A List of Some of the Best Books I Didn't Write! Plus a Big Award for One I Did!

This year, there was a bumper crop of good children's books, so I assembled a top ten list for Pajamazon at Offsprung.com... click HERE to read it in all its glory. My pal and co-blogger Diana Fischer also contributed her "ghosts of children's books' past" list so you actually get 20 great picks instead of ten!

Alas, I was unable to neurotically scan the "best of 2007" lists in search of my titles... because none of my books were released in 2007 (though I will have that pleasure in 2009 and 2010). Which is why I was more than a little surprised to be informed that I had won a major award this year.

Drum roll, please...

I have been awarded the Millerbury Medal!

Yes, you know, that other gold sticker. This one is better in some ways - for example, they inform you that you've won by telling you in person at a civilized hour. Also, it is awarded frequently (monthly, I'm told) so you get to be in good company with a LOT of very fine authors.

I'm going to take a picture of me, NINETY-THREE IN MY FAMILY (my Millerbury Medal winning book), the extremely cool Ms. Miller and her equally cool class of second grade students, all of whom voted for my book, and post it here.

So please check back soon!

This Year's Halloween Winners!

Every year, I secretly award Best Costume prizes at my local elementary school, and then not so secretly report them on my blog. As evidenced by last year's winner (a first grader dressed as a greek salad... see my archives if you think I'm making this up), I have a strong preference for food-o-promorphic costumes.

This year, our winner is the lovely Akari, dressed - and accessorized to the hill - as sushi. Akari won extra points for her knitted heargear, which unfortunately resulted in some people mistaking her for a bunny. In fact, she is the shrimp in the maki roll, and the hat is the curly tail part of the shrimp. She is carrying chopsticks and soysauce and was last seen being chased by a boy dressed as wasabi. Okay, I made that last part up.

Congratulations, Akari!!!

This next photo is my favorite candid photo from this year's parade. It depicts a five year old Darth Vader giving sage advice to a five year old Harry Potter. "Listen good, Harry... some day you're going to need to know this."

And of course, every year our beloved principal, Scott Cartland, outdoes himself in the costume department. This year he dressed as Mr. Monopoly and handed out homemade chance cards with fortunes like "Lost five minutes of recess due to heated real estate discussion" and "Get out of detention free."

Can you imagine a better principal? Neither can I. Too bad he can't sell Park Place to raise the money to rebuild our defunct neighborhood library or add a second bathroom to our 500-kid facility. Not that I'm complaining...

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Good News, Bad News

the bad news is: i broke my right arm. skating. with children. ill-advised attempt to recapture my ice-castles-wanna-be youth.

the good news is: you’ll get to enjoy my pal diana blogging in my place on Pajamazon, which would have been a two-week gig while i was on vaca but is now an extended til-i-get-the-cast-off run. she’s fun, she’s funny and she knows kids’ books. you may want to break my other arm to keep her around longer!

but please don’t!

When Steve Met Harry

And, no, I’m not talking about the new Adam Sandler movie.

Here's Stephen Colbert channeling his inner twelve year old (like so many of us) instead of introducing his show:

Yes, that’s what I’m talking about, folks. If you want your kids to read, you need to show them that you’re a reader, too. So set a good example like Colbert, OK? Crack open that new book you’ve been dying to read - Harry Potter or otherwise - and let your kids fend for themselves for a few days. Just not near bodies of water (that includes swimming pools, tubs, and, heck, even sinks) or while driving them to camp.

This has been a public service announcement from Stephen Colbert and me.

Donny's... I mean, ERICA's ALA Antics

Want to know what I did at the American Library Association annual conference and what it has to do with Donny Osmond dressed as Joseph?

Go to Pajamazon and see for yourself!