Recovering from ALA

ALA was a big show for us this year. We expanded the size of our booth space which allowed for us to display each and every one of our titles and it was a major success! Making a bold statement with this larger presence proved to be a great benefit for us. We received several compliments on our colorful displays which held our books as well as positive feedback about our fall titles, in particularly The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness, by Colin Thompson and Singing to the Sun by Vivian French and Jackie Morris.

Illustration from The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness by Colin Thompson

The chocolate globes that were given away were also a big hit and the snakes and lizards that we had on display to promote Snake and Lizard were gone after day one! Overall, ALA was a fabulous show and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year in Chicago. For those brave souls who will head to Denver in the middle of winter, we'll see you there, as well.

One of Those Days

This morning - and most of this afternoon - turned out to be one of those days where things were not going my way. I might as well move to Australia (Bonus points for the first person to let me know where that came from!)

I brought my son to the dentist this morning. He's been going every six months since he was six months old. He was a fabulous example of a well-behaved, fully cooperative child - until today. He started kicking his feet and waving his hands up in the air when the dental hygienist attempted to start cleaning his teeth.

Twenty minutes and several attempts at trying the whole thing again turned out to be false starts. We're going to try it again in another six months. Both the dental hygienist and the dentist herself deserve patience (and patient) awards for probably having to deal with that same situation several times a week.

From England
I Want My Tooth
by Tony Ross

Although the whole experience felt like it was more devastating for me afterwards, it was nothing compared to the frustration I felt when my son and I got to our car only to discover a note that read: "I hit the front of your car while trying to get out. Call me at ... "

This was some sort of joke, right? I looked at the front of my car and no, this was no joke. Indeed, there was a small dent in the middle of the hood along with a scrape mark on the front of the grill. Lovely.

What else could go wrong this week? After all, I was pulled over yesterday for speeding and the lovely CHIPs character (yes, he was on a motorcycle) was not interested in my excuse ("I just got back from Chicago and I haven't driven in over a week!")

2006 and 2007 have not been my years. I'm hopefully optimistic about 2008. Wish me luck.

From South Korea
New Clothes for New Year's Day
by Hyun-Ju Bae

Hotel Room Confessions

My sister and I got back to the hotel after dinner last night feeling pretty exhausted. We took our time peeling off our shoes and getting ready for bed. Somehow, we managed to start packing, take turns using the bathroom, and check our email before finally sitting down on the bed to unwind. The room was very quiet, except for a strange noise that I couldn't quite recognize.

When I finally figured out what it was I was hearing, I started giggling - quietly at first - but then I couldn't stop. What I heard was the man next door snoring! The walls were so thin in this hotel that it sounded as though he were literally right next to us.

I wonder what types of things our neighbors heard from our room over the last few days. I'm sure we talked about our sons (on at least one occasion). I think I may have brought up the negative aspects of potty-training, such as having to continually wipe urine off of the walls, cabinets, floor and anything else within a 3-foot radius of my son (we're working on his aim).

From Belgium

Standing Up
Written by Marie-Anne Gillet
Illustrated by Isabelle Gilboux

It's always interesting to hear what others have to say when they think no one else can hear them. And so, with the Website of the Week (that I have grown accustomed to sharing in the weekly Kane/Miller newsletter) in mind, I thought it'd only be fitting to mention this quirky (and dare I say vulgar at times) website:

Overheard in the Office

I can't decide which I enjoy better - this new discovery or True Office Confessions. I'll let you decide.

Chi-Town

Driving along Lake Shore Drive, seeing Navy Pier lit up at night and witnessing the construction of the new Trump Tower reminds me of what it is I love about Chicago. It is beautiful, clean and always full of energy.

People here have a Midwestern charm and although my Midwest accent has of course come out since spending the last few days with my big sis, I've enjoyed the reminder of my youth and spending time in the city during winter, as the holiday season approaches.

Last night we had dinner at the Green Zebra on Chicago Avenue. It is a swank little place with a vegetarian menu. The food was amazing, the wine was fantastic and sharing a dinner out with my sister was priceless.

This evening, my sister and I are meeting Anne Levy from Book Buds for dinner. We're going to head over to McCormick and Schmick's Fresh Seafood Restaurant on Wacker Drive.

Anne is also the co-founder of the Cybils (Children's & YA Bloggers' Literary Awards). This year is the second year of this annual independent book award which we're pleased to have three books nominated for (so far):

From South Korea

My Cat Copies Me
by Yoon-duck Kwon


From Japan
The Story of Cherry the Pig
by Utako Yamada

From Australia
Samsara Dog
by Helen Manos
Illustrated by Julie Vivas

What's so great about this award is that it's reader-nominated. Readers, whether they're parents, educators, book reviewers, librarians or professionals (in any industry), can nominate titles for this award. You'll find the growing list of nominated titles on the Cybils blog under each category:

• Fantasy and Science Fiction
  
• Fiction Picture Books
  
• Graphic Novels
  
• Middle Grade Fiction
  
• Nonfiction: Middle Grade and Young Adult
  
• Nonfiction Picture Books
  
• Poetry
  
• Young Adult Fiction

Nominate your favorite titles today, but make sure you read the rules first!

The Parlor Room

My flight from San Diego to Chicago was delayed by over an hour this afternoon. It gave me time to run a few errands, but I've arrived to the hotel so late that the only room they have available is a parlor room. It sounds nice and the young lady at the front desk made sure to emphasize that the room is twice as big as a standard room but I think she may have mentioned something about the fact that there isn't actually a bed in the room.

I realize it's 9pm and I've been on an airplane for over three hours and even though I'm still on Pacific Time I really have no excuse, but did she really just tell me that there's no bed in the room? I asked her to repeat what she just said and in fact, I was not mistaken.

It seems that the Parlor Room is perfect for having guests over, dinner for four, watching Monday Night Football or simply hosting a party. But I just want a bed to sleep in. This lovely, corner room with a beautiful view is not only next to the ice machine (yes, it does make ice A-L-L N-I-G-H-T), but my neighbors are taking full advantage of their parlor room by hosting at least 5 or 6 ladies. I might join the party in a minute...

I enjoy traveling. I especially love the comforts of being away and not having dishes or laundry to do and 24-hour room service, but this whole bed thing? Perhaps I'll have better luck tomorrow when they switch me to a room with a view, I mean bed.

National Association for the Education of Young Children

I leave for Chicago a week from today. While I have every intention of writing the weekly newsletter while I'm on the road, I may have to send a summarized edition of weekly websites instead.

In the meantime, I'm gearing up for a week of fun-filled networking with early childhood educators. This is always a fun conference to attend because the teachers are so used to working with toddlers and young children in diapers that they can't help but be pleasant and excited to spend nearly 5 full days with other adults! We moms can relate and I too look forward to attending the National Conference and heading to the Windy City.

My sister will be joining me for this trip. I think it will be the first time the two of us will be together without our kids (or our parents) so I'm sure we'll be laughing non-stop, like two giggling girls at a sleepover - at least for the first few nights, before we remember what it was like to share one bathroom!

Books about siblings are always a great hit which is why I am especially eager to introduce the Toddler Tales series at this conference and let the attendees know about the spring additions to the series: Little Brothers Are... and Little Sisters Are... by Beth Norling.

From Australia

by Beth Norling

Little School

(K/M, 2003)

Beth is the very talented Australian author/illustrator who brought us Little School, a wonderful book for pre-schoolers and for the adults who want to help get them prepared for the daily routine of laughing, learning, and playing with friends.