March 2008 CMC Newsletter

CMC 40th Anniversary

The fifth monthly drawing celebrating the 40th anniversary of the CMC was held on February 12. The winner was Jillian Feczer, who received a $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. Congratulations to Jillian! There is still time to enter March's drawing for a $25 gift certificate to United Art and Education. Also, during the library's observance of National Library Week, there will be a reception celebrating the CMC's 40th anniversary on Thursday, April 10, from 2:00 until 4:00. Please plan on attending.

CMC Website Enhancements

Have you ever seen something on the CMC website, and now you can't remember where you saw it? Now you can find that resource once again by using the recently installed customized Google search tool. It will search only within the CMC website, enabling you to find that elusive resource.

The other enhancement is actually on the MediaPLEX website. If you would like to see a list of all the Ellison shapes that the MediaPLEX has, click here and follow the directions to login to the Ellison shape library. The link is also on the CMC website under the "Teaching Resources in the CMC" tab.

Website of the Month

Publisher's Weekly recently included the following news item in its weekly e-newsletter: "A writer in search of a publisher, an illustrator looking to showcase artwork, or a librarian interested in browsing authors' blogs have good reason to log onto an increasingly popular Web site. Less than two years after its launch, JacketFlap.com , a social networking Web site for those involved in the world of children's books, receives some 200,000 visits each month. More than 1,600 published authors and illustrators have created member profiles on the site, which also includes profiles established by publishers, booksellers, librarians and agents. In addition to offering online chatting opportunities—the site offers a 'Blog Reader' that aggregates posts from more than 650 children's book-related blogs—JacketFlap also features a searchable database of almost 900,000 children's books, 200,000 published individuals and 20,000 publishers."

New Resources

During February, the CMC added around 150 items to the collection. The additions included a series on the state of Ohio, several award books that had been announced in January, and a number of trade books, both fiction and nonfiction. Click here to see the complete list of new materials added in February.

New Children's Books

Dolley Madison Saves George Washington - Don Brown
Describes the significant contribution Dolley Madison made to the United States when she saved a picture of George Washington.


How to Catch a Fish - John Frank
Rhyming text and illustrations describe the ways fish are caught in various locations around the world.

Chester - Ayano Imai
Tired of being ignored by his human family, Chester the dog sets off to find a new home, but when he is turned away by a flock of forest birds and taken in by a wealthy woman who treats him more like a toy than a dog, Chester soon discovers that old homes are not so easily replaced.

Midsummer Knight - Gregory Rogers
A bear is rescued by a fairy in an enchanted wood and agrees to return the favor by leading the battle against a usurper who has imprisoned the king and queen, along with their loyal subjects, in the dungeon of their castle.

Heat Wave - Eileen Spinelli
Abigail, Ralphie, and the other citizens of Lumberville struggle to endure a week-long heat wave.

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales - Marcia Williams
A retelling in comic strip form of Geoffrey Chaucer's famous work in which a group of pilgrims in fourteenth-century England tell each other stories as they travel on a pilgrimage to the cathedral at Canterbury.

The Lemonade Club - Patricia Polacco
When Marilyn and her teacher, Miss Wichelman, both get cancer, they encourage each other and, aided by medical treatments and support from friends, they get better. Based on a true story.

The Many Rides of Paul Revere - James Cross Giblin
Chronicles Paul Revere's life, describing his childhood as the son of a French immigrant, his work as a silversmith, and his roles in the American Revolution.

Captian Raptor and the Space Pirates - Kevin O'Malley and Patrick O'Brien.
Captain Raptor and the crew of the Megatooth are called back into action to save the planet Jurassica from rogue space pirates.

Big Brown Bear's Birthday Surprise - David McPhail
An excited Bear mistakenly believes that Rat has given him a boat for his birthday.

New YA Books

Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale - Donna Jo Napoli
Fifteen-year-old Melkorka, an Irish princess, is kidnapped by Russian slave traders and not only learns how to survive but to challenge some of the brutality of her captors, who are fascinated by her apparent muteness and the possibility that she is enchanted

Freak - Marcella Pixley
Twelve-year-old Miriam, poetic, smart, and quirky, is considered a freak by the popular girls at her middle school, and she eventually explodes in response to their bullying, revealing an inner strength she did not know she had.

Darkwing - Kenneth Oppel
Dusk, the world's first bat, must lead his colony to safety in a time of changing species.

Bone: Old Man's Cave - Jeff Smith
In book six, the showdown between the Hooded One and the people of the valley begins. Thorn and Phoney Bone see to be at the center of the maelstrom.

Eye of the Crow - Shane Peacock
A woman is found stabbed to death in London. A young boy is drawn to the scene to investigate the murder and becomes a suspect himself.

How to Steal a Dog - Barbara O'Connor
Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina, desperate to improve their situation and unwilling to accept her overworked mother's calls for patience, persuades her younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward that the owners are bound to offer.

Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale
Fifteen-year-old Dashti, sworn to obey her sixteen-year-old mistress, the Lady Saren, shares Saren's years of punishment locked in a tower, then brings her safely to the lands of her true love, where both must hide who they are as they work as kitchen maids.

Beowulf - retold by Nicky Raven
A modern, illustrated retelling of the Anglo-Saxon epic about the heroic efforts of Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, to save the people of Heorot Hall from the terrible monster, Grendel.

New Children's Books

Dear Benjamin Banneker - Andrea David Pinkney
Story of the correspondence between Benjamin Banneker, a free black man, who wrote to Thomas Jefferson to tell him how he felt about Jefferson owning slaves.

The Huckabuck Family and How They Raised Popcorn in Nebraska and Quit and Came Back - Carl Sandburg
After the popcorn the Huckabucks had raised explodes in a fire and Pony Pony Huckabuck finds a silver buckle inside a squash, the family decides it is time for a change.

Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen - Howard Binkow
Howard B. Wigglebottom has a great deal of difficulty listening, which gets him into a great deal of trouble.

Footwork: The Story of Fred and Adele Astaire - Roxanne Orgill
Illustrations and easy-to-follow text describe Fred Astaire's humble dancing beginnings and the years he spent dancing with his sister, Adele.

At Night - Jonathan Bean
A sleepless city girl imagines what it would be like to get away from snoring family members and curl up alone with one's thoughts in the cool night air under wide-open skies.

Emma in Charge - David McPhail
Emma pretends that she and her dolls spend a day at school.

New YA Books

The Lion Hunter - Elizabeth E. Wein
Still recovering from his ordeal as a government spy, twelve-year-old Telemakos, the half-Ethiopian grandson of King Artos of Britain, is sent with his sister to live with Abreha, the ruler of Himyar. His Aunt Goewin warns him that Abreha is a dangerous man, but just how dangerous remains to be seen.

No Talking - Andrew Clements
The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no talking" contest.

Frindle - Andrew Clements
When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.

Aunt Nancy and the Bothersome Visitors - Phyllis Root
Clever Aunt Nancy manages to foil all those who try to get the better of her. Come on in and stay a spell! Aunt Nancy outwits four unwelcome guests in these trickster tales from a masterful storyteller. It would take a real pesky visitor to make himself unwelcome to Aunt Nancy. But just her luck -- not one but four bothersome folks come knocking at her door! From Cousin Lazybones to Old Man Trouble, from doleful Old Woeful to sly, slick Mister Death, Aunt Nancy's visitors nearly try her patience. But Aunt Nancy's head isn't there just to keep her ears from fighting, and see if she doesn't get the best of all her guests!

A Darkling Plain - Philip Reeve
While dealing with people from their past and treachery from unexpected sources, Tom, Hester, and Wren return to save the world.

New Children's Books

Gallop! A Scanimation Picture Book - Rufus Butler Seder
Rhyming text asks if the reader can move like a variety of animals. Striped acetate overlays on board pages give illustrations the illusion of movement.



Apples - Jacqueline Farmer
Describes the cultivation and uses of apples.

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella - Paul Fleischman
The author draws from a variety of folk traditions to put together this version of Cinderella, including elements from Mexico, Iran, Korea, Russia, Appalachia, and more.

At Gleason's Gym - Ted Lewin
Describes the visitors and activities which go on at Gleason's gym in Brooklyn, where famous boxers such as Muhammed Ali trained.

Golden Legacy - Leonard S. Marcus
Presents a history of Golden Books, discussing how it was founded in the midst of World War II, provided quality books at inexpensive prices, and used innovative writers and marketing techniques to establish itself as a highly successful publishing firm.

Ballerina Dreams - Lauren Thompson
True story of five little girls with cerebral palsy or other physical disabilities who were determined to become ballerinas.

New Series Books

From The Missing Link trilogy by Kate Thompson:

Fourth World
Fifteen-year-old Christie and his older stepbrother, Danny, travel to the home and mysterious laboratory of the elder boy's scientist mother, where they learn a shocking truth about the nature of her experiments.

Only Human
A search for the elusive Yeti in the faraway Himalayas leads Christie and his stepbrother Danny to question their own humanity.

Origins
Christy 's souvenir stone from the yeti's cave proves to be fatal for many of the inhabitants of Fourth World leaving among the survivors a pair of genetically-altered twins whose eventual descendants face an uncertain future in a stone age world of nuclear devastation and disease.


From Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

The Sea of Monsters
Demi-god Percy Jackson and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their camp. But first Percy will discover a secret that makes him wonder whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or a cruel joke.

The Titan's Curse
When the goddess Artemis disappears while hunting a rare, ancient monster, a group of her followers joins Percy and his friends in an attempt to find and rescue her before the winter solstice, when her influence is needed to sway the Olympian Council regarding the war with the Titans

New Award Book

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is given to the outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and published in the United States. The award actually is given to the publisher, rather than the author. One of the honor books this year is:

Nicholas and the Gang - Rene Goscinny
Nicholas is invited to a birthday party by the girl next door, plays a very messy game of chess, and learns that walking on your hands is much harder than turning somersaults.

New Nonfiction Books

Coretta Scott King - Laura Hamilton Waxman
A brief biography of Coretta Scott King, wife of slain civil right's leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.

From Sea to Shining Sea: Americans Move West 1846-1860 - Sheila Nelson
Examines the westward expansion and Manifest Destiny, and discusses the Mexican War, Oregon Trail, Transcontinental Railroad, and conflicts with Native Americans.

Lebanon's Hezbollah - Ann Byers
Recounts the historical origins, philosophy, and most notorious attacks of the Hezbollah terrorist group, including information on their present activities, possible future course of action, and counter-terrorism efforts directed against them.

New Award Book

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is given to the outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and published in the United States. The award actually is given to the publisher, rather than the author. One of the honor books this year is:

The Cat, or, How I Lost Eternity - Jutta Richter
Eight-year-old Christine is late for school every day because a talking alley cat demands her attention, giving her much to think about as he tries to teach her to be spiteful and pitiless.

New Children's Books

I, Vivaldi - Janice Shefelman
A picture book biography, told as if by Vivaldi himself, shows the famous musician's energetic personality and steadfast dedication to music.

Annie and the Wild Animals - Jan Brett
When Annie's cat disappears, she attempts friendship with a variety of unsuitable woodland animals, but with the emergence of Spring, everything comes right.

Ain't Nothing But a Man: My Quest to find the real John Henry - Scott Reynolds Nelson
Nelson explores old railroad tunners, hunts through handwritten ledgers, and finds a clue hidden in a postcard. On the way he uncovers truths that lead him to the real John Henry and to hear the voices of the 40,000 African Americans who helped rebuild train tracks through the South.

Abracadabra! Magic with Mouse and Mole - Wong Herbert Yee
Mole is mad about magic until he takes his friend Mouse to a show that turns out to be all tricks, but then Mouse conjures up a special night program to show him the enchantment found in nature.

Cottonball Colin - Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
Afraid that her smallest child, Colin, will be hurt if he goes outside or plays, a mother mouse insists that he sit quietly indoors until his grandmother suggests wrapping him in cotton wool, which proves to be effective, but in a most unexpected way.