A Horse is a Horse...

Jules, over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, inspired the following post since just this morning, she's listed Seven Reasons to Go Buy or Blog About a Horse Book Today">a Horse Book Todaya Horse Book Today"> over on her site.

Kane/Miller is releasing two books featuring horses in early 2009 so here's a quick look at each:

Moonrunner, written by California native Mark Thomason is about a young boy and a horse. Taking place in the 1890s, this story features 12-year-old Casey, a boy who has moved from the U.S. to Australia. He misses his home in Montana and his friends, but most of all he misses the wild mustangs. When Casey discovers a herd of wild brumbies, he develops a bond with a stallion, Moonrunner, that changes his life, and his view on life in Australia.

With over 200 pages of outdoor adventures, school bullies and horse races, this book is filled with fast-paced, page-turning excitement for readers 9 and up.

Moonrunner

Pet Vet (Book #2), The Mare's Tale

The Mare's Tale is the second book in the new Pet Vet series by Australian husband-and-wife author team Darrel & Sally Odgers. In the new series, Trump the dog lives with her owner Dr. Jeanie behind the Pet Vet clinic. It's Trumps job to help the sick animals and her senses are so acute that she often draws conclusions before the humans have even begun to think! Trump tells the stories of the animal patients and their families and provides young readers with animal tips, vocabulary words, and a new understanding of the animal world.

Both titles will be available in March.

It's Officially December!

by Jen Kulman

We live in Michigan, where the snow flies thick and often. People here scramble to put up their exterior holiday decorations just as soon as the turkey carcass has been discarded. We spent the weekend doing just that. Tree in, lights up, snowflakes secured in the windows. Can you see the Christmas spirit and brotherly love here?

After all our hard work, we gathered an armload of books and plopped down in front of our cozy fire. One of our selections was Selma, by Jutta Bauer. This is a simple book about a sheep who is perfectly happy with her lot in life. Even if she had more time or a million dollars, Selma would still choose to play with her children in the afternoon and chat with her neighbors in the evenings. Reading this is a good reminder to take stock of your life and be grateful for what you have. So we did.

Taking a page from Selma's book, we slouched down in our chairs and just relaxed. I concentrated on enjoying our family instead of the list of chores that needed my attention. The laundry will wait for me, a four-year-old will not. It was wonderful to feel the fire toasty at our toes while the snow swirled wildly outside. Aaahh.

Happy Birthday Sally!

Today is author Sally Odgers' birthday! Sally is co-author, along with her husband, Darrel, of the 8-title series Jack Russell: Dog Detective and the new series Pet Vets, coming in 2009.




Happy Birthday Sally!

Giving Thanks

by Jen Kulman

Obviously, this is a big, happy week for eaters! Less so for poultry.

At our annual dinner, my mother starts out okay, but panics as the dinner hour approaches. She makes a quick visit to the wine bottle to settle her nerves, and invariably leaves a dish in the oven that won't be discovered until clean-up. "Hey, I knew I made more rolls!"

Of course, my mom will be wearing her fancy turkey hat. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without Mr.Gobble.

If your mom doesn't wear a topic inducing hat like mine, you will need to explore other avenues for stimulating conversation. Is there anything worse than trading stilted lines with Cousin Steve once a year? Presenting the ideal book for the upcoming holidays: Could You? Would You? by Trudy White.

This book is thought provoking and fun. Pepper other family members with these questions and really get them thinking. Would you like to: Bathe in a laundry sink? Wash in a river? Soap up with an octopus? You may learn more about Cousin Steve than you actually intended...

Some of the questions are very funny, and some are more run-of-the-mill, but with hilarious answers. What is the best thing about you? Snails like me. Hmmm. May want to save that gem for your office holiday party.

No matter your plans or headgear, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Let's Talk Food

by Jen Kulman

Our first house had a very small kitchen, but our current house is more generous in this respect. I accepted the extra storage space as my personal challenge. During a particularly good cereal sale, a fellow shopper saw my cart and exclaimed "Wow! How many kids do you have?" Er, just the one. We're good eaters!

These are my cabinets for baking supplies and canned goods (with dog treats on the bottom for shameless beggars). I like being prepared for baking emergencies that pop up. Jen - we need four pans of brownies, STAT. I thought everyone stocked up like this, until some of my friends came over and made fun of me. I was going to give them each a bottle of corn syrup for quick energy, but they blew it with their snide comments.

In all seriousness, we actually stock up to save money. Our storage space and deep freeze make it possible to take advantage of store sales and coupons. When you have access to an abundance of food, it is easy to forget that others do not. Food banks across the country are asking us to help those who do not have the same resources. Our local unit, Gleaner's Community Food Bank states that one in eight families will need emergency food assistance this year. It is terrifying to think of not having food for your family.

Knowing that families across the nation are struggling with meeting their basic needs serves as a reminder of how fortunate we are. The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley by Colin Thompson is a great book for helping kids understand the importance of appreciating what you have.

Riley is immensely happy with the basics of life - food, shelter, love, and a scratching stick for his back. His life may be short, but he glows with happiness. In contrast, humans desire more material goods, often unable to appreciate what we already have. This sweet purple rat allows us to teach our kids a valuable life lesson in a fun way.

NYPL's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Two books from this season's list have been chosen to be included in this year's annual list from the New York Public Library, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing.

Snake and Lizard
by Joy Cowley
Illustrated by Gavin Bishop


Wombat & Fox: Tales of the City
by Terry Denton

Both of these titles serve as Kane/Miller's first (and second) attempts at publishing hardcover chapter books for readers 5 - 11 years of age. The illustrations in both volumes add to the stories that are told with humor and sophisticated rhetoric that will appeal to both young boys and girls looking for adventure in a book that will challenge the readers without intimidating them (chapters in Snake & Lizard range from 2 - 5 pages).

Congratulations to our New Zealand and Australian authors and illustrators! We're pleased to be included in this annual list.

Happy Birthday Janine!

Today is Janine Dawson's birthday. Janine is the illustrator behind Bobbie Dazzler and our Jack Russell: Dog Detective series.

Janine was born in New South Wales in 1957. She has lived and worked in Los Angeles, Canada, Taiwan, Thailand, and Sydney. She has worked as a film animator, director and teacher of English before settling on a career as a children's book illustrator.

Happy Birthday Trudy!

Today is the birthday of Australian author/illustrator, Trudy White. She wrote and illustrated our amazing gift book, Could You? Would You? which was featured on The Martha Show back in February of this year.

Trudy recently became a mom for the first time and we look forward to hearing more about her new baby as well as learning more about her upcoming projects. Of course, she's probably still enjoying life with a little one so we wish her a Happy Birthday and many sleep-filled nights.

Happy Birthday Julie!

Julie Vivas, of Australia, celebrates her birthday today. She came to Kane/Miller back in the early days of our company with the gorgeous art inside Mem Fox's Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge.

Illustration from Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge

We've had the pleasure of working with Julie on other titles over the years - Samsara Dog being her latest.

We wish her another year of happiness and health.

International Publishing Professionals

Kane/Miller represents nearly 24 countries in our list of award-winning children's books from around the world.

I have come here to the Stanford Professional Publishing Course to meet new people, take home new skills, explore others' ideas and, hopefully, incorporate most of what I learned into the business and marketing plan for the future of our company.

While there are representatives here from both the book and magazine side of the industry, there are also publishing professionals here from - ironically - about 24 countries.

Over the last few days, I've sat down with professionals from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Of course there's still dozens of other people who I have yet to talk to.

My horoscope this morning (I read it every day) states:

A foreign person will have a very positive influence in your life today, especially if they are a person from your past...

I may not know anyone here from my past but perhaps Kane/Miller's history will play a role.

Starring Sally & Dave

Sally and Dave, the slimy and silly slugs from Australia are now featured in their very own cartoon blog - Starring Sally and Dave - courtesy of author / illustrator Felice Arena.

Be one of the first to sign up for the RSS feed. I guarantee that these two will make your day complete. Don't believe me? Check out the 4th of July post which seriously made me LOL.

Trudy White Welcomes Baby

We received a lovely note from Trudy White, author and illustrator of Could You? Would You? along with an update and details of her new baby, Frazey. He was born on Friday, June 27th in Australia, weighing 8.9 pounds, measuring 54 centimeters and, in Trudy's words, is "pink and healthy and a good kicker."

Congratulations to Trudy and Simon. We can't wait to learn more about Frazey as he grows.

Happy Birthday Mark!

Today is Mark David's birthday. He's the author and illustrator of Crazy Cars, for Crazy Kids.

Mark David was born in Melbourne, Australia but grew up in Sydney. As a kid, he was forever making up machines in complex illustrations, mainly because it was fun, but also because his friends enjoyed them!

This Day in History - April 10

April 10, 1866: ASPCA is founded

Kane/Miller has two titles honored by the Henry Bergh Children's Book Award:

From Australia

The Deliverance of Dancing Bears
by Elizabeth Stanley
*ASPCA Henry Bergh Children's Book Award
*ASPCA Henry Bergh Illustration Award

From England

Lucky:
A Dog's Best Friend
by Gus Clarke
*ASPCA Henry Bergh Children's Book Award Finalist

This Day in History - April 8

April 8, 1974: Aaron sets new home run record

Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record back in 1974 (although it's been surpassed, of course).

What records have you broken? Encouraging children (of all ages) to reach for the stars, these are the Kane/Miller books that should inspire the artist, athlete and dreamer in all of us!

From England

Hit the Ball Duck
by Jez Alborough

From England

Dan's Angel:
A Detective's Guide to the Language of Paintings
Written by Alexander Sturgis
Illustrated by Lauren Child

From Switzerland

Marta and the Bicycle
Written by Germano Zullo
Illustrated by Albertine

From Australia

Bobbie Dazzler
Written by Margaret Wild
Illustrated by Janine Dawson

From Germany

What Eddie Can Do
by Wilfried Gebhard

This Day in History - April 6

Can I just say how great I would do playing Trivia Pursuit since I started receiving the This Day in History newsletter from The History Channel?

April 6, 1896: First Modern Olympic Games
"In Athens, 280 participants from 13 nations competed in 43 events, covering track-and-field, swimming, gymnastics, cycling, wrestling, weightlifting, fencing, shooting, and tennis."

Kane/Miller has published hundreds of titles in its 25 years, representing authors and illustrators from over 20 countries, and although we don't cover all of the sports mentioned above, there is a brief reference to weightlifting in Could a Tyrannosaurs Play Table Tennis.

Could a Wannanosaurus lift weights?
Illustration by Andrew Plant

We also cover soccer (The Team series) and baseball (Hit the Ball Duck), so whether you're an athlete, dinosaur aficionado or alphabet book collector, these titles are a wonderful choice for active readers!

This Day in History: April 2

I'm spending more time learning about history lately. (Having a young boy interested in non-fiction certainly helps!) Researching today's date, April 2nd, I discovered that there are three events which tie in with several Kane/Miller books.

April 2, 1513: Ponce de Leon discovers Florida

What does this have to do with our books? Ponce de Leon was searching for the Fountain of Youth when he landed on the coast of Florida. He claimed the land for Spain, and Kane/Miller claims these books from Spain:

Brush
Written by Pere Calders
Illustrated by Carme Sole Vendrell

Marc Just Couldn't Sleep
Written by Gabriela Keselman
Illustrated by Noemi Villamuza

Sebastian's Roller Skates
Written by Joan de Deu Prats
Illustrated by Francesc Rovira

What's Going On?
Written by Elena O'Callaghan
Illustrated by Africa Fanlo

April 2, 1805: Hans Christian Andersen is born
Hans Christian Andersen, one of the world's greatest storytellers, is born in Odensk, near Copenhagen.

Every other year IBBY presents the Hans Christian Andersen Awards to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature.

This award is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children's books. Even being nominated is a prestigious honor, as only one author and illustrator are selected per country.

Ana Maria Machado, of Brazil, won the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing in 2000 and Robert Ingpen, of Australia won the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration in 1986. Other Kane/Miller nominated authors/illustrators include Lila Prap (Slovenia), Jutta Bauer (Germany), and Tony Ross (England).

Nina Bonita
Written by Ana Maria Machado
Illustrated by Rosana Faria


Ziba Came on a Boat
Written by Liz Lofthouse
Illustrated by Robert Ingpen


1001 Stories


Why?
by Lila Prap


Selma
by Jutta Bauer


The Little Princess series
by Tony Ross

April 2, 1941: Life of Riley radio show debuts
Many people wonder where the saying, "Living the life of Riley," came from. Some say it stems from the title of this famous radio show that was on the air for ten years. Others say it goes back much, much further.

We say, "Release Your Inner Riley," will be a common phrase once the current generation gets their hands on Colin Thompson and Amy Lissiat's picture book, featuring the famous rat.

From Australia

The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley
by Colin Thompson & Amy Lissiat