Illustrator Elizabeth Sayles is coming to Ann Arbor to do a picture book workshop for artists in grades K - 5. She will be at the Downtown Library on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. All materials for making the books will be provided.

Ms. Sayles has illustrated several dozen picture books as well as artwork for advertising firms and magazines. You can learn more about Ms. Sayles on her website.

Billy Crystal's book I Already Know I Love You was illustrated by Ms. Sayles. Other titles illustrated by her are Millions of Snowflakes by Mary McKenna Siddals, The Night Crossing by Karen Ackerman and The Very Little Princess by Marion Dane Bauer.

We are excited to be hosting this illustrator. It will be a very special event.

In the world of Pooh and Piglet and the rest of A. A. Milne's Hundred Acre Wood clan, it seems like Eeyore never gets enough love. Plenty of young folks have a smiling, bouncing Tigger plastered across their onesies or decorated on their lunch boxes, but rarely is there any sign of the original mope-ster before Morrissey, the down-on-his-luck, king of the glum, Eeyore.

What's with the snubbing? Let me enumerate some of the philosopher-donkey's finest qualities. Eeyore is a pragmatist, built for the 21st century; he loses his tail and figures someone probably stole it; he gets invited to a party and figures he'll only get the leftover crumbs; he is wished "good morning" and questions whether it really is a good morning; his favorite food is thistles, a plant entirely covered in thorns thus always in supply since no one else can stomach it. And did I mention he's also a poet? Check out the last story in The House on Pooh Corner for a real treat in verse.

Of course, the AADL owns the ever popular, The Tigger Movie, and even My Friends Tigger & Pooh. Hundred Acre Wood Haunt, but you might not know that the library also owns the book, Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore. Sounds great, right? If you ask me, I'm making today my official Day for Eeyore.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Movie will be showing at the Michigan Theater on Sunday, April 25 at 1:30. Part of the Benard L. Maas Family Friendly Film Series, and sponsored by The Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan, this event is FREE for kids 12 and under! See it on the big screen with a bucket of popcorn for a Sunday out on the town.

In this Depression-era drama based on the beloved American Girls book series, Kitt tries to solve a home robbery. The all-star cast also includes Abigail Breslin as Kitt, as well as Chris O'Donnell, Joan Cusack, Stanley Tucci, and Jane Krakowski.

If you choose to instead stay home in your PJs on Sunday, it's also available at AADL on DVD and Blu-ray.

I MUST share this fabulous picture book find with you! Carlo, a young giraffe, visits the new library with his father. The crocodile librarian, Mrs. Chinca, seems a little scary. Carlo soon realizes, however, that Mrs. Chinca is not only very friendly but also extremely knowledgeable about books. Carlo and the Really Nice Librarian is illustrated with cheerful watercolor, ink and collage. With sweet little details like a card catalog, a library card application, and the circulation desk, this would be a perfect story to share with a child who is about to visit a library for the fircarlost time.

If you enjoy Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz, you should check out this incredibly well done graphic novel version.

This book’s writer Eric Shanower is an Eisner Award-winning artist. As a child he adored The Wizard of Oz so much that he constructed Oz pop-ups, created plays for the neighborhood children, and joined the International Wizard of Oz club. As a child the only thing he loved as much as the Wizard of Oz was comic books. This graphic novel represents the combination of his two life-long loves.

Scottie Young illustrated the book and his illustrations are entrancing. The depictions of all the main characters, the Wizard’s hot air balloon, and the Emerald City are wonderfully unique. Some illustrations, such as Dorothy standing in the field in Kansas, are simply beautiful.

This book is a compilation of Marvel’s 8-part comic book series. Young and Shanower are currently working on the Marvelous Land of Oz, another 8-part series being published by Marvel.

Baseball Bot

...To the ball game! This month's Youth Magazine Update focuses on America's classic sport, baseball.

Sports Illustrated Kids brings you their 2010 Baseball Preview. This jam-packed issue has overviews of the American League and National League teams, an article on the best defense players, and a feature article on American League MVP Joe Mauer.

Faces Magazine explores Chicago baseball, along with other excellent elements of the Midwest, like the American Bison, the Mississippi River, and the world's largest goose. Also in this issue is "The Legend of the Moccasin Flower" -- an Ojibwe folktale.

If the ball game isn't far enough for you, you could always try outer space! The current issue of Odyssey Magazine is all about space -- with ideas for a moon base, articles on the moons of our solar system, and a short story about life on Saturn's moon, Titan -- can Alan survive a solo flight back to base? Read and find out!

A library patron recently asked me about books for her child who is scared of thunderstorms. If you are in a similar situation with our stormy spring weather, we have several picture books that can help ease the fears of your little one.
My first recommendation has to be Patricia Polacco's Thunder Cake, which tells the story of a girl and her grandmother in a Michigan storm and the tasty way they overcome her fear. There is even a recipe for Thunder Cake included, so you can make your own special treat when a storm rolls in. Franklin And The Thunderstorm is another picture book that demonstrates creative ways to overcome being scared of the weather. The Monster Storm tells the story of a little monster who is afraid of a thunderstorm and goes outside to try and scare it away. Thunder-Boomer! is local author Shutta Crum's tale of a family's experience on a farm in a storm (with great sound effects for reading out loud) and an unexpected visitor. One last recommendation would be Listen To The Raindrops, which tells the story of a father comforting his scared son, and transforming a frightening thunderstorm into a fantasy of sight and sounds. Written by local author Kirk Lignell, this book includes a CD featuring "The Storm Song".
child fear

It may be a bit rainy this week, but last week's weather reminded me that summer is near at hand, and accordingly I started thinking about what books I want to read out in the backyard under the warm sunshine. As a kid, I loved to read books about magic during summer vacation. One of my favorite authors was Edward Eager, whose Magic series can still make me feel like magic may just be waiting for me around the next corner I turn. I was also a fan of Susan Cooper, whose book, The Dark is Rising, inspired the movie The Seeker. Cooper's books are full of British folklore as well as magic of her own imagining. I read Joan Aiken's The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase over and over in elementary school and I just recently discovered that it is the first in a wonderful series of books set in alternative history, in which wolves rule England's wilderness and the King of England is constantly threatened by revolutionary plots.

Ruth McNally Barshaw, author of Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen Will Travel and Ellie McDoodle: New Kid in School will be at the Pittsfield Branch on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. Ellie is an eleven-year-old girl who keeps a sketch journal about her family, her school, and her life. Reading these books is like getting into Ellie's personal diary. Her whole life is laid out in sketches and words. Come hear the author tell about how Ellie came to be and how these books are made; maybe you'll want to start telling your own life's story in words and pictures.

This program is for kids K - 5 and their adults. Books will be on sale at the program and the author will be available for signing.

Ponyo, a children's animated film released in theaters in 2009, is a great, fresh take on the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale "The Little Mermaid."

In Ponyo, "a young boy named Sosuke rescues a goldfish named Ponyo, and they embark on a fantastic journey of friendship before Ponyo's father forces her to return to the sea. Ponyo's desire to be human upsets the balance of nature and only Ponyo's mother, a beautiful sea goddess, can restore nature's balance and make Ponyo's dreams come true."

With a famous English voice cast, including stars such as Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Cloris Leachman, and Lily Tomlin, Ponyo is entertaining and intriguing, though it may be a little slow or long for younger children.

There is also a bit of an environmental theme in the movie, influencing the audience to help keep the oceans clean.

Oddly enough, there are diverse other reworkings of "The Little Mermaid." These include a teen fiction novel, Midnight Pearls, in Debbie Viguié's Once Upon a Time series; an adult fantasy novel entitled The Mermaid's Madness by Jim C. Hines; and of course, the most well-known, the Disney film adaptation of the story.