The winner is: Brianna! (I’ve emailed her already)

Last week, after the NESCBWI conference, I was on a bit of a Jane Yolen kick. I love Jane Yolen’s books, especially the rhyming ones! This is the one that the toddler has asked for again and again:

Dimity Duck by Jane Yolen

At first I was like, “Dimity Duck, what kind of a name is that?” But as soon as I heard my daughter recite “Dimity Duck waddles and she toddles” (quoting from the book randomly during the day) in her sweet little voice, the musicality of the name really caught my attention.

More favorite Jane Yolen books:

My very first guest post is by Jane Kohuth, talented author of Ducks Go Vroom, Estie the Mensch, and the soon-to-be-published picture book, Duck Sock Hop. We have one SIGNED copy of Duck Sock Hop to giveaway to one lucky winner (see below).

Take it away Jane!

Since I’m the author of two children’s books starring ducks, people often ask me if I have a particular affection for these birds. The answer is yes, sort of. That two of my first three books are about happy bands of ducks is more of a coincidence than anything else. I write about lots of things. I’ve sent out lots of manuscripts. That my ducks percentage is so high may really mean that children’s publishing likes ducks even more than I do. But I get it. Ducks have natural advantages. They are comical rather than elegant, cuddly as opposed to fierce or delicate. The word “duck” is fun to say. The sound “quack” is fun to say. Ducks signal giggles in a way that swans and doves don’t.  And, okay, I admit it. I love to watch the ducks on the stream near my house. I like ducks. A whole lot.

So in honor of my newly admitted duck affection and my brand new picture book, Duck Sock Hop, here’s my completely subjective list of the

TOP TEN DUCK BOOKS OF ALL TIME.

1. Favorite Informational Duck Book

Just Ducks! by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Salvatore Rubbino

 I learned a lot about duck behavior from this non-fiction/fiction hybrid about a little girl who loves watching ducks as much as I do.

2. Favorite Classic Duck Book:

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

The reason I was so thrilled the time I stopped my car to let a mother duck and ducklings cross the road.

3. Favorite Classic Duck Book Runner-Up:

Angus and the Ducks by Marjorie Flack

This one has the winning combination of dog and ducks!

4. Favorite Duck Who Might Not Be a Duck Book:

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krause Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

A whole book that plays on one clever optical illusion. I got to see Amy Krause Rosenthal read this one out loud.  Highly entertaining.

5. Favorite Duck Stowaway Book:

Dodsworth in New York by Tim Egan

Dodsworth is not a duck, but his, umm, friend, is. And his friend follows him around the world in this book and its sequels.

6. Favorite Duck Buddies Book (After Duck Sock Hop, of course!):

Duck Dunks by Lynne Berry, Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata

These vibrant splashes of tiny yellow ducklings head for the beach together in one of their many adventures.

7. Favorite Duck Who Stands up for Himself Book:

Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

8. Favorite Duck Who Drives a Vehicle Book:

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

And can I choose a runner-up for this one, too? And can I choose my own book? (Amitha’s note: Of course!)

9. Favorite Ducks Who Drive a Vehicle Book (Runner-up):

Runner up: Ducks Go Vroom by Jane Kohuth, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli

This one is primarily about ducks who are very bad houseguests, but they do drive a snazzy red convertible.

10. Favorite OTHER Book Featuring a Duck and Socks:

Sally and the Purple Socks by Lisze Bechtold

This is an extremely charming book about a domestically inclined duck and a magical mail-order pair of socks. I read it after I wrote Duck Sock Hop, and I couldn’t help loving it despite the fact that I wasn’t the first one to think that ducks wearing socks would be awesome.

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Jane Kohuth graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in English and Creative Writing and from Harvard Divinity School with a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies. She has worked as a Jewish educator, a children’s room library assistant, a writing teacher, and a children’s bookseller and organizer of author events. Jane’s first book, Ducks Go Vroom, was one of Parents Magazine’s 20 Best Books of 2011. Her picture book Estie the Mensch is a PJ Library selection. Kirkus says her new book, Duck Sock Hop, is “Ready made for wonderful fun at story time (sock theme, anyone?) or as one rollicking lap read, but be prepared, as kids will flock to hear it again.”  In celebration of the release of Duck Sock Hop, she’ll be holding real live sock hops in stores and libraries. She also visits schools to talk to students about writing and to run writing workshops. To find out more, please visit her website, www.janekohuth.com.

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Want more Ducks?

The launch party for Duck Sock Hop will be May 19th at Wellesley Books! You can also meet author Jane Kohuth here:

Eight Cousins, Falmouth, MA: Saturday, May 26, 11 AM – 1 PM

The Blue Bunny, Dedham, MA: Thursday, June 7, 6:30 PM

To see more Boston area book signings by your favorite authors, check out my boskidlit calendar.

Other stops on Jane’s blog tour:

http://pjmommy.com/please-ask-me-about-books/

http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/

http://www.crackingthecover.com/

http://literaryfriendships.wordpress.com

http://www.peteradamsalomon.com

And now for details about the very important book giveaway! To win a signed copy of Duck Sock Hop, leave a comment below with either 1)the title of your favorite duck book OR 2) a description of your favorite pair of socks! Leave your comment by 10PM Eastern time on Wednesday 5/9.  Only one entry per person, please! I’ll randomly choose a winner and post the results on my blog on Friday 5/11.

4th Annual Susan P. Bloom
Children’s Book Discovery Award

Sunday, May 6, 2012, 6:30 p.m.
THE AMPHITHEATRE
Lesley University, Cambridge
(University Hall, 1815 Massachusetts Avenue)

Winners

AMITHA KNIGHT for her young adult novel, Landwalker
HEATHER DEMETRIOS for her young adult novel, Streaming

The winning manuscripts, chosen by the Children’s Book Committee, will be read by editors from
Candlewick, Houghton Mifflin or Knopf Books for Young Readers.

The Children’s Book Committee
Susan P. Bloom, Pat Lowery Collins, David Elliott, Susan Goodman, Robie Harris, Lisa Jahn-Clough, Liza Ketchum,
Lois Lowry, Mitali Perkins, Leslie Sills, and Kim Ablon Whitney.

Good Night, Baby Ruby by Rohan Henry

Rohan Henry’s deceptively simple line drawings are punctuated by a strategic use of soft, yet bright colors resulting in page after page of very lively, eye-catching illustrations that just dance off the page. Ruby herself is a spunky, curly-haired little toddler who keeps herself busy by trying on Mommy’s clothes, sitting on the plants, and looking at Daddy’s newspaper instead of going to bed (my daughter’s response to his drawing: “My Daddy reading newspaper, too!). My favorite illustrations are of Ruby’s adorable cat but I think the toddler truly loves Ruby herself and relates to her wanting to do things all by herself.

I knew The Fault in Our Stars would be a great book just because it was by John Green, co-author of the amazingly fabulous Will Grayson^2 and I was NOT disappointed. I glanced at the first page as soon as I got it from the library, and I knew I’d have to wait until I had a large chunk of time to read it because the main character Hazel’s voice is so compelling.  Admittedly, Hazel and her friends are all very well-read and their conversations often seem a little too quippy and cool for normal people (teenaged or otherwise). But rather than this dialogue making the book feel contrived, I found it to be one of the things that made it all the more fresh and original. Yes, this book is a Cancer-with-a-capital-C book (it claims that it isn’t, but it really is), and you will be in tears at one point in the book or another, but this is a truly original Cancer book with quirky, non-cheesy characters and gut-churningly honest medical situations.

What writers can take away from this book: 

(I’m going to start trying to do this for my MG/YA book reviews because I’ve found that reading a lot of books–good and bad–can be a more valuable experience than reading books on craft. Lots of craft books will agree with this statement ;) )

-how to create original and engaging characters

-how to craft a “strong voice” (such a tricky thing for many of us!)

-how write about serious issues without turning off your audience and giving a book an obvious “moral” or “lesson” to be learned

-how to make a YA character’s parents’ involvement realistic and important, but not *too* important (can be so tricky, especially in middle grade)

-how to find the right details to make medical scenes in a story feel accurate

How to Write a Hospital Scene

Medical Question: Surgical Timeline

Medical Question: Brain Surgey

Medical Question: Orderly Conduct

This was one book which lived up to all the glowing reviews I’d seen online, rather than not quite being as good as everyone says, which is what often happens for me.

Banana! by Ed Vere

We have read this book just about a million zillion times. The toddler insists on hearing it over and over again, to the point where I’m not sure if I love the author of this book or hate him with an all-consuming passion. The illustrations are whimsical and silly, though I have to admit it took a while for them to grow on me. They kind of remind me of MS Paint drawings circa the 1990s, with a sort of “I totally could’ve done it myself” quality to them, but after a few reads, I grew to appreciate the author/illustrator’s ability to tell the story through simple drawings and very, very simple text. This was a surprise hit because there are only two words to this book–”banana” and “please”–but they are done in a way that makes reading and listening to the book, very fun.

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen (author) and Kevin Hawkes (illustrator)

This was a surprise hit not because it isn’t a good book–it is perfectly lovely with a timeless sort of quality to the story and the illustrations–but because it is a rather LONG book for her two-year-old attention span. For whatever reason the toddler really likes it and because it is such a nice story, I enjoy reading it too. She particularly loves the part where the lion sniffs the card catalog and the part where the librarian runs in the library (which, of course, is against the rules). We borrowed the book + cd version from the library, so that also provides a nice alternative to plonking the poor child in front of the TV when I need to get a little bit of cooking done.

(I’ve also gotten a subscription to High Five Magazine, and have found the free audio version to be a lifesaver on boring, stay-at-home rainy days.)