Kane/Miller Kidlit: history

Showing posts with label history. Show all posts

Friday, May 30, 2008

To Fathers With Love

by Lisa Smith

In June of each year, we celebrate the wonderful Fathers and father figures in our lives! The modern celebration of Father’s Day has ancient roots, dating all the way back to the Babylonian period of history.

The earliest record of Father's Day was found in the ruins of ancient Babylon. A young boy named Elmesu carved a Father's Day message on a card made out of clay nearly 4,000 years ago. He wished his Babylonian father good health and a long life. The tradition was passed down from generation to generation and is currently celebrated in several countries throughout the world. In many countries, where the Catholic Church has had an important influence on the culture, Father's Day is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day (March 19) but in others, the date varies with the calendar year.

In the United States, we typically purchase greeting cards or small gifts for our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, etc. In other countries around the globe, they have unique and different ways to celebrate the Father’s Day tradition.

1. The UK and Australia: Breakfast meetings for fathers and families are held along with public games and activities that strengthen the father-family bond. These events include picnics with sports or games, fishing contests and hiking or running races.

2. Canada: Different colored roses are worn by families signifying the well-being of their fathers. A white Rose is worn if the father has passed away and a red Rose signifies father or grandfather in good health and vitality.

3. South Africa: Social and cultural societies host large community Father’s Day celebrations to stress the role of fathers in building a stronger society and in nurturing their children. They read stories and poems that have strong male characters.

4. Ireland: Families make donations in the name of their father or perform acts of community service that pay tribute to the important men in their lives.

This year in June, we can all look into some different ways to express thanks and gratitude for the fathers and father-figures in our lives. Whether we spend time strengthening our relationship by participating in an outdoor activity, performing some community service together or just sitting down to a meal together, we can all look to different cultures around the world to see that celebrating fathers is not just something we do here at home. It is an ancient and wonderful tradition that can be expanded upon to create some wonderful new memories and traditions of our own.

Lisa Smith has a BA in Psychology & is the Owner/CEO of Regionz Kidz, a multi-cultural infant & toddler clothing line featuring ethnically diverse characters and designs. She publishes a blog on her website http://www.regionzkidz.com that discusses cultural diversity & children & is a frequent guest blogger on other blogs and websites regarding parenting and children’s issues. You can contact Lisa directly at: lisa@regionzkidz.com

Monday, May 12, 2008

Children's Book Week

The History of Children's Book Week

(from the Children's Book Council website)

"A great nation is a reading nation."

In a small library on a November afternoon in 1921, a stiff-lipped lady was busy with her scissors, shearing off the bottom third of Jessie Willcox Smith's poster for Children's Book Week. A poster showing books scattered in joyous abandon on the floor was more than she could bear to display!

Our attitude toward children and their enjoyment of books has undergone considerable change since that day. The creation and growth of Children's Book Week has both resulted from and influenced this transformation.

Since 1919, Children's Book Week has been celebrated nationally in schools, libraries, bookstores, clubs, private homes-any place where there are children and books. Educators, librarians, booksellers, and families have celebrated children's books and the love of reading with storytelling, parties, author and illustrator appearances, and other book related events.

It all began with the idea that children's books can change lives. In 1913, Franklin K. Matthiews, the librarian of the Boy Scouts of America, began touring the country to promote higher standards in children's books. He proposed creating a Children's Book Week, which would be supported by all interested groups: publishers, booksellers, and librarians.

Mathiews enlisted two important allies: Frederic G. Melcher, the visionary editor of Publishers Weekly (the publishing industry trade journal), and Anne Carroll Moore, the Superintendent of Children's Works at the New York Public Library and a major figure in the library world. With the help of Melcher and Moore, in 1916 the American Booksellers Association and the American Library Association cooperated with the Boy Scouts in sponsoring a Good Book Week.

At the 1919 ABA convention, the Association committed to the organization of an annual Children's Book Week. A few months later, the official approval of the American Library Association was also secured during its first Children's Librarians session.

In 1944, the newly-established Children's Book Council assumed responsibility for administering Children's Book Week. The CBC has developed materials and promoted and encouraged local celebrations of Book Week ever since. In addition, the CBC serves as a year-round promotion and information center about children's books and children's book publishing.

The need for Children's Book Week today is as essential as it was in 1919, and the task remains the realization of Frederic Melcher's fundamental declaration: "A great nation is a reading nation."

For a more complete history of Children's Book Week, please click here.

Don't miss the 25 Ideas for celebrating Children's Book Week!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

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

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Baseball History

On February 2, 1876, the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, which comes to be more commonly known as the National League (NL), is formed. The American League (AL) was established in 1901 and in 1903, the first World Series was held.

After a recent experience with Trivia Pursuit questions, it occurred to me that I need to brush up on my sports and history knowledge.

Of course, History.com fills in that gap for me quite nicely, which is where the above facts were found.

I'm off to do more research...

From England

Hit the Ball Duck
by Jez Alborough

Monday, January 28, 2008

Record Set in Germany (1938)

Driver Rudolf Caracciola set a new land-speed record (not recognized by all organizations) of 268.496 mph on the German Autobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt. His record remains the highest speed ever achieved on a public road. Later in the same day, a young driver named Bernd Rosemeyer died in a crash on the Autobahn in an attempt to surpass Caracciola's record.

While we don't have any car books from Germany, we do have a few picture books that automobile enthusiasts will certainly enjoy (at any speed).

From Australia

Crazy Cars

From England

On the Road

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Australia Day

On January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip guides a fleet of 11 British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales, effectively founding Australia. After overcoming a period of hardship, the fledgling colony began to celebrate the anniversary of this date with great fanfare.

In 1818, January 26 became an official holiday, marking the 30th anniversary of British settlement in Australia. And, as Australia became a sovereign nation, it became the national holiday known as Australia Day.

We have over two dozen titles from Australia and are pleased to have been able to work with such amazing authors and illustrators, such as Robert Ingpen, Colin Thompson, Julie Vivas, Tina Burke, Alison Lester, Elizabeth Stanley, Margaret Wild, Ron Brooks, Mem Fox, and Beth Norling (to name just a few).

The following books from Kane/Miller were originally published in Australia, winning numerous awards and honors both in the U.S. and in their native country.