Reading goal accomplished three months early!

The 365th book? An Oak Tree Grows by G. Brian Karas. This is the point where my husband says to me, "Great! Now you can stop reading for the year!"

Scott Campbell @ Politics and Prose ::

I've been a fan of Scott Campbell's for a number of years, but now I can't remember how I originally came across his work. He has a distinctive watercolor cartoon-y style that appeals to me, and I was pleased as punch when I found out in 2011 that he would be illustrating his first children's book, Zombie in Love (written by Kelly DiPucchio). I had the chance to meet him that year at SPX when I was visiting DC, and I had my library's copy of the book signed for the students.

Fast forward a few years to this summer and Scott finally published his very own children's picture book, Hug Machine! It is an adorable book about the Hug Machine, a boy who is so very good at hugging that he goes around town hugging everyone and everything. I read the F&G (folded & gathered; kind of like a full-color picture book ARC) over the summer and loved it immediately. It's perfect for preschool, but as an adult it's a wonderful little reminder of the power of the hug. (And it's scientifically proven that hugs are good for you, your mood, and your brain.)

Scott wasn't at SPX this year so I was really excited that he was going to be at Politics and Prose. In anticipation of his visit, I thought it would be fun to create a Hug Machine ring from Shrinky-Dink paper. His long arms would be perfect wrapped around your finger, don't you think? Unfortunately, I'm not a pro at Shrinky-Dinks and his arms folded in on themselves during the heating process. I tweeted a picture of it to Scott and this is what he tweeted back:

Scott mixed up his presentation with a slideshow of his artwork (including some pictures of his childhood work), a reading of Hug Machine, some talk about how the book was made, and an art demonstration (which the kids always love).

[Scott loves to hug!]

[early sketches of Hug Machine]

[Hug Machine hugging a TV (the show is "Dogs in Boots Hugging")]

[I "gifted" Scott the noodly Hug Machine Shrinky Dink]

 [I had Scott draw in my illustrators' sketchbook again: the illustration on the left was done at SPX in 2011, and the one on the right was done at the P&P event.]

More pictures from Scott's visit to P&P can be found at my flickr account.

Bob Shea @ Politics and Prose :: September 29, 2014

[Bob is so good with the preschool set: he actively engages them, uses humor, reads with voices & expression, and lets them "Roar!"]

[He claims he's a one trick pony because all of his animals/creatures are derivatives of the jelly bean shape!]

[Chick from New Socks DJs an animal dance party!]

[I asked Bob to draw a unicorn in my illustrators' book and I got to contribute by choosing the colors and drawing in a few sparkles.]

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA

[To rehash the concept :: post what you read last week, what you're reading now, and what you plan to read this week. If you have a review of the book(s), great! If you have a picture of the book(s), wonderful! If you have a book giveaway, fantastic! If you just list the title(s) of the book(s), not a problem! Make it as simple or as complex as you need it to be. At least, that's the message I got. This version of the meme is hosted by Jen and Kellee of Teach Mentor Text, which, in turn, was inspired by Sheila over at Book Journey, who hosts the original It's Monday! What Are You Reading?]

WHAT I READ LAST WEEK:

Anna & Solomon by Elaine Snyder, illustrated by Harry Bliss

The Beginner's Guide to Running Away From Home by Jennifer Larue Huget, illustrated by Red Nose Studio (Chris Sickels)

The Book Boat's In by Cynthia Cotten, illustrated by Frané Lessac

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Dare the Wind: The Record-Breaking Voyage of Eleanor Prentiss and the Flying Cloud by Tracey Fern, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully

El Deafo by Cece Bell

Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Susan Guevara

Mr. Cornell's Dream Boxes by Jeanette Winter

Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis, illustrated by Gilbert Ford

My Country 'Tis of Thee: How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights by Claire Rudolf Murphy, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Papa's Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Boris Kulikov

Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Niko Henrichon

Quest by Aaron Becker

Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton

This Orq. (He Cave Boy.) by David Elliott, illustrated by Lori Nichols

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton

Whale Shines: An Artistic Tale by Fiona Robinson

What If ...? by Anthony Browne

WHAT I'M READING NOW:

The Tropic of Serpents: A Memoir of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan

WHAT I PLAN TO READ THIS WEEK:

Dash by Kirby Larson

Cece Bell @ Politics and Prose :: September 24, 2014

[Cece's actual Phonic Ear from her childhood]

[Something you may not think about ... signings for an author with a hearing impairment require just a bit more time. Cece is really conscientious about asking people to write out their name first (I carry around a Post-It note with my name already on it) because she can't hear you spelling it out loud while she's writing/signing.]

[I've been very forward about asking illustrators to sketch in my illustrators' book, and Cece was kind enough to draw Sock Monkey for me.]

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA

I had a really great book week (see my other posts from this week), yet I didn't do a lot of reading. I'm preparing for my next TRC volunteer read-aloud so I spent some time reading picture books about libraries and sea creatures. But I haven't gotten around to reading the myriad of picture books I checked out from the library. I'm hoarding library books and admiring their covers, but not getting to the actual content ... yet. 

[To rehash the concept :: post what you read last week, what you're reading now, and what you plan to read this week. If you have a review of the book(s), great! If you have a picture of the book(s), wonderful! If you have a book giveaway, fantastic! If you just list the title(s) of the book(s), not a problem! Make it as simple or as complex as you need it to be. At least, that's the message I got. This version of the meme is hosted by Jen and Kellee of Teach Mentor Text, which, in turn, was inspired by Sheila over at Book Journey, who hosts the original It's Monday! What Are You Reading?]

WHAT I READ LAST WEEK:

Amelia Bedelia's First Library Card by Herman Parish

Baltimore, Volume 2: The Curse Bells written by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden, illustrated by Ben Stenbeck

Breathe by Scott Magoon

Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale

Clark the Shark Dares to Share by Bruce Hale

D.W.'s Library Card by Marc Brown

A House for Hermit Crab by  Eric Carle

Into the A, B, Sea by Deborah Lee Rose

A Library Book for Bear by Bonny Becker

Miss Brooks' Story Nook (Where Tales Are Told and Ogres Are Welcome!) by Barbara Bottner

Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle

The Monkey Goes Bananas by C.P. Bloom (Carly Dempsey, Ed Bloom, and Peter Raymundo)

Surf War! by Margaret Read MacDonald

WHAT I'M READING NOW:

The Tropic of Serpents: A Memoir of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan

WHAT I PLAN TO READ THIS WEEK:

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

El Deafo by Cece Bell