"and then it's spring" by Julie Fogliano and Ill. by Erin E. Stead

And Then It's Spring (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards)) by Julie Fogliano and Erin Stead (Feb 14, 2012)

This is a wonderfully, fantastical book...  Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they've had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be on its way.

 

Julie Fogliano's tender story of anticipation is brought to life by the distinctive illustrations Erin E. Stead, recipient of the 2011 Caldecott Medal.

 

And Then It's Spring is one The Washington Post's Best Kids Books of 2012.

One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2012

 

 

FRIDAY FICTION: Shel Silversteins' Poetry - a Little Something to Tickle Your Funny Bone

and

When I taught 2nd grade, I began every morning with a poem from one of these two books.  The kids grew to love his work and appreciate his humor.  I really love his book, "The Giving Tree", even though there is some funny controvery over it, it is just a simple story and when too much is read into it, it can become constroversial.  The tree gives and gives until he has nothing left to give, but in reality, he provides "Rest" from the old man's labor.  Reminds me of something I read in a book, actually from one of the greatest books of all times!  (The Bible)


This summer has been hot!  Today is Autumn.  Welcome Autumn.  Welcome FALL.  I'm glad your here, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE MY AIRCONDITIONER JUST WENT OUT.   (It really did, and of course it is the weekend.) This poem just makes me smile.

There are too many kids in this tub,

                                         There are too many elbows to scrub.

I just scrubbed a behind that I'm sure wasn't mine.

There are too many kids in this tub.

                                         -Shel Silverstein

When I was a kid, this is how my bath time was.  We all got a bath at about the same time and there was less bath that kids.  I taught this poem to my kids years ago and they still remember it.  I have a daughter named Cynthia and a sister named Sarah and so this next poem hits home as well.



SARAH CYNTHIA SYLVIA STOUT
WOULD NOT TAKE THE GARBAGE OUT

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout 

Would not take the garbage out! 

She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans, 

Candy the yams and spice the hams, 

And though her daddy would scream and shout, 

She simply would not take the garbage out. 

And so it piled up to the ceilings: 

Coffee grounds, potato peelings, 

Brown bananas, rotten peas, 

Chunks of sour cottage cheese. 

It filled the can, it covered the floor, 

It cracked the window and blocked the door 

With bacon rinds and chicken bones, 

Drippy ends of ice cream cones, 

Prune pits, peach pits, orange peel, 

Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal, 

Pizza crusts and withered greens, 

Soggy beans and tangerines, 

Crusts of black burned buttered toast, 

Gristly bits of beefy roasts. . . 

The garbage rolled on down the hall, 

It raised the roof, it broke the wall. . . 

Greasy napkins, cookie crumbs, 

Globs of gooey bubble gum, 

Cellophane from green baloney, 

Rubbery blubbery macaroni, 

Peanut butter, caked and dry, 

Curdled milk and crusts of pie, 

Moldy melons, dried-up mustard, 

Eggshells mixed with lemon custard, 

Cold french fried and rancid meat, 

Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat. 

At last the garbage reached so high 

That it finally touched the sky. 

And all the neighbors moved away, 

And none of her friends would come to play. 

And finally Sarah Cynthia Stout said, 

"OK, I'll take the garbage out!" 

But then, of course, it was too late. . . 

The garbage reached across the state, 

From New York to the Golden Gate. 

And there, in the garbage she did hate, 

Poor Sarah met an awful fate, 

That I cannot now relate 

Because the hour is much too late. 

But children, remember Sarah Stout 

And always take the garbage out!

Shel Silverstein, 1974 

This is definitely the way thing get in my house sometimes, I'm embarrassed to say!!!!!

All Things Shel Silverstein

08.12.2011 

Just remember, when your feeling down and out, that "HUMOR is our BEST FRIEND".  A big thanks to Shel Silversein for making me laugh........

MONDAY: MEET THE AMAZINGLY FUNNY AND NEWBERY AWARD WINNER, JACK GANTOS

Jack Gantos’ Bio & Photos

Book Description

Release Date: September 13, 2011 | Age Level: 10 and up

Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal for the year's best contribution to children's literature and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction!

Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.

 Jack Gantos has written books for people of all ages, from picture books and middle-grade fiction to novels for young adults and adults. His works include Hole in My Life, a memoir that won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert honors; Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist, and Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor book.
Jack was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the nearby town of Norvelt. He remembers playing a lot of “pass the chalk” in Mrs. Neiderheizer’s class in first grade. He was in the Bluebird reading group, which he later found out was for the slow readers. To this day he’d rather be called a Bluebird than a slow reader. His favorite game at that time was playing his clothes were on fire and rolling down a hill to save himself.
When he was seven, his family moved to Barbados. He attended British schools, where there was much emphasis on reading and writing. Students were friendly but fiercely competitive, and the teachers made learning a lot of fun. By fifth grade he had managed to learn 90 percent of what he knows to this very day.

When the family moved to south Florida, he found his new classmates uninterested in their studies, and his teachers spent most of their time disciplining students. Jack retreated to an abandoned bookmobile (three flat tires and empty of books) parked out behind the sandy ball field, and read for most of the day. His greatest wish in life is to replace trailer parks with bookmobile parks, which he thinks will eliminate most of the targets for tornadoes and educate an entire generation of great kids who now go to schools that are underfunded and substandard.

The seeds for Jack’s writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister’s diary and decided he could write better than she could. He begged his mother for a diary and began to collect anecdotes he overheard at school, mostly from standing outside the teachers’ lounge and listening to their lunchtime conversations. Later, he incorporated many of these anecdotes into stories.
In junior high he went to a school that had been converted from a former state prison. He thinks the inmates probably fled for their lives once the students showed up. Again, he spent most of his time reading on his own.
In high school he decided to become a writer. But he would have to wait another three years, until he went to college, before he could actually meet other writers and study with teachers who thought writing amounted to more than just cribbing book reports and composing sympathy notes.

Jack in fourth grade

While in college, he and an illustrator friend, Nicole Rubel, began working on picture books. After a series of well-deserved rejections, they published their first book, Rotten Ralph, in 1976. It was a success and the beginning of Jack’s career as a professional writer. This surprised a great many people who thought he was going to specialize in rehabilitating old bookmobiles into housing for retired librarians.

Jack continued to write children’s books and began to teach courses in children’s book writing and children’s literature. He developed the master’s degree program in children’s book writing at Emerson College and the Vermont College M.F.A. program for children’s book writers. He now devotes his time to writing books and educational speaking.
His publications can take a reader from “cradle to grave”—from picture books and middle-grade fiction to novels for young adults and adults.
Mr. Gantos is known nationally for his educational creative writing and literature presentations to students and teachers. He is a frequent conference speaker, university lecturer, and in-service provider.

---

Interviews, articles, and other online resources

• Interviews with Jack Gantos (2007 and 2011) at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, A Blog About Books. 2007: http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=937 2011: http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2165

• “Jack Gantos: Author Program In-depth Interview.” TeachingBooks.net (August 14, 2001).
• “Jack Gantos: On Domestic Craziness and Big-Hearted Kids.” An interview with Gail P. Gregg, The ALAN Review, volume 28, number 2 (Winter 2001).
• “Jack Gantos on Journaling.” A video interview, TeachingBooks.net, 2001.
• “Jack Gantos at the National Book Festival.” Library of Congress, 2005.
• “Meet the Author: A Video Interview with Jack Gantos.” ReadingRockets.org (undated).
• “The Next Level: Using Journals to Write Great Short Stories” by Jack Gantos. Book Links, volume 7, number 5 (May 1998).
• “Q&A with Jack Gantos.” skateboardmom.com, 2001.
• “Writing What I Know & Finding Joey Pigza” by Jack Gantos. Scholastic.com (undated).

MONDAY MEET THE AUTHOR MO WILLEMS

Tomorrow I am going to skip out of my reading course to go and meet Mo Willems, me and another few thousand folk.  He is coming to The King's English, a trendy, fun bookstore in SLC, Utah.  I can't wait.  His books make my students laugh and he just tickles my funny bone.  He has a wonderful blog site at http://www.mowillems.com/  Check it out if you like his books or pigeon.  Below he explains how pigeon came to him......

For a certain set of readers, one need only say the word "pigeon" to set off a frenzied outburst of delight. Pigeon is the star of a series of best-selling children's books, including The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog! and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! He's not much more than a stick figure with two circles for eyes, but he can still get huffy and display all the melodrama of a 4-year-old.

Pigeon's creator is Mo Willems, whose latest book, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? co-stars Pigeon's oh-so-adorable little web-footed friend. Pigeon isn't mentioned in the title of the new book, a situation he does not appreciate. Willems tells NPR's Renee Montagne that while his books are funny to young readers, they're often a tragedy for poor Pigeon. "On the first page, I think, Pigeon says, 'I do not like the look of that title.' "

Marty Umans

Author Mo Willems says the character of Pigeon first appeared in the margins of other projects, and demanded to be written about.

Willems says Pigeon is the only one of his characters that he didn't create himself. As an aspiring picture book author, he spent a month in Oxford, England, hoping to improve his craft. It didn't work. "And I made all these really terrible books," he says, "and in the margins, I started drawing this pigeon who was complaining about the other books."

The fowl-tempered pigeon commanded Willems to stop working on his other books and pay attention: " 'Don't write about them. Write about me. I'm funnier,' " he recalls the pigeon telling him. "So ... I turned him into a sketchbook that I did for clients and friends." That sketchbook ended up in the hands of an agent. "Now look at the mess I'm in," Willems says wryly.

Like novelists whose characters seem to develop an independent life, Willems says his Pigeon ends up somewhere in every book he writes. "And he just hates it when I'm not writing about him!"

Duckling, the star of Willems' newest book, is the polar opposite of cranky Pigeon. "Duckling is really the sweetest, kindest, most adorable little duckling. Duckling gets everything, and Pigeon doesn't," he says. "It's just part of another injustice that is around the pigeon. He doesn't get to drive the bus, he doesn't get to stay up late, and now he has to deal with this super cute, adorable thing that seems to be getting all the attention."

The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?

by Mo Willems

Pigeon's frustrations reflect the experiences of young children. "When you're a little kid, it just, it stinks," Willems says. "The furniture's not made to your scale, you can, literally, if you're having fun and somebody wants you to stop, they can lift you up and fly you into another room, they can take you away. You have to ask permission to go to the bathroom. And so here, I think, is the chance for you to stick it to the pigeon," which, Willems says, is just human nature. "If we're being trodden down, we're really looking for an opportunity to do it to somebody else."

Willems doesn't shy away from big issues, like loss, injustice and death. We Are in a Book! features his characters Elephant and Piggie, who realize that not only are they characters in a book, but that the book must soon come to an end. "This is the great thing about writing for kids, is the things that really matter to us as humans are heightened as a kid," he says. "It's love, it's jealousy, it's justice, it's wanting to drive a bus — these core, fundamental philosophical issues."

Willems has written for television as well as print; he won six Emmy awards for his work on Sesame Street. He says he's used to writing words that will be read aloud, whether by actors or parents telling a bedtime story — people he calls his "orchestra."

"And I have to make sure that my orchestra is engaged, that they're maybe being sillier than they normally are, that they're yelling and jumping around, so that that's what's going to make the book work better," he says.

"I want parents to be engaged, and I want them to laugh, because then it's cool," he adds. "I think that sometimes parents forget that they are the coolest people in the world to kids ... so if they're enjoying reading a book, suddenly the kid is going to say, 'Wow, reading books is awesome!' "  Sooooooooo true!  I'll let you know how it goes on Wednesday.

MO WILLEMS BOOK SIGNING IN SLC, UTAH

OKAY, I AM OFFICIALLY MAD, BUGGED AND TICKED OFF!  (No Nat, it's not because we saw an "almost" dead duck on our walk this morning!  Nat thought it was playing dead, lol).  It's because I HAVE A CLASS ON THE NIGHT I WANT TO BE AT THE KING'S ENGLISH, A COOL BOOKSTORE HERE IN SALT LAKE CITY, BECAUSE MO WILLEMS IS DOING A BOOK SIGNING!  I MAY NEED TO SLIP OUT OF MY "READING CLASS" EARLY.  KIND OF IRONIC, NO?  READING CLASS OR AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING!  AND NOT JUST ANY AUTHOR, BUT MO WILLEMS!!!!!  THE AUTHOR I JUST HIGHLIGHTED ON MY FIRST WEEK OF LIBRARY AT OUR SCHOOL.   ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!

Mo Willems | Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs Start: Sep 11 2012 7:00 pm Street: 1511 South 1500 East City: Salt Lake City  Tuesday, September 11, 7 p.m. The amazing Mo Willems, award-winning creator of the Pigeon books, Elephant and Piggie and Knuffle Bunny, is coming to The King's English! This fabulous event will feature Mo Willems reading and signing his new book, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs: As Retold by Mo Willems, a funny and original take on a fairy-tale classic. Willems is brilliant and super fun to see--this is one event you don't want to miss! New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Willems is perhaps best known for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! in which a cranky pigeon comes face to face with injustice. He is a three-time Caldecott Honor-winning author and illustrator (for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny, and Knuffle Bunny Too). He also won two Geisel Medals for There Is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside?, and a Geisel Honor for We Are in a Book! His New York Times bestselling books include Knuffle Bunny Free and Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! Willems was also a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmys. Signing-line tickets will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis when the doors open at 6:30 pm. Pre-order your signed copies today! If ordering online, please let us know in the comments field if you would like your book(s) personalized and if you will NOT be able to attend the event. Customers are welcome to take pictures, however, the author will not pose with any customers and flash photography will not be allowed. Mo will sign and personalize one book from home, and sign an additional three purchased at the store. He will personalize two books with no special inscriptions, (ie: Happy Birthday), with signatures only for the rest. Due to time constraints, he won’t sign posters or memorabilia. We want to make sure all of Mo’s fans have a chance to meet him and get a book signed! Book List Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs: As Retold by Mo Willems (Hardcover) By Mo Willems $17.99 ISBN-13: 9780062104182 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Balzer & Bray/Harperteen, 9/2012 Quantity: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Hardcover) By Mo Willems, Mo Willems $15.99 ISBN-13: 9780786819881 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Hyperion, 4/2003 Other Editions of this Title Quantity: Should I Share My Ice Cream? (An Elephant and Piggie Book) (Hardcover) By Mo Willems, Mo Willems $8.99 ISBN-13: 9781423143437 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Hyperion, 6/2011 Quantity: Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity (Hardcover) By Mo Willems, Mo Willems $16.99 ISBN-13: 9781423102991 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Hyperion, 9/2007 Other Editions of this Title Quantity: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (Hardcover) By Mo Willems, Mo Willems $16.99 ISBN-13: 9780786818709 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Hyperion, 9/2004 Other Editions of this Title Quantity: City Dog, Country Frog (Hardcover) By Mo Willems, Jon J Muth $17.99 ISBN-13: 9781423103004 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Hyperion, 6/2010 Other Editions of this Title Quantity: Pigs Make Me Sneeze! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) (Hardcover) By Mo Willems, Mo Willems $8.99 ISBN-13: 9781423114116 Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: Hyperion, 10/2009



MONDAY: LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES Kay E. Vandergrift

Included in the sites below are children's and young adult authors and illustrators as well as many adult authors commonly read by young adults.

Learning About Biography

It is important to consider some of the latest critical and scholarly work about biography and autobiography in order to recognize and appreciate developments in these genres for both adults and young people.

Reading Author/Illustrator Biography and Autobiography

There are many biographies and autobiographies of children's authors and illustrators that increase interest and provide insight into their work.

Learning About Authors/Illustrators and Their Work

The author/illustrator sites included in this website are not intended to contain comprehensive information about particular authors/illustrators. Rather some contain biographical, bibliographic, and critical data along with personal responses to selected works, while others provide a small taste of an author's/illustrator's work. The intent is to give site visitors an introduction to and a flavor of the author's/illustrator's work. Additional author/illustrator sites are added on a regular basis.

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"A"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"B"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"C"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"D"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"E"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"F"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"G"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"H"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"I"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"J"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"K"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"L"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"M"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"N"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"O"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"P"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"Q"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"R"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"S"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"T"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"U"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"V"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"W"

             LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"X"[NO ENTRIES]

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"Y"

LEARNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR PAGES ~~"Z"

 Kay E. Vandergrift 

MONDAY: Meet the Author Shannon Hale - great books for girls

Shannon Hale has been a storyteller from birth, acording to her mother.  A former actress, she earned a master's degree in creatie writing from the Universityof Montana.  Shannon lives in Salt lake City, Utah, with her husband and her son. 

My daughter "got me on to Shannon Hale" after she read "Princess Academy" and "Goosegirl", two of her favorite books ever.  She read them when she was about 12 years old and about 3-4 years ago, when Shannon offered a non-profit writer's workshop in Salt Lake City, we went together.  I snapped a picture of my daughter with Shannon and we listend to 8+ Utah children's authors tell us a bit about how they got into writing.  We broke up into groups and had a blast, learning and listening to these remarkably talented writers. 

Shannon has continued to be a favorite of my daughters, with her next few novels... she has more recently even written a graphic novel, "Rupunzel's Revenge".  Her Goose Girl series is especially loved by girls aged 10+.



 

The Official Site of Shannon Hale - squeetus

www.squeetus.com/stage/books.html

• Princess Academy
• Austenland
• The Goose Girl
•  Forest Born

• Book of a Thousand Days
• Enna Burning
• Rapunzel's Revenge
• River Secrets

MONDAY: Meet the Author Jan Brett

  

There is only one word to describe Jan Brett's illustrations and that is GORGEOUS!  THEY ARE SIMPLY GORGEOUS, detailed "to the max" and lots of fun to share with children.  About 2 years ago, I had the opportunity to go to a presentation and book signing of Jan's.  Last minute, my friend Jean and I got tickets to go to it and we rushed down. Jan had recently camped in Namibia in southern Africa, as she learned of the people and animals there.  She has done this with many of her books as you'll see below.  


Her new book was just out at that time, called "The 3 Little Dassies", her African version of "The Three Little Pigs".
  


She stood up on the stage at Woods Cross High School and talked about her experience as she drew a beautiful picture of a small animal she fell in love with, called a dassie.  Her charming personality and lovely demeanor really drew me in and she is now one of my "top 3 favorite authors and illustrators", along with Mem Fox and Patricia Polacco.  Jan Brett has illustrated at least 40 children's books and authored most of them, which is truly amazing. 


Here's what she said about her experience in Africa and her new book.  

"Once upon a time there were three little Dassie sisters --Mimbi, Pimbi, and Timbi.  Just like  the little pigs who built new homes, the sisters cross a desert in southern Africa to build their  houses.      "Welcome!"  Says a smiling Agama Man.  He is happy to see them, for he is the only one there, he tells them, except for an eagle.  The Dassies shiver, but they stay.      The very next day the eagle dives down to flap and clap and blow in Mimbi's grass house  and carry her up to his nest.  Back he goes for Pimbi.  Then for Timbi.  But Timbi outsmarts  that pesky eagle as Agama Man attempts a daring rescue of Mimbi and Pimbi.           Bold African patterns and prints fill Jan's stunning borders where that handsomely dressed  man looks on.  But it is the Dassies, in their bright colorful dresses and hats, that steal the show  in this irresistible tale. My African version of the three little pigs' story began in 2007 when my  husband Joe and I camped in Namibia in southern Africa.

"One morning we climbed up and sat by a freshwater spring.   Sunny on the reddish rocks were little rock Dassies, the cutest and  most unusual creatures you can imagine  with a big bump of a nose like a koala bear, bright eyes and soft fur.  A  redheaded Agama lizard came along and acted as if he owned the place.   Then the shrill whistle of eagles overhead sent the Dassies running for cover.   Eagles have a strong appetite for Dassies.

"I went home with images of Dassies, the Agama lizard and eagles dancing in my head  until they became my characters, with the three little Dassies in dresses and flat turbans like  the ones worn by the Herero women since Victorian times.  Joe and I agreed that our trip had  turned into a treasure hunt." Jan Brett's artistic ability is unique and breathtaking in her many children's picture books. Each book  is illustrated with a border or "window" which gives clues to what the next page or part of the story  will be about.  The children love to tell me, when I'm reading, who will appear next or what might happen.   If you haven't visited her website and you are a teacher, librarian, children's book lover,  homeschooling mom or just curious, you are in for a treat.  http://www.janbrett.com/index.html Her site is filled with gorgeous drawings that children can color or paint, calendars of her  artwork, and much, much more.  It's an adventure just to wander through the site and see  all that is available.   About Jan Brett COMING SOON: MOSSY--G.P. Putnam's Sons--(coming October 2012)      (Set by a turtle pond in Hingham, Massachusetts) ANNIE AND THE WILD ANIMALS--G.P. Putnam's Sons--(coming October 2012)         (Set in Kittery Point, Maine) Books Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett  BEAUTY AND THE BEAST--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2012          (Set in Jan Land - a made up place) HOME FOR CHRISTMAS--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2011        (Set in Arctic Sweden) THE 3 LITTLE DASSIES--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2010        (Set in Namibia, Africa) THE EASTER EGG--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2010         (Set in Norwell, Massachusetts)  JAN BRETT'S SNOWY TREASURY--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2009          (Anthology) GINGERBREAD FRIENDS--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2008          (Set in Switzerland) HEDGIE BLASTS OFF!--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2006         (Set in Kennedy Space Center and in outer space) HEDGIE LOVES TO READ--Free Book! THE UMBRELLA--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2004         (Set in Costa Rica) DAISY COMES HOME--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2002         (Set in Guilin, China) CHRISTMAS TREASURY--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2001         (Anthology) HEDGIE'S SURPRISE--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2000         (Set in Denmark) THE HAT--G.P. Putnam's Sons--1997         (Set in Denmark) COMET'S NINE LIVES--G.P. Putnam's Sons--1996         (Set in Nantucket, Massachusetts ) ARMADILLO RODEO--G.P. Putnam's Sons--1995      (Set in Fredericksburg, Texas) CHRISTMAS TROLLS--G P. Putnam's Sons--1993         (Set in Bergen, Norway) TROUBLE WITH TROLLS--G. P. Putnam's Sons--1992          (Set in Bergen, Norway) BERLIOZ THE BEAR--G P. Putnam's Sons--1991          (Set in Bad Tolz, Germany) THE WILD CHRISTMAS REINDEER--G P. Putnam's Sons--1990          (Set in Norway) THE FIRST DOG--Harcourt Brace Jovanovich--1988          (Set in La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles, California) FRITZ AND THE BEAUTIFUL HORSES--Houghton Mifflin--1981            (Set in Salzburg, Austria) Books Retold and Illustrated by Jan Brett THE THREE SNOW BEARS--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2007          (Set in Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada) HONEY...HONEY...LION!--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2005          (Set in Okevango Delta, Botswana, Africa) ON NOAH'S ARK--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2003          (Set in Okevango Delta, Botswana, Africa) WHO'S THAT KNOCKING ON CHRISTMAS EVE--G.P. Putnam's Sons--2002          (Set in Alta, Norway) GINGERBREAD BABY--G. P. Putnam's Sons--1999          (Set in Switzerland) TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE--G. P. Putnam's Sons--1994          (Set in Switzerland) THE MITTEN--G. P. Putnam's Sons--1989          (Set in Ukraine) GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS--G. P. Putnam's Sons--1987          (Set in Jan Land - a made up place) Books Illustrated by Jan Brett THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS --G.P. Putnam's Sons--1998        (Set in Stockbridge, Massachusetts) THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT--G. P. Putnam's Sons--1991  (Set in Martinique) HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DUCK--Clarion--1988   THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS--G.P. Putnam's Sons--1986          (Set in  England, Italy, France, Norway, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Germany,   Hungary, Scotland, Spain, and America) SCARY, SCARY HALLOWEEN--Clarion--1986   MOTHER'S DAY MICE--Clarion--1986 NOELLE OF THE NUTCRACKER--Houghton Mifflin--1986   VALENTINE BEARS--Clarion--1983   ST. PATRICK'S DAY IN THE MORNING--Clarion--1980