hotTEAs of Children’s Poetry: Joyce Sidman

April 5, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 12 Comments

Joyce Sidman, winner of a Newbery Honor and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Children’s Poetry, lives in Minnesota, where she greets the changing seasons every day with her irrepressible dog Watson. She loves poetry, chocolate, and using her macro lens to capture tiny moments of beauty. (Pictured here with her favorite thistle mug from Crail, Scotland)

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I start out the day with a mug of organic fermented Pu-erh tea, which makes me feel like Popeye drinking his spinach: strong and healthy! Then I switch to my husband’s delicious coffee, which he makes before he leaves the house. It keeps me alert through my writing session.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESS: My most recent book is Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold, illustrated by Rick Allen (HMH, 2014). Forthcoming: Before Morning, illustrated by Beth Krommes (HMH, October 2016).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: My favorite food related book is Jam: A True Story, by Margaret Mahy. I discovered it when my kids were small, and still love it. Very funny. It’s about canning!

☕ Visit Joyce Sidman’s Official Website.

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out this marvelous interview by Mackin Educational Resources. Joyce talks about her books and shares some of her beautiful nature photography.

☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Enjoy this video of Joyce reading “The Ants,” which is from her book Ubiquitous.

☕☕☕☕ STILL THIRSTY: You must watch this excellent video, “Winter Bees: Beyond the Book,” in which Joyce, illustrator Rick Allen, and editor Ann Rider discuss the process behind the creation of this beautiful multiple award-winning picture book. Love the winter walk with Joyce’s dog Watson, watching Joyce create a winter poem with a group of children, and seeing how Rick makes his wood engravings (masterful work!). And there’s cookies and cocoa. . . :).

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Brian Rock

March 31, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 2 Comments

I confess that I don’t like too many hot drinks (not even coffee!) But I do enjoy hot chocolate on snowy days. I have five published picture books, one of them is even food themed! I think getting kids excited about reading and creating is about the best job a person could ever have!

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Williams & Sonoma Classic Hot Chocolate. It’s rich, robust and loved by children everywhere (it’s everything I want to be!).

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESS: Martian Mustache Mischief, illustrated by Joshua Dawson (First Light Publishing, August 2015).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: I love the way food is played with in Alice in Wonderland and how it’s used as a metaphor in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I love how it’s used to define and motivate Winnie the Pooh. But since I’m a picture book guy, I’m going to go with The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems (Disney-Hyperion, 2004). The story is even more delicious than the hot dog!

☕ Visit Brian Rock’s Official Website

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Listen to Brian read The Deductive Detective, illustrated by Sherry Rogers (Sylvan Dell, 2013).

☕ ☕ ☕ STILL THIRSTY!!!

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Philip Nel

March 10, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 12 Comments

*I write books about children’s books. I also teach, read, edit, grade, and occasionally sleep.*

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I like a cup of tea because it caffeinates me, but not as much as coffee does. (I also like coffee, but it tends to amplify my manic tendencies to the point of distraction.)

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children’s Literature (University Press of Mississippi, 2012); Crockett Johnson’s Barnaby, Volume One: 1942-1943 (co-editor with Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books, 2013); Crockett Johnson’s Barnaby, Volume Two: 1944-1945 (co-editor with Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books, 2014). Forthcoming: Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature and Why We Need Diverse Books (Oxford University Press, tentative pub date, late 2016).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: Rude Cakes by Rowboat Watkins (Chronicle Books, June 2015).

☕ Visit Phil Nel’s Kansas State University Homepage and his blog Nine Kinds of Pie. Phil also contributes to The Niblings Facebook Page. 🙂

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out The Crockett Johnson Homepage!

☕☕ ☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Enjoy Phil’s recent post, “Seuss on Film.” Interesting to see clips from the 1940’s, 1958, and 1964. The first, “Unusual Occupations,” is the earliest known film footage of Dr. Seuss. 🙂

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Ken Min

February 25, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 7 Comments

Ken grew up on the works of Margret & H.A. Rey, William Joyce, and DC Comics. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and studied illustration at Art Center, College of Design. He has storyboarded for various commercials and animated TV shows such as The PJs, Futurama and Fairly Odd Parents. His illustration work has been recognized numerous times by the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). In 2012, the first picture book he illustrated, Hot, Hot Roti For Dada-Ji, received the Picture Book Honor Award for Literature from the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). These days, you will find Ken illustrating, storyboarding, writing, and dreaming up stories for children.

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I’m not a coffee drinker (wha-?? that’s outrageous!) so when I’m in the mood for a hot beverage, I like a cup of tea or hot chocolate. BUT, I will say, nothing says literature like a cup of hot cocoa in an F. Scott Fitzgerald mug!

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: What Does it Mean To Be An Entrepreneur?, written by Rana DiOrio and Emma D. Dryden (Little Pickle Press, January 2016) and Ah-Choo!, written by Lana Wayne Koehler and Gloria G. Adams (Sterling, March 1, 2016).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOKS: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1960), The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman and Marla Frazee (HMH Books, 1997), The Book That Eats People by John Perry and Mark Fearing (Tricycle Press, 2009), Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex (HMH Books, 2011).

☕ Visit Ken Min’s Official Website

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Click here to read how Ken made the pictures for What Does it Mean To Be An Entrepreneur?!

☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Click the image below to read my review of Ken’s first book, Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji!

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Lester Laminack

February 18, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 10 Comments

Lester is the author of 20 books for teachers and/or children and has two new projects under contract. He works as a consultant and visiting author in schools and school districts throughout the country and abroad. When he isn’t working you’ll likely find him roaming around with a camera in his hand.

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Coffee (aka “writer fluid”) should be hot, strong, slightly sweet, and with a dash of half-and-half leaving it the color of a paper bag.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Picture book: Three Hens and a Peacock, illustrated by Henry Cole (Peachtree Publishers, 2014). Professional book: Writers ARE Readers: Flipping Reading Strategies into Writing Opportunities, co-author with Reba M. Wadsworth (Heinemann, August 2015).