Capstone Connect

Fiction Friday: Hot one!

It may still be spring, but it sure feels summery around these parts. Have a great weekend!

Book Suggestions for Young Mothers

 I went to dinner with a friend last night and met some women who are young mothers (I talk to just about anyone anywhere…so be careful…it might just be you next time!). These women started talking about books for their young children. One woman specifically asked me to recommend some books for her 1, 3, and 4-year-old children. So I started my list with the classics from the Children’s Books Guide top 100. You can find it at http://childrensbooksguide.com/top-100. I love every one of these titles…well at least most of them. For some reason, The Story of Ferdinand has never appealed to me. Not sure why. They even include stories that “almost” made the list at the bottom. It’s a pretty amazing list.

Another source that I always use is my friend Isabel Baker’s catalog. She knows her books! Click on her catalog below and you will find her suggestions. The starred titles are what I watch for.

BUT! I want to suggest a few of my favorite Capstone titles for preschool children! For the one-year-old, I would suggest our board book, Duck Goes Potty by our very own Michael Dahl…a hilarious take on potty training. For the three-year-old I would recommend another book by Michael Dahl, Do Bears Buzz? It’s such a fun interactive book to read with preschoolers! And my last recommendation for the four-year-old is Hello, Goodbye, and a Very Little Lie by Christianne C. Jones, another very talented in-house author. All the books from these sets are good, but these are my favorites.

        

What would you recommend to someone if they asked you for books for their preschoolers?

Fiction Friday: STEM Friday!

Check us out today over at the STEM Friday blog, where we're this week's host--lots of science, technology, engineering and math goodness over there to sustain you for the weekend. We're spotlighting one of our favorite science-related books, Zeke Meeks vs the Stinkin' Science Fair. Enjoy!

Fiction Friday: Welcome, baby!

Our managing editor Christianne's baby will be born later this afternoon in Mankato. He or she will be welcomed by two big sisters, which got us thinking about perfect books for newly-minted older siblings!

Henry Helps with the Baby

 

Big Brothers Are the Best

 

Big Sisters Are the Best

 

Welcome, new baby! We can't wait to meet you.

Fiction Friday: Welcome to Spring.

Okay, maybe it's not technically springtime yet, but with highs in the low 80s this weekend here in Minnesota, it sure feels like winter is over. Grab your favorite toddler or preschooler and check out a couple of our favorite springtime books by Charles Ghigna.

Little Seeds

 

Pick Up the Park

 

I See Spring

Fiction Friday: Nice hat!

One of the winners of our Kylie Jean giveaway, Betty Sanders, dressed up as a Rodeo Queen for her students! Betty is the librarian at Carpenter Elementary School in Nacogdoches, Texas.

 

 

Fiction Friday: Super Cloey!

Here's a bit of fun for your Friday! Last week, a special school assembly was held  to honor our My Pet Is Super! contest winner Cloey Nyberg. Cloey, now a 4th grader, was presented with original artwork created by Eisner Award-winning comic book artist Art Baltazar. Art illustrated The Amazing Mini-Mutts (DC Super-Pets, PWB), which features Cloey’s winning characters Luna Moon and Sprightly Steve. 

And a local TV crew was on hand to film it! Check out the video here.

A Sparkly Kylie Jean Giveaway

 

It’s pink, it sparkles, it’s autographed, and it could be yours.

We have not one, but two Kylie Jean inspired cowboy hats to give away to two lucky readers! Plus, we’ll add in a complete set of the Kylie Jean series, eight books in all! Simply leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, Feb. 28 to enter our giveaway.

We recently sat down with author Marci Peschke to chat about the charming Kylie Jean series…

First of all, congratulations on recently winning the 2011 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Blueberry Queen.
Thanks! I am very honored and excited to receive such an important award. I think it is great that the Moonbeam Award is given for positive books for children and Kylie Jean is such a positive girl.
 
Kylie Jean was an instant hit with readers. Reviewers lauded the books as “cheerful and fresh,” “delightful and charming,” and “a winner,” to quote just a few. What is it about this spunky Southern belle that resonates so much with readers?
I think it is her can-do spirit and her sense of fun. She always wants to try new things!
 
The inspiration for the books came from a very real Kylie Jean. Tell us a little bit about that.
The real Kylie Jean is my niece. She is a little southern belle and really does have a dog called Ugly Brother! Some of the things that happen in the books are inspired by things that happen to her, but most of them are made up. In the fall I was a guest author at the real Kylie Jean's school. She is in the third grade now. It made her an instant celebrity! She loves sharing the books with her friends and I have even included her best friends' names in some of the books. She says, "It's really fun to have an author for an aunt."
 
Kylie Jean’s adventures continue this spring with four new titles on dancing, football, singing, and spelling. How did you decide on these new adventures?
I took dance lessons as a girl, so dancing queen seemed like a theme many girls would relate to. Since I live in Texas and football is such a HUGE part of our culture I just had to write a football book! Singing queen was inspired by some little girls that I saw on the internet singing the national anthem. Most schools have spelling bees and being smart is important, so I thought an academic competition might make a nice story. I am always on the lookout for good ideas!
 
In addition to writing children’s books, you also work as a school librarian. How does your day job influence your writing? What do your students think about your success?
I love children's books! When I was a classroom teacher I had a class library of over 3000 books. The kids at my school love knowing a real author. They come into the library and ask if any of my books are available. Usually they are ALL checked out and I have several copies, so it’s pretty exciting for them.
 
Are you working on more Kylie Jean titles?      
Yes! I just finished Pirate Queen. Pirates are a passion of mine, so out of all of the books I have written, it’s my favorite Kylie Jean story. Arrgh!

Don't forget to leave a comment by Tuesday, Feb. 28 for a chance to win! Good luck!

 

Fiction Friday: Teeth.

I have to go to the dentist today, and soon my three-year-old will go for the first time. That got me thinking about books I can share with him to get him ready. Here are a few we've published, perfect for first-time dental patients!

At the Dentist

Teeth

Taking Care of My Teeth

Max Goes to the Dentist

The Tricky Tooth

Going to the Dentist

Max and Zoe at the Dentist

 

 

A Century Ago

My in-laws live on an acreage in southwestern Minnesota. Up until just a couple of years ago, a woman named Bertha lived just down the gravel road from them. I only bring her up because this month Bertha turns 104 years old. Of course she's slowed down some over the years, but her mind is still sharp. And I can't help but think of all the amazing things that have happened during her lifetime. 

2012 marks the 100th anniversary of some pretty spectacular events. 1912 was one heck of a year. I can't list all the events that happened that year, but here are just a few of the highlights. I'll have to ask Bertha what she remembers from when she was 4.

 100 Years Ago:

• New Mexico and Arizona became states. 
  
• Explorers reached the South Pole for the first time.
   
• Jackson Pollock, Gene Kelly, and Julia Child were born.
• an airplane flew more than 100 mph for the first time.
• the first person parachuted from an airplane.
• the Girl Scouts were founded.
• the 1912 Cadillacs were the first cars to use electric starters.
• the Titanic made its first and last voyage.
  
• Fenway Park opened.
• Curtis Publishing fired 15 women for dancing the "Turkey Trot" during their lunch break.
• Woodrow Wilson beat Theodore Roosevelt and President Taft in the presidential election. (First lady Helen Taft also planted the first cherry tree in Washington D.C. that year.)
  
  
  

Isn't that amazing? Thanks for checking in on the Capstone blog today. Have a wonderful Monday!

Jen Besel
Senior Editor