Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE free stuff. Every year I look
forward to the Book Expo at the Javitt’s Center like it is a giant celebration
of me and the things I love most in the whole world – famous people and free
books. (Yes, you do have to pay an admission fee but if you BEA right, you end
up with way more than you paid for!)
Below is some of the awesome discoveries I made this year. While many
of them are children’s books for the youngest set (since I do go there for
work), I did find some other treasures adults are sure to love.
Y
es, My Accent Is Real – Kunal Nayyar
When a celebrity writes a book their signings are often a “ticketed
event”, meaning if you aren’t one of the first 200 to show up, you aren’t getting
a signed copy of the book. For really special famous people they often tell
you that you cannot take a picture WITH the person only OF the person, and when
a person is signing 200 autographs, unfortunately you cannot ask for the
signature to be personalized. This was the case with Kunal Nayyar, author of Yes, My Accent is Real and is more
famously known as the actor who plays Raj on The Big Bang Theory. When you know you only have 20-30 seconds with
a famous person, what you choose to say in that moment is critical (if you can
muster up the strength to say anything at all other than “Thanks!”). Since I am
the most confident person I know, I took my picture of Kunal while he stopped
and smiled for the person in front of me to take his picture and then I said “Just
so you know, my husband always loved your character the best because when he
was little he was scared to talk to girls, and he totally related to you the
most”. (Super eloquent right?!) Then Mr. Nayyar said “Well he married a
beautiful girl so he must be doing alright now!” And then I lost it (Not as much as
the lady behind me) but I was on such a high from this moment that I probably
had a goofy smile on my face for the next 3 days (who am I kidding? I am still
smiling from this moment!) When this book of essays (maybe he feels too young to call it an autobiogrpahy?) comes out on September 8,
find yourself a copy because you will seriously laugh out loud and you won’t
put it down until you are finished with the whole thing.
The Marvels – Brian Selznick
Brian Selznick was on that “ticketed only” list I previously mentioned
and if you have ever read The Invention of Hugo Cabret or Wonderstruck then you
know just how amazing and talented Brian Selznick truly is. While I was
extremely saddened that I wouldn’t meet him, the wonderful team at Scholastic
had a really nice compensation package – you can pick up a regular copy of the
book that isn’t autographed. I thought AWESOMMMMEEEE! Then another funny thing
happened, just as I made a mental note to come back to the booth at 2 pm for my
book, who other than Brian Selznick is hanging out in front of the really cool
backdrop they made out of his new cover! Obviously I had to let him know that when
I worked in the public library I made everyone and their mother (literally)
read his books and that I also always pushed them on older reluctant readers since
there were always more pictures than actual words. Sure enough, I got my photo
with Brian Selznick and maybe when his next book comes out I will finally get
his autograph. The Marvels tells a
story in both pictures and words about two stories which seem unrelated and
then magically combine. It goes on sale on September 15, but you better
preorder it today!
Fuzzy Mud – Louis Sachar
I have always been a huge fan of Louis Sachar. I read all five of the Wayside School series books so many
times in elementary school I can still repeat some of the text by heart. Obviously
I loved Holes and Small Steps and I jumped at the chance
to have my picture taken with one of my favorite authors of all time. Sometimes
I like to play down how much I truly love an author in the moment to seem less
star-struck so I had my book personalized to my husband who is obviously “also
a HUGE fan of yours from when we were younger” but let’s be honest – this was
really for me all along! Fuzzy Mud is
a mystery-thriller about two middle schoolers who end up in the woods and
discover mud that may create an ecological disaster. It is exciting and funny
and all things Louis Sachar. Get excited!!
The Look Cookers – Jim Malloy
This book is for every child who has high anxiety about making new
friends or meeting new people. Matthew, the protagonist in the story is a shy
boy who believes he is a secret spy, on the lookout for the different kinds of
people who are “out to get him”. He feels like they can read his mind when they
make eye contact or blink or ask him questions. The book takes us through
Matthew’s first day of school and just when you think he may crack, he shows the reader his way of proving he can get through the day on his own. This debut
picture book is ideal for older readers (6+) who can get anxious about new
surroundings.
Through The Town – Craig Shuttlewood
Let me introduce you to Little Bee Books – a brand new imprint of
Bonnier Publishing Group. They publish really awesome books for children ages
0-5. I was lucky enough to be given a copy of Through the Town, a book about traveling all around the neighborhood
with an opportunity for the young person to follow the trail. The “streets” on
each page are grooved to put your finger in (or a small Hot Wheels car if you
are my three year old) and you can practice fine motor skills while jumping
over puddles or zig-zagging in the sky. This book has simple text and any child
that loves to combine reading with activities is sure to keep this book open
for hours.
I also want to give a shout-out to the School Zone Publishing Company. If
you are unfamiliar with their products, they have amazing coloring and activity
books as well as their own easy reader series called “Start to Read” that make
excellent resources for children ages 2-6. They have apps as well and I highly
recommend checking out schoolzone.com to see what they can offer your child!
Some other great books that I highly recommend include:
Red Bird: Friends Come in Different Sizes by Barney Saltzberg
(who wrote Beautiful Oops) - This very
brightly illustrated books reminds children that friends come in all shapes and
sizes and we love people for who they are.
Look At Me Now! By Carol
McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones – This book is narrated by a toddler who
is excited to share all the things he can now do by himself (or with a little
help) with the world. If you have a toddler, they too will be proud that they
can eat with a spoon, find their nose and walk up stairs along with all the
other day to day activities highlighted in this book.
Bulldozer’s Big Day – Candace
Fleming and Eric Rohmann – it’s Bulldozer’s big day but to everyone else on
the construction site it seems to be just a regular day at the office. Can you
guess why Bulldozer is so excited? Two champion authors come together to write
a great birthday tale – guaranteed to be loved by all children (but especially truck
enthusiasts).
Click, Clack, Ho, Ho, Ho! –
Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin – Duck is at it again! This time he wants to
play Santa and poor old Farmer Brown just wants Christmas to be perfect... (no worries - it is the BEST Christmas!)
