Two upcoming events in the San Diego area fit in with what Kane/Miller is all about.
This weekend marks the Tenth Anniversary Celebration of the San Diego Multicultural Festival held downtown tomorrow which will include a children's area, an international storytelling stage and many other highlights to draw families and residents from the area.
Taking place for the first time this year and sponsored by Kane/Miller is the Mira Mesa International Festival, featuring dance performances, and international foods. This one-day celebration of diversity, unity and community wellness will be held at Mira Mesa High School on Saturday, January 26th.
I'm always pleased to share good news and just today, we learned that Ziba Came on a Boat, by Australian team Liz Lofthouse and Robert Ingpen, has been selected as a National Council for Social Studies Notable Trade Book for Young People.
We want to extend our gratitude to those who have been already spreading the word about this phenomenally moving story about a young girl who braves the unpredictable sea as she crosses to an new home, a new land and explores both her memories and her expectations of her great journey.
Today was a whirlwind adventure for Kane/Miller as we welcomed to The Boom Boom Room Alicia Coppola, Bill Bellamy, Catt Sadler (pictured above, reading On the Road with son Ryan), Chris Noth, Denise Richards, Joely Fisher, Kim Porter, Ming Na, Natasha Henstridge (pictured below holding While Mum Was Little), Nicole Tubiola, Omorosa (from The Celebrity Apprentice), Rena Sofer, Rosa Blasi, Samantha Harris and Angela Bassett.
Of course, after the event, we packed up our things and drove back to San Diego but not before joining many of these same celebrities outside the hotel, all waiting for thier cars (just like us "normal" folks).
Hollywood's famous families came out to the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles today to visit the Kane/Miller library that was a part of The Boom Boom Room celebrity gifting suite that is held annually and put together by Jayneoni Moore.
A fabulous turnout which included both award-winning actors from the TV and film industry, as well as press (and the paparazzi that follows) stepped inside the K/M library to enjoy the books, and the quiet, kid-friendly atmosphere.
Today, we met Former Miss USA Ali Landry, Angela Kinsey (of The Office), Bridget Moynahan, Carnie Wilson, Dayna Devon, Jason Isaacs, Kevin Chapman, Kevin Weisman, Leah Remini, Mackenzie Aldajem, Madison Pettis, Sasha Alexander, Shar Jackson, Taryn Rose, Tracey Gold, and Zorianna Kit. Of course most of the celebrities brought their children, spouses, partners, siblings and parents so it was a big turnout which is expected to be even bigger tomorrow.
Kevin Weisman's daughter, Maya Rose, is one of the first to enjoyMinji's Salon. (Kevin and family are expecting Baby #2 in mid-February)!
In preparation for Kane/Miller's upcoming participation in publishing events such as IRA, BEA, and ALA (among many others) it occurred to me that I'm not aware of all of the international literary events that take place.
After some quick research (What would we do without Google?), I found a link and listing of Six of the Best Literary Festivals (according to Harper's Bazaar). I won't be attending any of them - at least not this year - but it's good to know what's happening in the literary world, nonetheless.
If you're reading this, you probably already know that reading to children on a regular basis, and starting at an early age, benefits them greatly and gives them an advantage when they start school.
A recent article highlights the Early Reading Challenge that is to take place over the next few months in Broome County (NY).
I've sent this article to my co-parent (a.k.a. ex-husband) so that too can try to reach the goal of reading 100 books with our son between now and March 1st. We're going to be keeping track of the titles as we work to complete this challenge. I'll be posting about our progress until then.
If you have created, or would like to create Teacher Tips for any Kane/Miller title that you do not see listed, please send a copy to Jenna Ellis. If your Teacher Tips are selected to be included on our website, you will earn new books for your classroom!
Although we haven't released our Spring 2008 titles yet, we have sent out catalogs to reviewers. One title in particular,Minji's Salon from South Korean author / illustrator, Eun-hee Choung, caught the attention of a book reviewer who kindly sent a note about her pug, Norma.
Jan, Norma's human companion, feels that "every child with a pet can relate to playing beauty salon with that pet." Norma, you see, was once a show dog and loves being groomed.
I didn't have a pet growing up but I can imagine that those children who do spend plenty of hours grooming their canine or feline friends, much like Minji does with her adorable dog.Thanks, Jan for sharing these wonderful photos of Norma. We always enjoy pictures of pets, especially those who are inspired by our books.
I can't tell you how much time I spend reading. I read blogs, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, email announcements and websites to keep myself informed of the latest news, reviews, events and happenings in the book world.
Over the holiday, there was a plethora of mail that had been stacked up, waiting for me to read (and discard). I browsed through it all (mostly) but was very excited to discover some interesting lists in the NAIBA Newsletter:
And because I don't have enough to do (and read), I'm always interested in discovering new sites and resources. If you're a bookseller who blogs or have a great bookstore website to share, post the link in a comment here, or send me the link directly. I'm happy to include your blog or site in a future posting.
