How To Clean Your Room In 10 Easy Steps by Jennifer Huget

For those of us with less than tidy rooms (you know who you are!) this laugh-out-loud picture-book guide to cleaning your room is sure to make picking up a snap. Here is the first rule: Always wait until your mother hollers, "GET UP THERE AND CLEAN YOUR ROOM—NOW!" using all three of your names. Once she does, you'd better get moving. From dumping out drawers and dividing stuff into piles to arranging all eight zillion of your stuffed animals, here's the kind of advice on room tidying that everyone can relate to! Perfect for messy kids (and adults) everywhere!

May 18: Lillian Hoban's Birthday

Lillian Hoban is one of America's best loved author/ illustrators of children's books, and it's her birthday on May18! She is best known for her stories about Arthur the chimpanzee, and has also illustrated the books about Frances the badger by Russell Hoban. Visit the library and check some out, and go online to http://www.lillianhoban.com/ to learn more about Lillian Hoban!

Children's Choice Book Awards Winners Announced!

The Children's Book Council (CBC) in association with Every Child a Reader, Inc. (the CBC Foundation), announced the winners of the third annual Children's Choice Book Awards at a gala in New York City on May 11. Children across the country voted for their favorite books, author, and illustrator at bookstores, school libraries, and at www.BookWeekOnline.com, casting over 115,000 votes.

The Children's Choice Book Award winners are as follows (they're all at the library!):


Author of the Year
James Patterson for Max (A Maximum Ride Novel)

Illustrator of the Year
Peter Brown for The Curious Garden 

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year

Lulu the Big Little Chick written and illustrated by Paulette Bogan

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute written and illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-so-fabulous Life written and illustrated by Rachel Renee Russell

Teen Choice Book of the Year
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

NATIONAL CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK

MAY 10-16 IS NATIONAL CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK! 

Celebrate the joy of reading! Visit the library and celebrate National Children's Book Week. Make your own bookmark and vote for your favorite children's book - everyone who votes will be entered into a raffle to win a cool bookmark.

Check out the official Children's Book Week website, where you can find puzzles and other fun stuff. You also must  visit A Story Before Bed, where 3 of the nominees for Children's Choice Book Award read from their own books!

Don't forget to take a peek at the Children's Choice Book Award widget on the right-hand side of this blog. The Children's Choice Book Awards provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being created for them. The winner in each category will be named at a gala celebration on May 11, 2010, in New York City, as part of Children's Book Week (May 10-16, 2010), the oldest national literacy event in the United States.

STORYLINE ONLINE

I had to share this website I just heard about (thanks, Heather)! It's called Storyline Online, and it's an online streaming video program featuring famous actors reading children's books aloud! It is VERY cool - my favorite so far is Sophie's Masterpiece, by Eileen Spinelli, illustrations by Jane Dyer, and read by CCH Pounder. Each story also includes downloadable activities, and the text can show up onscreen as captions, if you choose.  Take a look! Which one is your favorite?