Briar’s Journal (June 4 to 27, 2013)

Dream Entry*
November 3, 2010

I can only remember fragments of my dream:

Norman breaking into a gum factory to steal the recipe for asparagus bubble gum.

Morzant using dental floss as jumping rope.

Penny swimming in an ocean of peanut butter.

My friends, a duck, and three puppies reading to their dads.



The books BIGFOOT reads to his dad:

BOWLING ALLEY BANDIT
by Laurie Keller
[CHAPTER BOOK—FIRST IN THE 
ADVENTURES OF ARNIE THE DOUGHNUT SERIES]
Henry Holt
June 4, 2013


The books MORZANT reads to his dad:

ERUPTION!: VOLCANOES AND 
THE SCIENCE OF SAVING LIVES 
(SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD SERIES)
by Elizabeth Rusch, photographs by Tom Uhlman
[MIDDLE GRADE—NON-FICTION]
Houghton Mifflin
July 18, 2013

MISTER AND LADY DAY: BILLIE HOLIDAY AND 
THE DOG WHO LOVED HER
by Amy Novesky, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
June 18, 2013

THE BOY WHO LOVED MATH: 
THE IMPROBABLE LIFE OF PAUL ERDOS
by Deborah Heiligman, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Roaring Brook
June 25, 2013

BRUSH OF THE GODS
by Lenore Look, illustrated by Meilo So
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
June 25, 2013


The books PENNY reads to her dad:

THE TESTING
by Joelle Charbonneau
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE TRILOGY]
Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
June 4, 2013

A MATTER OF DAYS
by Amber Kizer
[YOUNG ADULT]
Delacorte-Random House
June 11, 2013

ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE
by Kate Karyus Quinn
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
June 11, 2013

BORN OF ILLUSION
by Teri Brown
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE SERIES]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
June 11, 2013

BOY NOBODY
by Allen Zadoff
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE SERIES]
Little, Brown-Hachette
June 11, 2013

THE GIRL WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE
by April Henry
[YOUNG ADULT]
Henry Holt
June 11, 2013

LINKED
by Imogen Howson
[YOUNG ADULT]
Simon & Schuster
June 11, 2013

MY CHEMICAL MOUNTAIN
by Corina Vacco
[YOUNG ADULT]
Delacorte-Random House
June 11, 2013

RUSH
by Eve Silver
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE GAME SERIES]
Katherine Tegen-HarperCollins
June 11, 2013

PROXY
by Alex London
[YOUNG ADULT]
Philomel-Penguin
June 18, 2013

SOLSTICE
by P.J. Hoover
[YOUNG ADULT]
Tor Teen-Tom Doherty Associates
June 18, 2013

IN THE AFTER
by Demitria Lunetta
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
June 25, 2013

NEPTUNE’S TEARS
by Susan Waggoner
[YOUNG ADULT]
Henry Holt
June 25, 2013

 
The books THE DUCK reads to her dad:

FAR FAR AWAY
by Tom McNeal
[YOUNG ADULT]
Knopf-Random House
June 11, 2013

MORTAL FIRE
by Elizabeth Knox
[YOUNG ADULT]
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
June 11, 2013

INTUITION
by C.J. Omololu
[YOUNG ADULT—SEQUEL TO 
TRANSCENDENCE]
Walker
June 18, 2013

THE LOST SUN
by Tessa Gratton
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE 
UNITED STATES OF ASGARD SERIES]
Random House
June 25, 2013

ASHES ON THE WAVES
by Mary Lindsey
[YOUNG ADULT]
Philomel-Penguin
June 27, 2013


The books NORMAN reads to his dad:

PI IN THE SKY
by Wendy Mass
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Little, Brown-Hachette
June 11, 2013

CLUELESS MCGHEE AND THE INFLATABLE PANTS
by Jeff Mack
[MIDDLE GRADE—SECOND IN THE SERIES]
Philomel-Penguin
June 13, 2013

ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO’S LIBRARY
by Chris Grabenstein
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Random House
June 25, 2013

THE NORTHERN FRIGHTS
by Derek the Ghost, 
with illustrations by Scott M. Fischer
[MIDDLE GRADE—THIRD IN THE 
SCARY SCHOOL SERIES]
HarperCollins
June 25, 2013

CHEWS YOUR DESTINY
by Rhode Montijo
[CHAPTER BOOK—FIRST IN THE GUM GIRL SERIES]
Disney-Hyperion
August 20, 2013


The books BEVERLY reads to her dad:

THE ELEMENTALS
by Saundra Mitchell
[YOUNG ADULT]
Harcourt-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
June 4, 2013

THE WALL
by William Sutcliffe
[YOUNG ADULT]
Walker
June 4, 2013

WHEN YOU WERE HERE
by Daisy Whitney
[YOUNG ADULT]
Little, Brown-Hachette
June 4, 2013

CHARM & STRANGE
by Stephanie Kuehn
[YOUNG ADULT]
St. Martin's Griffin
June 11, 2013

BO AT BALLARD CREEK
by Kirkpatrick Hill, with illustrations by LeUyen Pham
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Henry Holt
June 18, 2013


 
The books OLIVER reads to his dad:

DOWNPOUR
by Emily Martin, illustrated by Mara Shaughnessy
[PICTURE BOOK]
Sky Pony Press-Skyhorse
June 4, 2013

THE LOST (AND FOUND) BALLOON
by Celeste Jenkins, illustrated by Maria Bogade
[PICTURE BOOK]
Aladdin-Simon & Schuster
June 11, 2013

RUFF!: AND THE WONDERFULLY AMAZING BUSY DAY
by Caroline Jayne Church
[PICTURE BOOK]
HarperCollins
June 11, 2013

TWENTY BIG TRUCKS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET
by Mark Lee, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus
[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
June 11, 2013

SQUIRREL’S FUN DAY
by Lisa Moser, illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev
[EARLY READER—SECOND IN THE SERIES]
Candlewick
June 11, 2013

A SINGLE PEARL
by Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Jim LaMarche
[PICTURE BOOK]
Disney-Hyperion
June 18, 2013

COUNT THE MONKEYS
by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Kevin Cornell
[PICTURE BOOK]
Disney-Hyperion
June 25, 2013

HENRY’S MAP
by David Elliot
[PICTURE BOOK]
Philomel-Penguin
June 27, 2013


The books LENNY reads to his dad:

COUSIN IRV FROM MARS
by Bruce Eric Kaplan
[EARLY READER]
Simon & Schuster
June 4, 2013

THE MONSTORE
by Tara Lazar, illustrated by James Burks
[PICTURE BOOK]
Aladdin-Simon & Schuster
June 4, 2013

JOE AND SPARKY GO TO SCHOOL
by Jamie Michalak, 
with illustrations by Frank Remkiewicz
[EARLY READER—THIRD IN THE SERIES]
Candlewick
June 11, 2013

BOGART AND VINNIE: A COMPLETELY 
MADE-UP STORY OF TRUE FRIENDSHIP
by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Henry Cole
[PICTURE BOOK]
Walker
June 18, 2013

THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO 
RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME
by Jennifer Huget, 
with illustrations by Red Nose Studio
[PICTURE BOOK]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
June 25, 2013

CLARK THE SHARK
by Bruce Hale, illustrated by Guy Francis
[PICTURE BOOK]
HarperCollins
June 25, 2013

THE THINGS I CAN DO
by Jeff Mack
[PICTURE BOOK]
Roaring Brook
June 25, 2013

THE WHEELS ON THE BUS
by James Dean
[PICTURE BOOK—FIFTH IN THE 
PETE THE CAT SERIES]
HarperCollins
June 25, 2013

THE GINGERBREAD MAN LOOSE ON THE FIRE TRUCK
by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery
[PICTURE BOOK—SECOND IN THE SERIES]
Putman-Penguin
June 27, 2013


The books VIOLET reads to her dad:

STICKY, STICKY, STUCK!
by Michael Gutch, illustrated by Steve Bjorkman
[PICTURE BOOK]
HarperCollins
June 4, 2013

BOOM!: BIG, BIG THUNDER AND ONE SMALL DOG
by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Steven Salerno
[PICTURE BOOK]
Disney-Hyperion
June 11, 2013

CUTE & CUTER
by Michael Townsend
[PICTURE BOOK]
Knopf-Random House
June 11, 2013

LOST SLOTH
by J. Otto Seibold
[PICTURE BOOK]
McSweeney’s McMullens
June 11, 2013

HOORAY PARADE
by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Hyewon Yum
[PICTURE BOOK]
Viking-Penguin
June 13, 2013

JOONE
by Emily Kate Moon
[PICTURE BOOK]
Dial-Penguin
June 13, 2013

NO FITS, NILSON!
by Zachariah OHora
[PICTURE BOOK]
Dial-Penguin
June 13, 2013

THE STORY OF FISH AND SNAIL
by Deborah Freedman
[PICTURE BOOK]
Viking-Penguin
June 13, 2013

CHAMELIA AND THE NEW KID IN CLASS
by Ethan Long
[PICTURE BOOK—SECOND IN THE SERIES]
Little, Brown-Hachette
June 25, 2013

CHARLIE THE RANCH DOG: WHERE’S THE BACON?
by Ree Drummond, illustrated by Diane deGroat
[EARLY READER—FIRST IN THE SERIES]
HarperCollins
June 25, 2013

CHARLIE GOES TO SCHOOL
by Ree Drummond, illustrated by Diane deGroat
[PICTURE BOOK—THIRD IN THE SERIES]
HarperCollins
June 25, 2013

CHICK ’N’ PUG MEET THE DUDE
by Jennifer Sattler
[PICTURE BOOK—SECOND IN THE SERIES]
Bloomsbury USA
June 25, 2013

OLIVER AND HIS ALLIGATOR
by Paul Schmid
[PICTURE BOOK]
Disney-Hyperion
June 25, 2013

UNICORN THINKS HE’S PRETTY GREAT
by Bob Shea
[PICTURE BOOK]
Disney-Hyperion
June 25, 2013

YOU’RE WEARING THAT TO SCHOOL?
by Lynn Plourde, illustrated by Sue Cornelison
[PICTURE BOOK]
Disney-Hyperion
June 25, 2013

THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT
by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
[PICTURE BOOK]
Philomel-Penguin
June 27, 2013




* 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.
 

Three Minutes On Your Own. Again.

Normanday #79: Norman takes a vacation. Again.

Write for three minutes about…

…something you think of because I need another break.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day June 9 (put “Norman Looks Great in a Swimsuit” 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…

…channeling a spirit.

Bigfoot

Hey there. Am I coming through? It’s kind of staticky on this end. Go stand by that old silo. Perfect. Look, I really, really, really need a favor. I had to leave suddenly and I have a nagging feeling I may have left my stove on. I need you to go to my house and check. Can you do that? And while you’re at it, would you mind bringing in my mail? The box leaks and the forecast is for rain. One more thing and I’ll leave you alone. Oh, come on. Like you’re so busy. Really? Thanks! When I was a kid, the neighborhood bully threw my bike in a ravine. He was huge, so I couldn’t do anything about it. I always fantasized about coming back as a ghost and haunting him. The thing is, I don’t know where he lives. I need you to track him down for me. You will? That’s great. If you’d have said no, I was going to settle for haunting you.

Three Minutes Channeling a Spirit

Normanday #78: Do they have waffles on the other side?

You’ve made contact with the other side. For three minutes, channel the spirit and share what they have to say.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day June 2 (put “Norman is a Contender for a Pulitzer” 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 weirdest place you ever fell asleep.

Norman the Half-Invisible Turtle

I sat next to a kid with a chocolate ice cream stain on his shirt. I doubted he met the height requirement, but neither did I. Once we started moving, he looked queasy, but the side-to-side motion lulled me. My lids drooped, even with the gust of wind pushing at them. When I did doze off, I was startled awake by screams. Soon even the screams were like lullabies and I was sound asleep. I dreamt I was flying and that I crashed into a gooey puddle of brown foam. When I woke, I was covered in chocolate ice cream puke. That was the first and last time I rode the Catatonia Curlicue. 

Three Minutes Taking a Cat Nap

Normanday #77: Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Write for three minutes about…

…the weirdest place you ever fell asleep.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day May 26 (put “Norman Never Snores” 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 zoo.

Tren Rewy Steb

My favorite part about going to the zoo wasn’t the polar bears, monkeys, or even the seals. It was the underground tunnel we had to go through from the parking lot to the zoo. It ran under the highway. Even with the baby strollers and toddlers all around, being in the tunnel felt like an adventure. Because there was no traffic, I was allowed to run ahead of my parents. It was like being in a cave. The sound of my feet hitting the smooth floor echoed against the walls. The tunnel seemed to go on for miles. After looking at all the animals, we got to go through the tunnel again, on the way back to the car. I ran, freer than the caged tigers.

Briar’s Journal (May 1 to June 4, 2013)

Dream Entry*
December 13, 2001

I can only remember fragments of my dream:

Morzant skipping rope.

Three puppies chasing grasshoppers through a field of daisies.

My friends, a duck, and the three puppies reading to a willow tree.

The books BIGFOOT is reading:

THE LUCY VARIATIONS
by Sara Zarr
[YOUNG ADULT]
Little, Brown-Hachette
May 7, 2013

NOTHING CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG
by Prudence Shen, illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks
[YOUNG ADULT—GRAPHIC NOVEL]
First Second-Roaring Brook
May 7, 2013

ELVIS AND THE UNDERDOGS
by Jenny Lee, with illustrations by Kelly Light
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
May 14, 2013

FORMERLY SHARK GIRL
by Kelly Bingham
[YOUNG ADULT—NOVEL IN VERSE—SEQUEL TO SHARK GIRL]
Candlewick
May 14, 2013

PAPERBOY
by Vince Vawter
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Delacorte-Random House
May 14, 2013

PARALLEL
by Lauren Miller
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
May 14, 2013

WINGER
by Andrew Smith, with illustrations by Sam Bosma
[YOUNG ADULT]
Simon & Schuster
May 14, 2013

ROGUE
by Lyn Miller-Lachmann
[YOUNG ADULT]
Nancy Paulsen-Penguin
May 16, 2013

OPENLY STRAIGHT
by Bill Konigsberg
[YOUNG ADULT]
Arthur A. Levine-Scholastic
May 28, 2013

ROMEO BLUE
by Phoebe Stone
[YOUNG ADULT—SEQUEL TO THE ROMEO AND JULIET CODE]
Arthur A. Levine-Scholastic
May 28, 2013

TWERP
by Mark Goldblatt
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Random House
May 28, 2013

The books MORZANT is reading:

THE END GAMES
by T. Michael Martin
[YOUNG ADULT]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
May 7, 2013

THE MIGHTY LALOUCHE
by Matthew Olshan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
May 14, 2013

PAPA’S MECHANICAL FISH
by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Boris Kulikov
[PICTURE BOOK]
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
June 4, 2013

The books PENNY is reading: 

DOLL BONES
by Holly Black, with illustrations by Eliza Wheeler
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Margaret K. McElderry-Simon & Schuster
May 7, 2013

THE 5TH WAVE
by Rick Yancey
[YOUNG ADULT]
Putnam-Penguin
May 7, 2013

ICONS
by Margaret Stohl
[YOUNG ADULT]
Little, Brown-Hachette
May 7, 2013

REBOOT
by Amy Tintera
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
May 7, 2013

INVISIBILITY
by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
[YOUNG ADULT]
Philomel-Penguin
May 7, 2013

THE COLOR OF RAIN
by Cori McCarthy
[YOUNG ADULT]
Running Press Teens-Running Press Book Publishers
May 14, 2013

THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING
by Ashley Elston
[YOUNG ADULT]
Hyperion-Disney
May 14, 2013

GAMEBOARD OF THE GODS
by Richelle Mead
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE AGE OF X SERIES]
Dutton-Penguin
June 4, 2013

The books THE DUCK is reading: 

MOUSE BIRD SNAKE WOLF
by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Candlewick
May 14, 2013

The books NORMAN is reading: 

AN ARMY OF FROGS
by Trevor Pryce, with illustrations by Sanford Greene
[MIDDLE GRADE—FIRST IN THE KULIPARI SERIES]
Amulet-Abrams
May 7, 2013

PLATYPUS POLICE: THE FROG WHO CROAKED
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
[MIDDLE GRADE—GRAPHIC NOVEL—FIRST IN THE SERIES]
Walden Pond-HarperCollins
May 7, 2013

ODESSA AGAIN
by Dana Reinhardt
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Wendy Lamb-Random House
May 14, 2013

THE PLANET THIEVES
by Dan Krokos
[MIDDLE GRADE—FIRST IN THE SERIES]
Starscape-Macmillan
May 21, 2013

The books BEVERLY is reading:

PANCHO RABBIT AND THE COYOTE: A MIGRANT’S TALE
by Duncan Tonatiuh
[PICTURE BOOK]
Abrams
May 7, 2013

OUT OF THIS PLACE
by Emma Cameron
[YOUNG ADULT—NOVEL IN VERSE]
Candlewick
May 14, 2013

P.S. BE ELEVEN
by Rita Williams-Garcia
[MIDDLE GRADE—SEQUEL TO ONE CRAZY SUMMER]
Amistad-HarperCollins
May 21, 2013

THOUSAND WORDS
by Jennifer Brown
[YOUNG ADULT]
Little, Brown-Hachette
May 21, 2013

THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER
by Allen Say
[PICTURE BOOK]
Arthur A. Levine-Scholastic
May 28, 2013

PARCHED
by Melanie Crowder
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Harcourt
June 4, 2013

THE THING ABOUT LUCK
by Cynthia Kadohata, with illustrations by Julia Kuo
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Atheneum-Simon & Schuster
June 4, 2013

The books BRIAR is reading:

THE YEAR OF THE BABY
by Andrea Cheng,
with illustrations by Patrice Barton
[CHAPTER BOOK—SEQUEL TO THE YEAR OF THE BOOK]
Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
May 28, 2013

KELSEY GREEN, READING QUEEN
by Claudia Mills, with illustrations by Rob Shepperson
[CHAPTER BOOK—FIRST IN THE FRANKLIN SCHOOL FRIENDS SERIES]
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
June 4, 2013

The books OLIVER is reading: 

EVERYONE SLEEPS
by Marcellus Hall
[PICTURE BOOK]
Nancy Paulsen-Penguin
May 2, 2013

A FUNNY LITTLE BIRD
by Jennifer Yerkes
[PICTURE BOOK]
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky-Sourcebooks
May 7, 2013

IF YOU WANT TO SEE A WHALE
by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin Stead
[PICTURE BOOK]
Roaring Brook
May 7, 2013

SATURDAY WITH DADDY
by Dan Andreasen
[PICTURE BOOK]
Henry Holt
May 7, 2013

YOO-HOO, LADYBUG!
by Mem Fox, illustrated by Laura Ljungkvist
[PICTURE BOOK]
Beach Lane-Simon & Schuster
May 7, 2013

IT’S A FIREFLY NIGHT
by Dianne Ochiltree, illustrated by Betsy Snyder
[PICTURE BOOK]
Blue Apple Books
May 14, 2013

THIS LITTLE PIGGY
by Tim Harrington
[PICTURE BOOK]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
May 14, 2013

WATER IN THE PARK: A BOOK ABOUT
WATER AND THE TIMES OF THE DAY
by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
[PICTURE BOOK]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
May 14, 2013

OCTOPUS ALONE
by Divya Srinivasan
[PICTURE BOOK]
Viking-Penguin
May 16, 2013

SING
by Joe Raposo, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
[PICTURE BOOK]
Henry Holt
May 28, 2013

WHEN MERMAIDS SLEEP
by Ann Bonwill
[PICTURE BOOK]
Random House
May 28, 2013

HOW TO
by Julie Morstad
[PICTURE BOOK]
Simply Read Books
May 30, 2013

HANK FINDS AN EGG
by Rebecca Dudley
[PICTURE BOOK]
Peter Pauper Press
June 1, 2013

The books LENNY is reading: 

THE GREAT LOLLIPOP CAPER
by Dan Krall
[PICTURE BOOK]
Simon & Schuster
May 7, 2013

COWPOKE CLYDE AND DIRTY DAWG
by Lori Mortensen, illustrated by Michael Allen Austin
[PICTURE BOOK]
Clarion-Houghton Mifflin
May 14, 2013

MATILDA AND HANS
by Yokococo
[PICTURE BOOK]
Templar-Candlewick
May 14, 2013

THE SKELETON PIRATE
by David Lucas
[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
May 14, 2013

TOYS IN SPACE
by Mini Grey
[PICTURE BOOK]
Knopf-Random House
May 14, 2013

BEN RIDES ON
by Matt Davies
[PICTURE BOOK]
Roaring Brook
May 21, 2013

SUPER HAIR-O AND THE BARBER OF DOOM
by John Rocco
[PICTURE BOOK]
Hyperion-Disney
May 21, 2013

NIÑO WRESTLES THE WORLD
by Yuyi Morales
[PICTURE BOOK]
Roaring Brook
June 4, 2013

The books VIOLET is reading: 

HEATHER FELL IN THE WATER
by Doug MacLeod, illustrated by Craig Smith
[PICTURE BOOK]
Allen & Unwin
May 1, 2013

MY LUCKY BIRTHDAY
by Keiko Kasza
[PICTURE BOOK]
Putnam-Penguin
May 2, 2013

TINY PIE
by Mark Bailey and Michael Oatman, illustrated by Edward Hemingway
[PICTURE BOOK]
Running Press Kids-Running Press Book Publishers
May 7, 2013

ODD DUCK
by Cecil Castellucci, illustrated by Sara Varon
[EARLY READER—GRAPHIC NOVEL]
First Second-Roaring Brook
May 14, 2013

SATURDAY IS DADURDAY
by Robin Pulver, illustrated by R.W. Alley
[PICTURE BOOK]
Walker
May 14, 2013

WASH-A-BYE BEAR
by Thomas Docherty
[PICTURE BOOK]
Templar-Candlewick
May 14, 2013

THE WATERMELON SEED
by Greg Pizzoli
[PICTURE BOOK]
Hyperion-Disney
May 14, 2013

A BIG GUY TOOK MY BALL!
by Mo Willems
[EARLY READER—AN ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE BOOK]
Hyperion-Disney
May 21, 2013

ONE BRIGHT RING
by Gretchen Géser
[PICTURE BOOK]
Henry Holt
May 21, 2013

BAD ASTRID
by Eileen Brennan, illustrated by Regan Dunnick
[PICTURE BOOK]
Random House
May 28, 2013

MURILLA GORILLA, JUNGLE DETECTIVE
by Jennifer Lloyd and Jacqui Lee
[PICTURE BOOK]
Simply Read Books
May 30, 2013

CRANKEE DOODLE
by Tom Angleberger, illustrated by Cece Bell
[PICTURE BOOK]
Clarion-Houghton Mifflin
June 4, 2013
 

* 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.

Three Minutes Not Feeding the Animals

Normanday #76: Why are there polar bears in the Reptile House?

Write for three minutes about…

…the zoo.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day May 19 (put “Norman Likes Swimming with the Seals” 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…

…playing baseball.

Tren Rewy Steb

First base was somebody’s jacket in a yard. Third base was a Frisbee, across the street in another yard. Second base, a catcher’s mitt, and home base, an old plank of wood, were in the street. We used a tennis ball. When it was hit, it flew far. I always struck out. We had to stop to let cars pass. I remember the hollow sound of the aluminum bat hitting the tennis ball, and the ringing as the bat was thrown on the blacktop. Once I was second baseman, bored because nobody was hitting anything. Daydreaming, I forgot I was playing baseball, my glove carelessly rested against my shoulder. Suddenly there were shouts. The ball was hit. It came my way. Before I could react, it flew right into my glove, drawn to it like a magnet. Nobody minded that I hadn’t caught the ball on purpose. I didn’t mind being an accidental hero.

Three Minutes Running the Bases

Normanday #75: Buy me some peanuts and a red Ferrari.

Write for three minutes about…

…playing baseball.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day May 12 (put “Norman is a Power Hitter” 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…

…a discovery.

Morzant

It was a gift from Bigfoot. I examined it carefully, recording the most prominent characteristics: boxy, shiny, electrical. There were two rectangular slots on top. Along the side was some sort of sliding lever mechanism and along the bottom were two dials that rotated. There were Arabic numerals circling the dials. Bigfoot seemed so proud to give me the gift that I didn’t have the heart to tell him I didn’t know what it was. I thanked him and set off to my lab to discover the purpose of the device.

I plugged it into the Earth-style sockets I had installed in my lab. That part was obvious, but what the electricity was needed for eluded me. I considered at first the gift was an electric mirror, but no matter how I turned the dials, my reflection never altered. I tried pushing down the lever next and noticed heating elements inside the top slots. It occurred to me then that something was meant to go in the slots, but what? I searched for days for objects corresponding in size and shape to the slots. I found: bar soap, wallet, sponge, paperback book. I put each of these objects in turn into the device and pushed down on the lever. Turning the numbered dials resulted in these objects being burned. The lower numbers caused mere singeing, the higher numbers scorched the objects. I spent untold hours examining the burned objects to no avail. There were no discernible improvements. Aha! The moment of discovery had arrived. The device was an incinerator! I immediately wrote a thank-you note to Bigfoot, as is the custom on Earth.