My (Solar) Japan

Ota City, in Japan, is one of the country's sunniest spots. According to Tree Hugger, Japan has earmarked 9 billion yen ($92 million) for solar panels for households in this year to March 2009. Its Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is seeking 24 billion yen ($246 million) for subsidies in the year starting April 2009, and estimates that about 100,000 homes would install solar panels next year, with the subsidy.

To learn more about Japanese life, you'll want to check out the non-fiction picture book, My Japan, when it is published - also in March 2009.

International Ask a Question Day

It's not as if we have all the answers, but there certainly are several questions we address in our children's books. Here are several:

¿Quién se esconde? (Libros del Mundo)	¿Quieres Jugar? (Libros del Mundo)
Are We There Yet?	Could a Tyrannosaurus Play Table Tennis?

Duck's Key, Where Can it Be?	What's Going On?
Who's Hiding?	Why?

Non-Fiction Monday

This morning, I got wonderful, exciting, fabulous, amazing news to share about one of our non-fiction titles, Could You? Would You? by Trudy White.

A few months back, I received a call from the producer of The Martha Stewart Show. She requested not only additional copies of Trudy's book, but a video of the author herself. We're pleased that we've finally heard back from the show with this excellent news:

Could You? Would You? will be featured on The Martha Stewart Show on Wednesday, February 27th. It is a live taping and each audience member will receive a complimentary copy of the book.

For those interested in seeing the full video that Trudy White put together for the show, we will be posting it to our blog next Wednesday to celebrate her U.S. premiere!

Favorites (Continued)

Continued from the Previous Post...

Picture Books
From Spain

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

This section - with over three dozen titles to choose from - was also a challenge for me to narrow down to just one book. Sebastian's Roller Skates really jumped out at me, however, in that it really can work with just about any reader (of any age, gender, background, etc).

Sebastian not only masters a new skill (roller skating, of course) but he also gets over his fear of public speaking and builds up his confidence to the point of finally being able to speak to Esther - a girl from school - which he never thought he'd be able to do at the beginning of the story.

We all have our little quirks (perhaps it is public speaking) that makes us feel not-so-confident or not as comfortable doing (maybe roller skating is one of them) so this book does really speak to readers of all ages and encourages us to try something new - even if it does require a helmet.

Picture Books for Older Readers
From Australia

Fox
Written by Margaret Wild
Illustrated by Ron Brooks

I need to tred lightly when discussing this title, because it is dark, sad, and ultimately, a tale of deception. I don't want to give away the storyline for those who have not read it, but it is certainly a book that will haunt readers and have you thinking about friendship, temptation and betrayal long after the book has been closed.

Several middle school teachers - upon first reading Fox - mentioned the story's similiarities to Shakespeare's Macbeth and several of these teachers use Fox in their classroom as an introduction to this classic work.

Whether you're dealing with playground disagreements or boardroom arguments, this book is an emotional and startling look at the realities of life and working or dealing with others.

First Fiction
From Australia
Jack Russell: Dog Detective
(Book 4): The Lying Postman

The Lying Postman is - by far - my favorite book from the Jack Russell series. Involving a new postman to Jack's route, and a "he said," "she-said" situation, Book #4 in this canine caper series keeps readers guessing until the end as to whether or not the postman is telling the truth.

Also introduced in this mystery is a new character - Ralf Boxer - a little chihuahua who surprises Jack with his courage and shatters every stereotype that Jack has regarding these small dogs.

Gift Books
From Australia

Could You? Would You?
by Trudy White

Trudy has made a fine book for readers of all ages with Could You? Would You? I've personally used this book as a discussion starter with both my four-year-old son and with adult friends. Others that I know have used this book in writing workshops to help get through writer's block.

Be careful though - many of these questions will bring up childhood memories which may have you longing for the times when you could cuddle in a sheet-made fortress under the stars or thinking about what you'd like to do with the time you have left.

What's your favorite Kane/Miller book?

What's Your Favorite K/M Book?

People often ask what my favorite Kane/Miller book is. That's an impossible question to answer since - as a small company - all of our office staff has a chance (and plenty of time) to fall in love with every book we release.

I've thought long and hard about this question and have finally decided to select one title per catalog section just so I cover all the bases. It's only fair that I answer the question. Selecting favorites from these sections was not easy but I'll explain my reasoning behind each choice.

All of my "favorites" are great books for readers of any age in that they speak to both children and adults in very different ways (the mark of a great illustrated book, in my mind).

Frontlist Titles (March 2008)
From France

Jukebox
by David Merveille

For anyone who loves music (don't all children?) this book is wonderful! It covers over a dozen different musical genres which means that there is - most likely - something for everyone. But what it also highlights is that music is something that inspires people, allows us to reach into our imagination (very child-like), reminds us of times past, or enables the listener to reach outside of their (ordinary) every day life.

For young children who may not be familiar with each type of music mentioned, this book will give them the opportunity to perhaps pick their favorites and be introduced to new and different ways to enjoy active listening.

Libros del Mundo
From Japan

¿Quién se esconde?
by Satoru Onishi

From the Spanish language edtions of fourteen K/M titles, I chose the translation of Who's Hiding? based on the fact that it is an excellent book for beginning Spanish readers - of any age - to use as a way to learn colors, animals, and questions that may be useful (Who's crying?, Who's hiding?, Who's backwards?) or not.

Non-Fiction / Concept Books
From Slovenia

Why?
by Lila Prap

Another book featuring animals and questions, Why? answers many questions that I know my son will eventually be asking me. I am prepared ahead of time and can help him learn more about the specific creatures - typically found in a zoo - such as zebras, lions, giraffes, and monkeys (to name just a few).

Board Books / First Picture Books
From Belgium

The Nights of the World
Written by Corinne Albaut
Illustrated by Arno

This was a tough choice to narrow down this section to just one book, but since young ones like books that "do" things, I selected this one with its picture-changing shutters that show day and night on alternating windows. The fact that it represents children from five different regions aound the world as well as being a comforting, gentle book about bedtime makes it a great pick for all of these reasons combined.

To Be Continued...