Great Books Recommended by Great Dad

I met the founder of Great Dad at ABC Kids Expo a few weeks back. Paul Banas, a fellow Minnesotan (there's many of us), formed the network of articles, blogs and forums found on Great Dad because he realized that there was a missing gap in the online world for dads.

I enjoy his humor, insight and of course, book recommendations, which actually overlaps with many books I have upon my personal bookshelf at home.

So, for those dads, grandparents and women looking for great sites to recommend to the dads in their lives, please stop by and meet Paul and the great site he created, if you haven't already. Oh, and please tell him I sent you!

Library Visit

I just got back from the library.

I'm in Minnesota right now, visiting family and having a true vacation (I haven't checked my work email since I got here). Some of my friends questioned why I chose to come here for my week off (as opposed to going someplace more flashy like Mexico or Miami).

Family is a priority for me and since my sister just had her second baby I wanted to meet him as soon as possible. This week I'm here with both her 8 week old baby and his three year old brother. Believe it or not, it has been very relaxing.

During our trip to the library, Big Brother and I had the difficult task of picking out books from the library (which is part of the Hennipin County Library System).

In a matter of minutes, we had over a dozen books in our pile, many of which were Kane/Miller titles that I did not pick out. There were several Kane/Miller books that I came across while looking through the picture books but my nephew managed to add Yellow Umbrella (that was missing its CD) and My Father's Shop to our reading pile.

Yellow Umbrella

We did finally narrow down the number of books to six (My Father's Shop made it to the last round). Immediately, my nephew wanted to read them so he chose one to look at in the car on the way home and we read three more when we got back to the house.

My Father's Shop

The library is a great place to spend a hot summer day. It's also a great time for people-watching. There were families there with young children, young adults on the computers and adults of various ages enjoying quiet time with a book.

If there was anything I was meant to "get" out of my time here this week, it's that reminder that I need to take advantage of the San Diego library more often. My son has a growing library of books at our house, but it's not often enough that we experience what the library has to offer.

My son is with his dad this week on the East Coast, but I know that when we're both back in Southern California, one of the first places we'll head to is our local library and I'm looking forward to reading with him - one of the main things I miss when we're not together.

Minneapolis Meetup

How to Turn Your Business Trip into a Social Media Experience inspired me to let readers know that I am taking a trip to Minneapolis in just a few weeks.

Not that I typically like to turn my personal vacations into business trips, but since I'm heading home (birthplace: St. Paul, MN) to visit friends and family (without my son), I'm looking to keep busy during the day since most of these people will be at work.

Anyone close enough to the Twin Cities who is interested in meeting up for lunch? Please let me know. I'm going to be arriving on Monday, August 18th and heading back to San Diego on the 23rd.

Good Question

I attended the ALSC pre-conference storytelling event last night, where I met many friendly, and humorous, librarians.

One woman asked me a very good question - one that I love answering but rarely have the opportunity to. She asked, "How long have you worked for Kane/Miller and what do you like about it?"

Instantly, I smiled. Actually, I think I beamed. I found it so intriguing that this woman actually wanted to know about my role and my experience with the company.

I'll sum it all up for those who haven't heard this before (Yes, this is the shortened version):

I've worked for Kane/Miller for seven years now, since March of 2001. I remember every detail of my career, especially the interview and requesting that I start after March 1st since I was flying home (St. Paul, MN) at the end of February to surprise my mom for her birthday.

I started working for K/M knowing little, if nothing, about children's publishing, even though I grew up with books, spent several years of my youth (cumulatively, of course) in the library, inside a book - and fell in love with language and literature because of my early exposure to storytelling.

My mom taught me to read before I started kindergarten. We went to the library often for story time, quiet time, and now that I have a child of my own, I realize that we also went there so my mom could have some alone time.

Now, thanks to my mom, teachers and librarians who encouraged my love of reading, I now have a job that I absolutely love. It was simply meant to be.

Kane/Miller is a small, independent publishing company, founded by siblings who shared a love of language, children's literature, art, and the world - and what I love most about Kane/Miller is...Everything. From the atmosphere at our office to the books we publish; from the mission statement that hasn't changed in 25 years to the logo which has; I can't see myself working in any other industry or for any other company.

I was honored to be asked such a personal question and I think it's safe to say that my response - my strong emotional reaction - impressed upon my audience why Kane/Miller is so unique.

While no job is perfect, I would have to say mine is pretty close. I get to work with people who share a love of language, children's literature, art, and the world. Plus, now that I have a son, I am able to pass on that love, nourish it, and watch it grow.

I can't imagine anywhere else I would rather be.