Sunday, September 30, 2012

ReRunday: Z IS FOR MOOSE (Picture Book)

A Message From Violet the Telekinetic Puppy:

Hi, I’m Violet and I am going to tell you something you will want to know if you like the picture book Z IS FOR MOOSE and if you have read Z IS FOR MOOSE I bet you like it and if you haven’t read it you should read it very soon because it is so good and it will make you laugh.

The writer of Z IS FOR MOOSE is nice and she is giving away an autographed copy of Z IS FOR MOOSE and that means that she will sign her name in the book. And she is really nice because she is giving away something else too and that something else is a plush version of the main character Moose who is so cute in his shirt with an orange stripe and he would be fun to cuddle while reading the story about him.

So if you want to win an autographed copy of Z IS FOR MOOSE and a cuddly Moose to cuddle while you read Z IS FOR MOOSe you should go to the author’s Web site and this is a link to take you there: Z IS FOR MOOSE contest.

Originally posted on February 29, 2012.

~


by Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Greenwillow-HarperCollins, 2012

A Book Review by
Violet the Telekinetic Puppy


I’m Violet and I am going to tell you about a funny picture book called Z IS FOR MOOSE.

If you know your ABCs you know that “Moose” does not start with the letter Z. If you don’t know your ABCs I will tell you that “Moose” starts with the letter M. Because this book is called Z IS FOR MOOSE you probably think that the author of this book does not know her ABCs. But if you think that you are wrong. The author of this book is just very funny and she wrote a funny picture book about a funny moose named Moose who is very happy to be in an alphabet book.

My name starts with the letter V and that is the twenty-second letter of the alphabet and that means if I were in an alphabet book I would be on the twenty-second page. Moose’s name starts with the letter M so he should be on the thirteenth page. But Moose is an eager beaver moose so he shows up on the fourth page and that is the page for the letter D and Duck gets mad. When Moose shows up on the E page Elephant gets mad.

Moose isn’t on the page with the letters F and G so you probably think you won’t see Moose again until the M page. But if you think that you are wrong. Moose shows up on lots and lots of pages before the M page because he is too excited to wait. I am not sure if Ice Cream gets mad at Moose because Ice Cream does not have a face but Zebra is in charge of the alphabet book and he gets mad at Moose for not waiting his turn.

On the M page something happens that is a surprise and that surprising thing makes Moose very mad and then very sad but it makes readers laugh because it is a funny surprise. I want to tell you what the funny surprise is but I won’t because if I did then you wouldn’t be surprised.

There is something I will tell you and that something is that Moose is on lots and lots of pages after the M page and that is good because I love Moose.

Do you know which page Moose isn’t on? The V page! But don’t worry because Moose is on lots and lots of other pages and that is good because you will love Moose.

Z IS FOR MOOSE is so funny and you will want to read it lots and lots of times and every time you read it you can look at the funny things happening in the pictures. My favorite funny picture is on the K page and on that page Moose is peeking out of a mama kangaroo’s pouch.

Moose causes lots and lots of trouble in this alphabet book. Moose wouldn’t cause so much trouble and make a duck and an elephant and a zebra and probably an ice cream mad if he could be in an alphabet book all by himself. Here is an alphabet book with just a moose in it:

A is for Antlered moose.
B is for Big moose.
C is for Cute moose.
D is for Dear moose.
E is for Eager moose.
F is for Funny moose.
G is for Good moose.
H is for Handsome moose.
I is for Itchy moose.

Do you know something? It is hard to write an alphabet book with just a moose in it. And an alphabet book with just a moose in it isn’t as funny as an alphabet book with an eager beaver moose like Moose who causes trouble.

Here is a list of who will like this book:


Readers who are learning their ABCs.

Readers who already know their ABCs.

Mice.


G is for Good-bye.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Briar’s Journal (September 25 to October 16, 2012)



Dream Entry*
December 25, 2010

I can only remember fragments of my dream:

Bigfoot passing out candy canes to trick-or-treaters.

Beverly hiding peanut butter cookies under rocks by the pond.

My friends, a duck, and three puppies reading to ant colony.



The books BIGFOOT reads to the ants:

BUTTON DOWN
by Anne Ylvisaker

[MIDDLE GRADE—
SEQUEL TO THE LUCK
THE BUTTONS]

Candlewick
September 25, 2012

THE CITY OF EMBER
by Jeanne DuPrau,
adapted by Dallas Middaugh,
illustrated by Niklas Asker

[MIDDLE GRADE—GRAPHIC NOVEL]
Random House
September 25, 2012

THE QUICK FIX
by Jack D. Ferraiolo

[MIDDLE GRADE—
SEQUEL TO THE BIG SPLASH]

Amulet-Abrams
October 1, 2012

DANGER GOES BERSERK
by Mac Barnett,
with illustrations by Matthew Myers

[MIDDLE GRADE—FOURTH IN THE
BRIXTON BROTHERS SERIES]

Simon & Schuster
October 2, 2012

MONSTER TURKEY
by Lewis Trondheim

[GRAPHIC NOVEL—
FOURTH IN THE SERIES]

Papercutz
October 2, 2012

A WRINKLE IN TIME
by Madeleine L’Engle,
adapted and illustrated by Hope Larson

[MIDDLE GRADE—GRAPHIC NOVEL]
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
October 2, 2012


The books MORZANT reads to the ants:

ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND
by Gena Showalter

[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE
WHITE RABBIT CHRONICLES]

Harlequin Teen-Harlequin
September 25, 2012

THE INFECTS
by Sean Beaudoin

[YOUNG ADULT]
Candlewick
September 25, 2012

THE GIANT AND HOW HE
HUMBUGGED AMERICA
by Jim Murphy

[MIDDLE GRADE—NON-FICTION]
Scholastic Press-Scholastic
October 1, 2012

IF YOU WERE A
CHOCOLATE MUSTACHE
by J. Patrick Lewis,
with illustrations by Matthew Cordell

[MIDDLE GRADE—POETRY]
Wordsong-Boyds Mills Press
October 1, 2012

WHO BUILT THE STABLE?:
A NATIVITY POEM
by Ashley Bryan

[PICTURE BOOK]
Atheneum-Simon & Schuster
October 2, 2012

Zom-B
by Darren Shan

[YOUNG ADULT—
FIRST IN THE SERIES]

Little, Brown-Hachette
October 16, 2012


The books MORTIMER reads to the ants:

MOUSETRONAUT: BASED ON
A (PARTIALLY) TRUE STORY
by Mark Kelly,
illustrated by C.F. Payne

[PICTURE BOOK]
Paula Wiseman-Simon & Schuster
October 9, 2012

MARATHON MOUSE
by Amy Dixon,
illustrated by Sam Denlinger

[PICTURE BOOK]
Sky Pony Press-Skyhorse
October 16, 2012


The books PENNY reads to the ants: 

THE BLESSED
by Tonya Hurley,
with illustrations by Abbey Watkins

[YOUNG ADULT—
FIRST IN THE TRILOGY]

Simon & Schuster
September 25, 2012

YESTERDAY
by C.K. Kelly Martin

[YOUNG ADULT]
Random House
September 25, 2012

AMBER HOUSE
by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed,
and Larkin Reed

[YOUNG ADULT]
Arthur A. Levine-Scholastic
October 1, 2012

LEAGUE OF STRAYS
by L.B. Schulman

[YOUNG ADULT—
FIRST IN THE SERIES]

Amulet-Abrams
October 1, 2012

BREATHE
by Sarah Crossan

[YOUNG ADULT]
Greenwillow-HarperCollins
October 2, 2012

EMILY’S DRESS AND
OTHER MISSING THINGS
by Kathryn Burak

[YOUNG ADULT]
Roaring Brook
October 2, 2012

EVE AND ADAM
by Katherine Applegate
and Michael Grant

[YOUNG ADULT—
FIRST IN THE SERIES]

Feiwel & Friends-Macmillan
October 2, 2012

LUCID
by Adrienne Stolz
and Ron Bass

[YOUNG ADULT]
Razorbill-Penguin
October 2, 2012

PIRATE CINEMA
by Cory Doctorow

[YOUNG ADULT]
Tor Teen-Tom Doherty Associates
October 2, 2012

THE SUBURBAN STRANGE
by Nathan Kotecki

[YOUNG ADULT—
FIRST IN THE SERIES]

Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
October 2, 2012

THE BRIDGE
by Jane Higgins

[YOUNG ADULT]
Tundra
October 9, 2012

FREAKLING
by Lana Krumwiede

[YOUNG ADULT]
Candlewick
October 9, 2012

VELVETEEN
by Daniel Marks

[YOUNG ADULT]
Delacorte-Random House
October 9, 2012

BETA
by Rachel Cohn

[YOUNG ADULT]
Hyperion-Disney
October 16, 2012

BREAK MY HEART 1,000 TIMES
by Daniel Waters

[YOUNG ADULT]
Hyperion-Disney
October 16, 2012

THE SHADOW SOCIETY
by Marie Rutkoski

[YOUNG ADULT]
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
October 16, 2012


The books THE DUCK reads to the ants: 

MAGISTERIUM
by Jeff Hirsch

[YOUNG ADULT]
Scholastic Press-Scholastic
October 1, 2012

THE LAST DRAGONSLAYER
by Jasper Fforde

[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE
CHRONICLES OF KAZAM SERIES]

Harcourt-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
October 2, 2012

THE SPINDLERS
by Lauren Oliver,
with illustrations by Iacopo Bruno

[MIDDLE GRADE]
HarperCollins
October 2, 2012

SUMMER AND BIRD
by Katherine Catmull

[MIDDLE GRADE]
Dutton-Penguin
October 2, 2012

THE LAND OF NEVERBELIEVE
by Norman Messenger

[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
October 9, 2012


The books NORMAN reads to the ants: 

DODGER
by Terry Pratchett

[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperCollins
September 25, 2012

THE HIGH SKIES ADVENTURES
OF BLUE JAY THE PIRATE
by Scott Nash

[MIDDLE GRADE]
Candlewick
September 25, 2012

THE LOST TREASURE OF TUCKERMUCK
by Emily Fairlie

[MIDDLE GRADE]
Katherine Tegen-HarperCollins
September 25, 2012

SOPHIA’S WAR: A TALE
OF THE REVOLUTION
by Avi

[MIDDLE GRADE]
Beach Lane-Simon & Schuster
September 25, 2012

TALES FROM LOVECRAFT MIDDLE SCHOOL:
PROFESSOR GARGOYLE
by Charles Gilman

[MIDDLE GRADE—FIRST IN THE
TALES FROM LOVECRAFT
MIDDLE SCHOOL SERIES]

Quirk Books
September 25, 2012

GEEKS, GIRLS, AND
SECRET IDENTITIES
by Mike Jung,
with illustrations by Mike Maihack

[MIDDLE GRADE]
Arthur A. Levine-Scholastic
October 1, 2012

THE ICARUS PROJECT
by Laura Quimby

[MIDDLE GRADE]
Amulet-Abrams
October 1, 2012

THE CLOAK SOCIETY
by Jeramey Kraatz

[MIDDLE GRADE]
HarperCollins
October 2, 2012

HERO IN DISGUISE
by Stephanie S. Sanders

[MIDDLE GRADE—SECOND IN THE
VILLAIN SCHOOL SERIES]

Bloomsbury USA
October 2, 2012

KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES
by Shannon Messenger

[MIDDLE GRADE—FIRST IN THE
LOST CITIES SERIES]

Aladdin-Simon & Schuster
October 2, 2012

THE VOYAGE OF LUCY P. SIMMONS
by Barbara Mariconda

[MIDDLE GRADE]
Katherine Tegen-HarperCollins
October 2, 2012


The books BEVERLY reads to the ants:

OCTOBER MOURNING: A SONG
FOR MATTHEW SHEPARD
by Lesléa Newman

[YOUNG ADULT—NOVEL IN VERSE]
Candlewick
September 25, 2012

ENDANGERED
by Eliot Schrefer

[YOUNG ADULT]
Scholastic Press-Scholastic
October 1, 2012

SKINNY
by Donna Cooner

[YOUNG ADULT]
Point-Scholastic
October 1, 2012

CHASING THE SKIP
by Janci Patterson

[YOUNG ADULT]
Henry Holt
October 2, 2012

LIVE THROUGH THIS
by Mindi Scott

[YOUNG ADULT]
Simon Pulse-Simon & Schuster
October 2, 2012

SEND ME A SIGN
by Tiffany Schmidt

[YOUNG ADULT]
Walker
October 2, 2012

SON
by Lois Lowry

[YOUNG ADULT—FINAL IN THE
GIVER SERIES]

Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
October 2, 2012

STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY
by Grace Lin

[MIDDLE GRADE]
Little, Brown-Brown-Hachette
October 2, 2012

THROUGH TO YOU
by Emily Hainsworth

[YOUNG ADULT]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
October 2, 2012

ALL YOU NEVER WANTED
by Adele Griffin

[YOUNG ADULT]
Knopf-Random House
October 9, 2012

JEPP, WHO DEFIED THE STARS
by Katherine Marsh

[YOUNG ADULT]
Hyperion-Disney
October 9, 2012

THE OPPOSITE OF HALLELUJAH
by Anna Jarzab

[YOUNG ADULT]
Delacorte-Random House
October 9, 2012

THIS IS NOT FORGIVENESS
by Celia Rees

[YOUNG ADULT]
Bloomsbury USA
October 16, 2012


The books OLIVER reads to the ants: 

BLACK DOG
by Levi Pinfold

[PICTURE BOOK]
Templar-Candlewick
September 25, 2012

LET’S SING A LULLABY WITH
THE BRAVE COWBOY
by Jan Thomas

[PICTURE BOOK]
Beach Lane-Simon & Schuster
September 25, 2012

NIGHTSONG
by Ari Berk,
illustrated by Loren Long

[PICTURE BOOK]
Simon & Schuster
September 25, 2012

SPIKE, THE MIXED-UP MONSTER
by Susan Hood,
illustrated by Melissa Sweet

[PICTURE BOOK]
Paula Wiseman-Simon & Schuster
September 25, 2012

A TRIP TO THE BOTTOM OF
THE WORLD WITH MOUSE
by Frank Viva

[GRAPHIC NOVEL—EARLY READER]
Toon Books-Candlewick
September 25, 2012

TOO TALL HOUSES
by Gianna Marino

[PICTURE BOOK]
Viking-Penguin
September 27, 2012

IT’S DUFFY TIME!
by Audrey Wood,
illustrated by Don Wood

[PICTURE BOOK]
Blue Sky Press-Scholastic
October 1, 2012

OUR VERY OWN
CHRISTMAS STORY
by Annette Langen,
illustrated by Marije Tolman

[PICTURE BOOK]
NorthSouth
October 1, 2012

TEN CREEPY MONSTERS
by Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis

[PICTURE BOOK]
Abrams
October 1, 2012

ALL THE AWAKE ANIMALS
ARE ALMOST ASLEEP
by Crescent Dragonwagon,
illustrated by David McPhail

[PICTURE BOOK]
Little, Brown-Hachette
October 2, 2012

EACH KINDNESS
by Jacqueline Woodson,
illustrated by E.B. Lewis

[PICTURE BOOK]
Nancy Paulsen-Penguin
October 2, 2012

NEVER LIE ON A LION
by Alan James Brown,
illustrated by Michael Saren
and Barbara Vagnozzi

[PICTURE BOOK]
Bloomsbury USA
October 2, 2012

PENGUIN AND PINECONE
by Salina Yoon

[PICTURE BOOK]
Walker
October 2, 2012

OLIVER
by Birgitta Sif

[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
October 9, 2012

SQUEAK, RUMBLE, WHOMP! WHOMP! WHOMP!:
A SONIC ADVENTURE
by Wynton Marsalis,
illustrated by Paul Rogers

[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
October 9, 2012

COLD SNAP
by Eileen Spinelli,
illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

[PICTURE BOOK]
Knopf-Random House
October 9, 2012


The books LENNY reads to the ants: 

WHO PUSHED HUMPTY DUMPTY?:
AND OTHER NOTORIOUS
NURSERY TALE MYSTERIES
by David Levinthal,
illustrated by John Nickle

[PICTURE BOOK]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
September 25, 2012

THE THREE NINJA PIGS
by Corey Rosen Schwartz,
illustrated by Dan Santat

[PICTURE BOOK]
Putnam-Penguim
September 27, 2012

JANGLES: A BIG FISH STORY
by David Shannon

[PICTURE BOOK]
Blue Sky Press-Scholastic
October 1, 2012

LOOK…LOOK AGAIN!
by John O’Brien

[PICTURE BOOK]
Boyds Mills
October 1, 2012

THE SANTA TRAP
by Jonathan Emmett,
illustrated by Poly Bernatene

[PICTURE BOOK]
Peachtree
October 1, 2012

SCAREDY SQUIRREL PREPARES FOR CHRISTMAS:
A SAFETY GUIDE FOR SCAREDIES
by Melanie Watt

[ACTIVITY BOOK]
Kids Can Press
October 1, 2012

SANTA FROM CINCINNATI
by Judi Barrett,
illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

[PICTURE BOOK]
Atheneum-Simon & Schuster
October 2, 2012

SPLAT SAYS THANK YOU!
by Rob Scotton

[PICTURE BOOK—
SPLAT THE CAT SERIES]

HarperCollins
October 2, 2012

SNOWMAN MAGIC
by Katherine Tegen,
illustrated by Brandon Dorman

[PICTURE BOOK]
HarperCollins
October 9, 2012

THIS IS NOT MY HAT
by Jon Klassen

[PICTURE BOOK—
SEQUEL TO I WANT MY HAT BACK]

Candlewick
October 9 2012

WHAT MESS?
by Tom Lichtenheld

[PICTURE BOOK]
Little, Brown-Hachette
October 9, 2012

ABE LINCOLN’S DREAM
by Lane Smith
[PICTURE BOOK]
Roaring Brook
October 16, 2012

I NEED MY OWN COUNTRY!
by Rick Walton,
illustrated Wes Hargis

[PICTURE BOOK]
Bloomsbury USA
October 16, 2012

KATE AND NATE ARE
RUNNING LATE!
by Kate Egan,
illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

[PICTURE BOOK]
Feiwel & Friends-Macmillan
October 16, 2012

SNOWMEN AT WORK
by Caralyn Buehner,
illustrated by Mark Buehner

[PICTURE BOOK—
FOURTH IN THE SERIES]

Dial-Penguin
October 16, 2012


The books VIOLET reads to the ants: 

CHARLIE AND THE
CHRISTMAS KITTY
by Ree Drummond,
illustrated by Diane deGroat

[PICTURE BOOK—SEQUEL TO
CHARLIE THE RANCH DOG]

HarperCollins
September 25, 2012

TOO NOISY!
by Malachy Doyle,
illustrated by Ed Vere

[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
September 25, 2012

BOOT & SHOE
by Marla Frazee

[PICTURE BOOK]
Beach Lane-Simon & Schuster
October 2, 2012

CHRISTMAS PARADE
by Sandra Boynton

[PICTURE BOOK]
Little, Brown-Hachette
October 2, 2012

LET’S GO FOR A DRIVE!
by Mo Willems

[EARLY READER—AN ELEPHANT
AND PIGGIE BOOK]

Hyperion-Disney
October 9, 2012

OTTER AND ODDER:
A LOVE STORY
by James Howe,
illustrated by Chris Raschka

[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
October 9, 2012

ARCHIE
by Domenica More Gordon

[PICTURE BOOK]
Bloomsbury USA
October 16, 2012


* The dream entries from Briar’s journal contain premonitions of books that will be published in the future. Briar’s dream self foresees the books’ summaries and knows which will likely appeal to each of her friends. Briar always wakes up before she can see whether her friends will enjoy the books.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Three Minutes at the Table

Normanday #47: Please pass the story.

Describe sitting down for a meal with somebody.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day September 30 (put “Norman has a Recurring Dream About Square Dancing with Giraffes” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.
 
Here are the entries from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes…
 
…about spending some time outside before summer ends.

Tren Rewy Steb
The two beagles roam freely. They don’t bound joyfully or run in circles like some other dogs do. Their noses lead them meticulously through tall grasses. The white-tipped flags of their tails are like snorkels visible only in flashes between choppy waves. One swims through white clover for an instant, then his black back dips back under the surface. The other beagle scavenges in an open area of dirt. Occasionally her head lifts slightly, then she returns to a dirt-covered scent and stops to chew some smelly morsel. Suddenly the two dogs meet amid their separate wanderings and play.

Roy Tep
There’s something cheery about the way a duck walks, his feathery butt swaying from side to side to some music I can’t hear. Or maybe I can. Maybe it’s the sound of the birds calling to each other across the park and the squirrels chattering from their acorny perch. The water laps to shore, a soft rhythm. Bees buzz around the opening of a pop can. Sunlight darts between windblown leaves—nature’s strobe light. The duck dances there, and sings, too. Wak-wak-wak.

Ralph
Maurice’s Ice Cream Truck End of Season Sale!
Everything must go!
 

ice cream sandwiches (hero, regular, or finger)
 

ice cream (cone, cube, or pyramid)
 

snow, sleet, or fog cones
 

snap-, crackle-,or popsicles
(sarsaparilla flavor SOLD OUT!)
Hurry while supplies last!

Cranberly
The end of Summer in the Second City
It certainly feels like Fall is here in Chicago, Illinois. The temperatures are dropping, especially at night! The air condition is off at our first floor apartment. The problem with Chicago, though, is that there is pretty big temperature swing during the day. Yesterday the day started at 40 degrees and went up to 70 degrees by noon. It’s hard to know what to wear on days like that. Footwear is a particular challenge.
 
Right now, at my office, we have the window open. They turned the heat in the building on too soon. It’s sunny and a soft breeze floats over to my desk. Inspired, my friend and I decided to go for a walk at lunch.
 
Sunny and breezy is the best description for today. Some of the leaves are starting to fall off the trees. The weather is so lovely—not too hot and not too chilly—that so many people are out and enjoying the day. Because the weather is confusing, clothing styles range from shorts and sandals to fall boots and coats. Lots of people are pushing strollers with sleepy little ones leaning back, tired from climbing and running at the park. The sky is a soft blue, the color dampened by a thick layer of white and soft gray clouds. As always in the city, you hear cars zooming by, people chatting, construction tools in action. Some people walking are on the phone. There is a baseball game nearby at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are playing the Cincinnati Reds today. I see lots of people wearing Cubs shirts and walking toward the stadium. People are usually laughing and friendly, despite the very real possibility that the Cubs will lose today. They played the Cincinnati Reds last night and lost. But no one minds. People just are happy to enjoy the lovely day at the stadium.
 
We stop and buy some lunch to take back to the office. We only get 30 minutes for lunch and it is a 10 minute walk to most restaurants and a 10 minute walk back. So we have to be quick. On the way back to the office with our bags, we pass by a lady walking her very large puppy. I say “puppy,” despite the fact that his big gray head came all the way up to the top of my thigh, because he was full of puppy enthusiasm when he saw me and my friend walking by. He was sniffing a tree and then he spotted us and starting jumping and wiggling his body and stuck his tongue out. We asked if he was a puppy and his walker said yes and we asked if we could pet him and the answer was also yes. He was jumping and wiggling so much, it was hard to even pat his head. He licked our hands as his walker tried to keep him from jumping on us. There are usually lots of people walking dogs in this neighborhood. They range in size, but usually they are pretty small. It’s difficult to have a big dog in the city because people usually don’t have yards for the dogs to run and play in.
 
We continued around the block to the street in front of our office building. We have beautiful flowers planted in the boxes that surround the smaller trees in front of the building. The flowers change as the seasons change. Right now, they are white and deep red, matching our white and red company signs. In the Spring, we had colorful yellow, orange, and purple tulips and when they started to wilt under summer’s heat, the “Green” Company pulled up the tulip bulbs and offered them to the employees to take home and plant for next Spring. That’s when they planted the red and white flowers. As the temperatures grow colder, they will plant hearty greenery and pine and add small white strings of lights to make the area look more festive for the Holidays.
 
So it’s a lovely day today in Chicago. I am happy I only have 2 more hours to be indoors.
 

Monday, September 17, 2012

Three Minutes in Nature


Normanday #46: The squirrels sure are busy.

Summer is ending. Some of you will be spending much less time outside as the days get colder and shorter. Get outside while you still can and write about what you see, hear, and smell.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day September 23 (put “Norman Likes Cake” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.

Here is he single entry from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes…

…about people you observe anywhere at all.


Ralph
I’m sitting along a small pond. A little ways off is a dad fishing with three little kids. It’s a weekday afternoon. Maybe the dad is taking the day off from work.

“I got a bite! I got a bite!” one of the kids yells. But when he pulls the line in, all that’s there is the orange bobber. Did he really feel a bite or was he responding to what his dad had just said: “I think we’re just going to go home.” The kids beg not to go home. The dad keeps saying, “We’re just going to go home.” But they don’t leave.

The dad calls one of the little boys “Cole” and tells him to set down the pole so there isn’t another accident, whatever that means. The boy’s pole is at least twice as tall as he is. The dad casts the line. It sails and dives, like a kite, a gust of wind making it dodge and soar. The boys aren’t interested in fishing any more since they can’t hold the poles. They start playing in the nearby field. The dad standing there with the pole looks like maybe he’d rather be at work.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Three Minutes Lurking—er, I mean Observing

Normanday #45: It’s not eavesdropping, it’s research.


Observe people—at the movies or the mall, the park, a classroom…anywhere at all. Write for three minutes about what they say and do, what they look like, and possibly how they smell. Leave no detail unrecorded.


Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day September 16 (put “Norman is Inventive” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.


Here is the single entry from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes…


…about the unexpected email you received—a note from yourself twenty years from now.



Cranberly

Dear Kim,


It’s me, Kim. Yes, you. I mean “me.” Or maybe I mean “us”? Anyway, it’s you in the future. The year is 2032. We have the ability to send email to the past now. I did the maximum amount of time allotted—20 years. I would have done 40, but that isn’t possible yet. Mainly because there was no email 40 years ago. Remember? Back in 1992? I mean, some people knew about it, but you sure didn’t. No email, no internet, no cell phones.


We don’t have those things either, actually. Well, not in the forms that you know them in.


Anyway, I digress. I could tell you all about the future, but that would be cheating. And I know you hate cheating. They won’t let us give too much away. But they do say we can give some warnings or advice, if that should be helpful.


The good news is that you are still alive. I know that is surprising to you with your family history and the rumor that the world ends at the end of 2012. It doesn’t end. It will change some and that change is important. But it’s not an ending as you know it. So, anyway, stop worrying about dying.


Speaking of worrying, I suppose you thought I would tell you to stop all together, right? Well, wrong. We find out that you worrying is REALLY helpful. It has kept us prepared. Thinking about all the possibilities, good and bad, allowed us to react in a swift manner to some crazy stuff that started happening right around 2015. I can’t get into the details, but all your worrying paid off. So, if I were you, I would do even MORE worrying. Try to develop certain skills and reactions in response to that worry. It’s good to stay on your toes.


The other good news is that they finally found a cure to cancer, so no one has to worry about that. But, now we have Blubelia. No cure. And it’s contagious and no one knows how it is being spread. So people are kind of jumpy. The people with OCD seem to be doing well, so most everyone has developed a form of OCD. It’s just a way of life now. As you had a little of that before, it doesn’t both you too much to adapt to this much stricter cleaning process. You had a hard time convincing Wood and your son.


Speaking of which, your son is doing well. 19 years old and studying to be a doctor. You hope he finds the cure to Blubelia. He is a bit of an alien buff…but who isn’t these days? Understanding alien technology is all the rage. And you and Wood are still together. He has done well with his inventions but you still haven’t made much money. He’s too generous, as you have always known. He loves using the alien parts to create some funky hybrid guitars. I can’t tell you how much time I have spent cleaning up alien junk parts!


Well, I suppose I am reaching my time limit on this thing. Just remember, continue to worry. The world doesn’t end in 2012. There is a cure to cancer. And to watch out for the giant cockroaches in 2017. And I mean “giant.” In fact, I know they no longer sell or produce DDT, but if you can find some, squirrel it away in a safe place. It just might save our life some day.


Tallyho!


60 year old Kim.


P.S. You look good for 60. Try not to think too much about your looks. And good job losing weight in 2014. It worked out well because you had to do a lot of running in 2017, because of the cockroaches and all. The knee replacements work well too. So, keep at it and it will all pay off in the end…

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Briar’s Journal (September 4 to 19, 2012)

Dream Entry*
April 26, 2007


I can only remember fragments of my dream:

A barbershop quartet with three toads and a bobcat singing the alphabet.

Norman and Morzant arguing about how many holes a donut should have while Bigfoot tosses donuts into a clothes hamper.

My friends, a duck, and three puppies reading under a weeping willow.



The books BIGFOOT was reading:

FREAKS LIKE US by Susan Vaught
[YOUNG ADULT]
Bloomsbury USA
September 4, 2012

A WHOLE LOT OF LUCKY by Danette Haworth
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Walker
September 4, 2012

FANG GIRL by Helen Keeble
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
September 11, 2012

ONE YEAR IN COAL HARBOR by Polly Horvath
[MIDDLE GRADE—SEQUEL TO

EVERYTHING ON A WAFFLE]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
September 11, 2012

BUTTON DOWN by Anne Ylvisaker
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Candlewick
September 25, 2012

THE CITY OF EMBER by Jeanne DuPrau,

adapted by Dallas Middaugh, illustrated by Niklas Asker
[MIDDLE GRADE—GRAPHIC NOVEL]
Random House
September 25, 2012


The books MORZANT was reading:

DOGS ON DUTY: SOLDIERS’ BEST FRIENDS ON

THE BATTLEFIELD by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Walker
September 4, 2012

LENORE FINDS A FRIEND: A TRUE STORY FROM

BEDLAM FARM by Jon Katz
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Henry Holt
September 4, 2012

MONSIEUR MARCEAU: ACTOR WITHOUT WORDS

by Leda Schubert, illustrated by Gérard DuBois
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Neal Porter-Roaring Brook
September 4, 2012

ANNIE AND HELEN by Deborah Hopkinson,

illustrated by Raul Colon
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
September 11, 2012

BEYOND COURAGE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF

JEWISH RESISTANCE DURING THE HOLOCAUST

by Doreen Rappaport
[MIDDLE GRADE—NON-FICTION]
Candlewick
September 11, 2012

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BOOK OF

ANIMAL POETRY: 200 POEMS WITH

PHOTOGRAPHS THAT SQUEAK, SOAR,

AND ROAR! edited by J. Patrick Lewis
[POETRY]
National Geographic Children’s Books
September 11, 2012

ELECTRIC BEN: THE AMAZING LIFE AND

TIMES OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN by Robert Byrd
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Dial-Penguin
September 13, 2012

WHERE DO PRESIDENTS COME FROM?:

AND OTHER PRESIDENTIAL STUFF OF

SUPER GREAT IMPORTANCE by Michael Townsend
[MIDDLE GRADE—COMIC—NON-FICTION]
Dial-Penguin
September 13, 2012

ISLAND: A STORY OF THE GALÁPAGOS by Jason Chin
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Neal Porter-Roaring Brook
September 18, 2012

ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND by Gena Showalter
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE

WHITE RABBIT CHRONICLES]
Harlequin Teen
September 25, 2012

THE INFECTS by Sean Beaudoin
[YOUNG ADULT]
Candlewick
September 25, 2012


The books PENNY was reading:

BLINK ONCE by Cylin Busby
[YOUNG ADULT]
Bloomsbury USA
September 4, 2012

CARNIVAL OF SOULS by Melissa Marr
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperCollins
September 4, 2012

THE EDGE OF NOWHERE by Elizabeth George
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE SERIES]
Viking-Penguin
September 4, 2012

OUTPOST by Ann Aguirre
[YOUNG ADULT—SEQUEL TO ENCLAVE]
Feiwel & Friends-Macmillan
September 4, 2012

ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY by Lara Avery
[YOUNG ADULT]
Hyperion-Disney
September 11, 2012

DAYLIGHT SAVING by Edward Hogan
[YOUNG ADULT]
Candlewick
September 11, 2012

UNSPOKEN by Sarah Ress Brennan
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE

LYNBURN LEGACY SERIES]
Random House
September 11, 2012

LINDSEY LOST by Suzanne Marie Phillips
[YOUNG ADULT]
Viking-Penguin
September 13, 2012

CURSED by Jennifer L. Armentrout
[YOUNG ADULT]
Spencer Hill Press
September 18, 2012

THE DEAD GIRLS DETECTIVE AGENCY by Suzy Cox
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
September 18, 2012

THE DIVINERS by Libba Bray
[YOUNG ADULT]
Little, Brown-Hachette
September 18, 2012

NECROMANCING THE STONE by Lish McBride
[YOUNG ADULT—SEQUEL TO

HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER]
Henry Holt
September 18, 2012

THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE SERIES]
Scholastic Press-Scholastic
September 18, 2012

TEN by Gretchen McNeil
[YOUNG ADULT]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
September 18, 2012

WHAT’S LEFT OF ME by Kat Zhang
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE

HYBRID CHRONICLES]
HarperCollins
September 18, 2012

THE BLESSED by Tonya Hurley,

with illustrations by Abbey Watkins
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE TRILOGY]
Simon & Schuster
September 25, 2012


The books THE DUCK was reading:

MONSTROUS BEAUTY by Elizabeth Fama
[YOUNG ADULT]
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
September 4, 2012

THE BRIDES OF ROLLROCK ISLAND

by Margo Lanagan
[YOUNG ADULT]
Knopf-Random House
September 11, 2012

THE SECRET OF THE STONE FROG by David Nytra
[MIDDLE GRADE—GRAPHIC NOVEL]
Toon Books-Candlewick
September 11, 2012

DANGEROUSLY EVER AFTER by Dashka Slater,

illustrated by Valeria Docampo
[PICTURE BOOK]
Dial-Penguin
September 13, 2012

THE PECULIAR by Stefan Bachmann
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Greenwillow-HarperCollins
September 18, 2012


The books NORMAN was reading:


MALCOM AT MIDNIGHT by W. H. Beck,
with illustrations by Brian Lies
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
September 4, 2012

PICKLE: THE (FORMERLY) ANONYMOUS
PRANK CLUB OF FOUNTAIN POINT MIDDLE SCHOOL
by Kim Baker with illustrations by Tim Probert
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Roaring Brook
September 4, 2012


THE POWER OF POPPY PENDLE by Natasha Lowe
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Paula Wiseman-Simon & Schuster
September 4, 2012


WHAT CAME FROM THE STARS by Gary D. Schmidt
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Clarion-Houghton Mifflin
September 4, 2012


LUNCH LADY AND THE PICTURE DAY PERIL
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
[MIDDLE GRADE COMIC—EIGHTH IN THE SERIES]
Knopf-Random House
September 11, 2012


POTTERWOOKIEE by Obert Skye
[MIDDLE GRADE—SECOND IN THE
CREATURE FROM MY CLOSET SERIES]
Henry Holt
September 18, 2012



The books BEVERLY was reading:

A DOG CALLED HOMELESS by Sarah Lean
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Katherine Tegen-HarperCollins
September 4, 2012

THE GREAT UNEXPECTED by Sharon Creech
[MIDDLE GRADE]
HarperCollins
September 4, 2012

PERSONAL EFFECTS by E. M. Kokie
[YOUNG ADULT]
Candlewick
September 11, 2012

SAFEKEEPING by Karen Hesse
[YOUNG ADULT]
Feiwel & Friends-Macmillan
September 18, 2012


The books OLIVER was reading:

APPLE CAKE: A RECIPE FOR LOVE by Julie Paschkis
[PICTURE BOOK]
Harcourt
September 4, 2012

BEAR HAS A STORY TO TELL by Philip C. Stead,

illustrated by Erin Stead
[PICTURE BOOK]
Roaring Brook
September 4, 2012

BEAR SAYS THANKS by Karma Wilson,

illustrated by Jane Chapman
[PICTURE BOOK—EIGHTH IN THE SERIES]
Margaret K. McElderry-Simon & Schuster
September 4, 2012

A HALLOWEEN TREAT by Edward Gorey
[PICTURE BOOK]
Bloomsbury USA
September 4, 2012

THE MONSTERS’ MONSTER by Patrick McDonnell
[PICTURE BOOK]
Little, Brown-Hachette
September 4, 2012

JUST RIGHT FOR CHRISTMAS by Birdie Black,

illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
[PICTURE BOOK]
Nosy Crow-Candlewick
September 11, 2012

LOVABYE DRAGON by Barbara Joosse,

illustrated by Randy Cecil
[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
September 11, 2012

OH, NO! by Candace Fleming,

illustrated by Eric Rohmann
[PICTURE BOOK]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
September 11, 2012

THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE

by Helen Ward
[PICTURE BOOK]
Templar-Candlewick
September 11, 2012

AS THE CROW FLIES by Sheila Keenan,

illustrated by Kevin Duggan
[PICTURE BOOK]
Feiwel & Friends-Macmillan
September 18, 2012

THAT’S WHAT I’D DO by Jewel,

illustrated by Amy June Bates
[PICTURE BOOK]
Paula Wiseman-Simon & Schuster
September 18, 2012

UNDERGROUND by Denise Fleming
[PICTURE BOOK]
Beach Lane-Simon & Schuster
September 18, 2012


The books LENNY was reading:

DINOSAUR VS. SANTA by Bob Shea
[PICTURE BOOK—FOURTH IN THE SERIES]
Hyperion-Disney
September 11, 2012

MR. PUTTER & TABBY DANCE THE DANCE

by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Arthur Howard
[EARLY READER—NEWEST IN THE SERIES]
Harcourt
September 11, 2012

RABBIT AND ROBOT: THE SLEEPOVER by Cece Bell
[EARLY READER]
Candlewick
September 11, 2012

WHAT CAN A CRANE PICK UP?

by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illustrated by Mike Lowery
[PICTURE BOOK]
Knopf-Random House
September 11, 2012

IT’S ALL ABOUT ME-OW by Hudson Talbott
[PICTURE BOOK]
Nancy Paulsen-Penguin
September 13, 2012

OH, NUTS! by Tammi Sauer, illustrated Dan Krall
[PICTURE BOOK]
Bloomsbury USA
September 18, 2012


The books VIOLET was reading:

GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS

by Mo Willems
[PICTURE BOOK]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
September 4, 2012

I’M BORED by Michael Ian Black,

illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
[PICTURE BOOK]
Simon & Schuster
September 4, 2012

LULU WALKS THE DOGS by Judith Viorst,

with illustrations by Lane Smith
[CHAPTER BOOK—SEQUEL TO

LULU AND THE BRONTOSAURUS]
Atheneum-Simon & Schuster
September 4, 2012

MY BRAVE YEAR OF FIRSTS:

TRIES, SIGHS, AND HIGH FIVES

by Jamie Lee Curtis, illustrated by Laura Cornell
[PICTURE BOOK]
HarperCollins
September 4, 2012

NORA THE MIND READER by Orit Gidali,

illustrated by Aya Gordon-Noy
[PICTURE BOOK]
Enchanted Lion
September 4, 2012

BECAUSE AMELIA SMILED by David Ezra Stein
[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
September 11, 2012

LEMONADE IN WINTER: A BOOK ABOUT

TWO KIDS COUNTING MONEY

by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
[PICTURE BOOK]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
September 11, 2012

DIXIE WINS THE RACE by Grace Gilman,
illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers
[EARLY READER—FIFTH IN THE SERIES]
HarperCollins
September 18, 2012

READY OR NOT, HERE COMES SCOUT

by Jill Abramson and Jane O’Connor,

illustrated by Deborah Melmon
[PICTURE BOOK]
Viking-Penguin
September 18, 2012

GANESHA’S SWEET TOOTH

by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes,

illustrated by Sanjay Patel
[PICTURE BOOK]
Chronicle
September 19, 2012




* The dream entries from Briar’s journal contain premonitions of books that will be published in the future. Briar’s dream self foresees the books’ summaries and knows which will likely appeal to each of her friends. Briar always wakes up before she can see whether her friends will enjoy the books.