Recently in For kids Category

Human Life Services, 742 S. George St., York, is accepting donations of new or used children's books for their client needs. Human Life Services also accepts donations of diapers and unopened baby formula.[

York County Libraries is holding a celebration for first-grade readers from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Nov. 14 at the West Manchester Mall. The event features nationally-known children's author and Illustrator Tedd Arnold, who will tell stories and sketch some of the characters in his books. Kids can also have their face painted by Skeeta the Clown, and listen to storytellinger Beth Rebert. The free event will be held in the Bon-Ton Court.

The celebration is the culminating event of this year's "Grade One At the Library" (GOAL) program which encourages first-grade students to get and use a library card. The program is made possible through major sponsorship by PeoplesBank.

Participants receive incentives during three library visits, with the final prize being Arnold's book "Hi! Fly Guy." Children are invited to bring their copy along for the author to autograph. Several of Arnold's orhter books will be available for purchase and autograph.

Just in from the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- Tycoons, evolution and the environment are among the subjects of this year's National Book Award nominees.

Marcel Theroux's global warming novel "Far North" and T.J. Stiles' "The First Tycoon," a biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt, were some the finalists announced Wednesday. Two books about evolution, including a story for young people about Charles Darwin, were also nominated.

Winners in the four competitive categories of the National Book Awards will be announced at a Nov. 18 ceremony in New York.

Author Maurice Sendak has always had a rough relationship with his book "Where the Wild Things Are" which has sold more than 10 million copies since its release in 1963.

The author and illustrator felt the story of a mischevious boy named Max overshadowed the work he did afterward.

Read the Associated Press interview with Sendak about the film adaptation, which will be released on Friday.

Winnie the Pooh will reappear in "Return to the Hundred Acre Wood" in the first authorized sequel to A.A. Milne's classic children's stories on Oct. 5.
Written by David Benedictus and illustrated by Mark Burgess, the book continues the adventures of Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore and friends. And there's a new friend, Lottie the Otter. To see more, visit www.penguin.com/pooh.
And to hear an interview with the author and a reading by Jim Dale, visit NPR.org at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113406207

A new children's picture book by Laurie Lears of Shrewsbury Township is now available.

"Stay Away from Rat Boy" is illustrated by Red Hansen. It is the story of a class bully befriending the classroom's pet rat.

The book is $16.99 at bookstores and at www.albertwhit 
man.com and other online stores.

From the Associated Press:

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. -- Dolly Parton created a charity 13 years ago to provide books to children and encourage literacy.

Now her first children's book, "I Am a Rainbow," will be featured in the philanthropy.

MIchael Phelps in the Santa Clara International swim meet June 12.

Michael Phelps, children's book author?
Yes, the 14-time Olympic gold medalist has a new book in stores titled "How to Train with a T. Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals."
It features illustrations by Ward Jenkins of Phelps, his bulldog Herman and his coach Bob Bowman.
In the book Phelps describes his training regimen in terms relatable to kids. For example, during six years of training, he swam 12,480 miles. He points out that's the same as swimming "from my hometown of Baltimore to the North Pole and back, and doing it all over again!"
"It's a fun way for kids to learn and for me to get a lot of different messages out there," Phelps said Sunday at a swim meet in Santa Clara. "Having Bob and Herman in the book is cool."

Connie Sprenkle of West Manchester Township has added another book to her Nonnie collection for children.

"Ocodile Dreams" was written and illustrated by Sprenkle to help children deal with frightening dreams.

Her other children's books are "The Pokey Pumpkin," "Enjenny," "Doo Dah," "King of the Pond," "Little Runaround the Homeless Hound," "Sand is Hot; Snow is Not" and "Christmas Pajamas." She also wrote a cookbook, "Smart Cuts to Victory: Cook and Entertain with Connie."

"Ocodile Dreams" is available at Borders Books & Music, amazon.com and booksurge.com or by contacting the author at 792-0986.

Great Little Books LLC is sponsoring an essay contest for fourth-grade children called Stand Tall With Too Tall Alice.

Students should write about the coolest three things about being themselves. All essays must be signed by a parent, a guardian or a teacher.

Deadline is Aug. 31.

Contest rules are at http://www.tootallalice.com/

From reader Nancy Duncan:

In preparation for the July release of the next Harry Potter movie, I decided to re-read "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." It was a good thing I did.

From the Associated Press:

VATICAN CITY -- A new children's book detailing Pope Benedict XVI's daily life has been published on the pontiff's 82nd birthday.

"Max and Benedict," about a sparrow's impressions of the pope from his perch on St. Peter's Basilica, is a sequel of sorts to the 2007 children's book "Joseph and Chico," which told the story of the pope's early years from the point of view of a tabby cat.

This just in from the Associated Press:

President Obama's half-sister has a book deal, for a children's picture story.

Maya Soetoro-Ng's "Ladder to the Moon," based in part on Obama's mother and other family members, will be published by Candlewick Press at a date not yet determined. According to Candlewick, Soetoro-Ng will pay "homage to her mother's tradition of storytelling."

The late Ann Dunham is mother both to Obama and Soetoro-Ng, who was born in 1970, nine years after the future president. (Obama and Soetoro-Ng have different fathers). Soetoro-Ng, who teaches at an all-girls school in Honolulu, campaigned for her half brother and spoke at last year's Democratic National Convention.

Children are invited to read a book to Buster, a golden retriever, or Jackson, a Labrador retriever, during Books with KPETS from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 7 and May 5 at East Berlin Community Library, 105 Locust St.

Keystone Pet-Enhanced Therapy Services encourages children to practice reading by allowing them to read, one-on-one, to a dog who will not criticize or discourage.

For details, visit www.eastberlinlibrary.org

Just in from the Associated Press:

President Barack Obama, a best-selling author who received royalties of $2.5 million last year, will get hundreds of thousands more for a youth-oriented version of his published memoir and will write a nonfiction book after he leaves the White House.

and that definitely applies to book lovers.

The following Web sites offer used books for purchase or exchange, some for as little as the postage to ship them.

Check them out, and if you know of any others, please let us know.

www.bookmooch.com

www.bookins.com

www.swaptree.com

www.paperbackswap.com

From the Associated Press:

A softcover copy of the first Harry Potter book has sold for just over $19,000, according to a Dallas auction house.

Following were best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended March 1.

1. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 --The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney.
2. "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man" by Steve Harvey.
3. "Promises in Death" by J. D. Robb.
4. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch.
5. "One Day at a Time" by Danielle Steel.

Following were best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended Feb. 22.

1. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer.
2. "The Associate" by John Grisham.
3. "Run For Your Life" by James Patterson.
4. "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 3: The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney.
5. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer.

The following books were were best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended Jan. 25.

1. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney.
2. "The Shack" by William Young.
3. " Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: the No-Diet Weight Loss Solution" by David Zinczenko.
4. "Dreams From My Father" by Barack Obama.
5. "Spooky York, Pennsylvania" by Scott Butcher.

Publishers Weekly recently asked children's booksellers to choose their favorite -- and sometimes not so favorite -- books of 2008. There were a few surprises for me in their choices.

News from the Associated Press:

Oh, the horror: Neil Gaiman has received the top prize for children's literature: The John Newbery Medal.

Gaiman's spooky "The Graveyard Book," about a boy raised by vampire, a werewolf and a witch, was named the winner of the 88th annual Newbery. The Randolph Caldecott Medal, given to the illustrator of the best picture book, went to Beth Krommes for "The House in the Night," written by Susan Marie Swanson.

The Coretta Scott King Award for best author was given to Kadir Nelson, for "We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. The illustrator award went to Floyd Cooper for "The Blacker the Berry." The King prizes were founded 40 years ago to honor the works of African Americans.

To read more about "The Graveyard Book," click here .

Kelly Horner will present "Let It Snow" at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 17 in the John D. Bare Center of Guthrie Memorial Library-Hanover's Public Library, 2 Library Place.

Horner will share snow-themed books and activities for children in kindergarten through second grade. For details, visit www.guthrielibrary.org.

I'm talking about the Internet. People who have grown up with the Internet, as opposed to people like me who had to "learn" it, are much more likely to turn to the web in all things.

This was illustrated to me in "Harry, A History," by Melissa Agnelli. The Harry in the title refers to Harry Potter. Melissa Agnelli became the editor of the Leaky Cauldron, the most popular and well-respected fan site for all things Harry Potter.

Jen Hetzer of New Freedom reads Clement Moore's classic poem, 'The Night Before Christmas,' to her 2-year-old son Andrew at the Paul Smith Library of Southern York County.

Deborah Sullivan
York County Library System community relations director

We brought my son, Michael, home from the hospital on Christmas Day in a huge red stocking with furry white trim. Each year, we would root that stocking out, he would climb in, and we would take his picture -- always amazed at how much he had grown.

Around pre-school age, we started sprinkling "reindeer food" on the lawn to help guide Santa's sleigh to our house, and of course we set out a plate of cookies for our jolly visitor to eat!

Snuggling up to read Christmas tales, singing carols and driving around to see lights have all weaved their way in and out of our celebrations over the years, creating what I hope will become cherished memories.

Woogi World and leading children's publishers, HarperCollins Children's Books, Walden Media and Penguin Books, announced today their joint collaboration to introduce kids to great books through Woogi World's online WoogiReaders Club.

Morning Edition on National Public Radio talked to a family that saves its holiday books to read every night during the season.

Read about their holiday tradition and listen to the report at http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=98308208&m=98321124

Connie Sprenkle's latest children's book, "Christmas Pajamas," was inspired by a well-loved family tradition.

When Sprenkle was a child, her mother made her a special pair of pajamas that she could wear all day Christmas day. Last year, she continued the tradition by buying matching pajamas for herself and her two grandsons.

that books make great gifts, but now we can listen to famous authors tell us why.

Gloria Fogal is the Daily Record/Sunday News books page editor. Nancy Duncan is a Daily Record/Sunday News staff librarian and the children's librarian at Red Land Community Library.

Nancy: What do readers really want for Christmas? More books! So, Gloria and I came up with our top five books of all time. Believe me, it wasn't easy limiting myself to just five titles.

Here are my favorites, in no particular order.

"Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett

The building of a 12th-century cathedral and all it entails. A huge, spellbinding book with ambition, sex and the struggle for power -- all that you want in a novel that will last a long time. A wonderful choice for a long, cold winter.

Here is a review of J.K. Rowling's "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by Deepti Hajela of The Associated Press:

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" (Children's High Level Group, $12.99, 111 pages), by J.K. Rowling: Just in time for the holidays, J.K. Rowling has given Harry Potter fans a little gift.

York Revolution Baseball has launched a "Rev Up Reading" program to entice students to read four books. Books completed will be marked on special bookmarks that also have vouchers for half-price tickets for their school's scheduled game night.

I read "Bunnicula" when I was in grade school. I don't remember a whole lot, but it's about a vampire bunny that enjoys sucking the juices out of vegetables. yummy...

For a better synopsis click here

By BETH VRABEL
Daily Record/Sunday News

Jacqui LeBeau listened to her husband's latest musical composition from her Spring Grove sun-room, overlooking woods where squirrels and chipmunks played, and eagles soared.

A story began forming in her mind, knitting the notes and the scene.

LeBeau scrambled for a pen and paper, and "If I Could Fly," the story of a squirrel named Aria and a wish from a majestic eagle, was born.

Jon Scieszka will receive the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Medal from Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today in the Montpelier Room of the James Madison Building, as part of the National Book Festival celebration.

Scieszka is the author of several best-selling children's titles, including "The Stinky Cheese Man," which won a Caldecott Honor medal, "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" and the Time Warp Trio, a chapter book series. He is the founder of Guys Read www.guysread.com.

"Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell is writing a pair of teen novels, "The Carrie Diaries," that "takes readers back to Carrie Bradshaw's formative years in high school, giving an inside look at Carrie's friendships, romances and how she realized her dream of becoming a writer," HarperCollins announced Wednesday.

York County Library System is embarking on a county-wide membership campaign to encourage first-grade students to get and use a library card.

The initiative, Grade One At the Library: Shoot for the GOAL, runs today through Oct. 3.

A judge says "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling has won her claim that a fan violated her copyright with his plans to publish a Potter encyclopedia, according to the Associated Press.

Judge Robert Patterson said in a ruling Monday that Rowling had proven that Steven Vander Ark's "Harry Potter Lexicon" would cause her irreparable harm as a writer. Vander Ark runs the popular Harry Potter Lexicon Web site.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard," the book J.K. Rowling wrote and illustrated and auctioned off to benefit the charity she co-founded, the Children's High Level Group, will be available to all Harry Potter fans beginning Dec. 4.

Some kids get reading lists from their schools for the summer -- I make my own.

This summer I have decided to read all the Harry Potter books in order, from 1 to 7.

I thought of this last summer as I read the lfinal Harry Potter book. I was sad that my journey with Harry and friends was over. For so long they had been a part of my life, I couldn't imagine not having another book to look forward to.

I might not get them all finished by Labor Day -- since I'm always around books, there is always something new to read, but I will give it a go. I'll let you know how it goes.

Does anyone else set reading assignments for themselves, or am I the only nut job?

An 800-word Harry Potter prequel is one of 13 card-sized works to be sold at a charity auction in London.

If your child has just started to learn to read, or if he could use a little encouragment to read, Pippa, Buster and Jackson can't wait to hear a good story!

The Children’s Book Council has announced the winners of the first annual Children’s Choice Book Awards at a gala in New York City, hosted by Jon Scieszka, national ambassador for young people’s literature.

Children across the country voted for their favorite books, author and illustrator at bookstores, school libraries and at www.BookWeekOnline.com. Close to 55,000 votes were received.

The winners are:

Author J.K. Rowling will testify today against a fan who plans to publish a "Harry Potter" encyclopedia.

Sometimes, as much as we hate it, we have to part with our books.

What else can we do when there just isn't enough shelf space for all our recent purchases?

Kids can vote for their favorites among the 25 finalists in The Children’s Book Council's Children’s Choice Book Awards program.

The program was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to read.

Children can cast their votes for their favorite books, author and illustrator at www.BookWeekOnline.com until May 4.

The Children’s Choice Book Award winners will be announced live at the Children’s Choice Book Award gala on May 13 in New York City as part of Children’s Book Week (May 12-18), the oldest national literacy event in the United States.