More About Favorite Childhood Books plus Teaching Authors at ALA

A few readers have written to share their favorite childhood books. Sarah mentioned Mama, Buy Me a China Doll; Free to Be You and Me; Pickle Chiffon Pie; Harriet The Spy; and The All-of-a-Kind-Family. Cynthia’s list included the Oz books, National Velvet, E. Nesbit’s Five Children trilogy, and Louisa May Alcott’s Jack and Jill. Pamanmat remembered Nancy Drew, Archie comic books, and Great Expectations. What special books do you remember from your childhood or teen years? We’d love to hear about them!

Out and About

Several Teaching Authors will be at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference at McCormick Place in Chicago next month.

Esther Hershenhorn will be at the SCBWI-Illinois Booth, #1626, on Saturday, July 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., promoting her new book S is for Story: A Writer’s Alphabet, out this September with Sleeping Bear Press. The booth promotes Illinois authors and illustrators. SCBWI members, please stop by and say “Howdy!”

JoAnn Early Macken will be speaking on Sunday, July 12, on a panel of nonfiction authors called “Nonfiction Book Blast! Booktalks Your Reluctant Readers Can’t Resist.” Seventeen authors and a moderator will present booktalks librarians can use to interest young readers in nonfiction. The panel appears from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Convention Center Room W181 (Level 1 of the West Building). Participating authors and their books include:

• Lisa Rondinelli Albert, Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight Saga (Enslow, 2009), So You Want to Be a Film or TV Actor (Enslow, 2008)

• Mary Bowman-Kruhm, The Leakeys: A Biography (Prometheus Books, 2009)

• Laura Crawford, In Arctic Waters (Sylvan Dell Publishing), The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving From A to Z (Pelican Publishing), Postcards From Chicago (Raven Tree Press)

• Jeri Chase Ferris, With Open Hands: The Story of Biddy Mason (Lerner), Arctic Explorer: Matthew Henson (Lerner)

• Kelly Milner Halls, Dinosaur Parade (Lark/Sterling Publishers, 2008), Saving the Baghdad Zoo (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, 2009), Tales of the Cryptids (Darby Creek Publishing, 2006)

• Amy S. Hansen, Bugs and Bugsicles: Insects in the Winter (Boyds Mills Press, 2010), Touch the Earth (NASA and NFB, 2009)

• Gwendolyn Hooks, Makers and Takers (Rourke Publishing, 2008)

• Katherine L. House, Lighthouses for Kids: History, Science, and Lore with 21 Activities (Chicago Review Press, 2008)

• Patricia K. Kummer, The Great Barrier Reef (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009), The Great Lakes (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009), North Korea, and South Korea (Scholastic/Children's Press, 2008)

• Suzanne Lieurance, The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and Sweatshop Reform in American History (Enslow)

• JoAnn Early Macken, Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move (Holiday House, 2008)

• Carla Killough McClafferty, In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008)

• Wendie Old, The Halloween Book of Facts and Fun (Albert Whitman), The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun (Albert Whitman)

• April Pulley Sayre, Honk, Honk, Goose: Canada Geese Start a Family (Henry Holt, 2009)

• Anastasia Suen, Wired (Charlesbridge, 2007), The U.S. Supreme Court (Picture Window Books)

• Christine Taylor-Butler, Sacred Mountain: Everest (Lee and Low Books, 2009)

• Rebecca Hogue Wojahn and Donald Wojahn, Follow That Food Chain (Lerner, 2009)

Library media specialist Sharon Mitchell will be the panel moderator. Hope to see you there!

The authors have also collaborated to produce a wiki (Nonfiction Book Blast) that includes all the booktalks, searchable by title, author, subject, and intended age level. The front page includes links to the authors’ web sites. After the conference, other authors, librarians, and interested readers can add booktalks of their own. Check it out!

JoAnn Early Macken will be autographing Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move at the Holiday House Booth, #2138 in the West Building, from 1:00-1:30 p.m.

April Halprin Wayland and Carmela Martino will also be strolling through the convention center and exploring exhibits. Watch for them, and be sure to say hello!