Poetry Friday: Ben Stiller on Sesame Street

Enjoy this song full of rhyme with your totz!

Catch the full roundup soon...

In the Pages Interview with Leslie Patricelli

Lovely interview with Leslie Patricelli at In the Pages! I learned more that I didn't know AND the Monkey Drummer is still in the works. I'm so excited! Woot!

Then check out the adorable Patterson Puppies with your older totz. :~)

~Lorie Ann

Wednesdays Win: Nursery

Happy Wednesday!
Drop a comment for a chance to win Nursery, illustrated by Jess Stockham (Child's Play). Stop in each week--we'll post a new contest every Wednesday. One lucky winner will win the 3 books posted on Wednesdays Win throughout November. We'll announce the winner for the month on November 25th. Don’t forget to check back to see if you've won.

Good luck!

(Due to mailing costs, USA only. Winners must contact us within two weeks after they are announced on readertotz as the winner. Not responsible if books are lost in transit by the USPS--we can't replace them. Thanks!)

~ Lorie Ann Grover and Joan Holub

Illustrator Love: Jon Klassen

My friend just pointed out Jon Klassen's work to me. Is this not GORGEOUS?

Absolutely inspiring. Check out his website here or his blog here.

He also did preliminary drawings for Coraline. Okay, can someone tell me WHY hasn't Jon been asked to do a picture book yet? Or board book for our totz? Seriously. I searched Amazon and found nothing.

Calling children's book art directors and editors. Sign, Jon!

Quentin Blake's Ten Frogs

As a parent of a tot, how can you not pick up Quentin Blake's Ten Frogs, A first book about numbers? I see the imagery and immediately the BFG is conjured up in my mind with such happiness. :~) Roald Dahl's characters and Quentin's own shift through my thoughts.



Quentin was the head of the illustration department at the Royal College of Art and the first to hold the title Children's Laureate in 1999.

Here is our chance to introduce totz to this iconographic imagery of children's literature. Pavilion Children's has gathered Quentin's images to help teach counting from one to ten. An extra spread of 100 wasps closes the board book which touts a cut out cover.

Smile with your totz over one crow, four cats, and ten frogs. Learn to count with a laureate!

Quentin Blake's Ten Frogs
by Quentin Blake
Pavilion Children's, 2009

Poetry Friday: Twinkle, Twinkle (full text)

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

Then the traveler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark;
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye
Till the sun is in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

As your bright and tiny spark
Lights the traveler in the dark,
Through I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

Star image from Cambridge Educational Toys! Jennie of Biblio File is hosting this week's Poetry Friday.

Scholastic: Hello, Dinosaurs!

A small 6-page sturdy board book wrapped in fabric and backed with a hand puppet that includes 5 dinosaurs, one of each color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue. For ages 1-2.
I haven't seen anything quite like this before. The book fits in the palm of your hand and is attached to a fabric 'glove' with dino finger puppets on each finger. I think babies and totz will get a kick out of this while getting a painless introduction to colors.
Red dinosaur loves to fly.
Orange dinosaur stretching to the sky.

Hello, Dinosaurs
Scholastic

Poetry Friday: Cobbler, Cobbler

Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe,
Give it a stitch and that will do.
Here's a nail, and there's a prod,
And now my shoe is well shod.

Kelly has the Poetry Friday roundup! And get these cute shoes, not in need of a cobbler, at Stardust. :~)

Photototz: Call for entries

Joan and I are launching a segment called: Photototz! We are inviting all authors/illustrators to send a cover of their latest book AND a photo of when they were a tot. We'll stream these onto the blog and collect the entries in the sidebar. It should be fun!

If you'd like to participate, send your images to readertotzatclearwiredotnet Share a little baby smile and celebrate your recent release!

To get things going, here's mine. I'm a tot of 20 months. :~)

And if you are a parent or grandparent of a tot, feel free to send a photo of you reading together to the above address. We'll be happy to share it with our growing community!

Show us those baby faces, readertotz!

Wednesdays Win: Library Lion

Drop a comment here on readertotz for a chance to win Library Lion published by Candlewick Press! Don't forget to check in each week--we'll post a new contest every Wednesday and will announce all the winners for the month on October 21 end of the day. Don’t forget to check back to see if you've won. Good luck!
(Due to mailing costs, USA only. Winners must contact us at the email provided on October 21 within 10 days to be eligible. Thanks!)

CONGRATULATIONS JANE MARTIZ OF winningreadings.blogspot.com You won the October Wednesdays Win at readertotz! Please email joanholub at aol dot com with your snailmail address.

~ Joan Holub and Lorie Ann Grover

Little Hoot: Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace

I'm so pleased to see Chronicle has released the "Little" books in board book format! They are sold as a beautiful boxed set, but I think each deserves a separate review. So today, I'm appreciating Little Hoot. I first came across Little Hoot through Bookie Woogie's great review.



Author Amy Krouse Rosenthal ponders the trials of a little owl, so tired, he just wants to go to bed. But of course, his parents make him stay up. How hard is that when all your friends are asleep and all you can think of is sleep, sleep, sleep!

What a fun way to explore the opposite of what is maybe a struggle with your totz: going to bed. Genius!

Jen Corace's delicate, varied ink lines and soft watercolor washes are the perfect compliment to Amy's text. I particularly enjoy the sparseness and wide white spaces.

The font is a wonderful, thin match for both story and art.

Note: the board book cover show Little Hoot in green jammies, while on the picture book cover, he's wearing blue, like the above image. Hm. Why the change? Interesting.

Read this sweet, smart board book with your totz because "they owl lived happily ever after."

Little Hoot
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
illustrated by Jen Corace
Chronicle Books, 2009 (board book)