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Penguin, Spin Master, and Cartoon Network Partner for Zoobles Books
Penguin Group has acquired the rights to Zoobles, a collectible toy brand for girls, from Spin Master and its global licensing agent, Cartoon Network Enterprises.
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This Week in Children's Apps: June 16, 2011
This week in apps offers animal games, money education, a Disney adventure, interactive dance, and "Weird Al" Yankovic.
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Are Teen Novels Dark and Depraved — or Saving Lives?
The Wall Street Journal published a story that said modern YA novels were "rife with depravity" and "so dark that kidnapping and pederasty and incest and brutal beatings are now just part of the run of things." The piece immediately set off an Internet frenzy.
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DDG Booksellers Turns 20
Last Friday’s 20th anniversary party for Devaney Doak & Garett Booksellers in Farmington, Maine., was "a wonderful celebration of books, community, and friendship," says Kenny Brechner, who has managed the store and owned it for nearly all of its 20 years.
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Dedham Celebrates Judy Moody Day
Here's one way to celebrate a book-related movie in style: involve the whole town. Peter Reynolds, illustrator of Megan McDonald's popular Judy Moody series, which has sold over 14 million books, took his clue from Judy Moody herself.
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The Other Black Friday for Children's Booksellers: Memorial Day
For bookstores in vacation destinations, like Eight Cousins on Cape Cod, the summer can be the equivalent of other stores' holiday selling season. But this summer could be a bit quieter for some booksellers, and not just because of tornadoes or rising gas prices.
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Kids Ink Turns 25
To mark Kids Ink Children's Bookstore’s first 25 years, owner Shirley Mullin decided to hold a birthday party for the store. When she opened the children's specialty bookstore in Indianapolis in May 1986, there were only two children's book authors in Indiana. Now there's an active group of writers.
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To Feiwel and Friends, Instant Bestseller Is a Bit of Deja Vu
Go the F**k to Sleep is without a doubt one of the most written-about books of the year so far. Today, Macmillan Children's Books threw a new spotlight on the picture book with an announcement claiming strong parallels between Mansbach's book and It's Time to Sleep, My Love, a bedtime book released by Feiwel and Friends in 2008.
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Donaldson Named U.K. Children's Laureate
Julia Donaldson, author of more than 120 books and plays for children including the international bestseller The Gruffalo, has been appointed the Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate, for the term 2011-13. Donaldson’s passion for rhyme, which she employs in most of her writing, will be a focus of her time as Children's Laureate. "With my background in plays and songwriting, I am particularly keen to develop projects which link books with drama and music," she said, "and to explore the ways performance can help children enjoy reading and grow in confidence."
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Cambridge's Curious George Store to Close
Close on the heels of this week’s announcement from Globe Corner Bookstore that it will close its bricks-and-mortar bookstore in Harvard Square, Cambridge, comes word that children's specialty store Curious George & Friends will also shut its doors this month. The book and toy store, located just a few blocks from Globe Corner, was founded by Hillel Stavis and Donna Friedman in 1995 and named for the mischievous monkey created by their friends and neighbors Margret and Hans Rey.
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SCBWI Announces First Crystal Kite Awards
The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators recently announced the winners of its inaugural Crystal Kite Member Choice Awards, selected by votes cast by the organization's worldwide membership.
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BEA 2011: Guys Read: ‘Thriller’ Thrills on the Convention Floor
On Tuesday, May 24, the first day of BEA, Jarrett J. Krosoczka was apparently confused. The author of "Pudding," a short story in the latest of the Guys Read series, Thriller (Walden Pond Press, Sept.), woke up and dressed himself as Michael Jackson—yes, back in his own Thriller days. Red leather (OK, pleather) suit with black stripes. Sparkly socks. And to complete the ensemble: a glittering silver glove.
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BEA 2011: The Strategy of In-Store Events
Bookseller Cynthia Compton, owner of Indianapolis's 4 Kids Books & Toys, told a room of approximately 75 booksellers and librarians during the BEA Day of Education that organizing in-store events is a lot like going on a field trip to the zoo in first grade: "You need a buddy."
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BEA 2011: YA Authors Crusade to Put an End to Bullying
With the topic of bullying making headlines around the nation, the release of the anthology Dear Bully (HarperTeen, Aug.) which features 70 YA authors discussing their personal experiences with bullying, could not be more timely. Last week during BEA, Ellen Hopkins, who wrote the book's foreword, moderated a panel on the topic, with Maryrose Wood (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series), Lisa McMann (The Wake trilogy), and Megan Kelley Hall (Daughters of Misery).
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BEA 2011: Writing Up! YA Authors Discuss Their First Books for Adults
Three prominent YA writers — Melissa de la Cruz, Ellen Hopkins, and Melissa Marr — who have all recently penned adult novels, gathered for a panel during BEA for a lively conversation about the experience of writing for older readers.
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BEA 2011: Children's Books at the Show: A PW Photo-Essay
Much like spring itself, BEA came and went in a flash last week, with more than 21,000 people strolling the aisles of New York City's Javits Center for the week's events. Children's publishers packed plenty into the show, and here we offer photographic proof. Read on for highlights of the show's autographings, events, parties, and more.
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Shaun Tan Accepts Astrid Lindgren Award
This past Tuesday evening, Shaun Tan was presented with the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award at the Stockholm Concert Hall by H.R.H Crown Princess Victoria.
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Twitter Watch: May 26
Earlier today, the hashtag #lessinterestingbooks took off on Twitter, becoming a trending topic nationally. (@randomhousekids even got in on the action, offering several twists on their own books, including The Sisterhood of the Traveling Census Workers and The Penderwicks at the Grocery Store).
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The Rock Bottom Children's Remainders?
Twenty years ago, a group of musically inclined authorsplayed their first benefit concert at an ABA conference in Anaheim. This year, on Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday, two of the Remainders – Barry and his writing partner Ridley Pearson – collaborated with Rick Riordan, Eoin Colfer, and Mo Willems to write and “perform” a protest song for guests at Disney’s BEA dinner.
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BEA 2011: A Bountiful Fall for Children's Books
There's no shortage of big-name children’s authors on the floor this year, and plenty of children’s book news. The book with the biggest “wow” factor may be The Chronicles of Harris Burdick, a collection of short stories based on Chris Van Allburg’s illustrations for his 1984 picture book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.
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