BookSprouting

The Top 50 Books That Got Us Hooked on Reading!

2007-08-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

The non-profit organization First Book has released its poll of the top 50 children's books that got us hooked on reading. I am happy to see Nancy Drew at number one as I wanted to be that powerhouse of a woman but I'm sorry to see no Roahld Dahl. Which leaves the question, what books got you hooked?Here's First Book's results:Nancy Drew by Carolyn KeeneGreen Eggs and Ham by Dr. SeussLittle House

Booksprouting Review: Would I Ever Lie To You? by Caralyn Buehner

2007-08-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

Would I Ever Lie to You? by Caralyn Buehner Illustrated by Jack E. Davis Reading level: Ages 4 - 8 Hardcover, 32 Pages Published: May 2007 Estimated price: $16.99 USD “Would I ever lie to you?” is a story about a boy and his older cousin, Ed, a child who is notorious for telling all sorts of outrageous things. Ed’s cousin finds it difficult distinguishing between what is a lie (“your

BookSprouting Review: Flotsam by David Wiesner

2007-08-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

Flotsam by David WiesnerReading Level: Ages 4-8Trade Paperback, 40 PagesPublished: September 2006Estimated Price: $17.00 USDI admit that growing up, I had two picture books in my library. Perhaps my parents never saw the point in them and I also confess that I rarely took them off the shelf after initially receiving them for Christmas one year from family friends. I suppose that is why I was so

BookSprouting Review: The Radish and the Shoe by Louise Jalbert

2007-08-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

The Radish and the Shoe by Louise JalbertReading Level: Ages 5-8Paperback, 32 pagesPublished: January 1991 as The Diverting Tale of the Radish and the Shoe, Re-issued February 2006Estimated Price: $9.45 USDThe Radish and the Shoe are the best of friends and love living together in their home, a book, which they also share with the elusive letters, who busy themselves all day with making words.

Continuing the agony

2007-07-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

So, is writing a story supposed to be as agonizing as it is for me? Am I alone on this one? Does anybody else experience this? I'm not talking about writer's block - I'm talking about the simple, lazy at my core, I'd-rather-listen-to-music-on-Pandora-than-write-this-story type of agony. When I actually muster the discipline to sit down and begin to write, the lines flow and the story develops

BookSprouting Review: The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper

2007-07-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

The Golden Rule by Ilene CooperIllustrated by Gabi SwiatowskaReading Level: Preschool-2nd gradeHardcover, 32 pagesPublished: March 2007Estimated Price: 16.95 USDI hate to give away too much about the plot of a book but The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper is about...the golden rule! The story consists of a sweet dialog between a young boy and his grandfather after they see the rule graffitied across a

No One is Safe!

2007-07-28T10:01:00.001-07:00

BookSprouting Review: Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson

2007-07-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Whopper Cake by Karma WilsonIllustrated by Will HillenbrandReading Level: Baby-preschoolComb binding, 40 pagesPublished: July 2007Estimated Price: 16.99 USDThere's not much I can say about Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson. The book is sweet as icing but as dense as sponge cake. Plot: Grandpa wishes to bake Grandma the largest cake ever for her birthday. Why? To show his love. Final result? Town

BookSprouting Review: The Three Fishing Brothers Gruff by Ben Galbraith

2007-07-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

The Three Fishing Brothers Gruff by Ben GalbraithReading Level: Ages 4-8Paperback, 32 pagesPublished: March 2007Estimated Price: $9.99 USDThe classic tale, Three Billy Goats Gruff, is given a smart update in this story of three grumpy, greedy, and grouchy fishing brothers who are responsible for capturing all the fish in a bay and polluting its waters. Naturally, the neighboring villagers are

Better the Second Time Around?

2007-07-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

“Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God’s image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself…” –John MiltonAfter failing to pre-order my Harry Potter book and therefore receive some kind of groundbreaking discount, I was forced to run to the bookstore down the block and pick up a copy off the shelf. I know I wasn’t at the midnight

BookSprouting Review: Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor

2007-07-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

Fancy Nancy by Jane O'ConnorIllustrated by Robin Preiss GlasserReading Level: Ages 4-8Hardcover, 32 pagesPublished: December 2005Estimated Price: $16.99 USDFancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor will be adored by any child who loves the game of dress-up. Nancy lives in a flamboyant and "fancy" world of her own creation where things like lace socks are a must in order to play soccer well. Frustrated with

Booksprouting Review: Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

2007-07-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

Elsewhere by Gabrielle ZevinReading Level: Ages 12 and upPaperback Reprint, 304 pagesPublished: May 2007Estimated Price: $6.95 USDElsewhere is the story of just that: a Bizarro World in which people grow younger with each passing year, mermaids swim lengths in the oceans, and dogs speak with humans. But before you dismiss this book as a knock-off of Peter Pan, know that Elsewhere is not a magical

The Series that Must Not be Named?

2007-07-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

I love the Harry Potter series just as much as the next person. Who was at the midnight show of the last movie? Well, let's just say two of the BookSprouting writers and I may or may not have been included in the two. With the release of the final book, I've never seen such hubub about children's book related news in the mainstream news. Sure, when looking for the latest publishing information,

BookSprouting Review: Can You See a Little Bear? By James Mayhew

2007-07-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

Can You See a Little Bear? by James Mayhew Illustrated by Jackie Morris Reading level: Ages 3-6 Hardcover, 32 Pages Published: September 2005 Estimated price: $16.95 USD I am enraptured by the charm of the illustrations in Can You See a Little Bear? by James Mayfew. I know it’s easy to steal the show as an illustrator in books designed for very young children, but honestly, I could stare

Booksprouting Review: Just Like Heaven by Patrick McDonnell

2007-07-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

Just Like Heaven by Patrick McDonnellReading Level: Ages 4 -8Hardcover, 44 pagesPublished: October 2006Estimated Price: $14.99 USDPatrick McDonnell, author and illustrator of the Mutts comic strip, tries his hand at picture books in Just Like Heaven. Mutts character, Mooch the cat, awakes one day from his afternoon nap to a cloud of fog. Believing himself to be in heaven, Mooch explores his

BookSprouting Review: A Good Day by Kevin Henkes

2007-07-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

A Good Day by Kevin Henkes Reading level: Baby-Preschool Hardcover, 32 Pages Published: February 2007 Estimated price: $16.99 USD From my experience, the range of books for preschoolers and below is quite limited. It’s as if authors and publishers alike do not think toddlers can handle anything above the simplest of ABC books. Luckily there is a book like A Good Day by Kevin Henkes. This

The Struggles of Composition

2007-07-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

So, now that BookSprouting.com is live, it's time to get some stories posted to jump-start this community. Toward that end I have begun the long, laborious love of composing a book. But let's not call it a book, because it will likely never be published and will probably only be enjoyed by my mother and my not-old-enough-to-be-critical daughter. And then when she is old enough, she'll read it for

BookSprouting's Inspiration

2007-07-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

Having been a lover of books for most of my days, I guess it's natural (but perhaps not) that as I grew older I read fewer children's stories and more grown-up books. Attracted to the classics I lost sight of my roots. Having a daughter changed all of that. Reading to her from her infancy, she naturally began to love and devour books on her own. Christmas and other gift-giving occasions couldn't

BookSprouting Review: Something From Nothing by Phoebe Gilman

2007-07-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Something From Nothing Reading Level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover-Reprint, 32 pages Published: October 1993 Estimated Price: $18.95 USD This gem of a book may be difficult to find, but I assure you, it’s worth the hunt. Although not an original story, this Yiddish folktale has taken many versions. Still, Something From Nothing rules over them all. The story is about Joseph and his

It Must be Like Saying Goodbye to Children

2007-07-04T17:49:00.001-07:00

At the European premiere of the latest Harry Potter film, J.K. Rowling expressed relief and sadness after completing the final book in the series.'"Finishing it was very, very emotional. It was a combination of relief and sadness really," she said in London on Tuesday night about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, to be published July 21. "It's been a hell of a month," said the 41-year-old

BookSprouting Review: Imagine a Night by Sarah Thomson

2007-07-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Imagine a Night by Sarah Thomson Illustrations by Rob Gonsalves Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover, 40 pages Published: June 2003 Estimated price: $18.99 USD Imagine a Night is a creative book that will show your child how to take the ordinary and make it magical through their own imaginations. The extraordinary and haunting illustrations of Rob Gonsalves steal the show as he turns a

First Book Celebrates the distribution of their 50 Millionth Book!

2007-07-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

First Book, a non profit organization with a mission to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books, is celebrating the distribution of their 50 millionth book this summer. To help them celebrate, tell them what book got you hooked 'way

BookSprouting Review: Dogabet by Dianna Bonder

2007-07-01T12:55:00.001-07:00

Dogabet by Dianna Bonder Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover, 32 pages Published: March 2007 Estimated price: $16.95 USD Dogabet is the newest book by Canadian author/illustrator Dianna Bonder and her third addition to the alphabet book category. Zany, alliterated descriptions accompany richly detailed, full-page illustrations of dog breeds from A to Z. Although some of the vocabulary

Welcome to BookSprouting!

2007-06-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce the launch of BookSprouting.com! BookSprouting is a community dedicated to the positive development of children’s literature where members can share their stories and receive feedback so that their work can develop and grow. Our main goal is to make positive additions to the world of children’s books and we think the community at large has the talent and vision to make