Ivy and Bean - at it again!

Because Ivy and Bean are just plain WONDERFUL!!

Things we ALL need to Know!

Sylvan Dell has a nice list of blogs - might be useful!

And their article on fun winter ideas is good too. We can all use some fresh ideas for those cold months!

Best of 2009

Publisher's Weekly came out with their list!
The Best Children's Books of 2009
See if you agree!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows goes Paper!

July 7 - the BIG day for the paperback version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a breathtaking finish to a remarkable series. The final chapter to Harry Potter’s adventures will be released in paperback July 7^th! It all comes down to this - a final face off between good and evil. You plan to pull out all the stops, but every time you solve one mystery, three more evolve.

And to celebrate this BIG EVENT - Scholastic has allowed me to give away BIG prizes to all of you!!
Five (5) Winners receive a paperback prize pack:

Book 5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Book 6 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Book 7 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Now, I bet you want to know what to do to win!?!? All you have to do is leave a comment with your email so I can get in touch with you! Want another chance to win? Then Twitter about it as well! And for a third entry, become a follower of my blog!! That's all you have to do!!
You may enter until July 7 - the day of the paperback release - that is the day I will use Random Generator to choose a winner!

Click HERE to visit Scholastic's Harry Potter page and learn more!

Teacher Vision

I was just alerted to this website - it looks great- for library AND to share with our teachers, homeschooling families, and daycare providers. Teacher Vision

Free Comic Book Day

So May 2 is Free Comic Book Day - this is a great way to partner with a local comic book shop AND give a big shout-out for comic books! Don't miss it!!

Did you know this was even out there???

Where to find all the GREAT blogs on ya/child's lit???

Alltop - LOVE this one - lists each blog and the most current 4-5 posts for each blog. Great resource.

Nearcircle - Another great resource that lists TONS of lit. blogs, listed by most recent updates. I think this will be very useful as well.

Kidlitosphere Central - This is a VERY comprehensive list of children's lit bloggers AND author/illustrators that blog as well.

That's all - just wanted you to know they were out there!

Share a Story - Shape a Future

Where have I been? I had no idea THIS was going on! Share a Story - Shape a Future is a site/idea all built around sharing books with kids. I love it and it looks wonderful! Here's the line-up. It all begins March 9 and will last for one week!

Class of 2K9

On my last post, author Fran Cannon Slayton, left me a message to check out the Class of 2K9 website. What a great site - it is a listing of 22 debut middle grade and YA novelists whose books will be coming out in 2009. Great list and a great website - don't miss it!

AuthorsNow!

Here's a link that'll be handy to all of us: AuthorsNow! is "The Internet’s Largest Collaboration of Debut Children’s and Teen Book Authors and Illustrators." (I think they are right!)

KidZui

I am so impressed with this kids' online browser that I must share! KidZui was developed by Scholastic and KidZui - they came up with this ingenious idea for a web browser. Once you sign your child up - you can have them help you make a Zui - an online character just for them. Then, once the parent approves the account - the searching begins. I love it because they tailor it to your child's age - so my 4 year old daughter has pictures that pop up like "Hello Kitty", "Carebears", etc. She can then click on those links and it will take you to that website. The kids earn more points by exploring - I think this will be a hit with my daughter! I am very impressed so far - it is a great way for kids to search AND parents to know where they are searching. The parent's page is wonderful! You can track where they have been, who their friends are, etc. I highly encourage you to check it out. You can download the free browser here:
http://www.kidzui.com/?camp=inthepages

I think this is something that we, as librarians, can really promote as well. What a great way to show kids where to get some homework help SAFELY. And I think parents will be thankful they have heard of this safer searching browser.

By the way - if you download - PLEASE leave a comment and let me know what you think. IF we get the most comments on this promotion - we are all eligible for a PREMIUM membership for free!!

Need Help with Storytimes?

Where have I been - I had NO IDEA this website was out there - but it is fabulous - a treasure-trove for Story Hour.
SurLaLune Storytime