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November 2, 2004

Thoughts on November
Mind your Manners
America the Beautiful
Make Way for McCloskey
November Events
"If Not for the Cat"
Teacher Featured Book:  "Memories of Sun: Stories of Africa and America"

Greetings from Gaylene,
 
A book my children always enjoyed was Tasha Tudor's "A Time to Keep,"  a book about seasons and holidays. I always remember the verse for November was, "No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, November." (Thomas Hood)   Now, November can be dreary, but I find it a nice break between the Halloween hubbub and the Christmas frenzy. Let's not forget about celebrating Thanksgiving, since we could all stand to be a little more thankful. We have Thanksgiving books to make your November brighter! Come in and check out our Thanksgiving shelf. If you are ready to do some shopping for December holidays, we will also be displaying books for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
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To encourage improved manners at the Thanksgiving table and for life in general, we have a new book in the store you might want to know about, Emily Post's The Guide to Good Manners for Kids (written by Peggy Post and Cindy Post Senning, EdD, published by HarperCollins, $15.99, ISBN 067005934X, ages 8-12.) As teachers, we frequently have to remind children that it is polite to say thank you, excuse me, please, etc. Here is a complete guide that might lend itself to use with some classroom activities, since civility and manners are something that make life a little better for all of us. The authors are the third
generation of Posts involved in the business of manners, and offer kids practical advice that covers about every situation a child could face, from how
to speak to people, how to help out at home, attending events, and cell phone
use.  This is a great book for kids, parents, or teachers!
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If you like pop up books, and I mean REAL pop up books, you need to come in to see Robert Sabuda's latest, America the Beautiful. Page one literally opens up the Golden Gate Bridge, complete with boats sailing beneath.  "Amber waves of grain" is depicted by a three dimensional field with a tractor, animals and barn and windmill in the background. Obviously, visual art can't be described
adequately in words, but that's all the more reason to come in and look at this
book in person.  You can own your own work of art by a master paper engineer. If you are trying to do some early Christmas shopping, this would be an excellent choice as a special keepsake gift.  (Published by Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0689847440, $26.95, not suitable for children under 5 years.)
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I am a Robert McCloskey fan, probably because I read aloud "One Morning in
Maine" and "Blueberries for Sal" so many times for my kids when they were small.  You can't beat a good McCloskey story.  We have two McCloskey treasuries, both of which are good, but the one we just received is especially nice, since it includes more of his stories, plus background and photos about the author.  "Make Way for McCloskey" is a wonderful treasury of 8 McCloskey stories (published by Viking, ISBN 067005934X, $25.00.)  This is an excellent buy for so many classic stories in one hard cover edition.
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November Events for your Calendars:

Do you like mysteries?  Would you like to interact with other adults for a
change in a book discussion?  Watermark's new Mystery Book Club meets November 2 (today, as you read this) at 6:30 p.m. to discuss "Foul Matter" by Martha Grimes. The December book will be "Tell No One" by Harlan Coben.  Come and be a part of this new group at Watermark. It will meet the first Tuesday of every month. 

November 4:  Lee Wardlaw Presentation and Book Signing at 7:00 p.m.  We are
fortunate to have Lee in town for some school visits and presentations at our
store.  She is the author of 20 books for children including "101 Ways to Bug
Your Teacher", which was recently named to the ALAN Books of the Month list.
ALAN is the journal of the National Council of Teachers of English.

November 6:  SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Kansas Chapter will offer An Overview of Writing Books for Young Readers on  Saturday, November 6 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at Watermark.  This is for teachers, librarians, writers, illustrators, and those who share an interest in Children's Literature.  The meeting will include lunch, and registration can be completed by sending $15 (for SCBWI members) or $18 (for non members) to SCBWI,  2250 N. Rock Road, Suite 118-182, Wichita, Ks.  67226.  Make checks payable to SCBWI.  If you have questions, please e mail WichitaSCBWI@aol.com.  We hope to see some of you there!  A panel discussion about the children's book market and handouts on writing and illustrating will be included.  The panel will include Luanne Marten, Debra Seely, Lee Wardlaw, and Dian Curtis Regan.

November 9:  A book signing by T.L. McCown will be held from 2:30-3:30 p.m.  In her memoir, "Shifting Sands,"  the author shares  insights into the culture of
Saudi Arabia, where she was taken into the inner circle of the royal family whom she lived among for ten years.

November 12:  "The City of Your Final Destination" will be the book featured at
the reading and signing by author Peter Cameron at 7:00 p.m.  Cameron is a
visiting writer, teaching in the English Department at WSU.

November 13/14:  Writers Among Us:  Celebrating Kansas Writers.  Thirteen local authors will be at Watermark for an hour each to sign their books.  Scheduled on Saturday are Willard Stibal, Penny Burgess, Peter DeVries, Angie Ross, Tom Mach, Doc Carson, Claude Eldrige and Vince Corbett.  On Sunday, Ruth Scheer, Luanne French, Louise Davies, Mike Poage, and Margaret Kraisinger will be the featured authors.  Come and support local authors!

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If Not for the Cat is new from Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Ted Rand
(Published by Greenwillow Books, ISBN 0  06 0596775, $16.99.)  In this book,
master poet Prelutsky uses Haiku to invite the reader to think of animals in a
different way.  Rand's painting of a mouse looking out of a mouse hole at a
cat's mouth and whiskers goes with the following poem:

"If not for the cat,
And the scarcity of cheese,
I could be content."

This would be a wonderful book to enjoy with kids, and especially if you are
having students try their hand at writing Haiku.
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Teacher Featured Book:

As I was just perusing the shelf in the multicultural children's section, I
realized I'd overlooked Jane Kurtz's new book! Memories of Sun: Stories of
Africa and America is an anthology of stories and poems by 15 authors and
poets, including Ms. Kurtz.  It is edited by Jane Kurtz, as well, who spent most
of her childhood in Ethiopia and experienced being a child of two cultures.
These stories embrace both perspectives:  what it's like to be an American
living in Africa or an African living in America. Some of you have had the
pleasure of enjoying Jane's school presentations or have perhaps met her at
Watermark.  This is a book you will want to include in your Jane Kurtz
collection!  (Published by Greenwillow books, ISBN: 006 0510501, $15.99, ages 10 & up)        

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Well, it's time to think about exercising my constitutional right to vote, which
hopefully you'll have done too by the time you receive this.  Wishing you a good week!

Until Next Time,


Gaylene
 

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