s books - Boston Globe

Posted: 30 Mar 2010 09:38 PM PDT

In addition to his son, Paul, Mr. Fleischman leaves two daughters, Jane Fleischman and Anne Fleischman Miller; a sister, Arleen Kornet; and four grandchildren. His wife, the former Betty Taylor, whom he married in 1942, died in 1993.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Imagination brings these children's books to life - Everett Herald

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 11:56 PM PDT

All the little girls out there who like to wave magic wands, wear their tutus to the grocery store and their tiaras to bed, these two new books are for you.

Actually, "The Night Fairy" by Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz ($16.99, ages 6 to 9) and "The Very Little Princess" by Newbery Honor winner Marion Dane Bauer ($12.99, ages 6 to 9), will appeal to anyone who believes in the power of imagination. It's just that, at a certain age, little girls wear that belief on their puffy pink princess sleeves.

Both tales have a strength at their core, a message that learning to depend on yourself is worth any magic.

In "The Night Fairy," young Flory is attacked by a bat, who spits her out but not before her wings are destroyed. She lands in the garden of a giant (well, a human). Without wings, Flory cannot escape and decides to adapt to daylight.

For a being as tiny as she is, some of her adventures in the garden are harrowing, but she's one resilient fairy. For instance, she turns Skuggle, the squirrel who keeps trying to eat her — boy, do squirrels have one-track minds — into a friend and, ta-da, a mode of transport.

Schlitz employs a gentle sense of humor and delightful descriptions that will send young readers into their back yards looking for evidence of fairies. Angela Barrett's color illustrations beautifully enhance the tale.

"The Very Little Princess" takes a sad premise — a mother leaving her child — and wraps it in a protective fantasy. During an argument between her mother and her never-before-seen grandmother, Zoey wanders upstairs in her mother's childhood home, where she discovers a tiny china doll, Regina, who comes alive. This find links Zoey to generations of little girls and offers hope that she, too, will endure.

I would argue against Bauer's twist at the end — it changes the fantasy — but that might be in anticipation of more Regina stories. This one's pretty good by itself.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

“Children's book iPad apps offer multilingual tales ... - The Independent” plus 2 more

2010-04-03T10:07:00.001-07:00

“Children's book iPad apps offer multilingual tales ... - The Independent” plus 2 more

Children's book iPad apps offer multilingual tales ... - The Independent
Easter 2010 Freebies at EliteDresses.com - PR-USA.net
Ten Books That Influenced Me: In a Blink - Huffingtonpost.com

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Children's book iPad apps offer multilingual tales ... - The Independent

Posted: 03 Apr 2010 08:40 AM PDT

Relaxnews

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Easter 2010 Freebies at EliteDresses.com - PR-USA.net

Posted: 03 Apr 2010 07:14 AM PDT

Children may now get free coloring pictures about Easter and Easter dresses at EliteDresses.com. The Easter coloring pages may be downloaded free starting today at http://www.elitedresses.com/Free_Easter_Coloring_Pages_Coloring_Easter_Pictures_s/4070.htm

Some of the Easter drawings that the kids may color show: Kids playing Easter egg hunt, kids celebrating Easter with family, kids playing with Easter animals and Easter symbols.

Parents may also use the pictures to talk to their kids about the Easter holiday.

These charming Easter illustrations of kids were drawn by Leanne Franson, a children's books artist from Canada. Ms. Franson has illustrated more than a hundred titles, and countless more unpublished pieces.

Ms. Franson has many fond memories of Easter morning, chocolate eggs, new spring flowers and is now creating many more Easter memories with her own son. She hopes that these coloring pages will inspire and remind children of this special time of the year and its blessings.

Head on over to to view and print the Easter coloring pages at http://www.elitedresses.com/Free_Easter_Coloring_Pages_Coloring_Easter_Pictures_s/4070.htm

Ten Books That Influenced Me: In a Blink - Huffingtonpost.com

Posted: 03 Apr 2010 08:04 AM PDT

When I got my MA in English Lit I had to read more than 100 great works. I was 22, and didn't have much of an idea about the great themes or historical context. I was overwhelmed and pretty clueless.

But the following books changed my life from childhood to the present, for better or worse. The books are not all great, but they all greatly influenced me. They got to me.

To choose these books I used the non-cognitive theory in Blink by Malcolm Gladstone. I went with what came to mind immediately as I created this list, an action that makes sense to me, and one I have used often in major situations. So Blink can be considered the bonus eleventh book

The Babar series written and illustrated by Jean de Brunhoff

The theme may have been benign authoritarianism but the setting for these French children's books was exotic and captivating. I wasn't sure where Babar, Arthur, Celeste and all the other elephants lived, and perhaps this was the first inkling that I would become a travel writer --and one of the first inspirations. (I believe the setting was inspired by Tunisia, and eventually I did travel there. I found no elephants, but loads of camels.)

Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

At Nautilus Junior High in Miami Beach, my English teacher, Mrs. Gelber, handed me a paperback book titled Diary of a Young Girl. It was only ten years after Anne Frank's death, and I was then 13, the age that Anne had been when she was given her diary, on her birthday. I was awestruck and aware that had my grandparents stayed in Europe, they would have been rounded up during the Holocaust.

Later in my life I experienced several connections to Anne Frank. You can read about them here.

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I was awarded this book in ninth grade, as winner of a citywide essay contest. The book not only offers magnificent writing about nature and solitude, the fact that I had been awarded it made me realize that I could write. At that time I was feeling pretty down on myself, so it was a godsend.

A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins

Robbins wrote potboilers, but this more serious early novel about a lower-middle class kid who became a boxer was set in the Depression. The kids in junior high (that's what middle school was called in the 1950s in Miami Beach) were passing around it around as a "dirty book." This rite-of-passage paperback tried to be meaningful, but what I learned about was sex, at least from a man's point of view. Goodbye Clara Barton, Student Nurse.

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

Life, death, irony, a setting from the past in the mountains of a far away land, but which reverberated in my own life in flat Miami Beach. This magnificent novel whetted my appetite for literary fiction and influenced my choice of college major and graduate degrees: literature.

Couples by John Updike

Like A Stone for Danny Fisher, this book influenced my understanding of the consequences of sexuality, and helped hasten the end of my first marriage to my high school sweetheart. Updike wrote in so many different forms; I have read just about all of his novels and many of his short stories, essays and poems.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig

I understood when I read this philosophical book that I was a hopeless romantic. From that point on I saw myself and others in a new way. It explained to me about why having to work at relationships can be so difficult, and that sometimes a relationship wasn't going to go anywhere. Another reality check. I later learned that this perennial bestseller was rejected by over 120 publishers. This gave me hope as a writer.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

This book --so far superior to the movie --reinvigorated my interest in contemporary novels. McEwan takes huge themes and places them in contemporary settings. He creates great reads that leave you with much to ponder and discuss. McEwan inspires me as a writer, and I've read all his major novels.

Day by Day by Chaim Stern

This wise and gentle collection of reflections from literature, philosophy, and religious thought was dedicated to me. The historian Howard Fast called it "a manual for living... an amazing spring of what wisdom we have gained as a people." Even if the author weren't my late husband, I would adore this book. I go to it often for solace and understanding, and simply for reassurance that humanity doesn't suck. I hear his voice and the wise words of hundreds of others.

Solo Traveler: Tales and Tips for Great Trips by Me

This book, published five years ago, saved my life. I was in a terrible place, coping with my husband's death, battling his relatives over his estate, moving out of my house in New York, afraid of losing everything. The book won an award for best travel book of the year from the North American Travel Writers Association. It got me out of bed and into the whirl of media, and created a brand -solo lady - that gave me strength.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

“Children's books that made an impact - Salem News” plus 3 more

2010-04-02T10:09:00.001-07:00

“Children's books that made an impact - Salem News” plus 3 more

Children's books that made an impact - Salem News
iPad Reading for Kids: A Story Before Bed Launches iPad ... - Mediabistro.com
A Dad Who Handles It All - Parade
Decemberists Working With R.E.M.'s Peter Buck - S spinner