Monday, February 24, 2014

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR 45th ANNIVERSARY By Eric Carle


 I'm so thrilled to be apart of THE VERY HUNGRY's CATERPILLAR's 45th ANNIVERSARY celebration! 
Why are fans still "hungry" for this classic 45 years later? 

It's hard to believe that this book has been around for so long. I still remember when I first fell in love with Eric Carle's books. I was either in kindergarten or first grade. I know, it's sad that I can't remember which one. I remember having his books read to us, and then discussing them. After which we did an art project based on the book we read. Eric Carle's books were some of the first books I remember having read to me, and I later enjoyed reading them on my own, and to my younger siblings. 

I vividly remember reading about The Very Hungry Caterpillar in class. It was the first time I had ever heard of this book. I was fascinated by this story about a cute little green caterpillar. He started out so small too. I remember admiring him for not being scared to go out on his own to look for food, and wondering where his mom and dad were. Once the cute little green caterpillar found food, he couldn't stop eating it. He ate everything. I remember thinking it was so gross that he ate some of the food he did. haha. Then of course the end was always my favorite when we turns into the butterfly.

It's funny how you forget about certain books as you grow up. It wasn't until I become a parent, and was on a quest to look for books I loved having as a child, did I pick this book back up again. Those same feelings from so many years ago came back to me the first time I read this with my kids. Like so many copies of beloved children's books, this book has seen better days, but it's not one I can part with. As my children grow, I'm sure this will sit on the shelf until they have children. Or maybe it's one that one day they'll be browsing over the book case and will find this beloved copy of a book we read so many times, and sit down and look through. Smiling at all the memories this little caterpillar gave. 

When I think that what makes us so hungry for this classic, I think it's the fact we want to pass on books that meant something to us as a child, onto our children, and to those who have grandchildren, to them, and so on. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a classic that continues to be passed on from generation to generation. As long as we're hungry for this story, and want to share classics with our children, this, like many other books, will continue to find more fans, both young and old.



About the anniversary
2014 marks the 45th anniversary of Eric Carle’s pre-school classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The anniversary will be officially celebrated on the annual “Very Hungry Caterpillar Day” which takes place every year on the first day of spring (March 20th).

Since its publication in 1969, 36 million copies of the book have sold worldwide and it has been published in 55 languages. That year the book was also named one of the best children’s books of the year by The New York Times, and it has since become a beloved, must-own classic. Today, every 30 seconds, somewhere in the world, a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar is sold. 

Official Links
To find out more about the book, please visit the Official Site.

You can also join the celebration by tweeting using the hashtag ##veryhungrycaterpillar
Also be sure to follow @PenguinKids on Twitter, check out the The World of Eric Carle Facebook page & the Penguin Kids Facebook page. 


Eric Carle (www.eric-carle.com) is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. He has illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, and more than 100 million copies of his books have sold around the world. In 2002, Eric and his wife Barbara opened The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (www.carlemuseum.org) in Amherst, MA, a 40,000 square foot space dedicated to inspiring a love of art among children by introducing them to picture book art by renowned artists from around the world.

The Giveaway!
Celebrate Very Hungry Caterpillar day by sharing this wonderful tale with a friend!
One (1) winner receives:
·          Two limited edition anniversary totes
·          Two copies of The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book (1 to keep, 1 to share)!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

- Prizing courtesy of Penguin
- Giveaway open to US mailing addresses only
- You must be 17 & older to enter, under is required to have a parent/guardian's permission before entering

GOOD LUCK!

Saturday, February 22, 2014

BALANCE KEEPERS: The Fires of Calderon, by Lindsay Cummings, Cover Reveal

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We're so excited to share with you the cover for The Fires of Calderon, the first book in 'The Balance Keepers' series by Lindsay Cummings. You may know Lindsay from her YA book, The Murder Complex.
The first book in an epic middle grade fantasy adventure series that takes place in an underground society at the center of the earth. Packed with action, humor, magic, and mystery.

After following a mysterious map into the woods and then under the woods, eleven-year-old Albert Flynn learns he’s a Balance Keeper—someone with special magical skills for fixing problems in three underground Realms at the Core of the earth. His new job is important; if the realms fall out of balance, the world above could be in great danger.

Albert and his Balance Keeper teammates Birdie and Leroy arrive in the Core not a moment too soon. There’s an Imbalance in the Calderon Realm and it’s threatening to bury Albert’s hometown of New York City in a mountain of ash.

The three must train hard completing mental and physical challenges, but above all, they must harness the power of their Tiles—unique superpowers given to each Balance Keeper. So far, Albert’s mastered the art of not mastering his Tile....

With the situation in Calderon growing worse every day, can Albert, Leroy, and Birdie restore balance before New York is destroyed forever? Will Albert master his Tile before it’s too late?

Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, The Unwanteds, and the classic Journey to the Center of the Earth.(
Congratulations Lindsey! Check out Lindsey's reveal on her blog here.  Keep up with all of Lindsay's news vis her Facebook page. Add the book to your Goodreads list. 
Pre-order it on Amazon Barnes and Noble |  The Book Depository

*Thank you to our Mundie Moms friends at Fangirlish for letting us know about this exciting cover and news!

Friday, February 21, 2014

Percy Jackson Uncovered Event: The Final Covers Revealed


All week long Disney is revealing the famously re-designed PERCY JACKSON covers on the Percy Jackson Facebook page! Check out the previous covers revealed here. Check out the last two covers, The Battle of The Labyrinth & The Last Olympian.


The last and final cover reveal: 


Check out all the covers together:



What do you think? Are you a fan?
I'm loving the new covers. Like I've said previously, I think it's a great move by Disney to redesign the books, and make them more appealing to a whole new generation of Percy Jackson fans. 

Thursday, February 20, 2014

WARRIORS: The Ultimate Guide by Erin Hunter, Book Review


By: Erin Hunter
Illustrated by: Wayne McLoughlin
Published by: Harper Collins
Released on: November 5th, 2013
Series: WARRIORS
Ages: 9 & up
Source: book from publisher to review
Rating: A Must Have WARRIOR Series Fans
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

Featuring never-before-seen information about the warrior cats,Warriors: The Ultimate Guide is a necessary addition to every Warriors collection and is perfect for both longtime fans and those just getting to know the world. This full-color book includes:

All of the content from Warriors: Cats of the Clans
Brand-new art and detailed descriptions for forty more cats An in-depth look at each of the five warrior Clans.


This is a must have for fans of the WARRIOR series. With detailed maps, character profiles, illustrations of each character and more, fans of Erin Hunter's will want to have this book in their hands. 

Erin Hunter's WARRIOR fans will love getting to know their favorite Warrior characters in much more personal way. With more than 70 profiles on some of her more popular and important warrior cats, fans will enjoy learning more about these characters. Even the earlier settlers are profiled in this ultimate guide, as do the animals who live outside of the clans. Along with the individual profiles, fans of the series will also get an inside look into the clans. I loved getting  to read more about the clans. It's fun to get a more detailed look into each clan. There's also a never been seen/read short story featured in the book fans will love about Bramblestars and Tigerstar! 

If you think the profiles are awesome, wait till you check out the maps. I absolutely loved the maps that are included in this book. The Ultimate Guide includes six maps of the settings featured through out the series. If you think maps are cool, wait till you see the illustrations from Wayne McLoughlin. Wow, he does an amazing job at show casing each of the characters profiled throughout the book. Some of my favorite illustrations is over Clear Sky. I love the little details like how each profile features a small work of art along with the character's full page picture.

I would not recommend this book to someone who has not read the series entirely yet, as this book will have spoilers in it. The guide gives a detailed account and history of the warriors and the clans featured in the book. While there are over 70 warrior cats profiled, not all of the cats are featured in the book. I get some fans will be upset that not all their favorite cats will be in the book, but I think over all fans will love the warriors that are featured. I've not personally read the entire series, but having friends of mine who have children that are HUGE fans of this series, who have, and from volunteering up at my kris's school where this series is a huge hit with the kids there, I know a lot about the series, and the characters. 

With more than 200 pages of information, pictures, extras, and more, fans of the WARRIOR series will definitely want to add this book to their collections. Each first edition Ultimate Guide also includes a poster! 

** If you're in the Austin area, don't miss seeing Erin Hunter TONIGHT at Book People at 7 pm!! 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

PERCY JACKSON Uncovered Event: New Covers for Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters / Titan's Curse


All week long Disney is revealing the famously re-designed PERCY JACKSON covers! We've already seen cover one here, now check out covers for Sea of Monsters & Titan's Curse (which were revealed here).



I'm seriously loving these news covers. 
What do you guys think so far? Are you loving the new covers? 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Percy Jackson Gets A New Look! Check Out The New Lightening Thief Cover!

It's here! Check out the new redesigned cover for PERCY JACKSON: The Lightning Thief! 


Normally I'm not a huge fan of cover redesigns, but like the Harry Potter redesigns, I really like the new cover design. I think it's great they're giving the books a new look. There's nothing wrong with the old looks, but I think since these books have been out for years, and having an all new generation of kids who are falling in love with this series, giving them a new look is great.

Yesterday I posted about Disney's week long cover reveal event they'll having on their Facebook page this week. Each day this week they're going to be featuring a new cover each of the books in the Percy Jackson series. You can check out all the info here. Yesterday they revealed the cover for book 1 & today they'll be revealing the cover for book 1.


Be sure to follow the event here & don't miss today's cover reveal!

Monday, February 17, 2014

Percy Jackson UNCOVERED Event!

Happy Marvelous Middle Grade Monday! I've got some exciting news to share with guys today about the Percy Jackson series!!


From Disney Publishing:

Every self-respecting Percy Jackson fan knows that the next book in the Heroes of Olympus series, The Blood of Olympus, will arrive in their hands on October 7, 2014. What they don’t yet know, but are about to find out, is that starting early this summer, a new fleet of the original Percy Jackson & the Olympians series will pop up in stores, sporting brand-new, reimagined covers. They’ll also find out that when these new paperback books are lined up side by side by side, they will reveal one amazing panoramic mural, the handiwork of artist John Rocco: who’s illustrated all the Percy covers since the first rejacketing of The Lightning Thief in 2006.

Even though the books won’t be available until early summer 2014, we won’t make the fans wait that long to feast their eyes. Starting Monday, February 17th (Presidents Day), the Percy Jackson Facebook page will be revealing the new look, one book per day. Five days. Five brand-new covers. 

Don't miss the exciting cover reveals happening all week long!!!

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday: A World Without Princes by Soman Chainai


By: Soman Chainani
Published by: Harper Collins Children's Books
Series: The School for Good & Evil
To Be Released on: 4.15.14
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

In the epic sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel, The School for Good and Evil, Sophie and Agatha are home, living out their Ever After. But life isn’t quite the fairy tale they expected. 

When Agatha secretly wishes she’d chosen a different happy ending, she reopens the gates to the School for Good and Evil. But the world she and Sophie once knew has changed.

Witches and princesses, warlocks and princes are no longer enemies. New bonds are forming; old bonds are being shattered. But underneath this uneasy arrangement, a war is brewing and a dangerous enemy rises. As Agatha and Sophie battle to restore peace, an unexpected threat could destroy everything, and everyone, they love—and this time, it comes from within.

Soman Chainani has created a spectacular world that Newbery Medal-winning author Ann M. Martin calls, “a fairy tale like no other, complete with romance, magic, and humor that will keep you turning pages until the end.

This is such a fabulous middle grade series! I can not wait to pick up this sequel. 

What book are you waiting on picking up this year? 

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler, Waiting on Wednesday

By: Django Wexler
Published by: Penguin Kids
To Be Released on: 4.15.14
Add it to Goodreads

The Forbidden Library kicks off a brand new classic fantasy series perfect for fans of CoralineInkheart, and The Books of Elsewhere

Alice always thought fairy tales had happy endings. That--along with everything else--changed the day she met her first fairy

When Alice's father goes down in a shipwreck, she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon--an uncle she's never heard of and knows nothing about. He lives in an enormous manor with a massive library that is off-limits to Alice. But then she meets a talking cat. And even for a rule-follower, when a talking cat sneaks you into a forbidden library and introduces you to an arrogant boy who dares you to open a book, it's hard to resist. Especially if you're a reader to begin with. Soon Alice finds herself INSIDE the book, and the only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within.

It seems her uncle is more than he says he is. But then so is Alice.


I love it when I find books I need to read via book blogs. April over at Good Books & Good Wine reviewed this book earlier in the week (see her review here), which totally put this book on my radar. Doesn't it sound like a fabulous read? I can not wait to go pick it up when it's out. What book are you waiting on?
I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~