OK, Kids. Let The Voting Begin!

CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR

CHILDREN’S CHOICE BOOK AWARDS

The Children’s Book Council (CBC) in association with Every Child A Reader, the CBC Foundation, hosts the fourth annual Children’s Choice Book Awards Program with the announcement of 30 finalists in six categories, including Author and Illustrator of the Year. The Children’s Choice Book Awards is the only national children’s book awards program where winning titles are selected by young readers of all ages. Children and teens can cast their vote now for their favorite books, author, and illustrator at bookstores, school libraries, and at www.BookWeekOnline.com until April 29, 2011.

The Children’s Choice Book Award winners will be announced LIVE at the annual Children’s Choice Book Awards Gala on May 2 at The Lighthouse in New York City as part of Children’s Book Week (May 2-8, 2011), the oldest national literacy event in the United States.

The Children’s Choice Book Award categories and finalists are as follows:

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year:
Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott (Walker)
Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord, illustrated by Derek Anderson (Scholastic Press)
How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills (Schwartz & Wade/ Random House)
Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby (Putnam/Penguin)
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld (Little, Brown)

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year:
Babymouse # 12: Burns Rubber by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House)
Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray: The Uproar at the Front Door by Nick Bruel (Roaring Brook/Macmillan)
Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods & Heroes by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda (Candlewick)
Finally by Wendy Mass (Scholastic Press)
Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Knopf/Random House)

Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year:
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce (HarperCollins)
It’s a Book by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook/Macmillan)
The Red Pyramid (The Kane ChroncilesChronicles, Book 1) by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion)
Smile by Raina Telgemeier (Graphix/Scholastic)
Zebrafish by Peter H. Reynolds and FableVision (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)

Teen Choice Book of the Year:
Burned (House of Night, Book 7) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (St. Martin’s Griffin/Macmillan)
Fang (A Maximum Ride Novel) by James Patterson (Little, Brown)
Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press)
Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, Book 5) by Richelle Mead (Razorbill/Penguin)
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (Dutton/Penguin)

Author of the Year:
Cassandra Clare for Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1) (McElderry/Simon & Schuster)
Suzanne Collins for Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) (Scholastic Press)
Jeff Kinney for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (Amulet/Abrams)
Stephenie Meyer for The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (Megan Tingley/Little, Brown)
Rick Riordan for The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1) (Disney-Hyperion)

Illustrator of the Year:
Robin Preiss Glasser for Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique (HarperCollins)
Loren Long for Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters (Knopf/Random House)
Nancy Tillman for Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan)
David Wiesner for Art & Max (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Mo Willems for Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins)

The finalists for Book of the Year in the Kindergarten to Second Grade, Third Grade to Fourth Grade, and Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade categories are the books that received the highest number of votes in the IRA-CBC Children’s Choices program in June. This joint project of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the CBC began in 1975. Teams of IRA-affiliated educators in five geographic regions receive copies of each submitted title to provide to students to read and rate in classrooms across their region. The votes from the five regions (from approximately 12,000 children) are compiled and the five titles with the highest number of votes in each category (K-2, 3-4, 5-6) become the finalists for the Children’s Choice Book Awards.

The Teen Choice finalists are determined with the help of Teenreads.com (part of The Book Report Network). The website compiles a list of all the books they have reviewed over the year and encourages readers to write in their own picks if they aren’t listed. Teens vote for their favorite book and the top five vote-getters become the finalists for the Teen Choice Book of the Year. This year, over 4,000 teens determined the finalists.

The Author and Illustrator of the Year finalists are selected by the CBC from a review of bestseller lists with an emphasis on Bookscan. Only authors and illustrators associated with books published in the previous calendar year are considered.

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I’m Just a Singer In A Rock ‘n’ Roll Band

Hi! I’m Coleman and I am almost 10 years old. I’d like to tell you about a book I liked SO much, I read it twice. The book is called Zebrafish by FableVision and is illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds ($16.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, ages 10-14). You can read an excerpt from the book by visiting their cool website so just click here. The book came out last May, but I only just found the review in my backpack and my mom said she loved it, so, yeah, here goes …

Basically the book is about how an online band is formed (even though no one plays an instrument). It also deals with leukemia (which is why this book is recommended for Grade 5 and up) because a main character in the band Zebrafish gets this disease. There are five main characters in Zebrafish. They are called Plinko, Jay, Tanya, Vita and Walt. When I read about these people, they felt very life-like to me and also very nice. I think the author makes you care about everyone which is probably why I went back and read the book a second time. Because the story is told in comic-book form (a graphic novel according to my mom), with 19 short chapters, it is quick, entertaining reading. But don’t just take my word for it, read it for yourself and tell me what you think!

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An Illuminating Tale

February 25, 2011
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MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMP, written by Jack Lechner and illustrated by Bob Staake

Now we all know cutie pie, Mary, had a little lamb and yes, her fleece was white as snow and sure, little lamb followed Mary everywhere, which when Mary became a teenager and started dating, it became incredibly annoying to her.

Well, there’s another Mary and she had a little… LAMP “…the bendy gooseneck kind, and everywhere that Mary went, she dragged the lamp behind.” And so we follow Mary and her lamp at school, on the playground, all over the place.

You can only imagine how worried Mary’s parents were about this inanimate pet situation. “We told her she could have a dog. She wanted this instead!” And so they finally took little Mary to the doctor, who gave his professional opinion. “I’ve never seen so puzzling a condition. But lamps are not my specialty. You need an electrician.”

But good news eventually came. Mary grew out of her lamp phase, which was a great relief to her family. But not so fast, Mom and Dad, because “…Now Mary doesn’t take the lamp out sledding on her coaster. She’s much too big for stuff like that. Now Mary has a toaster!”

I love and kids will love the absurdity of this wonderfully illustrated picture book. But I’m afraid I have to go now… and take my electric toothbrush out for a walk!

The very versatile Lindy Michaels aims to inspire young minds through children’s literature. Lindy owned L.A.’s first children’s bookshop, OF BOOKS AND SUCH (1972-1987) where she did storytelling, taught drama to children, had art and poetry contests and the like. According to Lindy, “It was truly a ‘land of enchantment.” She also spent years lecturing on realism in children’s literature at colleges in the state. For close to five years Lindy has worked in Studio City for Barnes and Noble (BookStar) in the children’s section and does storytelling every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

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Kidspace Museum Celebrates Dr. Seuss Birthday

February 25, 2011
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Dr. Seuss Birthday Celebration at Kidspace

Celebrate Sunday, February 27 at Kidspace

including a free kids’ concert!

On Sunday, February 27, celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday at Kidspace Children’s Museum, free with paid admission. Enjoy special story times throughout the museum, as well as crafts and games inspired by Dr. Seuss classics.

While you’re there, be sure you stick around for Egg, a kids’ band that is holding a special performance in the Kidspace Amphitheatre at 1:30 p.m..

Kidspace Children’s Museum

480 N. Arroyo Blvd.
Pasadena,CA 91103
http://www.kidspacemuseum.org/

Hours/Parking:

Saturday, February 27, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Free parking is available in Lot I, next to the west end of Brookside Park near the Rose Bowl.

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Target Free Reading Event on Feb. 26

February 24, 2011
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Target to Celebrate Reading with an In-Store Family Event

Los Angeles-area families are invited to attend this fun and free reading event on Feb. 26

What: Target Corp. will host a fun-filled reading event for families in celebration of reading and the National Education Association’s Read Across America program. Target’s “Who Reads? We Read!” events will be free at all Target stores and include a Dr. Seuss-inspired reading nook, activity packets for children, readings by Target team members, giveaways and more. As part of the festivities, families will be able to enjoy Dr. Seuss classics such as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and I Can Read with My Eyes Shut.

Education is at the heart of Target’s 5 percent giving program. Since 2003, Target has supported the Read Across America program, which calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on or around March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss. Target’s partnership with the National Education Association is just one example of the company’s commitment to education and its focus on helping more U.S. children learn to read proficiently by the end of third grade, which is a critical milestone on the path to graduation. As part of that commitment, Target plans to donate $1 billion in education-related giving by the end of 2015.

When: Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011

Where: 9 to 11 a.m.

Be sure to look for signs pointing you in the right direction.

For more information, visit Target.com/ReadAcrossAmerica

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How Do You Measure Up?

February 21, 2011
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HEADS & TAILS ABOVE THE REST!

HOW BIG IS THE LION? MY FIRST BOOK OF MEASURING by William Accorsi inches out all the other measuring books according to reviewer Lindy Michaels of BookStar on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City.

This delightful board book helps to teach youngins that learning really can be fun. Using the enclosed ruler, each page has something to measure, from a dancing pig, “… from snout to tail, is this pig big?” …to a lion’s height. “Don’t you worry, he won’t bite.”

Illustrated with colorful, felt cutouts, the book can also be used by parents to help children identify colors and objects. I love when a children’s book can be used for more than one thing. And on the last page, there is a ‘grow chart’ to hang on a wall, so little ones can, that’s right, be measured themselves and keep track of how they are growing!

Believe me, after reading and measuring all the items in this book, I know kids will spend hours, days and weeks measuring everything in sight… including you! I say that’s a better thing to do with their time than being glued, mindlessly, to the television!!

Educational, fun and colorful! What more could a parent ask for to keep their little ones busy, having fun and learning at the same time?

The very versatile Lindy Michaels aims to inspire young minds through children’s literature. Lindy owned L.A.’s first children’s bookshop, OF BOOKS AND SUCH (1972-1987) where she did storytelling, taught drama to children, had art and poetry contests and the like. According to Lindy, “It was truly a ‘land of enchantment.” She also spent years lecturing on realism in children’s literature at colleges in the state. For close to five years Lindy has worked in Studio City for Barnes and Noble (BookStar) in the children’s section and does storytelling every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

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The Way Back Home

February 17, 2011
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Today’s review of THE WAY BACK HOME, written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, comes courtesy of children’s book aficionado, Lindy Michaels of BookStar on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. While not a new book, it is a recommended one.

Welcome to yet another winning Oliver Jeffers’ children’s book, author of my favorite, LOST AND FOUND, which I reviewed a while back.

Here, the boy finds an airplane in his bedroom and decides to take it for a spin. It’s a terrific adventure, dipping and darting through the wild blue yonder, that is, until he runs out of gas. But where to land? Far from his home on Earth, he is, luckily, able to put his plane down… on the moon.

At that very same moment, a boy alien (is he perhaps a Martian?), in his spaceship, has engine trouble but, coincidentally, is also able to land on the moon.

Meeting up with each other, they both desperately need help to find the way back home, but have no idea how to communicate with each other. Oh, goodness, what in the world would or could they do? But then, using great ingenuity, they find a way to help each other, which bonds them in a lasting friendship. The last page in this wonderful book is my favorite, but I won’t give it away. Oh, okay, think of something being delivered by the UPS man to the boy from his new, far away friend.

With his usual, wonderful illustrations, what I love about Oliver Jeffers’ books, is his ability to give children the opportunity to discuss problems that affect their own lives and how to try and figure them out.

The very versatile Lindy Michaels aims to inspire young minds through children’s literature. Lindy owned L.A.’s first children’s bookshop, OF BOOKS AND SUCH (1972-1987) where she did storytelling, taught drama to children, had art and poetry contests and the like. According to Lindy, “It was truly a ‘land of enchantment.” She also spent years lecturing on realism in children’s literature at colleges in the state. For close to five years Lindy has worked in Studio City for Barnes and Noble (BookStar) in the children’s section and does storytelling every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

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Point and Twirl

February 10, 2011
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BRONTORINA, written by James Howe and illustrated by Rand Cecil is reviewed by Lindy Michaels, a woman with a dream.

Brontorina had a dream. She wanted to dance! And so she enrolled in Madame Lucille’s Dance Academy For Girls and Boys. There was just one teeny, tiny problem. Brontorina was… wait for it… a huge dinosaur! When Madame Lucille pointed this fact out to her, she replied, dreamily, “True, but in my heart I am a ballerina.”

The children in the dance academy didn’t seem to care about Brontorina’s dream, at all, chiding her with taunts of, “She is too big!” And “She does not have the right shoes!” Although Madame Lucille had to agree with them, never one to crush another’s dreams, she accepted the dinosaur into her ballet class, but with the warning, “Please try not to squash the other dancers.”

Well! Amazingly, Brontorina proved to be quite the “little” twinkle toes, graceful and agile, although she did crash her head through the dance studio’s ceiling while doing relevés and jetés: And no boy could possibly lift the humongous beast over his head, as is often the necessity in the craft of ballet dancing.

With a tear in her eye, just when Brontorina’s dream was about to fade away, a solution was found that not only allowed the dinosaur to continue her pliés and arabesques, but also encouraged others of largeness, like cows and hippos and other dinosaur friends to have the opportunity to ‘point’ and ‘twirl,’ also.

And just think, it all began with a dream. So children of all ages, listen closely and never, ever give up on your dreams, even if you bang your head on the ceiling trying to fulfill those dreams.

The very versatile Lindy Michaels aims to inspire young minds through children’s literature. Lindy owned L.A.’s first children’s bookshop, OF BOOKS AND SUCH (1972-1987) where she did storytelling, taught drama to children, had art and poetry contests and the like. According to Lindy, “It was truly a ‘land of enchantment.” She also spent years lecturing on realism in children’s literature at colleges in the state. For close to five years Lindy has worked in Studio City for Barnes and Noble (BookStar) in the children’s section and does storytelling every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

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Everything Started Somewhere!

FIRSTS is reviewed by mom, artist, author and regular contributor, Debbie Glade.

I simply cannot get enough information about the origins of people, places and things. And if you have a curious child who asks you a lot of questions about the first time an event took place or the first time a product was used or any other milestone in history, this is the perfect book. After you read Firsts, you won’t be surprised to learn that the author, Wilson Casey, is cited in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest running radio trivia broadcast at 30 hours.

The 220-page book is organized alphabetically, and you will find short paragraphs on every subject from Animated Cartoons to the Zipper, and everything in between. How about these fascinating firsts? High Heel shoes were first worn in Crete by the Minoans around 2100 BC. Popsicles were the result of an accident in 1905 when a boy left a fruit drink with a stirring stick in it outside at night only to freeze. And the very first x-ray dates as far back as 1895. I am partial to the facts about the first dental floss created by a dentist in 1819, since I have a slight obsessive compulsion with brushing and flossing myself. (Okay, maybe more that just slight, like after every single time I eat.)

The back of the book has a fabulous index of topics, and I imagine older kids can use this book as a reference for a variety of research papers. But the best thing about Firsts is that every member of the family will love reading it.

Debbie Glade, today’s guest reviewer, is the author, illustrator and voice talent of the award-winning children’s picture book The Travel Adventures of Lilly P Badilly: Costa Rica, published by Smart Poodle Publishing. She visits South Florida schools with her reading, writing and geography programs. For years, Debbie was a travel writer for luxury cruise lines. She writes parenting articles for various websites and is the Geography Awareness Editor for WanderingEducators.com. She blogs daily at smartpoodlepublishing.com.

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Dragon? What Dragon?

THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A DRAGON, written and illustrated by Jack Kent is reviewed today by reading enthusiast Lindy Michaels of BookStar on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City.

Sometimes oldies are indeed goodies. And this one certainly is. Billy Bixbee awoke one morning to find a kitten-sized dragon beside his bed. He didn’t know where it came from, but being so cute, he gave it a pat on its head.

Downstairs having breakfast, Billy told his mother about his new friend. “There’s no such thing as a dragon,” she told him. “Yes there is!” answered Billy. “No, there isn’t!” And so Billy heeded his mother’s advice and ignored the animal. Now, listen closely children (and that goes for you parents, also), because the more Billy’s mother denied there was, in fact, a dragon in the house, the more the dragon grew and grew… bigger and bigger and bigger, until he was bigger than their house!

Mayhem arose when the friendly bread truck drove through the neighborhood. The very hungry dragon, now so big the house was perched on its back, raced after truck for a snack! When Father Bixbee came home, imagine his surprise to find his house atop a dragon, blocks from where it was supposed to be.

Unfortunately, Mother Bixbee was still in dragon denial until Billy screamed, “Yes, there is such a thing as a dragon and he’s right here!” And then Billy patted the humongous beast on the head and low and behold, the dragon starting shrinking and shrinking, until it was back down to the size of a kitten.

Mother Bixbee admitted, having a little dragon wasn’t so bad and wondered why it had gotten so big. And out of the mouths of babes, Billy told her, “Well, maybe he just wanted to be noticed.”

The very versatile Lindy Michaels aims to inspire young minds through children’s literature. Lindy owned L.A.’s first children’s bookshop, OF BOOKS AND SUCH (1972-1987) where she did storytelling, taught drama to children, had art and poetry contests and the like. According to Lindy, “It was truly a ‘land of enchantment.” She also spent years lecturing on realism in children’s literature at colleges in the state. For close to five years Lindy has worked for Studio City Barnes and Noble (BookStar) in the children’s section and does storytelling (with no interruptions!) every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

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Eric Carle Books at Kohl’s

DEVOUR THESE STORIES

Kids are hungry to learn and this spring Kohl’s helps feed their need to read with $5 books and
plush toys from legendary author/illustrator Eric Carle through the Kohl’s Cares program.

Now through the end of April, Kohl’s Department Stores are offering hardcover Eric Carle books and coordinating stuffed animal toys including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Mixed Up Chameleon, The Grouchy Ladybug and The Foolish Tortoise.

To tempt the grown-up taste buds (and their wallets) this spring, Kohl’s is selling Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella for only $5. Overflowing with unique recipes for cupcakes, fillings and frostings, the book also includes tips on how to creatively decorate cupcakes. Now that takes the cake!

All books are available nationwide and as part of the Kohl’s Care program, 100 percent of the net profit from the sale of these featured books and plush toys goes to benefit kids’ health and education initiatives in communities across the country. Since its inception, Kohl’s has raised more than $150 million to help kids (and brought smiles to so many children

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Amazing Cow Contest Winner Announced

This month Dallas Rau has won the autographed copy of Sandra Boynton’s Amazing Cows (Workman Publishing, $10.95, all ages up to a hundred and moo). Watch this space for another fun contest coming soon!

Make room next to your kids’ well-read copies of Hippos Go Berserk, The Going to Bed Book, Moo Baa, La! La! La! and Let’s Dance, Pookie, because Amazing Cows is mooooving in!

You want edgy cows, sensitive cows, heroic cows and “mystified chickens”? Keep reading. With her special brand of Sandra silliness, Boynton finds new ways to make cow humor fresh and full of “udder absurdity,” with or without words. When my 9-year-old son read it from cover to cover, laughing non-stop, I positioned myself over his shoulder to find out what was so funny. Was it the artwork, stories, poems, jokes, riddles, cow myth or cow comic book that tickled his fancy? It was all that and more, including the Four Stages of Metamoophosis and a cow limerick. An added bovine bonus: a free download of “Bolero Completely Unraveled.” If you buy one cow book this year, it’s got to be Amazing Cows.

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Gone West

Gone West: Bold Adventures of American Explorers and Pioneers

Written and told by Jim Weiss
Greathall Productions Inc., $14.95, ages 5 and up, http://www.facebook.com/Greathall

If you think Lewis and Clark are a comedy team from the ‘50s and learned everything you know about Sacagawea watching Night at The Museum, it’s time to pop in the new CD Gone West: Bold Adventures of American Explorers and Pioneers.

Follow the entertaining and informative narrative from master storyteller Jim Weiss and share Jefferson and Monroe’s excitement at creating a country destined to span from coast to coast. Marvel at the mix of bold pioneer spirit, strong survival skills and a lot of sheer luck that grew the U.S. westward, and revisit a time when amazing adventures and discoveries lay around every bend.

Learn how clever U.S. diplomatic negotiations garnered not only New Orleans, but the entire area known as Louisiana from Napoleon, and how the Lewis and Clark expedition succeeded with the help of various native nations. Meet the men who braved danger and backbreaking work to build the thousands of miles of track for the Transcontinental Railway, and find out how Robert Fulton’s steamboat forever changed the way Americans traveled and did business. This enlightening CD will turn your next car trip into your very own covered wagon journey whether or not you’re heading up north to Oregon. Giddyup!

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Gardening and Farming for Growing Minds

Regular contributor Debbie Glade writes about a topic near and dear to my heart. When I spot the first signs of green pushing out of the soil from bulbs I planted way back when, I always get an excited feeling that spring is not far off. And to see the fruits of my labor (and back pain) makes it all worthwhile, year after year. Read what Debbie has to say about some books she has recently read for L.A. Parent.

As an avid organic home gardener myself, I get excited when I hear that a child is interested in learning just exactly how our food and plants grow. And what better way is there to encourage a child to start gardening than an informative book with awesome illustrations or photographs? Here are three books to get you started.

Water, Weed and Wait

The beautiful front and back covers alone of Water, Weed and Wait are enough to make you want to open this book. Written by Edith Hope Fine and Angela Demos Halpin and illustrated by Colleen Madden, the story is about the teacher and students of an elementary classroom who get together to clear a weed filled area outside the school and plant a veggie and flower garden. The book does a good job of showing just how much work and patience it takes to plan and care for a garden. But it’s the colorful, happy illustrations that really make this book extra special.

Up We Grow: A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farmer

Written by Deborah Hodge and photographed by Brian Harris, Up We Grow: A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farmer is a rather sophisticated, nonfiction book about real, sustainable farms and the hard work the farmers must do during all four seasons. There is essential information in the book about many aspects of farming such as caring for the soil, planting, watering, composting, animal farming and even how farmers support one another. I like that photos of real farmers in action were used and each of the farms that were visited to write the book are listed on the last page. Teaching our children about what it takes to grow our food and care for our earth is the best way to protect our environment. Reading this book with your children is a perfect way to introduce them to the world of sustainable farming. Parents, you’ll learn something too.

The Life of Rice: From Seedling to Supper

Award winning photographer and author Richard Sobol traveled to Thailand to attend the Annual Royal Plowing Ceremony, the Thai celebration of rice. Why celebrate rice, you may ask? Well, in this book you learn that rice is the staple food in Thailand (and many other countries), feeding so many people, that they want to commemorate the start of the crop season. While reading this book, I said out loud, “Oh. So that’s how the rice is grown. That’s when they pick it. Oh, so rice is really a grass. So that’s how the grain is separated from the plant! Wow, growing rice takes a lot of work!” Finally I know the answers to rice questions I’ve had for years. So if your children have ever asked you about where the tiny grains of rice they were eating came from, this book will beautifully answer that question and more. In the back are four valuable pages of facts about rice. I love the photos in the book and the way the author wrote the story through the perspective of his own real-life learning experience. Readers will truly appreciate what it took to grow their food after reading The Life of Rice.

Debbie Glade, today’s guest reviewer, is the author, illustrator and voice talent of the award-winning children’s picture book The Travel Adventures of Lilly P Badilly: Costa Rica, published by Smart Poodle Publishing. She visits South Florida schools with her reading, writing and geography programs. For years, Debbie was a travel writer for luxury cruise lines. She writes parenting articles for various websites and is the Geography Awareness Editor for WanderingEducators.com. She blogs daily at smartpoodlepublishing.com.

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Nothing But a Hound Dog

CLASSIC SONGWRITERS LEIBER & STOLLER TO SIGN AUTOBIOGRAPHY AT EVERY PICTURE GALLERY

Do I betray my age when I say what an exciting event this will be? Okay, I’ll admit it, I listen to K Earth 101!!

“Leiber & Stoller were those bad white boys who wrote the blackest songs this side of the Misssissippi.” – Ray Charles

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller have been writing songs together for nearly sixty years, Their contribution to popular music is unequaled. To name a few of their songs: “Stand By Me,” “Spanish Harlem,” “Searchin’,” “Yakety Yak,” “There Goes My Baby”, “Charlie Brown,”” “Poison Ivy,”“Ruby Baby, “Is That All There Is?”, “Kansas CIty,” “Love Potion #9”, “On Broadway.” And that doesn’t even include their collaborations with Elvis –including “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock.”

On Sunday, January 30 at 6 p.m., songwriting greats Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller will be signing their new autobiography, HOUND DOG, at the Every Picture Tells A Story gallery in Santa Monica.

Following the book signing, the American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre (directly across the street from Every Picture Tells A Story) will screen two of Elvis’ best films, JAILHOUSE ROCK and KING CREOLE, beginning at 7:30 PM and introduced by the songwriters. Both films feature many of Leiber and Stoller’s songs.