A Minor Miracle

With the holiday season upon us, it really is a wonderful time to count our many blessings, and to remember how fortunate we are in our own lives. I was reminded of this today when I stopped by Bartleby's Bookstore in Wilmington, Vermont. 

Holiday crafts are everywhere this time of year. Teachers and their students are putting up paper snowflakes, piling on the glue and glitter and making their classrooms magically sparkle. Children and parents are sitting around tables decorating Christmas stockings and making new ornaments. Every single craft made by student, child, teacher and parent is unique and special. No two will ever be the same. Some families have special traditions, right down to the way they decorate their holiday cookies!

November, besides being the month of warm fires, Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season, is also National Picture Book Month. It’s so easy to forget how truly important picture books are in our lives, and we at tiger tales wanted to take a moment to celebrate them.

What I personally love about picture books is the excitement of turning a page for the very first time. Every page is a surprise, with bright colors, exciting images and smooth glossy pages. Every story is unique and the blend of words and images become more than just a book, they become a story. But it isn’t just new books. I’ve always found comfort in returning to my favorite picture books again and again, even as an adult.

I asked the tiger tales team to complete the sentence, “What I love most about picture books is…” and here’s what they had to say:


Jamie Michalak, Editorial Director:
 … that they’re works of art that can be pored over alone or shared. Snuggling up with a picture book before bed can be one of the most special moments of a family’s day. The best picture books speak directly to a child’s heart and are read again and again, sparking a lifelong love of reading. What could be better?

Barb Knight, Sales Director:
 … that you can be any age to enjoy them. Picture books can be enjoyed and treasured by children as well as adults. For adults, the stories might be a bit short, but a good picture book can still tell a wonderful story filled with humor, love, or a lesson to be learned in a simple way. I also love looking at all the different illustrations and styles because they are more than just illustrations—they are an art form that tells and adds dimension to a story.

Elisabeth Prial, Founder and Publisher:
 … their ability to open doors of enchantment for children. Picture books introduce children (of ALL ages) to the world beyond their own boundaries, enabling them to meet new friends, learn new ideas, and expand their horizons while at the same time entertaining and delighting their open and eager minds.


Now it’s your turn to fill in the blank! What do you love most about picture books? Answer in comment form on our blog and you’ll be entered to win a copy of the new picture book The Dancing Clock written by Steve Metzger and illustrated by John Abbott Nez! The winner will be selected November 26th. We’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts and comments!

United Kingdom-based Paula Bowles has just finished up her second book for tiger tales, What Goes Up. Fans may recognize her as the artist behind the upcoming Spring 2012 release Scary Mary, the story of a chicken with temper tantrums. We spoke to Paula about her latest project, being an artist, and what she loves about being an illustrator.

Paula studied Illustration at Falmouth College of Arts but says, “I’ve always enjoyed drawing ever since I could hold a pencil, I can’t think of a time when I didn’t like drawing!” So, why children’s books? Paula was inspired by the books that she read growing up, the classics that we all recognize – Maurice Sendak, Dr. Suess, the Little Bear books. But it wasn’t just the books she loved, she and her older brother would make up stories and create comics on their own, and she would illustrate the stories her parents told her at bedtime.

There are more books coming, too! Paula just completed her second picture book for tiger tales, a story about a dragon named Martin titled What Goes Up. The dragon, Martin, has a bit of trouble flying. But don’t worry, Paula’s book has a happy ending. “The village children teach [Martin] to practice, imagine and believe!” It’s not only an important lesson for dragons, but for children everywhere. Paula played around with the story for a few years, starting with what she calls “some doodles of dragons.” What took it to the next level? “A friend suggested putting [Martin] in an unusual situation, so I tried him out on a small tricycle whizzing down a hill! It made me laugh, and I felt drawn to make a story about him,” explains Paula.

Bringing creatures to life is Paula’s favorite part of illustrating—from squawking chickens to clumsy dragons. Paula says, “It’s wonderful to see children enjoying looking at my pictures and ‘getting’ the little jokes I’ve put into the illustrations!”

Look for Mary the Chicken in Scary Mary this Spring and Martin, the dragon, in What Goes Up in Spring of 2013.

Hello, everyone! 

Douglas here. I just wanted to take a minute to say, “Thank you!” to all my friends and fans.

You’ve been so kind to help me find my hugs, and face my fears. And you’ve said so many nice things about me and my adventures! I’m so glad you enjoy my stories and I really appreciate that you share me with your friends, family and students! I love sharing stories, too! 

I just got home from Frankfurt, Germany. I was visiting some of my German cousins at the international book fair—meeting friends old and new! And I have some big news! I have a third book that will be coming from tiger tales!  I met with tiger tales Publisher Elisabeth Prial and, as she says, “signed on the dotted line!” It will take a little while, until my new book is available, but I promise it will be worth the wait . . . .

My new book will be called Douglas and the Big Sleep and it’s about a sleepover I have with my friends at Rabbit’s burrow! You know, rabbits are much smaller than bears, and getting into Rabbit’s burrow is a pretty tight squeeze, but I won’t give away the ending. In the meantime, we can continue to enjoy my first two adventures, Hugless Douglas and Don’t Worry Douglas while we wait for me to figure out the best way to manage to enjoy this sleepover.

I had a great time on my trip to Germany and I can’t wait to come back and share more of my silly and fun experiences with you.

Lots of bear hugs,
Douglas

I walked outside this morning, the first day of autumn, and despite the rainy day the golden leaves on the tree outside my apartment glowed. And I thought to myself, “Finally, finally autumn is here.” Autumn is my favorite season because it’s a time for change – not just the foliage and the weather, but layers of clothing, holiday movies and back to school. Autumn is a different experience for every one of us, and we asked our tiger tales fans to share what they love the most about it on our Facebook page.

The summer is coming to a close and Back to School Season is in full swing! While everyone collects shiny new shoes, bright new backpacks and pencil cases, let’s not forget our favorite books!

Can anyone recall Back to School season that doesn’t include books? Every student from kindergarten to Ph.D. students are soon to be weighed down by piles of books. This, to me, is the very best part of Back to School.  With my degree in hand, I’m not going Back to School, but I still found myself wandering through the book section of my local bookstore wishing that I, too, had my own pile of required reading.

Fans on our tiger tales Facebook page have told us that our titles are claiming places on their Back to School shelves, and we couldn’t be happier.  It was the books that I read as a child that have left the biggest impact on me. I more fondly recall sitting cross-legged on the floor being read exciting stories with beautiful pictures than I do studying the high-gloss photos of my art history textbooks.

Back to School season is just the beginning of a great year of new books. Cracking opening the binding for the first time and the smell of new pages is a pleasure that never ever gets old. 

Good luck parents, teachers and students as the school year starts! Even though it’s just beginning of the school year, what will you remember the most about this year’s Back to School experience? What were your favorite summer reads? IF you’re already back to school, did anything particularly exciting happen in class? Share it in our comments section, we’d love to hear from you!

I grew up in a house surrounded by books. With a parent working in the publishing industry, I was the girl who showed up at school after summer vacation with a summer reading list of 23 books when everyone else showed up with two or three. I’ve never lost my love of reading, but as I look back, I don’t think there are any books quite as wonderful as children’s books.

Ann Bonwill is a talented new author who will have her first tiger tales book published this fall. We were delighted when she agreed to join us at Book Expo America this year, and even more excited when she agreed to autograph her upcoming book, Naughty Toes, for attendees of BEA. Following are Ann's impressions of the experience!

Ahead of Its Time

My 14-yr-old daughter, long past her doll years, just spent the last 2 hours playing with her Polly Pockets. Granted she was babysitting our neighbor’s 3-yr-old daughter. But no doubt it was an enjoyable 2 hours for her. No one would describe Amelia as a girlie-girl. She is the perfect blend of sugar and spice. As a little girl she spent hours in her room (pink then, still pink now) dressing up and playing with dolls. But she was just as quick to run outside, climb a tree, tumble down a hill. So it was with interest that I read Peggy Orenstein’s Cinderella Ate My Daughter. In her latest book, Orenstein, who has been writing about parenting and feminism for decades, reflects on how she was forced to re-evaluate her views with the birth of her daughter.

What do Barack Obama, Tori Spelling and Madonna have in common? Well, two of them are material girls, but that's not the answer I am looking for.... All three of them have written children's books.

This video of a young boy on Christmas morning has gone viral and is causing quite a stir.

Congratulations Alicia Dullavin!

We are so happy to announce that Annette Whipple is the winner of our Christmas book give-away. 5 of our favorite Christmas titles are on their way to Annette now. We know she and her family will enjoy them this holiday season.

The holidays are a busy, wild, wonderful time. Filled with shopping, greeting cards, parties, reflection, family traditions, joy. Over the years there has been more and more holiday merchandising and commercialization. While we may rue the day the blow-up lawn decoration was invented, we certainly embrace the many fabulous children's books that have flooded the market.

The holidays are a time for making memories. I imagine that anyone you ask can tell you a story about a family tradition that took place every year in December or one particular event that make a long-lasting impact. I asked the tiger tales staff to share their memories and it is probably no surprise to you (as it wasn't to me) that many of the stories I heard had to do with books.

As the wind is howling outside today, I am reminded of a day last March when my town was recovering from a powerful storm. Fences had blown over, fallen trees downed power lines, roof shingles had taken to the sky. It was certainly nothing that can compare to what residents of New Orleans or Port au Prince have been through, but most of the town was without power for close to a week, schools were closed and it took several weeks for the clean-up to be complete.

We have the best fans!

We had a blast with our first give-away. It was so much fun to hear from all of you and so great to see the tremendous interest in winning a copy of Ben Mantle's, Five Little Pumpkins.

I don't know about your kids, but the second mine got a new book home, off came the jacket (the book jacket I mean). I have tried over the years to redress the books to no avail. The covers were eventually permanently discarded and my shelves are filled with books dressed in nothing but their birthday suits.

JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN!