Capstone Connect

What I Learned at NAEYC

NAEYC WINNERS!

 

Safiyyah Bial of Houston TX, won Capstone Early Learning books and gift certificates.

Steph Piazza from Tampa FL, won Capstone Early Learning books and her very own Facthound dog. 

About a week ago, I returned from my first NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) convention. I came away from it thinking I had just met an amazing group of people. More than 10,000 like-minded individuals joined together in their dedication of finding the best practices in educating young children. We had many people come to our Capstone Early Learning booth, with over 700 entering the twice-daily drawing for books and a stuffed dog named Facthound. As the educators looked over our books, they commented on the realistic photographs and adorable illustrations; and mentioned how happy they were to see our great books for preschoolers. Some of their favorites were titles from the My Family set, the Working Dogs set , the Plant Life Cycle set (sunflowers) and of course our board book on potty training Duck Goes Potty.  

                                  

OH! I can't forget to mention that I saw two amazing presenters! Dr. T. Berry Brazelton spoke about "Touchpoints" during his opening keynote address and Isabel Baker read and discussed her current top book choices for children. Both were fantastic!

Thanks to all who came by. Hope to see you again next year!

Maryellen Gregoire, Director of Professional Development and New Initiatives

 
 
 

Nonfiction Photos: Anonymous Celebrities

Though I'm an editor, I've always had a secret fascination with the photos in nonfiction books. It's an interest that stems from childhood. I remember looking at a photo in my 5th-grade social studies book. It was a simple photo of a family enjoying a picnic in a park. For some reason I found myself wanting to know more about this family. Who were these anonymous celebrities? And how did they manage to get their photo in my book? The questions stuck with me for years. Perhaps you've had those same questions about photos in nonfiction books.

Well, fast-forward 20 years, and I find myself on the flipside of the mystery. Let me explain. Here at Capstone, we have a fabulous photo studio where a photographer, photo stylist, scheduler, and many designers and editors work together to create scenes for all kinds of books. From origami landscapes, to green crafts, to bedroom, bathroom, and living room scenes, our photo studio has done it all. And if we can't set it up in the studio? ROAD TRIP! I've been able to attend photo shoots at a motorcycle chop shop and a paintball course.

And here's the kicker—I've become the anonymous celebrity! That's right, I'm the girl in the Blazers Paintball book in a camouflage jumpsuit waving a paintball gun over her head.  

 
And that's not all. My credentials also include a stint as a movie director, a political protester, and a vampire. A giant close-up of my grimacing mouth is featured in an Edge book about spit—the caption speaks about the massive number of bacteria that live in the human mouth.   

A few pages later you can find a photo of my adorable drooling 9-month-old, which I'm sure she'll hate me for when she's in middle school. I wish I could say my celebrity is a unique phenomenon. But the fact is, if you work at Capstone, it's just a matter of time before you find your face in a book. It may not have been in the job description, but it’s one more cool aspect of my job.

So now you know one of the insider secrets about nonfiction publishing. And now I know the answers to my childhood questions. That picnicking family probably wasn't a family at all. But their photo helped draw me into a social studies book. And that's what we aim to do with the photos in our books. Books are more than just words on pages. They are an experience. And we think kids deserve to have awesome learning experiences when they read Capstone books.

Now it's your turn. What are some insider secrets that people outside of your field might be surprised to know?

Mandy Robbins, Editor

Fiction Friday: How a cover is born.

How does a cover become a cover? A lot of readers have this question. How do we land on certain covers? What happens behind the scenes? Does it just happen?

No, my friends. The cover drafting and design is a long process, where at least 6 to 8 people come together. Today I’ll take you on the journey of the Design side of the cover concepting process.

Every designer does it differently. In my case, everything starts with a draft, a floating idea in the back of my mind. After I read the manuscript, I talk to the editor. She or he gives me the highlights of what they want portrayed on the cover.

I take notes, do market research, study trends. I think about what color palettes will appear in stores over the next six to eighteen months, what season the book will be published in, what other books I’ve done that I can think about, and, in the case I’ll share with you, other books in the series.

The series I’ll share with you is one of my personal favorites to work on, Monica.

They are the stories of a middle-school girl who loves horses, and has two sets of friends in different places. The friends don’t necessarily get along. The stories are relatable and lovely to read.

In the covers last season and this one, I wanted to make sure to feature Monica. Get the readers closer to her. Show them how approachable the character is, just like they are. I knew we needed to emphasize the natural beauty of being a teenager. I wanted a reader to relate to her instantly, to be drawn in by her picture and the priceless sincerity in her eyes.

We have a fabulous model. Devyn knows how to capture emotions in a soft way with her eyes. She is precious, and we are lucky to have found her to be our Monica!

For this series, I plan exactly what I want the covers to look like even before the photo shoot so that the photographer understands what I would like to have as a final result. I do my research online, and mock up the covers (using placeholder photos) one by one.

Delaney Photography has been our playground for these shoots. I sent Dan the comps of the cover so that he can prep for us. He needs to figure out all the little details, like the lighting and backdrop.

Before the shoot, Beth, the editor, and I go shopping for our model. Thinking about the color palette I’ve chosen and the story, we hunt down for the perfect clothing items that will make Devyn-as-Monica look timeless, yet trendy, and show the right feeling and mood for the cover. We always have a plan B and C. We only get one chance to get the photos we want. So it takes quite a bit of prepping.

The shoot day went as fast as a flash. We spread out the comps and explained the different cover concepts to Devyn, taking her through the emotions.


It was a great shoot. We got the perfect images that I need to complete the second season of our Monica books. Wait and see. I can’t wait to get them done for you all to have the chance to read them!!

 

As you can tell, we love making books for you to read!

 

Kay Fraser - Art Director, Capstone Fiction

The Essentials for 21st-Century Learning: Highlights from the AASL Fall Forum

Last weekend, I had the good fortune to represent Capstone at the AASL Fall Forum on the shores of the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon. Titled In Focus: The Essentials for 21st-Century Learning, the conference brought together leaders from school libraries nationwide to create a framework for connecting the independent learning they see in their libraries, with the required learning students must achieve in their classrooms. It’s more than a restatement of the ongoing question, “How do I, as a librarian, measure the impact of my work?” It’s getting to the heart of how learning is measured, and how libraries – and the critical thinking skills they encourage – can help students learn beyond the test.

The old business adage, “what get’s measured, gets done” is clearly alive and well in our school systems. Assessment remains key, and it’s the Holy Grail for libraries. How can media specialists assess the learning that happens in the library? How can they assess their value to classroom teachers? Gail Dickenson, professor of library science at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, lead a discussion of how to ask the right questions – the essential questions – that get to the heart of the matter. 

The broad question, “How do libraries meet the needs of 21st-century learners?,” overlays more detailed, and more actionable questions such as:

• How can media specialists provide peer coaching to teachers at the “point of sale”, right when the student needs it?
• How do you assess the value of a kid’s eyes lighting up when they learn something that is real for them?  
• How do you publicize these private victories to help show their value?  
• How do you teach kids to really inquire – to connect the curriculum to their own lives – rather than seek facts?

Attempting to answer these questions can lead to a measurable process, and can ensure that the right things are measured in the first place.

Leslie Maniotes, PhD and Teacher Effectiveness Coach for the Denver Public Schools, focused on the inquiry process as a means to create enduring understanding.  She presented the concept of the “third space” – the learning-centered space where the student’s world and the curriculum intersect. It’s in this space that students are energized by learning, and they’re more able to transfer that learning to new situations.  

Paige Johnson, Global K-12 Education Manager for Intel Corporation, challenged the group to help develop a curriculum for this kind of understanding as a means to prepare students for the real world. Among the resources she offered is this assessment tool and this research group focused on defining 21st-century skills and developing ways to measure them using information technology.

In the meantime, Dr. Ross Todd, Associate Professor in the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies at Rutgers, provided many tools and actionable suggestions for media specialists to assess the impact of the library in their school. Right now. Today. 

One attendee challenged the group to just do it – take the steps to create awareness and visibility for the library and the essential role it fills. Write a white paper documenting contributions by libraries. Come up with a catchy slogan that will resonate with students and faculty about the importance of the library. Put some of Dr. Todd’s tools into practice now, and begin to build that highly credible case for the essential role of the school library as a center for 21st-century learning.

I’m really excited to see how this challenge is met, and hope to leverage Capstone’s strengths to support these grassroots efforts. Gail Dickenson encouraged the group to network – to capture their ideas and thoughts and share them within and beyond the group. It does take a village, and maybe a village formed last weekend in Oregon.

Valorie Klemz
Vice President of Marketing

 

Sharing Blog Love: The AASL Blog  

Each Thursday we’ll feature a blog we love. Today’s blog love goes to the official blog of the American Association of School Librarians. If you’re a school librarian, this is the blog for you. Featuring posts from AASL members and staff, the blog informs readers on the latest issues concerning managing libraries, professional development opportunities, and new initiatives from AASL.

This Day in History!

What do the Marines, Knute Rockne and Sesame Street have in common?

November 10^th marks the inception of the US Marine Corps in 1775, the legendary locker room speech “Win won for the Gipper” from Notre Dame football coach, Knute Rockne in 1929 and the Children Television Workshop debut of Sesame Street in 1969. Children around the world were introduced to a new creative way to learn about the fundamentals of education through interactive characters, in an environment and platform that was mesmerizing.

Initially, Sesame Street was criticized for emphasizing entertainment, but what evolved was an inspiration and an award winning educational program for millions of children around the world!  The network created a larger than life platform where children of all ages became accustomed to the show, the cast of eclectic, diverse and evolving characters, and the life lessons that were taught along the way. Sesame Street continues to meet the educational needs of all children by expanding into all different areas to include books, toys, computer games and of course we can’t forget the large inflatable characters that will soon don the streets of New York on November 25th.

Capstone Digital continues the same tradition by engaging the imaginations of students by creating digital books, interactive databases that inspire them to read, in environments that they want to use (computer, gaming devices & mobile platforms) to help increase their aptitude for learning!

Let’s mark this day in our own history books and have you, our loyal customers and readers, help us create our new digital book list. We are adding 200 titles to our digital library and need your help! Simply submit your list in the comment section of this post. And just a reminder, any digital subscriber will get these titles added to their digital library for free!  Don’t forget submit your list today and let’s “Win one for students everywhere!” (OK it’s not quite Knute Rockne…but we try!)

 

Favorite Alphabet Books Around

HAPPY YOUNG READERS DAY!

Learning to love books is something that starts from birth. Some believe they shouldn't be reading to their child because they get fussy or won't sit through a book from beginning to end. I think reading to a child can never start too soon. The only way to get children to love books is to put them in an environment with books. 

Today celebrates young readers day. A wonderful group called  Book It! celebrates and encourages young readers, by supporting Parents and Teachers in the beginning reading and pre-reading stages. Here are some great titles they've suggest for children who are developing pre-reading skills. 

 

The Very Hunger Caterpillar by Eric Carle                                                                                    

 An oldie but a goodie! This title is a great representation of repetition in a book. The bright colors and recognizable foods make this book a memorable favorite in many homes. 

 

 

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

 The story of a father and son's whose love for each other is endless. This title is great for children separation anxiety. It is also one of my favorites as an adult!

 

 

 

 

 

 Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin and Eric Carle 

 

This title features some of the best rhymes and rhythm around for young children. The easy and repetitive flow, gives young children the opportunity to anticipate what the text will say, even if they aren't reading the content.

 

 

 

 

Another way to practice pre-reading skills is to work on the Alphabet. Our new series  Alphabet Fun, has really made a splash with the bloggers at Imagination Soup.

T is for Tiara by Catherine Ipcizade

 

Fancy dresses, jewelry, and palaces — what’s not to love about the life of royalty? Discover your inner princess in T Is for Tiara. 

 

 

 

 

Patty Corcoran, New Initiatives

Let Kids Read What They Want!

As a fourth grader, I once refused to read the number of pages required for an A in independent reading just because I didn’t want someone, including my teacher, telling me how much I had to read. And I liked to read. 

It’s not the same as being told which books to read, but it’s in the neighborhood. Without my own personal reading choices, I wouldn’t be the reader I am today. It was not Where the Red Fern Grows (read to the class by the teacher) that turned me into a reader, although it’s a great book. It was The Babysitter’s Club series, R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series, and Christopher Pike’s books that really created my thirst to read. None of those would have been chosen as read-alouds for the class, which I can understand. Luckily, I picked them up on my own and figured out that I love to read.

A year or two ago, I read Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer, a great book that brings up the issue of choice in creating readers. It helped put voice to something I felt growing up. This issue has arisen again, and is one of the main points of a recent School library journal article Meeting Readers Where They Are.

Roger Sutton’s response to the decline in publishing of picture books also gets to the heart of this issue. He referenced parents trying to force their children into reading ever-harder books so they keep “progressing." My favorite line, "People who think reading is supposed to be difficult most often--surprise!--don't like to read themselves..."

Parents push, even though studies routinely show that if children just get a chance to read what they want, good test scores follow. The hope is that these arguments will convince us that "teaching to the test," is not the only way to get good test scores. It does, however, get results in disengaging readers.

It’s about choice. A great way to create non-readers is to tell them what they should be reading. That's why I'm proud of all the books coming out of Capstone nonfiction. Many of them are not what I would have chosen as a (mostly) non-reluctant-reader, they are certainly what a lot of young reluctant boys and girls would love to get their hands on: Gross stuff, the zodiac, Voices of War, extreme sports, and tuner cars.

People seem to think that kids will somehow never move on to harder reading material if they don’t push, push, push. Will today’s 8-year-old boy be reading picture books when he’s 13? Not likely. With luck, he’ll have moved on to great middle-grade novels or nonfiction. Unless, of course, the pushing makes him stop reading altogether.  If he withdraws, maybe that picture book will be all he can read.

Fiction Friday - New York Comic Con 2010!

About one month ago, a few brave souls from Capstone Fiction pulled out their suitcases, packed them tight with their favorite geek t-shirts (well, one of us anyway) and a spare duffle bag to carry back all of the swag we would no doubt amass, and headed east to the Big Apple for the 5th annual New York Comic Con! For three action-packed days, we carved our way through the relatively new comic convention (still only 1/3 of the size of San Diego Comic Con International, but getting there) and dodged countless superheroes, stormtroopers, hairy comic peddlers, and fantasy-hungry fanboys (and fangirls!). The sheer mass that was Saturday’s attendance made even a short walk to the restroom nearest our booth an impossible journey – it was like walking against a strong, costumed wind. The good news: comics, graphic novels, and manga are riding an ever-growing wave of popularity, and it showed last October in New York!

Below are a few highlights from our trip in picture form:

 

Our booth – the reason we came here, of course! This was our headquarters throughout the show, and our respite from the ravenous hordes. We held portfolio reviews here (to search for more hot talent to illustrate our books); showed off our great fiction product; and, most importantly, showed off previews of our new DC Super-Pets series coming out in January 2011!

 

Speaking of DC Super-Pets, illustrator Art Baltazar (left) was more than happy to stop by our booth that Friday and Saturday and sign preview copies for many lucky attendees! He’s pictured here with myself and “Jimmy the Muscle” (right), Art’s personal bodyguard, he jokes. Special note: Jimmy secretly cameos in Art’s books as “Jimmy the MUSSEL”, a small clam-like character on a half shell with a ponytail and beard...!

 

While in NYC, our licensing partners at DC Comics were gracious enough to give us a tour of their home offices! This was a dream come true for me, as I’ve been a fan of comics since I was a kid. To see where it all comes together is no less exciting in adulthood, let me tell you. They have a Bat-Signal! In their entryway! Here’s Managing Editor Donnie Lemke (left), DC editor Ben Harper (center), and myself in front of said Bat-Signal on the editorial floor at DC Comics (please pardon the darkness of the photo...!).

 

A little fun with Dark Knight Christian Bale on the editorial floor of DC Comics...

Bob Lentz
Art Director

Anti-Bullying Resources

No matter where you turn in the news lately, you’re bound to hear a story about bullying. The topic has received national media attention after several recent stories about teens taking their own lives after being bullied at school for being gay. These tragic stories even prompted President Obama to make a special anti-bullying video message a few weeks ago in which he said it’s time we dispel the myth that bullying is “a normal rite of passage.”

 

All of these stories about bullying got us thinking about what resources are available for kids, educators, and parents on the topic. Here’s a few anti-bullying resources that we found, but we would love to hear if you know of other great ones out there.

Recent News Articles

“How to Stop Bullies” is a great article dispelling some of the myths about bullying and how the Minneapolis Public Schools is addressing the problem.

“Anti-Bullying Resources for Parents and Teachers” includes tips for parents to talk to their kids and tons of great questions to jumpstart conversations.

Books for Kids

Kids Talk About Bullying by Carrie Finn (grades PreK-2). 

 

 

 

 

Bus Ride Bully by Cari Meister (grades K-2).

 

 

 

 

No More Teasing by Fran Manushkin (grades K-2).

 

 

 

 

Ballet Bullies by Jake Maddox (grades 4-8). See additional Jake Maddox titles: Gridiron Bully and BMX Bully.

 

 

 

 

Beware! by Diana Gallagher (grades 4-8).

 

 

 

 

Mean Behind the Screen: What You Need to Know About Cyberbullying by Toney Allman (grades 5-9).

 

 

 

Books for Educators 

No Kidding About Bullying by Naomi Drew M.A.

 

 

 

 

The Bully Free Classroom by Allan L. Beane, Ph.D.

 

 

 

 

The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander by Barbara Coloroso.

 

 

 

 

Programs & Organizations

Committee for Children – Offers many free downloads, such as posters, activities, discussion guides, and more.

Stop Bullying Now, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Includes sections on what kids can do, and what adults can do, and features a wealth of webisodes, games, and information.

The National Bullying Prevention Center, from Pacer Center – Offers CD-Roms, videos, workshop training curriculum, and tons of handouts (some even in Spanish and Somali).

It Gets Better Project – Features video messages from many people, including celebrities like the Dixie Chicks and even Kermit the frog, offering words of encouragement and support to LGBT youth.

Project Change – A youth mentoring project educating students on how bystanders can help reduce bullying and empowering students to speak out against bullying.

National Crime Prevention Council – Featuring resources for parents and kids, including videos, games, and collectible trading cards.

 

Sharing Blog Love: The Graphic Classroom

Each Thursday we’ll feature a blog we love. Today’s blog love goes to Chris Wilson of the Graphic Classroom. We’ve been our sending books to Chris for review consideration on his blog for years and have watched his blog grow in followers and staff (he has five writers now contributing to the blog)! Without a doubt, Chris has a passion for graphic novels which he’s fused with his enthusiasm for teaching. Chris is a champion for the benefits of incorporating graphic books in the classroom, especially with students who struggle with reading.

Let the games begin!

 

The elections are over. Let the games begin!  Yes, Capstone Digital and Big John Games announce the availability of “Spot It! Challenge for Nintendo DSiWare™.

What is Spot It! Challenge? (click on the picture to watch the trailer) Players race the clock to find hidden objects in 10 different themed puzzles and compete against up to four friends! Players use the stylus to tap on the hidden objects and also to navigate the extra large play areas. There are three levels of difficulty (Easy, Medium, and Insane).

The Spot It! Challenge is perfect for all ages young and old. A perk of our job is that the entire Capstone Digital team was “forced” to take part in the QA process – I had to take a long, hard look at it to ensure it was of good quality. (BTW- just in case you were wondering I believe I have the highest score!)

Capstone offers an entire series of Spot It! Challenge books that can be purchased through our website. This is an exciting time for Capstone Digital as we are launching multiple products in multiple platforms in the next 3 months so stay tuned to Digital Wednesdays for more information!