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.

New Zealand Book Award

Our first book from New Zealand, published originally by Gecko Press, has recently been honored with the New Zealand Post Best Children's Book of the Year award!

Congratulations to author Joy Cowley and illustrator Gavin Bishop for this great recognition. A collection of short stories about an unlikely pair, Snake and Lizard is a laugh-out-loud, sophisticated edition of tales (and tails) of friendship and life in the desert.

Snake and Lizard have much different tastes - especially when it comes to mealtime. In the story entitled, "Surprise," Lizard finds an egg "in the dust, smooth, white, and round as the moon," an egg which he feels is just perfect for Snake. He "carefully fitted his jaws around the egg and carried it back across the desert" to surprise his dear friend.

Hours later, when Snake finally arrives, Lizard is delighted to share his discovery with her and sends Snake down into the tunnel, where her surprise awaits.

Moments later, Snake shoots out of the hole, "hissing and shaking."

"The egg had hatched. No chicken had come out of it! There in Snake's bed, making a noise like a firecracker, was a very angry young rattlesnake."

After angry words between the two friends, Snake asks Lizard how he plans to get the rattlesnake out...it's nearly bedtime.

" 'Don't look at me in that tone of voice!' snaps Lizard. 'You know all about snakes. It's your cousin. Go and talk to it!' "

Humorous, delightful and simply charming, these two characters are highly developed, spectacularly entertaining and completely memorable.

Fast Forward

Technically, our Spring 2008 titles will not be released until March 1st, and yet, I'm asking you all to fast forward a little bit to talk about fall. Yes, that's right. I will now share the September 1st, Fall 2008, forthcoming books from Kane/Miller.

Included among the twelve books are two Toddler Tales that are being translated into Spanish (Las hermanintas son... - Little Sisters Are...- and Los hermanitos son... - Little Brothers Are...), Book #8 in the Jack Russsell Series - The Kitnapped Creature, four picture books (The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness, The Story of Growl, Something for School, There's No Such Thing as Ghosts), a modern-day fairy tale (Singing to the Sun), and four early readers (The Wicket Chronicles #1 and #2: Ely Plot and Fen Gold, Snake and LIzard, and Wombat & Fox.

From England

978-1-933605-84-5
$5.95 (U.S.)

978-1-933605-87-6
$5.95 (U.S.)


From New Zealand

978-1-933605-83-8
$14.95 (U.S.)


From Australia

978-1-933605-81-4
$13.95 (U.S.)


978-1-933605-90-6
$15.95 (U.S.)


From Belgium

978-1-933605-91-3
$13.95 (U.S.)


From South Korea

978-1-933605-85-2
15.95 (U.S.)


From Australia

978-1-933605-80-7
$15.95 (U.S.)

From England

978-1-933605-94-4
$16.95 (U.S.)

Authors for this forthcoming season are Jucy Horacek, Vivian French, Colin Thompson, Terry Denton, Joy Cowley, Hyun Young Lee, Joan Lennon, Sally & Darrel Odgers, Emanuelle Eekhout, and Beth Norling. Gavin Bishop and Jackie Morris join us as new illustrators we're publishing and countries represented include our first book from New Zealand, along with Australia, England, South Korea, and Belgium.

More details to come...