Hooray for Book Blogs!

Hey all, did you know last week was Book Blogger Appreciation Week? Well I just found that out on a blog called On My Bookshelf , where there is a lovely review of Pouch! today.

Thanks to Holly for the write-up and for the heads-up.

And Pouch! was recently a Pick of the Day at Hooray for Books.

I for one appreciate the attention of children's book bloggers such as Just One More Book, 7-Imp, Fuse #8, Hip Writer Mama, and now On My Bookshelf. . . and Hooray for Books.

Hooray for Blogs!
David

Pouch Party!

Last night lots of lovely folks hopped over to Books of Wonder for the Pouch! Publication Party. We read the story, yelled "pouch!", learned how to draw Joey, and took our pictures as kangaroos. There were delicious cupcakes from the Cupcake Cafe and lots of books to sign.

If you missed out, you can still get a signed copy at the store, or order on their web site.

See you at the hop,
David

POUCH!:The Trailer

Dear folks, in conjunction with the release of Pouch!, here is the trailer for the book.

I have been trying to get this up on YouTube, but due to ongoing file incompatibility woes, I will have to settle on posting a link here for now. Enjoy!

VIEW POUCH BOOK TRAILER

Happiest of Autumns,
David

PS- Remain on the lookout for Pouch!: the lunch box, Pouch!: the pull toy, Pouch! the breakfast cereal, and Pouch!: the pouch.

An Interview in The Q Note

Hey all, Alia Akkam (founder and editorial director) ran a nice piece on me in The Q Note yesterday in honor of the release of Pouch!. The Q Note is a newsletter of life in the borough of Queens.

You can read it HERE in its original location.

See ya in the borough,
David

Pouch! Starred Review

Booklist has honored my forthcoming book Pouch! with a starred review.

Since I don't subscribe to Booklist, I can't link to the review, but here's an excerpt:

. . . Neatly embodying the way a young child’s drive toward independence seesaws with fear of the unknown, the panicky little kangaroos are vulnerable, appealing, and funny. The short, pithy text tells a story young listeners will immediately understand, right down to its heartening conclusion. . . . The artwork has a fresh, energetic quality that suits the story well. Stein, who won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award for Leaves (2007), once again shows his talent for creating a fresh story in a few well chosen words and illustrating it with humor and verve.

School Library Journal also wrote a very lovely review, and here are some tidbits as well:

Stein continues to create deceptively simple yet very affecting picture books. . . . Stein’s choice of easily identifiable animals (a bee, a rabbit, and a bird) is particularly apropos, giving the book universality. . . . The repetition will appeal to the intended audience, as will the chance to identify each animal Joey meets. The subtle sophistication of the story gives it broad appeal. . . .

Thank you Reviewers!
David

Award

Hey folks,

Back in February I wrote and illustrated a wee reader called Tim and Sam for Hooked on Phonics' total revamping of their Learn to Read program. In doing so, I was pleased to join the company of such children's book stars as Rosemary Wells and Michelle Knudsen.

I was assigned the kindergarten level, and given a list of a hundred or so 3-letter words with which to write a compelling story. This resulted in Tim and Sam, the tale of a race between a fox and a bulldog. It is based on the sentence, "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." I had a lot of fun with the vocabulary challenge, and with letting the art speak the volumes that the text couldn't.

So now iParenting has awarded HOP with their Media Award for Outstanding Products. My book is a small part of the total package, but I'm glad to have been involved. Congrats to HOP.

[Thanks to Amy Kraft for the last two photos used here. (They are from the HOP blog.)]

See ya at the races,
David

Three Years On

It's my third anniversary as a published author! Yes, my very first book, Cowboy Ned & Andy, came out July 11, 2006. Which seems like forever ago.

Yesterday, I handed in the art for my EIGHTH book, Interrupting Chicken! It will come out next summer.

In three years as your author, I feel I have learned many things. One was to lose the hat.

See ya in the book-o-sphere,
David