The 2010 Green Books Campaign - A review of Earth Matters

Today TTLG is participating in a very special Blog event. It is called Green Books Campaign. The Campaign has been organized by Eco-Libris, and it is a celebration of green books of all kinds. On this day at 1:00pm EST two hundred bloggers will simultaneously publish two hundred book reviews that were printed on environmentally-friendly paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using greener methods, Eco-Libris aims to raise consumer awareness about considering the environment when making book purchases.

The 200 books to be reviewed are in a variety of subjects including cooking, poetry, travel, green living, and history, and come from fifty-six publishers from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K. that are participating in the Green Books Campaign. Please visit the other blogs that are participating in this event by visiting the Green Books Campaign page on the Eco-Libris website. 

Earth Matters: An encyclopedia of ecology

From the editors and writers at DK Publishing

Nonfiction

Ages 10 and up

DK, 2008, 978-0-7566-3435-3

   One hundred years ago, we did not fully appreciate how much of an impact we humans were having on our planet. Thankfully, we have learned a lot since then. Many of us acknowledge that “we have the fate of the whole planet in our hands,” and we therefore need to make every effort to create “a sustainable future” for all the living things that populate Earth. How is this to be done? What can we do to protect our planet?

   One of the things we can all do is to learn more about this beautiful and extraordinary planet that we depend on. We can educate ourselves, and in so doing we will better understand and appreciate the interactions that exist between plants, animals, water, air, and earth. This book presents readers with the means to learn about our planet, the various ecosystems that are found around the world, and the steps that we need to take to protect our precious inheritance.

   The book is divided into ten main sections. The introduction looks at the story of our planet and how it has changed over time. Here readers will find out about the carbon cycle, global warming, the search for forms of energy, the water cycle, what it means to be sustainable, and more.

   This introduction is followed by chapters about the major ecosystems that are found on Earth. We can read and learn about polar regions, temperate forests, deserts, grasslands, tropical forests, mountains, freshwater systems, and oceans. Each section contains annotated maps, diagrams, and photos. There is general information about each ecosystem, information about the plants and animals that are found there, and details about man’s interaction with that ecosystem.

   The last chapter in this excellent title looks at the ways in which we can set about “helping our Earth.” Though the problems may seem too enormous and overwhelming, “one person can make all the difference.” With every light that is turned off, every bottle that is recycled, every beach that is cleaned up, every bike that is ridden, and every piece of clothing that is reused, we all make a difference.

   Packed with information that is complimented by photos, diagrams, maps, tables, and illustrations, this is a book that everyone should read. It is an invaluable tool that will help readers to understand why they need to make an effort to live a more sustainable life.

Tomorrow 200 bloggers and 200 books and 56 publishers come together for the 2010 Green Books Campaign

On Wed., Nov. 10, at 1 p.m., 200 bloggers will simultaneously publish reviews of 200 books printed on environmentally-friendly paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using greener methods, Eco-Libris aims to raise consumer awareness about considering the environment when making book purchases. This year’s participation of both bloggers and books has doubled from the event’s inception last year.

The 200 books to be reviewed are in a variety of subjects including cooking, poetry, travel, green living, and history, and come from 56 publishers from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K. that are participating in the Green Books Campaign. This diversified group of publishers includes both small and large presses who all print books on recycled and/or FSC-certified paper.

Participating publishers include among others Penguin  Group, Scholastic, Barefoot Books, McClelland & Stewart, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Sterling Publishing, DK Publishing, Harvard Business Press, Island Press, North Atlantic Books, McGraw-Hill, ABRAMS and Picador.

“Although there’s so much hype around e-books, books printed on paper still dominate the book market, and we want them to be as environmentally sound as possible,” explains Raz Godelnik, co-founder and CEO of Eco-Libris. “Their share is still relatively small, but you can find a growing number of books printed responsibly and we hope this initiative will bring more exposure to such books. Through this campaign we want to encourage publishers to increase their green printing options and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books.”

Doug Pepper, president and publisher of 100-year-old publishing house McClelland & Stewart, says he is delighted to participate in a program that ties in with the company’s mission.  “The Eco-Libris Green Books Campaign’s positive “take action” message perfectly reflects our consistent use of recycled papers and our commitment to sustainable publishing as a whole,” Pepper says.

Among the bloggers who will review the books there are many who participate in the campaign for the second time. One of them is Kim Allen-Niesen of the blog ‘Bookstore People‘. “Participating in the Green Books Campaign was such an education in green reading.  I didn't have any idea how many publishers and writers are committed to creating books with as small an impact on the environment as possible.  I discovered unique books because they were printed on recycled paper and I learned that books I've read for years are printed in a low impact manner.  I'm looking forward to more surprises during this year's campaign, “Allen-Niesen says.

This year’s campaign is supported by Indigo Books & Music, the largest book retailer in Canada, as part of its efforts to draw attention to the need for more environmental paper in book publishing. This is a core goal of Indigo's environmental program, reinforced by Indigo's industry leading environmental paper policy.

Michelle White, Director, Sustainability at Indigo Books & Music said, “Indigo has a strong forest conservation mandate and we believe that physical books printed on environmental paper are a sustainable choice. We commend Eco- Libris for reinforcing this message and engaging and motivating readers to take this issue into consideration when purchasing books. In fact, Indigo provides information online and through in-store kiosk that allows consumers to make informed decisions about where the paper content of their book comes from”. Learn more athttp://www.chapters.indigo.ca.

Learn more about the Green Books Campaign and find a list of all participants at http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp

Founded in 2007, Eco-Libris (http://www.ecolibris.net) is a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices in the industry, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. To achieve these goals Eco-Libris is working with book readers, publishers, authors, bookstores, and others in the book industry worldwide. So far Eco-Libris has balanced out more than 150,000 books, resulting in more than 165,000 new trees planted with its planting partners in developing countries. 

A Countdown to Halloween - Six days of holiday books: Day Six

Happy almost Halloween everyone! The Through the Looking Glass Halloween Countdown is almost over, and it is ending with a phenomenal book that readers of all ages will enjoy. Jon J. Muth has written several books that share Zen stories and Zen philosophies with his readers. This newest book continues this theme.

Zen Ghosts

Jon J. Muth

Picture Book

Ages 6 and up

Scholastic, 2010, 978-0-439-63430-4

   Karl, Addy, and Michael are getting their Halloween costumes ready. Their friend Stillwater the panda bear comes over and he explains that he is going to be a ghost for Halloween. Karl is going to be a monster, and Michael is going to be either an owl or a pirate. He doesn’t know which he prefers. Stillwater suggests that Michael might like to be an “Owl-Pirate.” After all, on Halloween anything is possible. Stillwater then tells his young friends that this Halloween is special because there is going to be a full moon. He knows someone who can tell the children a ghost story.

   So, after treat-or-treating on Halloween night, the children meet Stillwater at the stone wall and he takes them to his house where they meet a panda bear who looks exactly like Stillwater. He tells them a story about a girl whose soul separated and went into two different directions. One soul stayed with her family, and one ran away with the boy she loved. Which soul was the real girl?

   In this beautiful and thought-provoking picture book, Jon Muth brings readers an old story that has timeless appeal. Yes, it is a ghost story of sorts, but it also a story about duality, which is something all people of all ages encounter. I am my mother’s child, but I am also someone’s best friend. Which self is the real me?

   With gorgeous paintings throughout and a story that will resonate with readers of all ages, this picture book is an enduring treasure. 

A Countdown to Halloween - Six days of holiday books: Day Five

So far in this countdown we have had a board book and several picture books, so today I have chosen to give you a chapter book.

The Pumpkin Mystery

Carol Wallace

Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman

Fiction

Ages 5 to 7

Holiday House, 2010, 978-0-8234-2219-7

   Last year Aden and Leah’s family were able to host a wonderful pumpkin party for all of the children’s friends. The young guests were able to choose Halloween pumpkins from Aden and Leah’s family pumpkin patch. Leah and Aden are eager to plant pumpkins again this year so that they can have another pumpkin party in the fall.

   Carefully, under the watchful eyes of Mocha and Scruffy, the family dog and cat, Aden, Leah and their parents plant their pumpkin seeds. Carefully they tend the little vines. To their great distress, the vines don’t do well at all. How can they have a Halloween pumpkin party if they don’t have any pumpkins? Why have the plants done so poorly this year when they did so well last year?

   With an engaging story and amusing characters, this is an appealing chapter book for young readers. Children will enjoy the way the cat and dog in this story are the ones who save the day. 

A Countdown to Halloween - Six days of holiday books: Day Four

Today's Halloween book is a board book that younger readers are sure to enjoy.

Five Little Pumpkins

Illustrated by Ben Mantle

Board Book

Ages 2 to 4

Tiger Tales, 2010, 978-1589258563

Night is falling and five little pumpkins are sitting on a gate. Tonight is not just any night, it is Halloween night, so as the moon rises strange things start to happen. Witches swoop over the pumpkins, big black spiders drop down on them, and the pumpkins “run and run” as ghosts and other spooky things fill the night air. Then the pumpkins decide to “have some fun” and the evening becomes even more interesting.

   This amusing board book will perfectly suit little children who enjoy Halloween.

A Countdown to Halloween - Six days of holiday books: Day Three

For today's review I have a picture book that has been out of print for twenty five years. I am delighted that it is back so that today's young readers can enjoy it.

Hubknuckles

Emily Herman

Illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray

Picture Book

Ages 5 to 7

Random House, 2010, 978-0-517-55646-7

   Every year on Halloween Hubknuckles some to visit Lee and her siblings. He stays outside of course, looking in, and the children stay in and look out “enjoying the small tickles of fear” from the safety of their warm house. Then one year, Lee tells her siblings that Hubknuckles isn’t real, and there is no reason why she cannot go outside on Halloween night.

   Of course, as the light fades, Lee begins to feel less confident. She has trouble eating her usual amount of dinner, and during the Halloween party, Lee is smiling on the outside, but she is nervous under her smiles.

   Then the time comes, and Lee slips out of the door. She is sure that Hubknuckles is her father wearing a white sheet…but then she might be wrong.

   Back in print for the first time in twenty-five years, this deliciously spooky story will leave readers wondering and guessing. Could it be that Hubknuckles is real after all, or was someone out outside playing the part? With wonderfully atmospheric pencil drawings and a beautifully paced text, this picture book is a must read for the days leading up to Halloween.

A Countdown to Halloween - Six days of holiday books: Day Two

For today's Halloween title I have a picture book that leaves the reader wondering if all is what it seems! It has a fabulous ending too.

On a windy Night

Nancy Raines Day

Illustrated by George Bates

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 7

Abrams, 2010, 978-0810939004

It is a windy Halloween night, and a little boy who is dressed up as a skeleton has a big haul of candy in his bag. Now it is time for him to go home, so he off he goes on a winding road under the light of the full moon. After a time, clouds hide the moon, and the dark woods around the little boy start to look more and more creepy. As he moves quickly through the trees, the boy hears a voice that says “Cracklety-clack, bones in a sack. They could be yours – if you look back.” The terrified boy rans on, through a field of dancing skeletons. Will this terrible ordeal ever end?

   With a bone chilling text and thoroughly spooky illustrations that contain all kinds of hidden creepy images, this is the perfect book to read out loud on the days leading up to Halloween.

A Countdown to Halloween - Six days of holiday books: Day One

There are only six more days before it is Halloween, and since I have some Halloweenish books on hand that I think you will enjoy, I have decided to have a six-day count down bookish event.
   I will begin with a book that is not strictly a Halloween title, but it is pertinent nevertheless. It is a book about pumpkins, and since pumpkins are often associated with Halloween, I thought it would be a great way to start my countdown.

The Pumpkin Book

Gail Gibbons

Nonfiction picture book

Ages 4 to 6

Holiday House, 1999, 0-8234-1636-4

   For many of us pumpkins are large orange squashes that we carve into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. They are turned into pumpkin pies, and we use them to decorate our homes during the harvest season. Most of us don’t realize that these fruit (yes they are a fruit) come in all shapes and sizes. Some varieties are huge, while others are very small indeed.

   You can grow your own pumpkin by planting a pumpkin seed in a prepared patch of ground in the spring. By summer, you should have a large pumpkin vine growing in your garden, and in the fall, it will be time to harvest the pumpkins you have grown. Depending on what kind of pumpkin you have grown, you can cook them, turn them into jack-o-lanterns, or - if you grow a really big pumpkin - you can enter it into a big pumpkin contest.

   This informative nonfiction picture book will be an instant hit with children who look forward to harvesting or buying pumpkins in the fall. It is not only packed with information about pumpkins, but it also gives young readers detailed instructions on how to plant a pumpkin, how to carve one, and how to dry pumpkin seeds. 

Besty Red Hoodie Blog Event Day Four - A Writing Contest from Gail Carson Levine

I have a treat for all you writers out there today. Gail Carson Levine, who has written an excellent book about writing for children called Writing Magic, has kindly created a little writing exercise contest for you. This is her challenge:

When I talk to children about “Little Red Riding Hood,” I suggest they picture themselves in the place of Little Red.  Then I ask if they would listen to the wolf and leave the path.  They all say they wouldn’t.  I challenge them.  “What if the wolf was as clever as the smartest person you know?  Might he trick you into doing what he wants?”  They start weighing the possibilities.  I go on.  “What if the grandmother was your real grandma?  Would she let herself and you be eaten?”

This happens to be an excellent exercise in character development for writers of any age or experience, to replace fairy tale characters with real ones.  The real people by their natures force old stories to change and become more complex.  After all, even in a story you can’t make your brilliant best friend say something stupid or your stubborn cousin suddenly turn compliant.

The most important task in expanding fairy tales is to slow the action way down.  Imagine that the heroine just flung a cloak of invisibility around her shoulders.  What does the cloak feel like?  What’s the fabric?  Is there a label?  Wait!  Back up!  Can she even see the label, or does the cloak vanish the moment it’s touched?  What are her sensations as it envelops her?  Does invisibility happen instantly or creep up?  Can she continue to see herself even though others can’t?  And so on.

So here’s the challenge: In “Little Red Riding Hood,” Little Red meets a talking wolf.  Talking animals appear in many fairy tales, and they’re a source of wonder that you’re about to explore.  You’re Little Red approached by the wolf, who wants to delay her so he (or she) can get to Grandma’s first.  Write his opening line.  You can continue and write the whole scene, a short story, a novel.  Go for it.  But for the contest, his first statement is all that counts.

Please email your response to this challenge to me at editor@lookingglassreview.com. Five of you will be chosen to receive autographed copes of Writing Magic and Betsy Red Hoodie.

Betsy Red Hoodie Blog Event Day Two - A profile of Gail Carson Levine

Gail Carson Levine is convinced she’s been touched by a fairy’s wand or has roamed accidentally into a fairy tale.  After working as a mid-level bureaucrat in New York State government for twenty-seven years, Levine’s first children’s book, Ella Enchanted, won a Newbery honor in 1998 and became a major motion picture in 2004.

The magic continues.  Levine now has eighteen books under her belt.  They’ve been published globally and translated into thirty-five languages.  She’s won reader choice awards - the most gratifying for a kids’ book writer because children do the choosing - in six states.  Her novels have been named annual Best Books by School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Los Angeles Times, and the American Library Association.  Levine’s historical novel, Dave at Night, was selected by the New York Public Library as among the Best Children’s Books of the 20^th Century.  Her “Snow White” fairy tale, Fairest, was named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, a Los Angeles Times Favorite Book of the Year, and a Boston Globe Top 5 Young Adult Novels in New England.  The nonfiction Writing Magic was named a Bank Street College Children’s Book of the Year.  The excellence of Levine’s prose has been hailed with starred reviews in Booklist, School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and Kirkus.  Her books’ popularity shows on the bestseller lists: New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Indie Bound, Amazon, and Book Sense.

Levine’s passion for writing has extended into teaching writing to children and young adults.  Every summer she teaches a free fiction-and-poetry writing workshop for kids ten and up in cooperation with her local public library.  Children return year after year, and Levine is always delighted at their growth as writers.  She’s expanded her teaching range with her blog and by visiting schools across the country and around the world; she has spoken to school children in Canada, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan, Bangkok, Germany, and Italy.

Levine grew up in New York City.  Today, she and her husband David Levine and their Airedale Baxter live in a 220-year-old farmhouse in New York's Hudson Valley.  Over the living-room fireplace hangs a gargoyle-like carved wooden lion’s head from an early Barnum and Bailey circus wagon.  The lion may be the keeper of the enchantment.


To find out more about Gail please visit her blog and her website.

Betsy Red Hoodie Blog Event Day One - A review

Welcome to Day one of the Betsy Red Hoodie Blog Event. Betsy Red Hoodie is a splendid picture book that was written by Gail Carson Levine, the author who gave us Ella Enchanted and many other magical books. Here is my review of the book.

Betsy Red Hoodie
Gail Carson Levine

Illustrated by Scott Nash

Picture Book

Ages 4 to 8

HarperCollins, 2010, 978-0-06-146870-4

   One morning Betsy’s mother asks Betsy to take come cupcakes to Betsy’s grandmother’s house. Betsy is one of the shepherds in Bray Valley, and it is her responsibility to take care of the sheep. Not wanting to leave the sheep all alone, Betsy decides takes the sheep with her. Zimmo, the other shepherd in the valley, wants to go with Betsy. At first, Betsy is reluctant to allow it. After all, Zimmo is a wolf, and everyone knows that wolves and grandmothers do not mix. However, Betsy then decides that Zimmo can join the party because he has always been a most trustworthy wolf.

   Twice along the way to Grandma’s house Betsy is warned that it is not a good idea to take Zimmo along, but Betsy doesn’t change her mind. Then Zimmo runs off and leaves Betsy with all the sheep to care for. Betsy is terrified that Zimmo might be giving in to his wolfish side at Grandmother’s house, but she cannot abandon the sheep who are in her care.

   In this amusing and entertaining take on the Little Red Riding Hood story, we meet a little girl who has courage, a secretive wolf, and a herd of chatty and not terribly bright (but rather funny) sheep. Readers who think they know what is going to happen in the end are sure to be surprised when they discover that all is not what it seems.

   For this book, Scott Nash’s delightful illustrations are presented in very unique way. There are full-page illustrations, divided panes, and spreads where all the characters have speech bubbles floating above their heads.  You never quite know what is going to come next.

  

In the next four days this Blog Event will continue with an interview with Gail, a profile of Gail, and a writing contest that Gail very kindly created just for TTLG readers.

Elsie's Bird Blog Event Day Three - An interview with Jane Yolen

For the third and final part of this blog event I have an interview with Jane Yolen about her fabulous book Elsie's Bird.

Marya: Where did the idea for this story come from?

© Jason Stemple

Jane: I was in the doctor's office some time ago and reading the Smithsonian Magazine. There was an article about women going west, carrying with them canaries in cages. It struck a cord. But the book had about a five-year gestation period and was originally about a woman who meets a young farmer and marries him and goes west with him. My editor asked me to rethink it with a child at the center. And after the requisite kicking and screaming and holding my breath until I turned blue, I tried it - and the book

worked so much better, I immediately claimed it was my ideal. (No I didn't, the editor Patti Gauch was a genius at such small suggestions and I truly mourn her retirement.)

Marya: The story takes a sad turn when Elsie struggles with the isolation that she feels on the farm in Nebraska. How did you get inside her head and heart? How did you find out what it was like to be a child who moved from a city to a sod house on a prairie? 

Jane: Once the child was off to that new place, I became her. The voice I heard was my childhood voice in my head.

Marya: How do you think children who have never seen a prairie will identify with Elsie? 

Jane: I think they identify with the fear of new places, the loss of family and familiar things, the need to be brave when a pet is in danger. The prairie in the book stands for all the scary new things that really often have their own beauty once we are willing to surrender to them. It could just as easily be a new city, a new country, a new school. New things are scary. They seem unnatural. Children go into new situations all the time.

Marya: To me this story is very much about finding ones sense of home in a new place. How do you think adults can help children to adjust to a new place? 

Jane: First I think you have to let  child identify the fear of the new. Remind them of all the new things they have done before in their lives - getting born, moving house, a new school, visiting someone they've never met before, going to the doctor, taking a test. All those things are new - and can become something fabulous. Don't tell them they are silly or stupid to feel that way. Acknowledge their fears, and even your own fears. And then help them find the beauty, those things which make this new place  beautiful.

Marya: I enjoy reading stories about what it was like to move to the American frontier. Over the years, my copies of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books have traveled from place to place with me. Is this a part of history that you have a particular interest in? If so why?

Jane: I lived the first thirteen years of my life more or less in New York City and suddenly we moved to Connecticut. No preparation, thrown into the deep end of the pool. After college I went back to New York to work. Then my husband and I traveled around Europe and the Middle East for almost a year and moved to Massachusetts when we came back. One New York friend mused puzzingly, "How can you stand all that green?" Well, I am a born-again New Englander now. And a part time Caledonian, living in Scotland about four months a year. I love finding new beauty wherever I go. It's not Nebraska, not the prairie that calls me; it's finding the beautiful new.

Marya: Elsie's Bird is your 300th book. How does it feel to have reached this

extraordinary milestone in your career?

Jane: It sounds more extraordinary to other people than it sounds to me. You see, I remember writing all those books, one at a time. I love to write, love to watch stories and poetry leak out of my fingertips onto the keyboard. Nothing makes me happier. (Another kind of finding the new beauty, actually!) They are all dear old friends. Though I have to admit, I love quoting this from Isaac Asimov: "If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I'd type a little faster.”

Thank you so much Jane. I am looking forward to seeing what you do next. Here's to many more books to enjoy in the future.

Elsie's Bird Blog Event Day Two - Elsie's Bird Review

Here is my review of Elsie's Bird.

Elsie’s Bird

Jane Yolen

Illustrated by David Small

Picture Book

Ages 6 to 8

Penguin, 2010, 978-0-399-25292-1

   Elsie has a happy life living in the city of Boston with her Mama and her Papa. She loves to explore the city, and she knows the names of all the birds. As she skips and runs through the streets, she loves to sing the songs of the birds “back at them.”

   Then a dark cloud covers the sun in Elsie’s life. Her mother dies and Elsie’s Papa decides that he needs to leave Boston to go somewhere far away so that he can leave behind “the sadness in his heart.” When they get to their farm, which lies in the middle of a sea of grass in Nebraska, Elsie realizes that her new home is going to be nothing like her old one. She misses the sight and sound of the sea. She misses being around other people. Elsie dreams “of Boston cobbles and bells.” The one thing that lifts her spirits is the presence of Timmy Tune, a little canary. Throughout the day Elsie and her pet sing “back and forth.” Timmy Tune’s little voice injects some sunshine into Elsie’s otherwise sad and lonely life.

   Then one day Timmy Tune gets out of his cage and Elsie runs out into the grass to find her beloved pet. How will she survive in this place without him?

   In this magical picture book, Jane Yolen takes her readers back to a time in American history when many families left the places they knew and went west. They gave up much that was familiar to build a new life on the open prairies. Eagerly or reluctantly, children went to these new places, and for many of them it was a shock to discover that their new home was nothing like the one they had left. With sensitivity and lyrical writing that beautifully captures the essence of Elsie’s world, Jane Yolen has once again created a book that will delight readers of all ages.    

   David Small’s expressive illustrations perfectly capture the essence of Jane Yolen’s story. With changing perspectives and flashes of color, David Small’s paintings are full of movement, and readers will come to understand how a “sea of grass” can be beautiful

Elsie's Bird Blog Event Day One - Jane Yolen's 300th book!

JANE YOLEN, “THE HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN OF AMERICA,”

PUBLISHES 300^TH BOOK THIS FALL

Award-winning, bestselling author Jane Yolen, whom Newsweek dubbed “the Hans Christian Andersen of America,” is publishing her 300^th book this fall.  Yolen’s books and stories have been honored with some of the publishing industry’s most distinguished awards, including a Caldecott Medal, a Caldecott Honor, two Nebula awards, the Jewish Book Award, and two Christopher Medals.  She’s received three body-of-work awards and six honorary doctorates.  Yet when she began her writing career as a journalist and poet, she could never have guessed that someday she'd be the author of 300 books for children, teens, and adults. 

Yolen marks the milestone with Elsie’s Bird (Philomel), a lyrical picture book illustrated by Caldecott Medalist David Small, about a motherless Boston girl who moves to the Nebraska prairie.  The author’s words also sing out in five other new books this fall:  Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan (Dutton), a picture book biography of J.M. Barrie; Hush, Little Horsie (Random House), which tucks in the youngest picture book lovers with a lullaby of love; Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems (Candlewick), an anthology co-edited with Andrew Fusek Peters; The Barefoot Book of Dance Stories, written with Heidi E.Y. Stemple (Barefoot Books), featuring dance folktales from around the world and a story CD narrated by Juliet Stevenson; and How Do Dinosaurs Laugh Out Loud? (Cartwheel Books/Scholastic), a lift-the-flap book.

 “When I think of the actual number, it seems overwhelming,” says the versatile author.  “But I just love writing, and I can remember working on each book even when I cannot actually name them all without the aid of a list.  I never set out to write this many books.  It just happened.  And you should see the manuscripts I have not yet sold!  I have enough ideas to last me for the rest of my life.”

Yolen truly makes music with words in this fall’s ensemble of books.  Elsie’s Bird evokes a symphony of sound, from the gulls in Boston harbor to the sandhill cranes of the Nebraska grasslands, as it follows Elsie’s journey from grief and loneliness to acceptance.  The prairie feels empty and silent to Elsie, until the day her beloved canary escapes.  Chasing him into the tall grass, she discovers that the prairie sings a song of its own, different from the familiar sounds of Boston, but every bit as beautiful.  Small’s watercolors harmonize with Yolen’s moving words as Elsie’s sadness transforms into an appreciation of her new home.  Elizabeth Bird, writing for SchoolLibraryJournal.com, calls the book “a love song to the country.”