Treats and Tricks: the October Carnival of Children's Literature

It's Halloween night. It's COLD outside here. The wind is swirling the dried leaves and has sent us indoors the moment our trick-or-treating was finished. So now that we all have our loot, what are we going to do? Enjoy the October edition of The Carnival of Children's Literature, of course. This month there are treats for everyone, and perhaps a few tricks as well. So grab your candy and let's begin.

Book Recommendations and Reviews

Tanya Turek at Books4Your Kids says "Two powerhouses of picture books, married for over 40 years and creating books for even longer, have finally combined their talents on an amazing, gorgeous, essential book. Check out Tanya's review of There's Going to Be a Baby, written by John Burningham and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury.

Need to get your little ones to bed after all the excitement of the day? This one's for you. Rachel presents some of her favorite bedtime children's stories in B is for Bedtime… I love books for preschoolers! posted at Quirky Momma: Fun Learning Activities for Preschoolers and Kids.

Over at Read Aloud ... Dad you'll find children's book reviews and read aloud impressions from a dad and his twins. They review what they read aloud and recommend whether you should Buy, Loan or Pass on the books. See what they say about Today's read aloud: The gruffalo. And what would Halloween be without at least one monster anyway?

Kids need great poetry; poetry that catches them up in its rhythm and helps them see the world through fresh eyes. But finding it isn't easy. So says Susan Stephenson, the Book Chook, and that's why she's so excited about A Ute Picnic and Other Australian Poems, written by Lorraine Marwood and published by Walker Books (2010).

Dona presents The Duck Song, by Bryant Oden at Allergy Kid Mom. And be sure to check out the trick which comes in the form of a clever song. It will leave you chuckling for sure.

Margo Tanenbaum asks that we please don't call Laurie Halse Anderson's new novel historical fiction--she prefers the term historical thriller, which is perfect to describe her new novel Forge, sequel to Chains. It's a real page-turner and made Margo at The Fourth Musketeer gasp aloud at some of the twists in the plot! Don't miss A Historical Thriller: Forge, by Laurie Halse Anderson (Atheneum Books, 2010).

Think you saw some ghosts tonight? Then you definitely want to see this. Mary Elizabeth of A Novel Idea reviews The Seer of Shadows at Book Review Revisited :: The Seer of Shadows by Avi.

Jen Robinson has a treat for you with a review of Cynthia Lord's newest middle grade novel, Touch Blue, which she adored, and wants to share with everyone. Don't miss Jen Robinson's post Touch Blue: Cynthia Lord over at Jen Robinson's Book Page.

Melwyk says "This is from a few months ago, but I loved this book so much -- touching without being sentimental, funny and serious as well. It's rare to see children's books available in translation, so I am glad that Groundwood decided to publish this book, originally in Dutch. A great find." Melwyk shares Against the Odds at The Indextrious Reader.

Ready for a few more reviews? melissa @ 1lbr presents Book Review: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan posted at One Librarian's Book Reviews and Aaron Mead features Teen Fiction: Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins posted at Children's Books and Reviews. Lori Calabrese reviews the frightfully fun "Halloween Night" by Marjorie Dennis Murray at Lori Calabrese Writes!

While The Quiet Book is getting a lot of deservedly high praise, Jeff says don't overlook another Deborah Underwood 2010 title by the name of A Balloon for Isabel. You can't go wrong with porcupines, bubble wrap, and balloons! Jeff reviews A Balloon for Isabel at NC Teacher Stuff.

Tammy Flanders highlights Voices from India at Apples With Many Seeds because, as she says, in teaching about cultures, it's important to find authentic voices in the narratives. Tammy has focused this post on books written, illustrated and published in India to provide that authenticity.

Feel up to visiting with vampires? Danielle Smith presents Book Review and Giveaway: A Vampire Is Coming To Dinner by Pamela Jane at There's A Book.

After that, you might be ready for some thought provoking questions. Roberta Gibson at Wrapped in Foil certainly is. She features a look at the book I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, which is touted as a young adult book and is sure to generate discussion.

Nothing but good stuff here. Callie Feyen was honored to review No English by Jacqueline Jules this month on her blog Sit a While. It's a touching story of how two girls who speak different languages become friends. 

How about an exciting adventure featuring Japanese supernatural demons – yokai – and a young girl’s fight to protect her younger brother? Mary Ann Scheuer presents Takeshita Demons, by Cristy Burne -- exciting fantasy with Japanese mythology (ages 9 - 12) posted at Great Kid Books.

Alex Baugh features Sweethearts of Rhythm. The Story of the Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in the World by Marilyn Nelson, Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney posted at The Children's War and states "This a wonderful picture book written from the point of view of the instruments played by the all girl swing band the Sweethearts of Rhythm during World War II. It is definitely worth reading to discover this little known group of talented women and their accomplishments."

And you definitely can't miss a reader's response to a vampire book that wants to be more than a teen slacker story. Gail Gauthier presents A Vampire Book For Teens Who Want To Think posted at Original Content.

Other Great Book Stuff




Ready for some book related news and discussions? First, find out about a recent charitable event in which Canadian authors helped refurbish a desperately underfunded school library in inner city LA. More than 5000 books, and 4 murals later....a library is born! Helaine Becker tells you all about it in A Library Is Born posted at Track & Display Changes: A Writer's Blog.





Kate Coombs gives you an analysis of trends in MG SFF as reflected in this year's Cybils nominees at From Harry to Scary: Trends in MG Sci-Fi/Fantasy posted at Book Aunt. And what do teens think? Jon Bard presents some of their views in The YA View: What We Like in Our Books (and What We Don’t) over at Write4Kids!.

Want to bring reading and puzzles together? Puzzles can also be a reading material for Amanda Hartman in Puzzles are Fun to Read posted at The Literary Family, a blog that aims to help adults connect with kids in their lives.

Eva Mitnick muses about sisters in children's and YA books in A Chompo bar for my sister posted at Eva's Book Addiction. Aline Pereira presents Children's Literature from India and the Indian diaspora posted at PaperTigers Blog.

Barbara Krasner hosts A History of Jewish Children's Literature-Part Four posted at The Whole Megillah. It's the fourth in a series adapted from a talk by Lisa Silverman, Library Director at the Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, given at the May 2010 Highlights Foundation workshop, "Writing Jewish-themed Children's Books."

October marks the "Death of the Picture Book" brouhaha for Pam W Coughlan, and so she wants to highlight her rebuttal. You can't miss Picture Books Aren’t in Trouble Just Because the NYT Says So posted at MotherReader.

Does October mark a different milestone for you and your child? Some might say this particular milestone is a very scary one. To help you out, Rebecca Reid covers Children’s Corner: Potty Training Books From Diapers to Success, Age 2 to Age 3 at Rebecca Reads.

And who celebrated a birthday this month? Eric Van Raepenbusch of Happy Birthday Author wants you to know about Happy Birthday Nancy Carlson - October 10.

Creative Endeavours and Congratulations

How about some congratulations for new creations? Alessandro Vene presents The Timmy Rabbit House at Allie's Blog. And Deborah Freedman has a creative take on why she isn't blogging in the entry titled In which I am harassed for not posting?... at writes with pictures.

You Can't Wear These Genes is about the basic building blocks of what makes us and how the traits that appear in us are passed down from parent to child. It's Shirley Duke's first science book, and the post You Can't Wear These Genes at SimplyScience Blog includes an activity for use in the classroom, library, or home.

Author Lynn Hazen, blogs at Imaginary Blog about how her YA novel, Shifty, was chosen by Napa County Reads, a collaboration of the Napa County Board of Education, the five school districts, the Napa County Library, Napa Valley College, and the Arts Council of Napa County in the entry More Napa Reads Shifty-Themed Planter Boxes. Student and professional artists created Shifty-themed planter boxes inspired by the book. They were auctioned off to support literacy at a special event at the Napa Valley Opera House

And while the video is not specifically about children's/YA lit, it was created by a Cheryl Rainfield, a YA writer, for LGBT youth and anyone who's thinking of suicide--a real issue for many teens. You can view Cheryl Rainfield's It Gets Better video for queer youth and anyone thinking of suicide posted at Cheryl Rainfield.

Interviews

Tonight's the night for hearing things that make you shiver, or seeing things that creep you out. Get your mind off that stuff by reading these interviews. Pat Zietlow Miller features An Author You Should Know: Wendy Delsol, a debut YA author, posted at Read, Write, Repeat. Tarie presents Author Interview: Becky Bravo at Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind.

Anastasia Suen interviews the Jimi Hendrix picture book biographer in Nonfiction Monday: Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow posted at Picture Book of the Day. Zoe Toft interviews Polish born British illustrator Jan Pienkowski, twice winner of the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration in An Interview with Jan Pieńkowski at Playing by the book.

D.M. Cunningham presents Trace Beaulieu brings us Silly Rhymes in which Trace Beaulieu, co-creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000, talks about his first book for children at Literary Asylum. And Lizann Flatt finds out what sort of tricks Peggy Collins uses to find the time to write and illustrate with two small children and a number of other distractions in Peggy Collins: Creating Through the Clamour over at The Flatt Perspective.

Publishing/writing tips

And last but definitely not least, to help all authors ensure their submissions to their editors will not send said editor screaming away from their desk, here's a blog entry about all the things author Wendie Old has to remember to include in a nonfiction proposal. And, since it's a picture book bio, she also includes the full ms. Don't miss Wendie Old sharing Into the Mail it goes at Wendie's Wanderings. This is definitely a treat!

And that marks the end of this month's edition of the Carnival of Children's Literature. I hope you've enjoyed the treats and a few of the tricks too. It's been a pleasure to spend this spooky evening with the wealth of material available for fans of Children's Literature. I hope you've enjoyed it too. Thank you!


Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of children's literature using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.