Read, Write, Repeat.

If you know kids who love animals or crafts, Fur and Feathers (Sylvan Dell, 2010) might be just the right picture book for them.

The book, written by Janet Halfmann and illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein, features Sophia.

She’s a helpful little girl who offers to sew exactly the right coat for each of her animal friends after they lose their fur, feathers and scales. Animals line up to explain what they need and why. (Polar Bear needs white fur to stay warm and hide in the snow. Fish needs scales, but with slime. Snake needs scales too, but dry ones.)

Today’s reviewer, Danni, was fascinated by Sophia’s efforts to give every animal just what it required.

Here’s what she had to say:

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Today’s reviewer: Danni

Age: 5

I like: Tacos, swimming, panda bears, chocolate, ice cream and going to the park.

This book was about: Animals that lost their fur and stuff. And a little girl who helped them.

The best part was when: Sophia saw the polar bear at the zoo with the heart behind her ear.

I laughed when: The penguin had to put on a dress.

I was worried when: I saw the snake and thought it might be poisonous.

I was surprised that: The fish could stay out of the water for that long.

This book taught me: Dreams are really fun.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The animals in all of the funny outfits.

Three words that describe this book are: “Animals.” “Sophia.” “Losing their coats.”

My favorite line or phrase in the book was: “That bear has a red heart behind her ear.”

You should read this book because: It is fun, and animals put on clothes.

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Thank you, Danni!

Janet Halfmann and Laurie Allen Klein previously teamed up for another book, Little Skink’s Tail , that explores the various kind of tails different animals need.

You can find out more about Janet at her website. You also can read this interview.

And, you can learn more about Laurie at hers. You also can read this interview.

This is the second Janet Halfmann book Danni has reviewed. She also shared her thoughts in this review of Good Night Little Sea Otter.

Janet has two other recent releases, both with animal themes. Check out Home in the Cave about bats and Eggs 1, 2, 3 … Who Will the Babies Be?

And because Janet is having such a productive year in the children’s book world, we officially declare this week to be “Janet Halfmann Week.” We’ll have a kid review of another one of her titles coming up in a few days.

Please stop by again to see it!

When adults go exploring, they often consult a map, travel manual or visitor’s guide.

Now, when young beachcombers in your life go looking for mermaids, they’ll have a resource all their own.

It’s The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Mermaids (Tanglewood Press, 2012) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Marie Letourneau.

This picture book provides all the clues small seafarers will need to increase their odds of finding an elusive mermaid.

Today’s guest reviewer loves to visit the beach — as you can see in the photo above – and would very much like to meet a mermaid one day.

Here’s what she had to say about this book.

Our reviewer: Amelia

Age: 4

Things I like to do: Play with my brothers, color and do projects.

This book was about: Mermaids that like to play hide and seek. They hide from people, but they also help the people find them.

The best part was when: When the little girl finds the mermaids.

I smiled when: When the mermaids primped and styled themselves.

I was surprised when: I was surprised by all of it.

This book taught me: Mermaids are real, and they live in the ocean. Daddy and me are going to find some next time we go to the ocean.

Three words that best describe this book are: I don’t know what describe means.

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: Magic!

My favorite picture in this book is: Mermaids playing in the coral with sea horses.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: Another kid trying to steal it, because everyone is going to want to have it.

You should read this book because: I love this book, and we’re going to read it tomorrow at bedtime too. Mommy is going to love it too.

Thank you, Amelia!

If this book is popular at your house, you’ll also want to find its predecessor, The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies from 2010. 

If you’d like to learn more about Ammi-Joan Paquette, you can visit her website. You also can read this review of her book for older readers, Nowhere Girl.

If you’d like to learn more about Marie Letourneau, you can visit her website.

Oh, and if you want to see some kids’ ideas for what Ammi-Joan’s and Marie’s next book could be, visit Tara Lazar’s blog. She held a cool contest.

Meanwhile, have fun searching for mermaids. And when you find one, take its picture and send it to me. Maybe I can post it on this blog!

I just got back from a great Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference in Bettendorf, Iowa. As always, the conference was full of great tips from editors, agents, writers and attendees.

And, as always, my note-taking skills could not keep up with all the great advice, but here are some highlights and quotable moments.

Brett Wright, assistant editor, Bloomsbury USA

• On his presentation: “I have no PowerPoint, so you’re going to have to look at me. I did shower this morning. You’re welcome.”
• On plotting: “Ask yourself, ‘What warrants a novel in your character’s life?’ If it’s a common what — like moving to a new house or dealing with a loss — it needs a fresh twist or it won’t stand out.”
• On e-books and apps: “At this point, we are looking at every book we acquire as at least going into an e-book.”
• On trends: “Paranormal has been a really saturated part of market. Chapter books are under-represented in the market, but they can be hard to write. They need a strong series appeal.”
• On what he wants to see: “If you can write something that’s Newbery-worthy, that would be perfect.”
• On how he reviews content: “I usually commit to reading the first 20 pages of a manuscript before I decide if I want to keep reading or if it’s a polite ‘no’ for me.”
• On authors having a Web presence: “I think if it’s something you enjoy and can do, it’s helpful. But you shouldn’t do it at the expense of writing your books.”

Marilyn Brigham, editor, Marshall Cavendish / Amazon Children’s Publishing

• On her acquisitions philosophy: “We’re a huge slush-pile publisher. We really love to build talent.”
• On why you should want your book published with her: “A benefit of being a Marshall Cavendish author is that you will be loved.”
• On her reaction when she found out Amazon was purchasing Marshall Cavendish: “I was a little worried at first. Then, I realized, who wouldn’t want to purchase Marshall Cavendish? We so rock.”
• On what she wants to acquire: “No board books. We don’t need picture books or young adults. We do need solid middle-grade fiction and chapter book series. Chapter books should have a strong voice, strong characters and a marketing hook. What will make it sell?”
• On writing overall: “Stories are everywhere.”
• On authors having a Web presence: “By the time a book comes out, they have to have a Web page. That and being active on one other form of social media — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or a blog — are a good place to start.”

Kari Pearson, editorial assistant, Abrams

• On submitting and acquisitions: “You can’t always predict what will be quite right for someone. There’s always an element of surprise. I like that about publishing. You can’t always account for taste.”
• On waiting to hear back from publishers: “It’s like throwing your life’s work into a black hole or off a cliff. You have to hang out while a group of mystery people think about your work. Any number of things might run through your head during this time because you’ve got lots of time to think about it.”
• On cover letters: “A lot of cover letters sound like a robot sent them in. Feel free to add a little of your personality.”
• On editors: “I think editors are excitable in general. We like to get excited about work.” And, “Editors are creative as well. They love finding that diamond in the rough and helping others see it’s a diamond and not a cubic zirconia.” And, “Editors are really easily confused.”
• On authors having a Web presence: “I went with a friend to hear an author I didn’t know speak. There were teens there who were really excited and dressed in costumes from her books. One of them said, ‘I love her Twitter feed.’ Based on that, they felt like, on some level, she was a friend of theirs.”

Ty King, junior agent, Writers’ House (Who likes to speak barefoot.)

• On her passions: “I’ve always been a lover of story.” And, “Oddly enough, I really love contracts.”
• On being professional: “This is a personal industry. But sooner or later, you and your work become a commodity. So be very present in the process. You don’t want to be the weak link in the chain.”
• On giving back: “Most successful authors do what they can to be good citizens of the children’s book world.”
• On book sales: “Not every book is a New York Times best-seller or an award winner. Every book has its own path. Some are quieter. Some build slowly over time.”
• On tenacity: “The quick and painless path to publications stardom doesn’t exist.”
• On being an informed writer: “We should allow ourselves to be genuinely consumed and curious about what’s going on in the industry. We should be conversant in the world of children’s literature.”
• On revision: “Your first draft is not the draft you show anyone. You put that draft in the bottom left drawer of your desk and let it sit there in shame. Then, you write your second and third drafts. then you show your critique group and get an outside opinion. You don’t show an editor or agent at this stage. You show your writing group. Only send your best most polished work to an editor or agent.”

Jan Blazanin, young adult author of A and L Do Summer and Fairest of Them All

• On backstory: “Every character had a life before your story began. And that story influenced who they are in your story. Even if that backstory doesn’t appear in the novel you write.”
• On character development: I write characters sketches for all my characters because my memory is not that good. That way, I can go back and check things like what color her eyes are supposed to be or what kind of a car he drives.”
• On your protagonist: “She should have a need or want so strong that she keeps going no matter what.” And, “She should be a good person at the core. She may not always do good things or make good decisions, but there should be a reason that people can understand.”
• On writing about your main character’s nemesis: “Your antagonist is not all evil. Some of the scariest antagonists are ones who think they are actually doing good in some way.”

Peter Pearson, conference attendee, Hamline graduate student, techonology guru and wearer of cool children’s literature T-shirts:

• On Facebook: “Facebook is what you do when you don’t want to be doing other things.”
• On Freedom, an online tool that lets you temporarily block Internet access so you can focus on things like writing: “It’s like going back to the 1980s. It’s a useful tool for holding the dogs of the Internet at bay.”

Picture book author Wendy Heinrichs also spoke, but her presentation was at the same time as another one, so I could not attend both. If you’d like to learn more one of Wendy’s books, you can read this review.

Thanks to all the speakers and the conference planners and attendees!

It doesn’t matter how old you are or where you live. Everyone wants to feel useful and appreciated.

Take Chirchir, the main character in Kelly Cunnane and Jude Daly’s picture book Chirchir is Singing (Schwartz & Wade, 2011).

She lives in a Kenyan village and just wants to make herself useful like all her other family members.

But Chirchir drops Mama’s water bucket, spills Kogo’s tea, and sends Baba’s potatoes tumbling down the hill. Isn’t there something Chirchir does best?

Let’s ask today’s guest reviewer, Amber, who knows all about families that work together.

Amber has a mom, a dad, an older sister, a younger brother and a baby sister. Things get busy at her house, so she says she tries to help out wherever she can.

Our reviewer: Amber

Age: 8

Things I like to do: Sing and make art.

This book was about: A girl who loved to sing and wanted to help work, but she messes up, and her family tells her to do something else, but she keeps messing up. Then, she plays with the baby who’s crying and sings to it and he’s happy.

The best part was when: She kept singing.

I smiled when: She sang to her little brother.

I was surprised when: She kept messing up.

This book taught me: To keep working, and there’s always stuff for you to do.

Three words that describe this book: “Singing.” “Helpful.” “Family.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “Everyone has work to do. But I will sing my song for you. Our house is nice and neat. Chai bubbles strong and sweet. From the garden, lots to eat. No worry, baby, I will sing so you can sleep.”

Thanks, Amber!

To learn more about author Kelly Cunnane’s books and cultural workshops, visit her website.

To learn more about illustrator Jude Daly, you can see samples of her work.

And here’s another review of Chirchir is Singing. And yet one more.

In December, I shared a clip of my youngest playing piano at her school concert. To be fair, I am now posting a video of my oldest who sings with the a cappella group at her high school.

The group is co-ed and sings a wide variety of songs. But this clip features just the ladies of the Edgetones delivering a heartfelt tribute to teen singing sensation Justin Bieber. They’ve even copied his iconic fashion sense. Why did they choose to sing a Justin song? It was to honor their director who, it seems, has said he is, let us just say, not fond of Justin Bieber.

Be that as it may, I think you’ll agree that the Lady Edgetones rock this song. They’re all awesome, but because you’re reading my blog, I feel compelled to point out that my daughter has a brief solo later in the song. She’s the one with a black ponytail wearing a turquoise hooded sweatshirt and black pants. (And, because it’s my blog, she’s shown front and center in the video thumbnail below.)

So without further ado:

Now for a note from our sponsor.

If you’ve never seen the real Justin Bieber (and my guess is some of my blog readers have not) then just to stay culturally informed and hip to the trends of the times, you can seem him singing this exact same song in this video clip. You’ll notice that he’s not wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses here, but rest assured, he certainly has in the past. Note the reaction of the teen girls in the audience to his every nuance.

And, to show how steeped Mr. Bieber has become in our collective consciousness, the fine folks at “Glee” also covered this song last year.

Sam Evans was singing the song hoping to entice Quinn Fabray to stay with him and not go back to her first love, Finn Hudson. Since then, Quinn has dated Finn, gotten mono, been broken up with by Finn, gotten accepted into Yale, gotten into a car accident while texting and driving and is now — while in a wheelchair — showing just a bit of interest in Artie and Joe.

And Sam? He’s moved away, moved back, worked as a stripper, joined the synchronized swim team and is now trying to get together with Mercedes. What can I say? It’s “Glee.”

Anyway, Sam’s version of the song — which I think is a bit nicer than Justin’s — is here.

There. Now you can successfully engage any tween or teen — or me for that matter — in conversation for at least a few moments longer than you otherwise might have been able to.

You’re welcome.

Wisconsin has a lot of cows.

And while I’ve never owned one myself, I’ve certainly seen herds of them grazing as I’ve driven down the highway. I’ve even met several up close and personal at various dairy-themed school, summer camp and community events.

Even in the bustling metropolis of Madison, Wisconsin, one can’t escape cows completely. Once a year, there’s a Cows on the Concourse event where cows are brought in to graze around the state capital building and meet their adoring public.

And, an annual Dairy Expo featuring all things bovine draws enough traffic that entire lanes of the beltline are dedicated to its attendees.

Today’s guest reviewer doesn’t live on a farm, but she’s certainly familiar with cows. That’s why she enjoyed Phyllis Alsdurf’s picture book It’s Milking Time (Random House, 2012). The book is a warm and wonderful look at life on a dairy farm. It features a girl and her dad milking their herd of cows — every morning and every night.

Cows are collected from the field, led into the barn, fed, milked and cleaned up after. Then, the milk is sent to the dairy where it’s turned into butter, cheese or the the milk most of us buy at the grocery store. Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher’s artwork is cozy. The cows seem like family friends. And the Holstein-inspired end papers are beautiful.

Now, let’s hear from Dharma.

Today’s reviewer: Dharma.

Age: 7

I like: Math, going to the children’s museum, my reading buddies and watching “Dancing With the Stars.”

This book was about: A girl’s job milking cows.

The best part was when: She named the calf Buddy.

I laughed when: They said they tapped the cows on the rear ends to keep them moving.

I was surprised when: The girl shoveled manure into the gutters.

This book taught me: You can skim cream off fresh milk.

My favorite line or phrase in the book was: “We swat rumps to keep them moving to the same places every time.”

Thanks, Dharma!

Phyllis Alsdurf, the author, grew up on a Minnesota dairy farm. She even dedicated this book to her father and one of his favorite cows, Jay-Jay.

Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, the illustrators, have illustrated more than 35 books. You can visit their website to see more of their work. You also can read this interview to learn more about how they work together.

It’s the Easter season, which mean lots of little girls are wearing fancy dresses.

So it seems like the perfect time for Allyssa to review Boni Ashburn’s picture book I Had a Favorite Dress (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2011).

This book tells the story of a girl who wears her favorite dress. Every week on the same day. For a lot of weeks.

But then, she grows, and the dress is too short. What to do? Thanks to some creative thinking and sewing skills from her mom, the dress gets transformed into another piece of clothing. That she wears once a week on a different day.

And then, it becomes another kind of clothing for another day.

And then … well, let’s hear the rest from Allyssa.

Our reviewer: Allyssa.

Age: 7

Things I like to do: Draw, color and read.

This book was about: A girl who had a favorite dress.

The best part was when: She had the hairbow in her hair.

I smiled when: When she was wearing the skirt.

I was worried when: When I told my mom that I didn’t have pants to wear to school. But on Monday, my pants were in my drawer. (Note: This example comes from Allyssa’s own life, not from the book!)

I was surprised when: The puppy got ahold of the hairbow.

This book taught me: “You can’t wear the same clothes every day.”

Three words that best describe this book are: “Funny.” “Creative.” “Good.”

My favorite line or phrase in the book was: “Snip, snip, sew, sew… New shirt, hello!”

You should read this book because: Because girls might have a favorite dress too. And it’s a funny book. You can see all the dresses on the front cover and choose which is the one you like.

Thank you, Allyssa! For the record, Allyssa’s favorite piece of clothing is a short-sleeved shirt that is purple and pink and sparkly with buttons. And her favorite day of the week is Saturday, because sometimes she  and her family do fun things together.

Another cool thing about this book is that it was a finalist for the Cybils Award, which is given to outstanding children’s book in several categories based on nominees and judging by children’s book bloggers. And if you’d like to see the memories it inspired in several grown women, read this blog post from Abrams.

Author Boni Ashburn has several great books out. To learn more, you can:

• Visit her website.
• Read this interview she did for Read, Write, Repeat.

Illustrator Julia Denos loves fashion and books, so she was the perfect choice to illustrate this book. You can learn more about her by:

• Visiting her website.
• Reading her blog, The Cinnamon Rabbit.

You should read this book because: It’s a light, fun read. It addresses issues that a lot of teenagers are facing today like being popular and relationships.

Thanks, Je’Kyah!

Want to learn more? You can:

• Read another teen review like this one on Books By Their Covers or this one on Reading is Bliss.
• Watch the video trailer for this book.
• Visit author Dandi Daley Mackall’s website. She written about 400 books for children and 25 for adults. Wow!

Vince has not always been a willing book reviewer for my blog. In the past, I’ve used bribery and threats to get him to read books for me.

But this time, I found Vince curled up with Joanne Rocklin’s new middle-grade novel The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook (Amulet, 2012).

And then, a few days later, Vince created the following review. I think the enthusiasm he showed for this title is the best endorsement possible.

Take it away, Vince.

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First, I’d like to get one thing straight.

Cats.

Don’t.

Cry.

We evaluate. We judge. We dismiss.

Sure, when the situation warrants, we also purr and play and, if it suits our purposes, snuggle.

But crying? No way.

And, while I’ll admit that I read The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook. I did not so much as sniffle.

Sure, the story might make less-cultured creatures tear up. It’s about an older sister, Oona, and her younger brother, Freddy, and their mom and their cat, Zook (short for Zucchini). And parts of it are, objectively, sad.

Oona and Freddy’s dad died several years ago, and they all miss him a lot. And Oona has a secret she’s been hiding about Zook, who is, as it happens, sick and at the veterinarian. The secret makes her feel guilty and having Zook at the vet makes her feel worried.

Now, a word about veterinarians if you will.

I try to avoid them at all costs. In fact, all the people who feed me have to do is get out my cat carrier and I start yowling on principal. I’ve mastered the art of not going into a cat carrier, so they usually end up wrapping me in a blanket and carrying me, which never seems fair.

Veterinarians do terrible things like hold you down and clip your claws. And pry open your mouth to look at your teeth. And squeeze your stomach. All while telling you how handsome they think you are.

Liars.

So, I don’t blame Oona for not trusting the veterinarian caring for Zook. She’s a smart girl. Although her reasons for not trusting him are a little offbeat. But Oona does have an imagination that gets carried away at times. Anyway, Oona decides to catnap Zook and bring him back home where she’s certain he’ll get better. But she’s caught in the attempt, which leads to a Serious Discussion with her mother.

And those are never good things.

If all this weren’t enough, Oona is also worried about her mother’s growing friendship with Dylan. Dylan seems nice enough, but Oona thinks she knows bad things about him. In fact, she refers to him as “The Villain” in her mind. Unfortunately, her reasons for disliking him aren’t any better than her reasons for disliking the veterinarian. (Although in the case of the veterinarian, I can at least see why she’s predisposed not to like him.)

To keep her mind off her troubles and to help her little brother feel better, Oona starts telling him stories about Zook’s previous lives and the daring feats he performed in each. These were my favorite parts of the book. Oona has an obvious understanding of the natural heroicism and grandeur of cats. Freddy likes these stories, too, and is comforted when Oona reassures him that cats have nine lives and Zook is only on his fifth one.

But Oona’s secret, and her stories, catch up with her.

She discovers that Dylan and Zook share an unexpected connection and that her secret might be revealed. And, when Dylan shows a nicer side than she expected, she has to reconcile her conflicted feelings about him.

Ultimately, Zook comes home, and all seems well. Oona even tells her secret and finds out it’s not as bad as she expected. But then, Zook gets sick again and things are not well at all. In fact, it looks like Zook might … might …

(Editor’s note: Vince had to take a break at this point in the review. He insisted his seasonal allergies were acting up, and I didn’t argue with him.)

Anyway, Oona takes the news especially hard. So does Oona’s mom, who even argues with Dylan. But Freddy is calm. He expects Zook to return any moment for his sixth life. And when that doesn’t immediately happen, Freddy falls apart. Until Oona, her mom and, eventually, Dylan help him move on.

It’s heartwarming and, for other more-emotional readers, quite moving. So have some Kleenex handy.

Not that I needed them.

*******************

Thank you, Vince, for that cat-tastic review!

Non-feline readers will also appreciate the rebuses Oona uses throughout the book that are fun to figure out. And the tips for telling stories she shares at the end. And while I’ve never eaten deep-fried zucchini, the book made me feel that it might be a good thing to try.

If you want to know the story behind the story of this book, including the lost cat that inspired it, read this blog post by author Joanne Rocklin.

She sounds like an all-around, cool cat of a person.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I did ask Vince if it’s true cats really have nine lives. He suddenly had pressing matters to take care of in another part of the house. If he gets back to me, I’ll let you know.

If you’d like to see Vince’s other literary leanings, check out his reviews of:

• Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku
• Tom’s Tweet
• I Am Tama, Lucky Cat
• Where is Catkin?
• Frankie Works the Night Shift 
• Raj, the Bookstore Tiger