Way Cool! Bess the Book Bus

Bess the Book Bus. I saw this woman on The Early Show yesterday morning and instantly fell in love with Bess the Book Bus. What a selfless thing this woman has done for children. She actually cashed in her 401K to make Bess the Book Bus happen. The Early Show provided her with a brand new bus and 600 books!

I wish there were more things like Bess the Book Bus.

New Market: Harlequin Teen

Children's Writer this month featured Harlequin Teen in their Publisher Profile. Harlequin, of course, its known for its romance novels, but Harlequin Teen promises not to be trashy or innapropriate for teens.

The publisher sights Stephenie Meyer's Twighlight, Scott Westerfield's Uglies and Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries as the types of books they are looking for.

According to their website:

We’re looking for commercial, high-concept stories that capture the teen experience and will speak to readers with power and authenticity. All subgenres are welcome, so long as the book delivers a relevant reading experience that will resonate long after the book’s covers are closed. We expect that many of our stories will include a compelling romantic element.

According to Senior Editor Natashya Wilson, they are looking for novels set in "contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, science fiction, and historical world."

You can learn more about Harlequin Teen at their website.

Angeline Jellybean, reviewed by Wayne S. Walker at Stories for Children Magazine

BOOK REVIEW
STORIES FOR CHILDREN
BOOK: Angeline Jellybean
AUTHOR: Crystalee Calderwood
ILLUSTRATOR: Stephen Macquignon
PUBLISHER: 4RV Publishing LLC (2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9797513-8-7
ISBN-10: 0-9797513-8-1
READING LEVEL: beginner through 2nd grade
RATING: 5 stars
REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker, reviewer with Stories for Children Magazine

What do you think might happen to a girl who liked and ate nothing but jellybeans? At Easter, Angeline wants only green jellybeans instead of spinach. For an after school snack, she takes orange jellybeans rather than a tangerine. At Halloween, she hopes for yellow jellybeans, not yellow string beans. For Christmas, she asks Santa for red jellybeans and does not appreciate the eighteen apples that he brings. However, for her birthday she receives a huge bag of jellybeans. But when she eats the whole bag, something strange happens. How will she feel? And will she ever come to enjoy any other foods?

What a unique way to help children learn that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing! Crystalee Calderwood's poetic, rhymning text is perfect for beginning readers. They will not only enjoy the fun story but also be able to catch the important message imbedded within it. Illustrator Stephen Macquignon is a frequent contributor to Stories for Children Magazine. Angeline Jellybean combines readable text with attractive illustrations that youngsters will find both captivating and enlightening. And parents will appreciate it too.

Win 9 Books from Presenting Lenore!

Over at Presenting Lenore, Lenore is giving a way a special prize pack of 9 unpcoming Penguin YA novels. Check out her blog to learn how you can enter!

Upcoming Virtual Book Tours

The Members of VBT: Writers on the Move invite you to follow their next blog tour, to begin June 1st!

The schedule is as follows:


Harry Gilleland hosting Linda Asato at http://harrygillelandwrites.blogspot.com/

Karen Cioffi hosting Carolyn Howard-Johnson at http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com/

Kathy Stemke hosting Liana Metal at http://educationtipster.blogspot.com/

Lea Schizas hosting Helena Harper at http://thewritingjungle.blogspot.com/

Nancy Famolari hosting Crystalee Calderwood at http://nancygfamolari.blogspot.com

Vivian Zabel hosting Joyce Anthony at http://vivianzabel.blogspot.com/

Margaret Fieland hosting Mayra Calvani at http://www.margaretfieland.com/

Crystalee Calderwood hosting Dorothy Massey at http://crystaleecalderwood.blogspot.com/

Joyce Anthony hosting Marvin Wilson at http://joyce-anthony.blogspot.com/

Dorothy Massey hosting Anita Yasuda at http://www.kidsbooksuk.blogspot.com/

Liana Metal hosting Harry Gilleland at http://lianastories.blogspot.com

Carolyn Howard-Johnson hosting Kathy Stemke at http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/

Virginia Grenier hosting Karen Cioffi at http://familiesmatter2us.blogspot.com/

Helena Harper hosting Gayle Trent at http://helenaharpersblog.blogspot.com/

Gayle Trent hosting Lea Schizas at http://gayle24202.tripod.com/gaylesblog/

Mayra Calvani hosting Nancy Famolari at http://www.thedarkphantom.wordpress.com/

Marvin Wilson hosting Vivian Zabel at http://inspiritandtruths.blogspot.com/

Anita Yasuda hosting Margaret Fieland at http://anitayasuda.livejournal.com/

Linda Asato hosting Virginia S. Grenier at http://lindaswritingdesk.blogspot.com/

The School Library Journal's Top 100 Picture Books.

The School Library Journal has announced its Top 100 Picture Book list, as voted on by a poll on their blog.

The Top 10 books include:

#1: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)
#2: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (1947)
#3: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (1979)
#4: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
#5: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (2003)
#6: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (1941)
#7: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955)
#8: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (1939)
#9: Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag (1928)
#10: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems (2004)

To see a complete list visit The School Library Journal and stay tuned for my own Top 10 Picture Books of All Time!

Schedule for The Art of Science Blog Tour

Beginning May 20, learn more about The Art of Science! The blog tour will show more about the book and probably a bit more about the author.

May 20 – Vivian Zabel at Brain Cells and Bubble Wrap
May 21 – Jamie Eyberg at A Continuity of Parks
May 22 – Shanachie at Ramblings of a Confusted Writer’s Mind and Quill, Parchment, and Ink – Writings and Ramblings
May 23 – Karen at Sharing with Writers and Readers
May 24 – Nancy Famolari at Nancy Famolari’s Place
May 25 – Crystalee Calderwood at Crystalee Calderwood, Writer and Poet