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.

Greatest Fiction Travel Books of All Time

The November issue of the Conde Nast Traveler magazine featured an article on the 69 Greatest Fiction Travel Books of all Time. Included on this list were Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Crime and Punishment, Don Quixote, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Heart of Darkness, Lolita, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Odyssey, One Hundred Years of Solitude, On the Road, The Shipping News, along with a host of others.

They define fiction travel books as those "in which a place is as important a character as the protagonist."

Kane/Miller has several books that we feel would fit right in with this definition, including:

My Father's Shop

The Wickit Chronicles (Book #1), Ely Plot

The Wickit Chronicles (Book #2), Fen Gold

Little Fish

Are We There Yet?

Kali and the Rat Snake

New Clothes for New Year's Day

Sosu's Call

Tibili

Of course, we also have books coming out in the spring which would also make great additions to the list, including our middle grade fiction, Hannah's Winter and Moonrunner.

Singing to the Sun Wins Moonbeam Children's Award

The Moonbeam Children's Awards were announced last week and Singing to the Sun by Vivian French and illustrated by Jackie Morris, tied for the Gold position in the Picture Books category for all ages.

Presented by Jenkins Group and Independent Publisher Online, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are designed to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. Awards are given in 30 categories covering the full range of subjects, styles and age groups that children’s books are written and published in today.

As our society has become more complex and growing up more complicated, children’s book authors and publishers have risen to the occasion, creating books that not only celebrate the joys of childhood, but also help kids and families deal with its challenges. The Moonbeam Awards recognize and reward the best of these books and bring them to the attention of parents, booksellers, librarians – and to children themselves.

Funny You Should Ask...

It's been twenty days since my last post.

Starting in November, I'll be changing my schedule and working only four days a week. I'll still be traveling and you'll still see me on the road at conventions and conferences in different cities around the country.

But, I have begun already to scale down my time spent online and updating the blog. That's why I'm reaching out and asking fellow booklovers, kidlit bloggers and the audience of readers who enjoy our books (the children they were created for) for help.

Kane/Miller is a company that values everyone's input about how to spread the word about our award-winning children's books from around the world. We're a small, independent company with much to say about our books, but we want to hear from you.

What do you want to read about? Is there a comment, story, or observation you'd like to make about one of our books, authors, illustrators, or company in general?

I'm opening up the Kane/Miller Kidlit blog to you, our loyal readers. Please email me if you'd like to contribute as a guest blogger and attach your submission. I promise I'll do my best to include your writing in some capacity.

Banned Books Week

Typically, I celebrate banned books week by checking out a book from my local library (or pulling one off of my bookshelf at home) that is included in the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books that ALA mentions on their website under the Intellectual Freedom section.

Like many avid readers, I grew up with these books and I challenge each and every adult to read each and every one of the books from this list. Whether you agree with the ideas, values, or opinions that are expressed within these pages, I do believe there is something to be said for having the freedom to share one's thoughts, in writing, and having the equal right to close the cover of a book that might offend us, or make us feel uncomfortable in some way.

If you're not already familiar with the books on this list, or the fact that there is such a list, I encourage you to look it over. You'll find such classics included such as Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird as well as books by Judy Blume, Mem Fox, Stephen King and Mark Twain. You'll also find Where's Waldo? on this list so you just never know who or what might prompt a book to become "challenged."

Literacy Evangalist

Cybils nominations open tomorrow, October 1st. How can you participate?

Jen Robinson, Literacy Evangalist for the 2008 Cybils award, has several ideas.

This year, awards will be given in nine categories (Easy Readers, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Fiction Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade Novels, Non-Fiction Middle Grade/Young Adult Books, Non-Fiction Picture Books, Poetry, Young Adult Novels). Anyone can nominate books in these categories (one nomination per person per category). Nominated titles must be published between January 1st and October 15th of this year, and the books must be in English (or bilingual, where one of the languages is English). To nominate titles, visit the Cybils blog between October 1st and 15th. A separate post will be available for each category - simply nominate by commenting on those individual posts. If you are not sure which category to choose for a particular book, a questions thread will also be available.

The Cybils were founded by Anne Boles Levy and Kelly Herold. This year's winners will be announced on February 14th, 2009.

First Book

Since my role as Marketing Manager requires that I know what's going on in the on line world, I have been following many moms, writers, authors and marketing gurus through Facebook and Twitter.

The following video was included in a tweet by an author who was touched by the First Book's impact on literacy, as was I:

Terms of Endearment

From time to time, I like to indulge in online quizzes. You know, take advantage of the opportunity to see how smart I truly am, because what other way is there to really test my knowledge than with an online quiz?

This morning, I came across a quiz that caught my attention. It's universal in appeal and even though I am only fluent in my native tongue, I still earned a whopping 70% on this one. Included in the quiz are words in German, Estonian, Hindi, Urdu, Hawaiian, Flemish, Italian, Croatian, Welsh, and Basque.

Go ahead and test your knowledge by taking the Mother or Father Terms of Endearment Quiz.

Best of La Jolla Award

WASHINGTON D.C., September 22, 2008 -- Kane/Miller Book Publishers has been selected for the 2008 Best of La Jolla Award in the Publishers category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA):

U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) is a Washington D.C. based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USLBA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USLBA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Local Business Association