Candlewick Spring Preview

Two weeks ago, I got to attend my second Candlewick preview.  It's definitely a perk of the job to be able to take a sneak peak and hear about these exciting new books right from the source.  Here's what's coming in the Spring...

Chris Van Dusen is following up last year's King Hugo's Huge Ego with another rhyming text aimed at young readers.  In Randy Riley's Really Big Hit, he combines baseball and science (specifically robots) to hook us in with this story set in a Jetsons-esque world.  I'm looking forward to sharing this one with many of my boys!

Continuing with the robot theme, Annette Simon has written the first in what will become a series: Robot Zombie Frankenstein!  In this super cute tale of friendship and pie, two friends partake in funny game of one-upmanship.  High-energy, colorful and unpredictable, this will be a great read aloud.  Favorite part? The endpapers. Awesome. There is also an activity website in the works.  I can't wait to see where else she goes with this!




Next up were two sequels that I am just dying to read.  The Dunderheads Behind Bars and Bink and Gollie, Two for One.
Paul Fleischman has now written a sequel for the FIRST TIME EVER!  And boy, am I glad for that.  In this new edition, The Dunderheads are trying to be extras in a movie being shot in their town.  They run into Miss Breakbone on the set, and her strikingly similar brother, Inspector Breakbone.  Spider ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and it is up to the rest of the Dunderheads to break him out of jail and find the real criminal.  The underdogs team up to solve the mystery, and keep the readers laughing along the way. 
"I'm going to whack a duck!" In the newest Bink and Gollie adventures, we again get 3 short chapters, all set at the state fair.  In this volume, Bink sets out to win the world's largest donut by playing Whack-A-Duck, Gollie tries her hand in a talent show, and both try to see the future in a crystal ball.  Friendship in the best light, these stories are just heart-warmingly hilarious.

I love Stink and I love haiku. Zombies aren't my favorite, but I'll put that aside for this new book in the Stink series by Megan McDonald, Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk.  Stink is trying to raise money to buy the newest book in his favorite zombie series by hosting a smelling stand...he and his friends get their costumes ready and race to read 1 million minutes in order to win a zombie themed party, and there is even zombie poetry - Zaiku!  Throughout this book we get the message: reading is undead. 

Frank Cottrell Boyce is releasing the first in a series of three books based on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was originally published 48 years ago.  The 3rd in the series will release on the 50th anniversary.  Looks like this sequel series will be a hit!  I'm loving the key chain from the goody bag! Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again will be available in March, 2012. 









To be continued....!

Candlewick Press Fall 2011 Preview

Yesterday I had the chance to go to my very first publisher preview event! It was a librarian's dream...sure, mother nature threw us a curve with an April Fool's day snowstorm, but it was Friday morning, and the coffee was served in Judy Moody faux Starbucks cups. _swoon_. Add in a room full of librarians and book lovers, a life size cut-out of favorites Bink and Gollie, not to mention ARCs of the brand new books themselves, and you've got a recipe for success. (Notice, I didn't even mention the amazing gift bag...oops, there I go - but let's just say it included a copy of Interrupting Chicken!)

Here's what is coming up from Candlewick - Fall 2011. I can't wait to order some of these!

I'm not familiar with the Bear and Mouse books - but they certainly look charming. From earlier books, it's been established that Bear doesn't like birthdays, noise, visitors, and staying up late. Mouse, however, LOVES birthdays, sleepovers and staying up late. In the 4th book, The Sniffles for Bear by Bonny Becker, Bear has gotten a cold. He tends to be a bit of a drama queen, announcing that no one could possibly ever be as sick as he is, and when Mouse comes in to offer him tea, (one of my favorite pages) - shouts "HAVE YOU NO DECENCY?" In the end, Bear does recover, only to find that Mouse has gotten sick, too. The illustrations are delightful and add to the humor of the situation.

Chris Van Dusen is back with another picture book aimed at the early elementary set. Kids will recognize the illustrative style showcased in Mercy Watson and the Circus Ship, and embrace the humor that Van Dusen infuses in all parts of his work. King Hugo demands adoration. He thinks he deserves only the best and doesn't think much of those below him. One day, when he brushes by one of his subjects, who happens to be a sorceress, everything changes. Because of her curse, King Hugo's head grows bigger with each egotistical thing he says. Hilarity ensues and there is a surprise ending with a touch of romance, even. Judging by the fact that my students LOVED Circus Ship and can't get enough of my favorite buttered toast loving pig, this will be high on my list of fall purchases.

The newest Rosemary Wells book, Love Waves, features favorites Max and Ruby, this time in a simple story of family and connection. The idea behind the story is that even when we're apart, "love waves" keep us close to those we love and miss. The colors throughout the book are bright and the love waves are represented by silvery, glittery lines on the page. Sounds like it will be a classic for those children who have trouble with transitioning away from family for school, work, trips, etc.

This next book was my favorite of the day. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen will definitely be in the Zervas Library collection next fall. I'm envisioning reader's theater and making our very own hats already... Candlewick hooked us all up with a pointy red hat in our gift bag, so we'll all be well outfitted. In this story, the text/dialogue is simple and repetitive, but Klassen highlights this with wonderful illustrations that capture the true humor of the bear's hunt for his hat. What can I say, I'm a sucker for funny books. This is sure to be a favorite. Have you seen my hat?

There were more books covered, including Matt Phelan's new graphic novel Around the World, featuring world travelers Thomas Stevens (who circled the globe on a bicycle), Nellie Bly (a journalist who is best known for feigning insanity to get into a an asylum for a story) and Joshua Slocum (a sea captain who circumnavigated the world by boat).

Another interesting release, which I think leans a little too middle grade for the elementary crowd, is Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri. This is the fictionalized story of a real community of urban cowboys in Philadelphia. I will be researching Fletcher Street to find out more about this unique community. Fascinating!

Finally, one I will DEFINITELY read -even though it looks like it's firmly planted in YA (but that never stops me) The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf. This is the story of the Titanic, as told through both familiar and new characters. Voice is a huge theme of the book, and even the glacier has a perspective to consider. Looks amazing.

All in all, a great experience, and I look forward to attending more events like this in the future!