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The Albany Children’s Book Festival – Part 3

Posted on May 6, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Going to The Albany Children’s Book Festival was an experience our entire family enjoyed. As I have mentioned in two previous posts (Part 1 and Part 2), meeting some of the talented authors and illustrators was wonderful. In addition to that, the kids were excited to read books that were new to them and add to our summer reading list.

What I really appreciated about this festival was being able to see the local authors. Often times, the kids and I forget that we have some wonderful authors and illustrators within the Capital District area. One example of this is author and illustrator Matthew McElligott. I was introduced to Mr. McElligott by my oldest son after he went to NHL’s school and spoke with the children. I was so curious, I immediately went out and read Benjamin Franklinstein Lives! and adored it. I am hoping to read this and the other books in the series with the boys, plus I know JSL will like the picture books by McElligott as well.

Of course, then there is the moment that you recognize someone and feel so very naïve. That moment was when we wandered over to the table with author and illustrator Daniel J. Mahoney. Mr. Mahoney looked VERY familiar. Of course, it was NHL that realized why. NHL knows his son and I had absolutely no idea about his books none. Ooops! Now that we are on radar, JSL and I are looking forward to Monstergarten which is coming out in July. No doubt we will also look at some of the other books he has written and illustrated.

The kids had a lot of fun talking with author and illustrator Jef Czekaj when they brought their passports over. He even drew a cute little cartoon critter next to his name. I reminded the boys that we had read at least one of his books over the summer. Yes, I recall the kids reading Oink-A-Doodle-Moo multiple times and laughing and enjoying it a lot. I know we will be looking at more of Mr. Czekaj’s books this summer.

After this, the kids spotted a table set up to make some monster drawings. Local teacher, author, and artist Ira Marcks. Mr. Marcks actually had a station set up for kids to create their own Monster drawings. He talked with the boys as they were making their colored pencil creations. He also shared some of his camps and other local events that we will be investigating for the summer. His book Witch Knots is a graphic novel that really highlights his work.

After two monsters were drawn, we took the boys to get their prize for getting a lot of autographs in their booklets. Then it was time to select books so we could purchase them and go home. As I wrote in Part 2, NHL immediately knew what book he wanted to get. JSL, had some troubles selecting a book. We must have gone back to several tables over and over again. Thanks to this, we now have more books to add to the summer reading and several birthday present ideas for the kindergarten kiddo. In the end, my little Matey fell for author and illustrator Victor Ramon Mojica’s book Captain Cross Bones in the Treasure Hunt. I think Mr. Mojica sold the book by interacting with JSL and giving him a cool autographed poster of Captain Cross Bones. I also know we will be checking out Barbara Mojica’s Little Miss History book because they also looked like something the boys would adore.

Check out my little Wizards after we got home and were looking at our books and other items from some local vendors and libraries. You can see they love their new hats and were ready to dive into their new books.

If you hear about a children’s book festival coming to your area, I urge you to make the time to take your kids. This experience was beyond anything I could have imagined. It helped my boys to come out of their shell, gain confidence, and ignite their desire to read even more new and wonderful books.

Categories:
books Educational local event

The Albany Children’s Book Festival – Part 2

Posted on April 30, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

In part one of my posts about The Albany Children’s Book Festival, I wrote about some of the first authors and illustrators that we were able to meet and talk with. By this time, the boys were running ahead to check things out. While I was still chatting with Jennifer Berne and Diane deGroat, they continued on along the row of tables. When I caught up with them, they were over with author and illustrator Jeff Mack. I immediately recognized his illustrations from Bunnicula and was thrilled to see that the series now has a Ready-To-Read options for younger readers. In addition to this, Mr. Mack is the author/illustrator of the Hippo and Rabbit books for Beginning Readers (getting these for JSL’s birthday), Clueless McGee chapter books, and many other picture books. The kids loved that he signed their books with a cute little illustration.

While I was chatting with someone I know from Albany Kids Out and About, the boys kept moving ahead. When I arrived, JSL and NHL were mesmerized with a private storytelling for just the two of them at a table. The book was Pig Kahuna and it was written and illustrated by Jennifer Sattler (on the left below). She was not the one that was reading the book to the boys, that was author and co-owner of the The Flying Pig Bookstore Elizabeth Bluemle (on the right below).

My heart melted watching the faces on my kids, so I took a photo to share.

These two women were amazing, they spent quite some time with NHL and JSL. You could tell that they get children and love to interact with them. In addition to Pig Kahuna, Ms. Sattler has also written and illustrated quite a variety of other picture books that are now going onto our summer reading list and the kids can’t wait to see Pig Kahuna Pirates! coming in Spring 2014. Ms. Bluemle has written several books for kids including How Do You Wokka-Wokka? which are also going onto our must reads this summer.

From here, we walked to the end of the row of tables and met author Julie Berry. At first, the boys were getting a little antsy from being in the room for a while. Then something clicked with NHL. As Ms. Berry talked with us about her Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys series he perked up. He liked that the books also included illustrations, drawn by Ms. Berry’s sister Sally Faye Gardner. When it came time to select a book to purchase, he wanted to go back to get the first from this series.

We started reading this book together and I think we are both hooked. NHL has already asked us to order the next three books. This is huge for a reluctant reader who is not typically into fiction books (my Aspie loves reading about math, science, and history). I love that this even helped us to find new books that he wants to read. The next part of this series will introduce you to some very talented authors and illustrators that are from the Capital Region. I must say we have a lot of amazing people creating children’s books in our area. Oh and I will also share how JSL finally selected the book he wanted to purchase at the event (it was not an easy task). Oh and if you are curious about the books we read, more will be featured on upcoming Tuesday Tales so stay tuned.

Categories:
books Educational local event

The Albany Children’s Book Festival – Part 1

Posted on April 29, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Books are a big part of our lives. As a teacher, I started a huge collection and now our boys have added a lot more to the mix. When we saw that we would be in town for The Albany Children’s Book Festival on April 27, 2013, we knew that we would have to go.

When we first walked into the main room, the boys were not entirely sure which way we should go. Each of them had been given a little passport like book to collect autographs of authors and illustrators. If they did this, they could show it to get a special wizard hat later on. Looking back, I wish I had taken more photos and been able to chat with the authors and illustrators more because it was a fascinating experience.

At first, the boys were a little shy and unsure of where to find the people in their different books. Soon after, they were ready to get autographs from anyone and everyone at a table and see what books were on their tables.

One of the first tables we went to was with author Amy Gordon. NHL noticed one of her books called Return to Gill Park and we learned that it is part of a series that she has written. She signed the boys’ book, we took a photo, and I grabbed her card to add these books to our reading list.

Sitting next to Ms. Gordon was author Laurie Calkhoven and many of her history based books. TechyDad was very intrigued with her picture book I Grew Up to Be President. I am excited to see more historical books that NHL may not be reluctant to read. Her Boys of Wartime looks like great historical fiction books that we will add to our summer reading list.

From here, we wandered around some more looking at a lot of tables and trying to take in all of the amazing books around. That is when I spied a book that I had been sent from a publisher in 2010 and was excited to meet the author. Jennifer Berne was beyond sweet and fun to chat with. When I asked her to pose for a picture, she immediately pulled over Calvin Can’t Fly. Now I can’t wait to read some of her other books like Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau and On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein that is coming out in May. We are also super excited to hear that Calvin will be back for a sequel.

While I was talking to Ms. Berne, she introduced me to the woman sitting next to her. At first it took me a minute and then I realized I knew her work. Yes, she is the brilliant illustrator behind the pictures in Pioneer Woman’s books about Charlie. Diane deGroat was too funny talking about how Ree is more famous than she is. I explained that my son was in love with Charlie thanks to her drawings and wanted to tell his own story while looking at her illustrations in Charlie the Ranch Dog.

There is a lot more to share, but I am going to break this into a few posts so I can highlight the people that we were able to meet and take photos with.

I would love to know if you have met any authors and illustrators and what your experience was. This was so much fun for the boys, especially after they heard about my tour with author Ridley Pearson a year ago in Epcot.

Categories:
books Educational local event

Raising Digital Families For Dummies Book Launch

Posted on April 26, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I adore the world of social media and what it has meant for me. I have been able to meet people that have had a huge impact in my life. Many have become real life friends that I have also been blessed to meet in person. The two amazing women below are Amy Lupold Bair and Shannan Powell. They are the force behind Resourceful Mommy Media.

Looking back, I am not even sure how I met Amy, but I have to guess it was probably on Twitter and may have had something to do with Walt Disney World. I instantly made a connection with @ResourcefulMom (that’s Amy) because she was also a teacher that was no longer in the classroom. We had two children that were similar in age, husbands that refused certain social media platforms, and our love for all things Disney went back to trips with our families when only one park ruled the Orlando land.

This past year, I have watched as Amy wrote her first book and now it is being launched. Yes, Raising Digital Families for Dummies is officially coming out and I already purchased my Kindle copy a short time ago.

Amy’s passion for social media is clear to everyone that knows her. In this book, she helps other families to see how to guide their children in the ever changing digital world that we live in. I look forward to exploring her book and working on a plan for our family.

Now, I am asking you to please help me to congratulate Amy and join her for the Twitter launch party on Monday, April 29. There is more information about it on her website, along with magical prizes being given out.

Once again a big Mazel Tov to my friend Amy on her first of what will likely be many books.

Disclosure: NONE – I wrote this because I am supporting a friend!

Categories:
books friends social media

Tuesday Tales – Picture Book to Celebrate Motherhood

Posted on April 23, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book for review purposes from Sourcebooks. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Mother’s Day is coming and children all around will be drawing pictures, making gifts, and writing poetry for their mothers. Well, the younger kids will be doing that while the rest of us run around buying a greeting card to send/give along with a gift. Now, imagine being able to read a book with your child that celebrates not simply Mother’s Day, but the adventures of motherhood and love that we have for our children.

Oh, the Things My Mom Will Do… (Affiliate link to Amazon) – ISBN 9781402282157 – Written and Illustrated by Marianne Richmond – Sourcebooks Jabberwocky – April 2013 – 32 page Hardcover $16.99

Motherhood has taught me a lot. It has shown me how to be flexible, laugh at situations that may not seem funny at the time, and how truly the love for your child trumps all frustrations of life. Author and illustrator Marianne Richmond tells a story that celebrates the life adventure that all mothers can relate to. We know that there are times that we need to be goofy and sometimes a bit more serious. No matter which is needed the love for our children is always there and shines through when we need it.

One of my favorite pages of the book is when you see a child jump into bed in the middle of the night.

I can not tell you how many nights I have slept teetering on the edge and clutching for some of the blanket. While I may need a little more coffee the next morning, listening to the calm breathing of my little guy laying next to me melts my heart. I know the nightmare he had is gone and he is at peace. Yes, even JSL (5) thought this page was funny and he is the bed invader in our house.

I recommend Oh, the things my mom will do… because she loves me through and through! as a great way to talk to your children about motherhood and how sometimes they may not always think about the subtle ways you are there for them. Once again, Marianne Richmond shows that she is a double threat in the world of picture books for kids with her adorable story and fun illustrations. A year ago, we reviewed her book I’m Not Tired Yet!

Feel free to share some of your motherhood adventures in the comments below. As always, Tuesday Tales is about spreading love for books. Please share what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else.

Additional Disclosures: An Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the book mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to purchase it through that link.