I Love This Book

STUPID FAST is crazy good. Minnesota author Geoff Herbach has written a moving, beautiful story. The characters, the action, the Wisconsin setting of Bluffton all ring true, but what really shines is the incredible voice of the narrator, Felton Reinstein.

Felton is funny, engaging, and alternately clueless and perceptive, sometimes at the same time. In other words, he's a high school boy. I'm not going to give any of the plot away since the book is so good, but there's a wonderful love story between one of my favorite couples in YA literature.

STUPID FAST was selected as the best YA book of the year in the Cybil Awards and I can see why.

I just finished an ARC of NOTHING SPECIAL, the next Felton book, and that is something special, too. Enjoy meeting Felton Reinstein. You won't forget him.

OKAY FOR NOW

In the midst of helping to care for my 90-year-old father and preparing to fly to the funeral of my dear aunt (my father's younger sister) in Phoenix, AZ, I've been reading Gary D. Schmidt's OKAY FOR NOW as I can squeeze it in. The book would not be a typical pick for Valentine reading. It's not an overt love story, but when I finished it yesterday (Valentine's Day), I realized it is ultimately a love story on many different levels. OKAY FOR NOW is also a master example of "show, don't tell" as it is vividly "told" through the remarkable voice of 14-year-old Doug Swieteck with humor and honesty and, most notably, without sentimentality. An added bonus--Not only do I feel enriched by an array of unusual characters, but also by a new, deeper understanding of art and design through the careful and caring teachings of Mr. Powell. Now you have to read the book to find out more...

David, thank you for recommending this book a number of months ago! It's been on my "to read" list since then, and I'm so happy I finally got to it.

So, my pick for Valentine's Day is OKAY FOR NOW by Gary D. Schmidt, and in the midst of family turmoil, I am feeling okay for now--in fact, far better than "okay" after having read this book!

My One and Only

Last August my author friend, Elaine Alphin, had a stroke. Since then her husband Art has been by her side. Today I read a post in which he said, "Elaine is my one and only."

I want to dedicate this Valentine post to Art and all of you who are taking care of "Your One and Only." I thank you for being there for them. Don't forget to read to them. They can hear you. Elaine does!

Valentine Books

The last book that I illustrated was The Bookstore Valentine in 2002, an Easy Reader by Barbara Maitland. It was the third book in her series. The previous illustrator, Nadine Bernard Westcott, chose not to illustrate this volume. I was asked to continue with Nadine's style and make the reoccurring characters look the same. It was a challenge, and could have been a bruise to my pride, having to illustrate in the manner of someone else, but it proved to be a wonderful learning experience. Trying to decipher Nadine's palette and studying her use of shadows, color, texture, and background, taught me an enormous amount. I was pushed into trying new things that I would have never tried on my own. Ten years later, as I am finally illustrating one of my own books, I am using so much of what I learned from "copying" Nadine's style, tailoring it to fit my own way of illustrating.

And speaking of Valentine books, my all time favorite book for this holiday (and a favorite ANY time of the year) is Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Paul Yalowitz. Lonely, dull Mr. Hatch spends every day doing the exact same thing, until one February when he receives a heart-shaped box of candy in the mail with the mysterious note, "Somebody loves you!" His outlook on life begins to change as he contemplates who might have sent him this package. He starts smiling, saying hello to his neighbors, and lending a hand to folks in need. He becomes a new man...until the postman returns and sheepishly tells him that the delivery was a mistake, and the candy - and note - were meant for someone else. Of course it ends happily, but go read the book for yourself to find out the details. Or better yet, buy a copy and send it to somebody you love.

Coming Soon

The fourth and final book in the 4 for 4 series comes out on February 28. I will be pleased to have all four books together so kids (and adults) can read them one after another without having to wait.

These books are realistic fiction for third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders and feature a different sport for each book. Despite the cover, they are about much more than sports and kids have responded positively to this.

I can use your help in getting these books in the hands of readers. Please let any kid or parent you think would be interested know that all four will be now be out. Thanks.

Honoring Humor

Our topic this round is book awards. Everyone’s heard of the Newberry and Caldecott awards - as Stephanie said in an earlier post, the “academy awards” of children’s literature. But there are dozens, if not hundreds, of other awards that bring attention to quality books. Two of my favorites honor humor in children’s stories.

The Sid Fleischman Humor Award is given by SCBWI to reward “authors whose work exemplifies the excellence of writing in the genre of humor.” It’s been around only since 2004 but already the list of winners reads like a “greatest hits” collection of contemporary classics, including Clementine, Al Capone Does My Shirts, and Absolutely Positively Not – the latter by our very own David LaRochelle! I’ve read all but one of the winners and I’m awed by how each one is not only hilarious but also supremely crafted.

In England, the Roald Dahl Funny Prize has an even shorter history. Created in 2008 by Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, the prize has two categories (six and under; seven to fourteen) which makes for two winners and twice the fun! Personal favorites of mine from shortlists for the prize include Urgum and the Goo Goo Bah, The Boy in the Dress, and The Ogre of Oglefort. I haven’t read any of the winners yet – they must be even funnier! (As an aside, this year the Dahl prize judges included 400 students who read the shortlisted books, discussed them, and voted on their favorites.)

Both awards remind us that humor has a unique value in children’s books, as it does in all our lives. Check out the list of past winners/nominees and I’m sure you’ll find something to tickle your funny bone.

I Want My Hat Back

I just bought the book, I Want My Hat Back, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. Published in 2011, it won the Ted Geisel Award. It's such a simple book with a bear asking his animal friends, "Have you seen my hat?" A bunny, who is obviously wearing his hat, says "No. Why are you asking me. I haven't seen it. I haven't seen any hats anywhere. I would not steal a hat. Don't ask me any more questions." The bear moves on, until he realizes that the rabbit is indeed wearing his hat. The ending is priceless, and I laugh every time I read Bear's guilty answer to squirrel who is looking for a rabbit wearing a hat.