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Posts tagged Jon Scieszka

First Book Goes to Broadway!

Sep19
2011
Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

Today’s guest blogger is Laura Geringer, beloved children’s book author and one of First Book’s favorite people.

First Book goes to Broadway! It’s gratifying to announce the highly successful completion of the first stage of First Book’s partnership with the Kaufman Center. The collaboration gave rise this summer to a pilot program of seven colorful and comical musicals for children, all based on children’s books available from First Book’s online Marketplace site.

In the lineup were “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Jon Scieszka, “Chrysanthemum” by Kevin Henkes, “Kenny and the Dragon” by Tony DiTerlizzi, and my own “A Three Hat Day“.

The show was called “Cover to Cover”, and was a tribute to the power of storytelling in our lives. It was tremendously moving to me as over a hundred children sang the lyrics to the closing song:

There will always be a new book to discover
And the books I love
will always be
A part of me …

Through this new partnership with The Kaufman Center, First Book makes its theatrical debut on stage, bringing books into the lives of children in need through story and song.

Posted in Authors & Illustrators, First Book Events, Guest Blog Posts - Tagged A Three Hat Day, Chrysanthemum, Kaufman Center, Kenny and the Dragon, Kevin Henkes, Laura Geringer, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Tony DiTerlizzi

First Book at the American Library Association Conference

Jun30
2010
Erica Perl Written by Erica Perl

One of the great things about working at First Book is how wonderfully supportive our many partners and friends are of the work we do.  We regularly hear from authors who say, “How can I support First Book’s efforts?”  So regularly, in fact, that we will be rolling out some exciting opportunities for authors and illustrators to get involved with First Book on a wide variety of levels.

In addition, we realized that because the American Library Association annual conference was being held in Washington, DC this year, we had a rare opportunity to reach out to many of our author friends to provide an opportunity to support us that did not involve any hassles, expenses or travel (unless you could crossing a street).  We created what we aptly named “The First Book Shameless Promotion Chamber” and we rolled out the red carpet.  To our delight, over twenty five of our favorite authors and illustrators came to participate in the project and gave it their all.  We were touched to hear a Newbery medal winner say, “I want to work with First Book!”  We were also honored when our literacy statistics moved more than one author to tears and consternation.  And we were rolling on the floor when two accomplished and well known authors turned on their considerable charm and humor simultaneously.

We’ll unveil the wonderful results of our video shoot soon, but here are a few candid shots to tide you over:

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We are externally grateful to the talented and eloquent author and illustrators, as well as the kind and accommodating publicists who arranged their appearances.  It may have been shame-LESS, but we all had a wonder-FUL time promoting First Book.

Posted in Around the First Book Office, Authors & Illustrators, Books & Reading, First Book Events, General, Literacy - Tagged ALA, books, E.B. Lewis, First Book, M.T. Anderson, Mo Willems

Join the Cheerios 100,000 Book Giveaway!

Jun04
2010
Written by Mary Beth F.

As part of First Book’s ongoing partnership through the Spoonfuls of Stories® program, First Book and Cheerios have joined with author, Jon Scieszka, to launch this year’s  100,000 Book Giveaway!

For every trivia question you answer correctly now through August 31st, 2010, you can cast one vote for the state you want to receive new books. The more questions you answer correctly, the more votes you cast!

The trivia questions cover children’s books including Jon Scieszka’s Trucktown, other favorites such as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Guess How Much I Love You? and many others.  Plus, 100 brand new questions have just been added to the site from favorite authors such as Eric Carle and Doreen Cronin.

The five states receiving the highest number of votes will each receive 20,000 new books for local kids – and you can help decide where the books should be donated! Take a second to help the kids in your state by playing around on the 100,000 Book Giveaway site!

Feel free to forward this to friends and family, especially those who have children who can join in on the fun!

Posted in Authors & Illustrators, Book Distributions, Books & Reading, General, Literacy - Tagged books, cheerios, First Book, summer reading

Odds and Bookends: December 18

Dec18
2009
Written by Katie B.

“Leave a Mark” online auction – Vintage Veronica by Erica S. Perl
The latest offering in the “Leave a Mark” auctions benefiting First Book is a marked-up copy of First Book staff member and author extraordinaire, Erica Perl’s Vintage Veronica. Bids are accepted online through 11: 59 pm EST on Tuesday, December 22nd – cast your bid today!

Children’s books 2009: It’s all good! says Jon Scieszka
Don’t miss this humorous report on the state of Children’s Books from the National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature, Jon Scieszka.

Kids’ Book Boasts The Best Words, Real Or Not
Listen to this interview with Daniel Pinkwater about a new release of an old book Ounce, Dice, Trice by Aleister Reid, an book for children that is full of words — both real and made-up.

Children’s Books 2009: With a reluctant young reader, the grosser the better
Susan Carpenter shares some book titles and other ideas to get reluctant readers interested in books.

Reading Corps wants YOU
Read this stirring appeal from the Detroit Free Press seeking for tutors to help Detroit’s would-be readers.

The Concord Museum’s tree exhibit celebrates children’s literature
Those in the greater Boston area won’t want to miss the Concord Museum’s “Family Trees: A Celebration of Children’s Literature,’’ an exhibit that spans 14 years and generations of authors and readers.

Reading Practice Can Strengthen Brain ‘Highways’
Your child’s brain on books – NPR shares some interesting research that suggests that intensive reading programs can produce measurable changes in the structure of a child’s brain.

Posted in Books & Reading, Literacy Links and Articles - Tagged Aleister Reid, Concord Museum, Daniel Pinkwater, Detroit, Erica Perl, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Ounce Dice Trice, Reading Corps, Vintage Veronica

Wake Up to Reading with Cheerios®

Oct23
2009
Written by Mary Beth F.

8th Annual Spoonfuls of Stories programThis month, Cheerios® is launching its 8th year of inviting families to wake up to reading – with a whopping six million children’s books free inside cereal boxes.   This year’s books, all from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and specially printed in both English and Spanish, are Tea for Ruby, Ballyhoo Bay, What’s Under the Bed?, Sleepyhead and Junkyard Fort – a brand new “Trucktown” book available only in Cheerios boxes.  A cutout window shows which book is inside – so families can pick the book they want.  Cheerios is also making a financial donation to First Book.  Over the past eight years, Cheerios has distributed more than 40 million books inside boxes, and donated $3.2 million to First Book.

First Book home page_157_x_138_Oct 09But wait, there’s more!   First Book and the family of Cheerios cereals have teamed up with
Jon Scieszka, author of Junkyard Fort and the current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, to help distribute 100,000 books to children in need across the country – by inviting families to come online and answer trivia questions related to Jon’s books and other children’s books.

For every question answered correctly, you can cast one vote for the state that you’d like to receive books.   The five states receiving the most votes will get 20,000 books each, for a total of 100,000 books.   Encourage friends and family to test their knowledge at  www.FirstBook.org/Scieszka to help earn books for your state!

Posted in Books & Reading - Tagged Ballyhoo Bay, cheerios, First Book, Junkyard Fort, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Sleepyhead, Spoonfuls of Stories, Tea for Ruby, Trucktown, What’s Under the Bed?

Conversations with Writers of Comedy

Oct21
2009
Written by Bonnie J.

Every month the Library of Congress hosts numerous events through The Center for the Book. Yesterday, a colleague and I were able to listen to Leonard Marcus, one of America’s most respected authorities on children’s literature, along with special guest author Jon Scieszka, who is currently the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Leonard Marcus began the discussion by talking about his new book Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy. In this book Marcus interviews thirteen favorite children’s book authors and asks them “what makes funny, funny?”

The book details stories from authors such as Judy Blume, Daniel Handler and Jon Scieszka who explain their first experiences with humor, their sources of inspiration, and how comedy has played a role in their lives. Jon and Leonard discuss the many different types of humor and how capturing the essence of humor on paper is a difficult, and often undervalued, skill. If you are interested in finding out what makes funny, funny – check out Leonard’s book today!

Posted in Authors & Illustrators, Books & Reading - Tagged Daniel Handler, Judy Blume, Leonard Marcus, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

An Appendage to “The Exquisite Corpse”

Oct12
2009
Written by Rachael Walker

Why should Jon Scieszka, Katherine Paterson, M.T. Anderson, Kate DiCamillo, and Nikki Grimes have all the fun? In support of the rollicking story game being played by these and a crew of other award-winning, talented and versatile authors and illustrators, the Exquisite Prompt writing contest from Reading Rockets and AdLit.org uses writing prompts inspired by the “The Exquisite Corpse Adventure” authors and illustrators to get K-12 students to flex their own writing muscles.

From October through June, two new writing prompts will be available each month.  Winners in four grade level categories will be selected for each prompt.  Prizes include online publication at Reading Rockets and AdLit.org, autographed books, and classroom visits with authors and illustrators via Skype.

The first Exquisite Prompt, inspired by Jon Scieszka, asks students to share a family story.  Based on the author’s recollections of family togetherness in his memoir Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories about Growing Up Scieszka, the leveled prompt and online resources help students to think about their history and heritage and tell a family story.

Also for October, a prompt inspired by author and illustrator Chris Van Dusen and his book If I Built a Car that is sure to fuel imaginations and take creative and persuasive writing skills for a ride.

All Exquisite Prompts are accompanied by author/illustrator biographies, bibliographies, interviews and links to resources and primary sources related to the prompts. Resources for educators from Reading Rockets and AdLit include strategies for teaching writing and a writing basics toolkit.

Posted in Authors & Illustrators, Books & Reading, Literacy - Tagged Ad Lit, AdLit.org, Chris Van Dusen, Exquisite Prompt, Kate DiCamillo, Katerine Patterson, M.T. Anderson, Nikki Grimes, reading rockets, ReadingRockets.org, The Exquisite Corpse Adventure

Reading in the Rain

Sep29
2009
Written by Shailyn T.

The National Book Festival was held at the National Mall this past Saturday, September 26, 2009. The festival, now in its ninth year, has all of the tools needed to celebrate the magic of reading. Despite the cloudy and wet weather, National Book Festival 2009readers of all shapes, sizes and ages filled every white tent and walking space available.

The Library of Congress’s annual festival provided opportunity to meet with popular literary artists like, David Baldacci, Judy Blume, Kate DiCamillo, Lois Lowry and Jon Scieszka. Not only did more than 78 authors, poets, and illustrators speak about their works and life in the pavilions, they were available to sign their books.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the festival was the children’s activities. There was not only an entire tent dedicated to children’s literature, but there were also four tents that engaged children of all ages to participate in the joy of reading.  PBS Kids “Raising Readers” pavilion had story time and sing-alongs, that were specifically geared toward those children coming from low-income families. They passed out books and provided characters to take pictures with. The “Let’s Read America” pavilion not only had readings and performances, but there were several tables set up for arts and crafts.

National Book Festival and CapitolOne exhibit that provided fun for every age was the Pavilion of the States. Every state had its own table with information about the state’s literary heritage. There was also a game involved called “Discover great Places through Reading,” this was a map of the United States of America and you collected stamps or stickers on your journey around the pavilion getting information from each state.

By the last hour of the festival, cold drops of rain fell on all of the festival-goers. The lines of the book signing did not dissipate and the crowds in the tent did not disperse, there was far too much left to see and do.

Posted in Authors & Illustrators, Books & Reading - Tagged David Baldacci, Judy Blume, Kate DiCamillo, Library of Congress, Lois Lowry, National Book Festival, National Mall

Meet our first Double Your Impact winners

Sep24
2009
Written by Guest Blogger

Last month we launched the Double Your Impact campaign to an initiative to place more books in the hands of more children. We did our drawing and have our first round winners for August!

  • Connie Elson from Somerlid Elementary in Pueblo, CO won a $100 First Book Marketplace site credit.
  • Malinda McSpadden from the Western Arkansas Child Development, Inc. in Alma, AR won a $250 First Book Marketplace site credit.
  • Marsha Anson from the Soar Program in Polston, MT won a personal author telephone read-aloud for children in her program and a $500 Marketplace site credit.

Congratulations to our winners. We will be doing the drawing for our next winners soon so stay tuned!

Posted in Marketplace - Tagged First Book Marketplace

Odds and Bookends: September 11

Sep11
2009
Written by Nisha T.

Target Volunteers School Library Makeover
Target, First Book and the Heart of America Foundation have teamed up to provide books to children in need across the United States. Target kicked off the project this week on September 10 as part of the United We Serve initiative.

National Library Card Sign-up Month Begins
September is National Library Card Sign-up Month, a month dedicated to encouraging children to take advantage of all the resources their local library has to offer. The American Library Association began this initiative in order to highlight this free service to children and their parents.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week
Don’t forget! This upcoming week is the Second Annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week. The week will last from September 14 through the 18. Blogs are judged based on quality of writing, category originality and diversity of content, visual aesthetic and functionality, as well as audience engagement.

JK Rowling to be featured in her own comic book
World-renowned author, JK Rowling is the subject of a new comic book which is due to come out this December. Bluewater Comics has also published a graphic novel about Twilight author Stephanie Meyer and is expected to choose two more female figures for future publications.

Happy Birthday Jon Scieszka and Jack Prelutsky!
Beloved children’s book authors Jon Scieszka and Jack Prelutsky celebrated their birthdays this past Tuesday September 8. Jon Scieszka is the author of the Trucktown series as well as The Stinky Cheese Man. Jack Prelutsky is known for his book The Frogs Who Wore Red Suspenders and others.

Posted in Books & Reading, Literacy Links and Articles - Tagged Book Blogger, Heart of America Foundation, J.K. Rowling, Jack Prelutsky, library, Target, Twilight, United We Serve
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