Take a Storywalk with Juba!

What a GREAT idea! I only wish I could be there for the launch!


The Annapolis Valley Regional Library has received funding to create a StoryWalk™ from the picture


book, "Juba This, Juba That" by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Ron Lightburn, published by Tundra

Books. StoryWalk™ is an exciting initiative that combines a children’s story with a walking route, and

was developed in September, 2007 by Anne Ferguson and the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition.

This project combines the benefits of physical activity, time spent outdoors in nature, literacy, and

family time. Funds to create the project came from the Wellness Initiative Fund from the Annapolis

Valley Health Community Health Boards, and additional funds came from Eastern Kings and Annapolis

County's Active Kids Healthy Kids funding. Other partners include the Town of Bridgetown and the

Municipality of the County of Kings.


The StoryWalk™ will be installed at Jubilee Park in Bridgetown and at the Port Williams Community Park.

There will also be sets of the signs available for schools and community groups to borrow for group

events. The StoryWalk™ will be unveiled on June 11 at Jubilee Park in Bridgetown at 10:45 AM.

Illustrator Ron Lightburn will be attending the launch, and the public is invited. There will be a reading

of the book, walking the StoryWalk™, stickers for the kids, a book draw, and refreshments. Stay tuned for

pictures!!!


For further information, or to schedule an interview, please contact

Angela J. Reynolds, Head of Youth Services

902-665-2995 ext. 224

areynolds@valleylibrary.ca

Don't Judge This Book by Its Cover

I recently received a lovely letter from Cheryl Chambers, a Teacher-Librarian in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The letter said, in part,

"I recently read and reviewed (as part of the CANLIT reviews for schools in Halifax) your book "The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea."


I thought it was fabulous and gave it a 5/5 for its content. I recommended that every elementary school have at least one copy of the book.

There is however, one problem: the cover. None of the students I showed the book to would even take the time to open the book because they were put off by the cover....You have done such a fantastic job making all of the difficult concepts you bring up accessible. I think that "The Big Green Book" is an invaluable resource for educating students about the real problems facing our oceans today. But as you know, people can't help but judge a book by its cover. I would love to see this book republished with a new bright, interesting cover, so that more people will turn to "The Big Green Book" and hopefully learn from it and try to help improve the fate of our oceans...I think my favourite experiment in "The Big Green Book" was the one on over fishing, students should be able to easily understand the crisis facing the world's fish population after performing that simple experiment."

Letters like this are both thrilling (she liked it!) and disheartening for an author. We work hard on a book, as part of a team, and trust the other members of the team to do a great job all around. And they do. But sometimes, well, maybe there's a misstep.
 
I don't know if that's the case with The Big Green Book. Is Cheryl's opinion of the cover what's blowing in the prevailing wind? Is it a Slam Dunk, or an SOS? What do you think?
 
I hope, either way, that people will read the book and discover what's inside.  
 
"Hopefully," Cheryl added, "my glowing review to the school librarians in Halifax will encourage others to purchase your book. "  Me too.

Sneak Preview - Christmas Gift Set for Book, Porcupine Lovers #kidlit #xmas #bea

There's going to be a boxed set of The Porcupine in a Pine Tree this coming holiday season, complete with a new, smaller trim size (8 x 8) book and our dear fluffy stuffy, Quilliam. Hope you like it half as much as I do!

Not the final package...but still cute!

Two New Quiz Books - Sneak Preview!

I just got the covers for the two latest titles in my Quiz Book series from Scholastic Canada. They are so cute! Tell me what you think!

Will YOU Survive?

I certainly didn't feel like I'd survive my teen years. Mine were fraught: with anxiety, insecurity, doubt. I knew I had potential, but somehow it just seemed like I had to wait, and wait, and wait, until I could DO something. Like have a life.

That was the inspiration for How to Survive Absolutely Anything, my contemporary YA novel from Fitzhenry and Whiteside. I knew that I wasn't the only person who ever felt that way. But now, having survived the angsty times and reached the wise old age of ahem, I knew a little bit about how to deal.

So I created Bonnie and Jen, and their kooky 'Agony Aunt'-style blog for other teens.

Here's a snippet from the book:

"• Ok so if you’ve clicked on this blog you probably want to know how to survive something terrible.


• And if you are in middle school or junior high, guaranteed, something terrible has happened to you.

Is happening to you right now.

Or is about to happen to you.

• How do we know?

• Because we’ve been there. Definitely been there."

Naturally, Bonnie and Jen's plan to help other kids goes pear-shaped. Will they both survive their very-different, but very real challenges?

I hope you'll pick up the book as soon as it hits store shelves  - any minute now! And please let me know what you think of the new cover!

Short Chapters, Perfect Pacing and Lots of Action...

I was so delighted to return from Fireworks School (more on THAT in a later post) to find the Canadian Children's Book Centre's BookNews in my mailbox, with a review of Trouble in the Hills in it. I was even more delighted by the review. It says, in part:

"Filled with non-stop action, the story moves at breakneck speed as Cam faces numereous perilous situations...Short chapters, perfect pacing and lots of action make Helaine Becker's debut YA novel a perfect choice for reluctant boy readers, and once they pick it up, they'll find it impossible to put down until the end."

Thanks CCBC!

CSWA Best Science Books for 2011 Announced

The CSWA has announced the winners of this year's book awards. The general audience book winner is Cascadia’s Fault by Jerry Thompson. The youth book winner is 50 Poisonous Questions by Tanya Lloyd Kyi.






Entries were judged on the basis of initiative, originality, scientific accuracy, clarity of interpretation and value in promoting a better understanding of science by the public.





Both of this year’s books appealed to the judges because they created a sense of mystery and discovery. Commenting on Cascadia’s Fault one judge said, “The writing was masterful and it read almost like a novel. I never felt bogged down in details, and yet the science about earthquakes was all there along with the controversies, descriptions of the sources, and stories about the people.”





The youth judges were equally enthusiastic about 50 Poisonous Questions, “There were very interesting facts that I didn’t know about and the explanations were easy to understand.” “It was a book I didn’t want to put down until I finished the whole book.” “It was a really fun book.”





The book awards will be presented at the CSWA annual conference in Windsor, Ontario on June 2, 2012.