Pivotal Kids books

: A Look at Top Shelf Productions’ Comics for Kids

Top Shelf Productions, an independent publisher known for putting out high quality graphic novels with an individual flair, has been steadily rolling out a growing number of titles for children. Differing widely in style and content, these unique books demonstrate the vast potential for children’s comics to tell compelling narrative stories, capture imaginations and tickle funny bones, all at the same time!

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 Bestseller Graeme Base harks back to his classic New York Times bestselling solve-the-mystery story The Eleventh Hour in an all-new book that will “puzzle” and entice young readers.

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Louise.  The Adventures of a chicken

 

She longed for adventure.

So she left her home and ventured out into the wide world.

The pleasures and perils she met proved plentiful: marauding pirates on the majestic seas, a ferocious lion under the bright lights of the big top, a mysterious stranger in an exotic and bustling bazaar

 “This is easily the most beautiful picture book I’ve witnessed in a long time. Bliss and DiCamillo have make a classic picture book — outstanding. “

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	Bill Tancer, author of Click (Hyperion), was the featured speaker at Wednesday’s CBC annual meeting. In the 2008 annual meeting of the Children’s Book Council, held on Wednesday, September 24, executive director Robin Adelson called the CBC “dynamic,” noting the increased activity during the previous year is “a sign of things to come.” The CBC has gone “back to basics,” she stated; the staff has been reorganized, and the sales of printed materials have been discontinued, resulting in a profit for the first time in years, of more than $90,000 for the fiscal year that ended in June 2008.  CBC chair Suzanne Murphy reviewed the highlights of the previous year, including the naming of the first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, in conjunction with the Library of Congress; holding two Children’s Book Weeks within six months of each other (to move the official week into May, going forward); reactivating the Every Child a Reader program run by the CBC Foundation, which is chaired by Lori Benton; continuing and expanding initiatives such as the co-sponsoring of bibliographies; overhauling the CBC Web site, and growing the Early Career Committee, aimed at younger publishing staff.   read more

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Visit the official website

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Paolini, in his first
public reading of Brisingr,
in New York City.
Photo: Lisa Berg.

Brisingr (Knopf), the long-awaited third volume in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance cycle, arrived last Friday night, September 20, at midnight. In a record for Random House Children’s Books, the book sold 550,000 copies in its first day. 

Random had printed 2.5 million copies of Brisingr, the largest-ever first printing for the division. First-day sales for the title were four times that of Eldest, second in the cycle, which pubbed in August 2005. RHCB president Chip Gibson said the numbers for Brisingr “far surpassed our projections.” More than 2,500 bookstores held midnight parties.

Random House U.K., which published the novel simultaneously, reported first-day sales of more than 45,000 copies, “Brisingr is by far and away the fastest-selling book we’ve ever published,” said children’s sales director Helen Randles. The company also called it the fastest-selling children’s book in Britain this year.  

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Booktrust, in association with Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, is delighted to announce the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize.

This new prize has two categories –

The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen.

Fiction, non-fiction and poetry will be welcomed.

Shortlists

A shortlist of six books in each category was announced on 8 September to tie in with the third Roald Dahl Day on 13 September.

The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, illus. Axel Scheffler (Alison Green Books)
Elephant Wellyphant by Nick Sharratt (Alison Green Books)
The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
The Witch’s Children Go to School by Ursula Jones, illus. Russell Ayto (Orchard Books)
There’s an Ouch in My Pouch! by Jeanne Willis, illus. Garry Parsons (Puffin Books)
Manfred the Baddie by John Fardell (Quercus Books)

The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen

Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton, illus. David Tazzyman (Egmont Press)
Paddington Here and Now by Michael Bond, illus. RW Alley (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Stop in the Name of Pants! by Louise Rennison (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Macmillan Children’s Books)
Aliens Don’t Eat Dog Food by Dinah Capparucci (Scholastic Children’s Books)
Urgum and the Goo Goo Bah! by Kjartan Poskitt, illus. Philip Reeve (Scholastic Children’s Books)

Commenting on the shortlist, Michael Rosen said:

“It was a joy and a half to sit round a table, knee-deep in funny books, talking about them with a group of clever, humorous and thoughtful people. Almost all children love funny books, it’s what helps hook them into the reading habit. Parents are always on the lookout for funny books to read to their children or to give them as surprises and presents. Now, with these 12 titles, pared down from hundreds that we received, we have the cream of this year’s crop. I swear I heard Roald Dahl chortling in the background as we waved the books at each other. I should add that there was a good deal of discussion, argument - is this a smile-book a laugh-book? Is this a book that adults will find funny and children won’t? Does it matter if the text is funny but the pictures aren’t? And vice versa? Does a funny book need a perfect punchline?

We think we’ve covered all ages here from a two year old’s giggle to a teen’s wry snort. Which ones will be the winners? Why not read all twelve and pick your own?”

The winner of each category will receive £2,500, which will be presented at an awards ceremony in London on 13 November 2008.

Read the press release

Competition

Win the chance to attend the Funny Prize award ceremony! Find out more.

More about the prize

Michael Rosen explains:

‘If there had been a prize for funny books when Roald Dahl was writing, he would have won it with every book he wrote! That’s why this award was named in his honour.

‘Children love funny books but when adults draw up lists of the best books they nearly always leave the funny ones out. When I became the Children’s Laureate, I said that my job should be as an ambassador for fun. That’s why I came up with the idea of this funny prize, all part of the job!”

The Roald Dahl Funny Prize aims to:

> promote laughter and humour as a feel-good factor when reading, by encouraging families to read together and discover the pleasure of humorous (funny) books. This in turn will reinforce the message that reading together promotes family well-being.

> draw attention to funny books as readable and enjoyable books. We hope that the prize will enable these books to gain a profile that makes them more accessible to children and young people. The prize will work to achieve this through a range of activities supported by libraries, teachers and parents.

> reward and encourage authors (and illustrators) who write and illustrate books using humour in their stories, poetry and fiction. By creating these awards we hope to promote a vibrant area of publishing often overlooked by other awards.

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Click on the picture - there’s a review, badges and a poster to print, and activities for teachers to share

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Games, Gizmos and Toys in the Attic, an exhibition on the work of Walter Wick (the I Spy and Can You See What I See? series) is currently on display at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, Conn. The show, which features both large-scale photographs of Wick’s work as well as 3D sets, runs through January 26, 2009. Several special events are planned, including an appearance by Wick on October 19 and a costume party with Halloween activities on October 26. More information is available at the museum’s Web site.

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From Variety: Author Nicholas Sparks is writing a novel and screenplay for a Disney film that will star Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus.

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