Moe McTooth

Moe McTooth: An Alley Cat's Tale by Eileen Spinelli (Author), Linda Bronson (Illustrator); Clarion, 2003

Ages 4-8

"Moe McTooth was an outdoor cat..."

Moe McTooth is an alley cat who's living the good life. He enjoys his outdoor lifestyle of dancing in the moonlight, until winter rolls around. To avoid the cold, Moe converts and becomes an indoor cat when he's rescued by a young woman. However, when spring comes, Moe is called back to the streets. Moe finds that life isn't the same as it used to be and he misses his new friend. Moe is caught between two worlds, but he learns to satisfy both of his loves by being an indoor cat by day and outdoor cat by night. A clever twist at the end is that his night wanderings rub off of the young woman. She joins him in gallavanting at night and she learns to appreciate all that the city has to offer at night.

Write4Kids Blog Has Launched!

The editors of Children's Book Insider, a very informative newsletter for children's writers, have just launched a blog. It can be found at http://www.write4kids.com/blog.

You can still access their web site at Write4Kids.com.

I recommend checking in often and/or subscribing because there's always a wealth of information to be had! I enjoyed their recent link to the 10 most flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid. #8 gets me every time!

ICL Guest Chat with Harold Underdown Tonight

Don't forget! Tonight is Jan Field's Chat with editor, Harold Underdown, the creator of the Purple Crayon and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books, 3rd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to).

For help with the ICL chatroom software, check out this article.

Thursday evening, May 22, 2008
9-11 p.m. Atlantic
8-10 p.m. Eastern
7-9 p.m. Central
6-8 p.m. Mountain
5-7 p.m. Pacific

NOTE: If you can't make the chat, you can always read the transcript. All transcripts are archived! The archive contains more than six years' worth of full-length interview transcripts on topics such as "Writing Mysteries," "Writing Biographies for Young People," "Writing About Animals," "Sports Stories for Kids," "Creating Characters," "Turning Interviews into Sales," "Creating Successful Critique Groups," "How to Get the Most out of Your Writer's Conference," "How to Jump-Start Your Writing," "Writing Wild and Wonderful Nonfiction," "Writing for Children in Many Genres" and much other good advice and many tips for writers.

Tree Ring Circus

Tree-Ring Circus by Adam Rex; Harcourt, 2006

Ages Baby- Preschool

This is a fun, quirky, rhyming story that begins with a tree, and ends with a 'Tree Ring Circus.' The tree grows and becomes home to sparrows, chipmunks, and a runaway clown. The pictures are humorous and if you're a fan of the greatest show on earth, you'll want to grab some popcorn and cotton candy for this one!

Too Close Friends

Too Close Friends by Shen Roddie (Author), Sally Anne Lambert (Illustrator); Dial, 1998

Ages 4-8

Pig and Hippo are not only friends, but neighbors. They spend everyday together, but when Hippo decides to cut down the tall hedge in between their houses, they begin to learn things about the other that they'd rather not know. Hippo chews on his toenails. Pig stuffs an entire pile of doughnuts and cupcakes into her mouth at once. Both are disgusted at the other's behavior, so they end their friendship. When the hedge grows back, each realizes how much they miss the other's company and they overlook each other's faults. A fun tale about friendship and privacy.

Sisters and Brothers

Sisters and Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins, Robin Page; Houghton Mifflin, April 2008

Ages 4-8

The award winning team of Steve Jenkins and Robin Page are at it again with Sisters & Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World. Did you know that nine-banded armadillos are always born as identical quadruplets; peregrine falcons practice their hunting dives on their siblings; and Nile crocodile babies cry in unison to make sure their mother pays attention? You can tell Steve Jenkins has a love for science and the natural world and his collage pictures provide the perfect touch.

Visit Steve Jenkins' website to find out more about his books. He has a wonderful page dedicated to how he makes his books and has a video showing his process- it's fantastic!

Hop on over to Anastasia Suen's picture book of the day blog for the nonfiction Monday roundup!

Carrot Soup

Carrot Soup by John Segal; Marget K. McElderry Books, 2006

Ages 4-8

Rabbit is really looking forward to eating carrot soup! Spring has sprung, so he dedicates himself to taking care of his carrots in the garden. When it's harvest time, however, his carrots are nowhere to be found. Poor rabbit asks his neighbors if they've seen his missing carrots, but nobody fesses up. Rabbit trudges home only to find that his friends are throwing him a party and have cooked his favorite, carrot soup! The fun parts of the book are the illustrations that reveal rabbit's friends putting the festivities together behind rabbit's back. Readers will get a kick out of knowing the secret.