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January 6,
2004
In this issue:
Brian Hall and Literary Feast
Barry Sanders...Live
Seussentennial Imagination Tour
Two books for Snow
Black History Month Titles
"Slumming"
Greetings:
Happy New Year! Here we go again...another year. Hope I get it right this
time.
We are off and running here at Watermark. Next week brings an event that
you or your high school students might find entertaining. Brian Hall,
author of "I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company," will be here to
read and sign this novel of Lewis and Clark. Unlike many books about Lewis
and Clark, including the explorers' actual journals, this novel is
"compulsively readable," bringing the daily life of the expedition alive.
Prior to the reading, we will host a Literary Feast at 6:00 p.m. for anyone
interested in dining and visiting with the author. Tickets for the Literary
Feast are $8.95 and can be obtained by calling our cafe (682-1181) or by
e-mailing me. Reading begins at 7:00 p.m. "I Should Be Extremely Happy in
Your Company" has been receiving some national critical acclaim, and we are
very excited about this event. We hope to see some of you here.
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I know you have high school students who will be interested in this next
event. Barry Sanders will be appearing at the North High School gym on
January 17 to sign his new book "Barry Sanders: Now You See Him" co-written
by his friend and Wichita Eagle writer Mark McCormick. Barry will be giving
a press conference from 1:00-2:00 p.m. with the signing to follow. Books
will be sold at the event with a portion of every sale to be donated to
scleroderma research. Therefore, anyone wishing to bring a book from home
to have signed will be asked to donate $20 to the Scleroderma Foundation.
Also, because of contractual obligations, Barry will be signing the book
only, not footballs, jerseys, posters, etc. This promises to be a very
lively event. Again, hope you can make it.
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Now, have I got a field trip for you. This month Random House Children's
Books is kicking off the "Seussentennial Imagination Tour"--100 days of
events and celebrations honoring Ted Geisel's memory. The "Imagination
Tour" will visit more than 40 cities, and Wichita is one of them. The tour
will provide free, live performances based on the life, the words, and the
art of Dr. Seuss. Events will include readings of Dr. Seuss books,
interactive Imagination Workshop, costume character appearances, and goody
bags for kids. All this will take place in Wichita at Exploration Place on
February 17 with shows at 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Watermark will be
selling books during the event. Admission is free but passes are required
to attend. Watermark will have a limited number of passes to distribute on
a first-come-first-served basis. Passes will also be available at
Exploration Place. Passes are not available yet, but I will be sending out
an e-mail to you when they are. Even if you can't bring a group from school
to this celebration, it is something you might want to bring to your
parents' attention. For more information about the tour, log on to
www.seussentennial.com. I will send more info as I receive it.
Random House has created a couple of give-away items in connection with the
Seussentennial. One is a very cool poster with suggested classroom
activities and ideas on the back. The other is a Seussentennial calendar
featuring 100 ways to celebrate Dr. Seuss. Either one of these is good for
classroom use whether or not you attend the celebration. They are yours for
the asking as long as my supply lasts. Just let me know if you want me to
hold one or both for you.
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If you looked closely yesterday you saw an occasional snowflake, and you
know we'll get hammered again one of these days. You'll want to be ready
with a snow book or two. Here are a couple of new ones for pre-school
children.
Emily Arnold McCully has revamped her 1985 edition of "First Snow" to
include words and new pictures. This book features the cute little mouse
family also found in "Picnic." This is a very simple tale that will elicit
a smile from pre-schoolers. (ages 2-5)
Expect lots of hands-on with this book. "Snow Bear" by Piers Harper is a
new printing with a "soft-to-touch" animal on every page. It is the story
of a little polar bear who is finally allowed to explore his wintry world
for the first time. Of course, he loses his mom and all sorts of adventures
await him before he finds his way back to her. This is a good selection to
have if you have a library for parents to borrow from. (ages 2-5)
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I know it's only January, but can February be far behind? Here are some new
titles to add to your list of books to use during Black History Month. Of
course, they're good for any other month as well.
The husband and wife team of Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome have
collaborated on a book about a 19th century black world champion, "Major
Taylor: Champion Cyclist." Despite the obstacle of racial prejudice,
Marshall Taylor's dedication, talent and speed led him to a position as a
professional cyclist at the age of 18, then to a world championship just
three years later. This is an inspiring story told with rich vocabulary
and beautiful oil illustrations. (ages 6-10)
"Free at Last! Stories and Songs of Emancipation" is the second of three
books that Doreen Rappaport is writing about the experience of black
Americans in the U.S. This book covers the years from Emancipation in 1863
to the 1954 Supreme Court decision on segregation. This might sound a
little dry for kids, but Rappaport and illustrator Shane W. Evans do a
tremendous job of chronicling the humiliations and trials of black men,
women and children while at the same time showing the strength,
determination and courage the black community found within itself to fight
back. Rappaport's research uncovered songs, poems, memoirs, letters and
court testimonies which she interweaves with her own voice to bring dignity
and honor to those who suffered through this bleak time in our nation's
history. (ages 7 and up)
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Most of us think we could improve others, if given a chance, but none are as
adept at this way of thinking as are high school girls. In "Slumming" by
Kristen D. Randle three high school friends launch a "human experiment" in
which they each choose a student who needs a little improvement and take
that person to the prom. Of course the plan backfires as each girl learns
something about the person they have chosen and about themselves. The
experiment also threatens the girls' own friendship. How will they
extricate themselves from this without everyone involved getting hurt? An
insightful and intriguing story about the consequences of trying to change
others and how things are rarely as they seem. (teens)
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Now I have a question. Can someone tell me when the 100th day of school is?
I always miss it, and we have many 100th day books to display. Have I
missed it again?
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Did anyone read a good book over the holidays? I'd love to hear about it.
We can't read them all, so we're always eager to hear from you.
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And that's all today. Have a good week. I'll be reading...
Carolyn
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