Capstone Connect

Fiction Friday: New Book Trailers!

In honor of the last Friday spent stuck inside before upcoming long weekend — hopefully full of lazy days, warm weather, and lots of outdoor activities — we have four brand-new book trailers for you to enjoy! You can check out the newly released trailers for Furry & Flo: The Big Hairy Secret, Here I Am, Shadow Squadron: Elite Infantry, and Mr. Puzzle on Capstone Young Readers or find them on Capstone's YouTube page. And while you're there, check out any of the older (but equally impressive!) book trailers you may have missed. 

Happy Friday and happy Memorial Day!

— Alison Deering

Editor, Capstone Fiction 

News Bites

We have a lot of fun news tidbits to share with you today…

• First, we’d like to congratulate our winners of the Your Life as a Private on the Lewis and Clark Expedition book giveaway from last week: Christine Hernandez, Lisa Orth, Peggy Rogan, Rebecca Langston-George, and Sarah Putnam.

 

• The Top 5 finalists of our “Be A Super Hero. Read!” contest have been chosen! It’s now up to everyone to vote for their favorite entry. From a 3rd grade teacher, a counselor, a heart surgeon, and two members of the U.S. Military - Super Heroes are everywhere! Everyone can vote now from among our finalists and choose the winner of our writing contest! Voting runs through May 27.

• Will you be heading to Book Expo America next week? Capstone Young Readers will have an amazing lineup of authors signing in the booth, including: Kate McMullan (Hit the Road, Helen! advance reader copies), Dana Meachen Rau (Dessert Designer: Creations You Can Make and Eat!), Michael Dahl (Goodnight Baseball), John Seven (The Alchemist War advance reader copies), and Beth Bracken and Kay Fraser (Wish). Authors Fran Manushkin, Michael Dahl, and Beth Bracken will signing at the Mom’s Choice Awards booth too! Plus, Books of Wonder bookstore will feature a “Best of Book Expo” panel of middle grade authors featuring Michael Dahl, Beth Bracken, and Kay Fraser. Check out our Facebook events page for all of the details!

• Attention librarians! Mark your calendar for June 4 for our free webinar with School Library Journal on the Common Core standards. Our panel of experts will show you how to use your collection development and technology skills to take a leadership role on meeting the standards. It's free, and the webinar will be archived for those who can't make it on the 4th!

Support for Oklahoma through Capstone

Capstone has created a microsite for donating to the crisis in Oklahoma through the American Red Cross.

http://www.crowdrise.com/Capstonedonates

Feel free to spread the word. Donations go directly to American Red Cross. There is an option to remain anonymous and you do not have to pay the fee (watch for this in the final step).

So far we're at 42% of our goal, but we can certainly beat the goal we set!

When the schools are ready to receive books, we will provide a manner to donate then as well! Watch for it in future posts!

Fresh Summer Fare!

After what has felt like an extended spring season, bona fide warm weather is upon my neck of the woods (Chicago). Of the many excellent reasons to be excited for the warm onset, I may be most excited at the thought of fresh vegetables and fruits becoming available.

I’m trying to be prepared at home—my backyard raised garden plot is ready to be filled with soil. Now I just have to decide what plants are likely to fare best in the dappled sun that makes its way through the trees. (I’m an amateur gardener, so if any green-thumbed readers have suggestions for what I should plant, please let me know in the comments! Right now I’m thinking herbs, leafy greens, cucumbers… but I know I’ll be tempted to try some tomatoes and peppers as well.)

Whatever vegetables I manage to have success with at home are just a bonus, really, because Chicago has now officially entered farmers’-market season. The Chicago Capstone office is located less than two blocks from Daley Plaza, which hosts one of my favorite markets on Thursdays. This past Thursday was the first, and I began my summer routine of visiting during my lunch break. The first market of the season is always a little overwhelming, but I came away with four bunches of Michigan asparagus and have been enjoying these wonderful stalks all weekend.

As you may have noticed, cooking is a passion of mine. I love the part (or parts) of a day where I get to rummage through available items and put them together into a hearty, satisfying meal. I’m not a vegetarian, but many of the meals I prepare are and vegetables are a huge part of my cooking. I don’t think that healthy cooking and delicious cooking need to be mutually exclusive. I’m at my happiest as a cook when I serve a meal that finds that balance between healthy and crave-worthy.

I hope you have the opportunity to visit a farmers’ market with students who are interested in food and nutrition. For some science-focused reading on the human body and its relationship to food, check out the book Nutrition from the recently published series Your Body for Life. Each book in this series looks at a different aspect of human physicality from birth to old age.

           

   



 

-Adrian Vigliano 
Heinemann Raintree Nonfiction Editorial

Kirkus Review: The Alchemist War

There's nothing like a good review to start Friday off on the right foot, so with that in mind, I bring you The Alchemist War! The first book from The Time-Tripping Faradays, a new series out this fall, just received a great review from Kirkus, which calls the story, "A flying start for a series that puts in a strong bid for Magic Treehouse grads." The brand-new series from John Seven, who some may recognize as the author behind our beautiful picture book The Ocean Story, follows a family of time-traveling researchers as they embark on one adventure after another. Want to hear more? Check out the full review!

— Alison Deering

Editor, Capstone Fiction

Artist Q&A + Book Giveaway

On May 14, 1804, Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery began their arduous journey up the Missouri River to find a route to the Pacific Ocean. In Your Life as a Private on the Lewis and Clark Expedition by Jessica Gunderson, narrative text details the hardships and dangers the crew faced over the course of their two-year journey. Throughout the story, sidebars and humor add supplementary historical information.

What you may not know about our book is that illustrator Colleen Madden drew inspiration from western artist James Ayers for one of the pivotal scenes in the journey – when Chiefs Lewis and Clark meet the Teton Sioux.

Ayers is a well known, award-winning painter of historical American Indian culture, and his original painting, Encounter with the Teton Sioux, is filled with tension.

“Encounter with the Teton Sioux depicts a crucial moment of the expedition, fraught with danger and unease. Black Buffalo of the Teton Sioux is calling off his men, Meriwether Lewis is caught with his hand on his sword, and the whole painting rings with tension and the potential for battle,” said artist James Ayers.

Encounter with the Teton Sioux. Copyright © 2013 James Ayers.

Your Life as a Private on the Lewis and Clark Expedition

So what did Ayers think about his original artwork reinterpreted for a younger audience? We had a chance to sit down with him and ask. . .
 
How did you feel about your work, Encounter with the Teton Sioux, being used as the reference material for a children's book?
I was pleased! I put a great deal of time in both the research of the subject matter and the composition, so it was satisfying to know that all that work would have another use.

I must admit, I was unsure how the imagery would be made "kid friendly" since I employ strict representational realism in this painting. But illustrator Colleen Madden did a good job of making the characters attractive to children while still retaining the important historic details.

Did you have any concerns about your painting's composition being included in the book?
My main question was if the material would be presented to the readers in a culturally sensitive way – which it was. Some of my biggest fans are people in Native American communities because I treat the different cultures I paint with accuracy and respect, so it mattered to me that the book would be aligned with that.

How important do you think the Lewis and Clark story is for today's children?
The expedition of Lewis and Clark is an important chapter in American history – one that I believe is important to learn. Your Life as a Private on the Lewis and Clark Expedition brings that distant time to life in an interesting and entertaining way. Without this journey, America might be a very different place today.


GIVEAWAY ALERT! We have a few copies of Your Life as a Private on the Lewis and Clark Expedition to give away to some lucky readers. Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win a copy!

SUMMER READING SUPERHERO PROGRAM LAUNCHES TODAY!

Today is the day when the clock starts ticking and the meter starts running! myON reader is launching it’s 2^nd annual summer reading program “SUMMER READING SUPERHERO” today and will run until August 15th!  Last year we read over 1 million books, had over 45,000 students participated, (over 26,000 students read over 10 books or more) and over 1200 schools participated. This year is going to be HUGE. Our goal is 5 million books and have over 1 million students read at least one book!

ARE YOU READY TO BE A READING SUPER HERO?

Students and schools will be awarded for their participation. To find out more information on prizes, key dates and how winners will be announced, vist SUMMER READING SUPERHERO. Don't forget to follow us on our social networks for announcements over the summer!

We have some great READING SUPERHEROS of our own! Check out Tony & Lauren Dungy, Chief Bennett and Evan Longoria and let them tell you something about reading. We also have a president, and an Spanish translator/educator that wanted to help promote reading over the summer! 

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR PARTNERS WITH PRIZES:

Steel Case, Variquest, Flowerpot Press, Story Cove, Speakaboos, Rourke, Palm Publishing, Scobre Books Orca, Teacher Created Materials, Reference Point Press, Orca Books, Saddleback, and Zest

 

For more information on our summer reading program visit out website! Or follow us on any of our social networks: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

SPREAD THE WORD: BE A SUMMER READING SUPER HERO and read on myON THIS SUMMER!

May is National Bike Month!

While I don’t really ride my bike much any more (it's just not as comfortable as it used to be), my husband is an avid rider and is happy that the warm weather has finally arrived. Minneapolis is known as a one of the best places to ride bikes...we even have bikes to use while you're in the city! With lots of biking paths around our house, Jay can ride for miles without worrying about riding on the street.

Here are a few of our favorite titles that might inspire you and your young readers to get on that bike!

                        


Let’s Ride Bikes Text and photographs present the skills, equipment, and safety concerns of biking.

Getting Around by Bicycle  All around the world, people are always on the move. In this book children learn about the bicycle, including how bikes move, what bikes carry, and where bikes can take you. This book uses simple text and stunning photographs from different cultures using the bicycle as a form of transportation.

Wheels and Axles to the Rescue Rollerblades, bikes, and cars have wheels and axles that help you get from one place to another quickly. Read Wheels and Axles to the Rescue to learn what wheels and axles are, how they work, and how these simple machines can save the day.

Working on My Fitness!

A couple months ago my co-worker talked me into signing up for the Rave Run. I was definitely hesitant since I haven’t run in quite some time. But we got a group of people together, which made it sound a little more appealing to me. Plus, it’s just for fun. So for months I have been trying to train and prepare. I started out doing the Couch to 5k program, but of course had some hiccups along the way. I don’t have a gym membership, so my running had to be outside. There were a few times I thought about just running around in the house. I don’t think that would have been very effective though. As most of you know, we had quite the winter in spring this year. Needless to say it made it harder to get out and run. The time was finally here and… I got strep. So the ending to my story is not what I expected. However, my co-workers went and had a fantastic time. I may have been defeated this time, but I will not be hanging up my running shoes. I’ve decided that maybe a last minute 5k sign-up would suit me better. So in conclusion, I’d like to congratulate my coworkers, Heidi, Julie, and Bobbie. Great job girls! Hopefully I’ll be there next time.

 

Ashlee Suker,
Nonfiction Design

Happy (Early) Mother's Day!

Mother's Day isn't until Sunday, but I think we can all agree that with everything moms do for us, there's nothing wrong with celebrating a few days early. In fact, I know my mother in particular wouldn't be opposed to a whole weekend of celebrating. (Plus, as much as I love my job, I won't be blogging Sunday morning. With any luck, I'll be sleeping in or in the midst of a delicious Mother's Day brunch.) 

Our beloved Max has celebrated practically every holiday under the sun, so it makes sense that he'd be the go-to character when it comes to celebrating Mother's Day. Does anyone else out there have any big Mother's Day plans? And do you have any gift suggestions? Not that I haven't already gotten my mom's present...because, I mean, I totally have....




— Alison Deering
Editor, Capstone Fiction