One Over-Caffeinated Mom

Moved!

2008-03-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hey, I don't know if anyone still checks up on me over here. But, I've been blogging at LJ for a looonnnnngggg time now!

http://kidlit-kim.livejournal.com/

My best posts are friends-locked, but you can still get some of the scoop there :-)

Off to see the Wizard...

2007-08-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

I'm off to see the Wizard...

Oh, wait! I'm not in Kansas anymore!

Tonight I'll be at the SCBWI conference in LA. If I have time, I'll do some posts on my Live Journal. Catch it here: http://kidlit-kim.livejournal.com/

Blogging

2007-02-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

Obviously, I'm not blogging here much these days! I've been blogging at LJ:

http://kidlit-kim.livejournal.com/

But, for the really good stuff, you'll need to get a LJ account and become my friend :-)

I was double-posting the writing-related stuff, but it's just becoming too time-consuming.

Santa Knows

2006-12-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

When Cynthia Leitich Smith found out how much A loved Santa Knows, she linked to my blog entry that discussed A's reaction to the book (See A Young Reader Believer Story on the Santa Knows site). But, that's not all. Because A thought that the Leitich Smiths were elves, Cynthia sent an autographed post card for A's stocking.

When A pulled out the card, she said, "Oh, this must be a letter from Santa." She had written a letter to Santa the night before asking Santa to find her missing stuffed animal, Lammy. She ended the letter with, "I will always believe in you."

She opened the envelope and pulled out the card. She read the card, "Merry Christmas from the elves." She shrieked. "They're real. They're real. They're real elves!"

She finished looking through her stocking and was thrilled with sunscreen, hand sanitizer, goggles (all things the girls will need in the coming weeks :-) and her double dutch jump rope. All this time, S was quietly looking at the contents of her own stocking. A looked at the coffee table and saw the note from Santa. "Oh, here's the note from Santa," she said before she read Santa's letter aloud to the rest of us. Santa thanked her for the cookies and milk and the reindeer treats we threw in the front yard, and for the cheese for Santa Mouse. * He told her Lammy was in her closet, to do her homework and to help clean that messy room (since that was how Lammy disappeared!).

Then...she got down to the part that said, "I hope you enjoy your iPod. Please remember to share and to take good care of it."

She frantically looked around. "What iPod? Where is it?" Then she saw it. Right on the table next to the spot she picked the note up from. "That wasn't there! Santa made that appear just now! That wasn't there before!"

"An iPod! An iPod!" Now S was screaming too!

It was a very special Christmas at home! The girls (and hubby and I) enjoyed waking up in our own home on Christmas morning and creating our own holiday traditions. It has always felt weird to me because our holiday tradition has always been to travel on Christmas Eve and run around to all the relatives homes eating and exchanging presents.

Happy Holidays! I wish each of you a joyous and prosperous New Year.

* Do you know about Santa Mouse? Santa Mouse was my favorite Christmas book as a kid. I found a copy for $5 this year. At my brother's house, stocking presents are from Santa Mouse. The girls thought Santa Mouse sounded like a pretty cool mouse, so this year, stocking presents came from SANTA MOUSE at our house too!

Jump Ropes

2006-12-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

I mentioned the new Disney Channel movie, Jump In, in an earlier post. In that post, I also told you where to go to get your double dutch fabric (come on...you know you want new flannel jammies or maybe a pillow!) HINT: Austin illustrator Don Tate is now a fabric designer!!!

Now, here's where to get your double dutch jump ropes: The Jump Rope Store.

I bought ropes for S, A and K for Christmas. These are the old-style gym class ropes. You can choose the length. AND, you can choose the bead colors. A is getting a pink and purple rope. S will get blue, green and purple. K gets a smaller rope in purple and pink. The price is a reasonable $16.95 + shipping for a double dutch (less for smaller ropes). And, mine arrived in just two days!

Yep, we'll be doing double dutch in the garage on Christmas Day!

All Partied Out!

2006-12-05T13:02:00.000-08:00

Looking back on October and November, it's a wonder I got any writing done at all. We hosted a lot of parties: Halloween work gathering, Hubby's surprise party and S's pirate birthday party. I still have the neighborhood hayride with Santa. It starts at my house, but I no longer plan it. (See....I CAN say no!) And, we still have the 3rd grade winter party that I'm one of three room moms for (That one will be easy!)

My neighbor reminded me of all the parties when I mentioned another party opportunity. I briefly considered hosting a Jump In party. (Until I remembered that we'll have A's b-day party that month. One party a month is definitely enough, even in my book!) Disney Channel has a new original movie, Jump In, staring Corbin Bleu (one of the boys from HS Musical) and Keke Palmer (the girl from Keelah and the Bee). It's a jump rope movie with what appears to be a hot soundtrack. I predict this will be bigger than Cheetah Girls 2.

So... I'm buying double dutch jump ropes for Christmas and I'll be picking up some of Don Tate's flannel and fleece when it's available. Don has just licensed some illustrations for a fabric line and one of those will be double dutch jump ropers! (I'll make something simple like pillows or scarves, as I'm not much of a seamstress!

Pick up Don's fabric, get a jump rope and start the year with what will be the hottest old exercise around!

How to Host a Pirate Party -- Part 2

2006-12-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

We used my pirate manuscript as the "script" for the party and came up with games to fit the situations the pirates got themselves into.

Keep in mind that it was 16 degrees in the Midwest today, and we had 20 kids!

The kids batted around balloons while they waited for the other pirates to arrive. Most of the kids came in pirate gear. We had pirate bandanas for everyone. We divided them into two teams and put color-coded name tags on each kid so they wouldn't forget which team they were on.

We covered the door to the basement with craft paper and decorated it to look like a ship. This was not a fancy party in terms of the decorations. I wanted this to be simple (and in terms of my manuscript, I want it to be something everyone could execute whether it's for a story time or a party.) We had two laundry basket ships! How's that for fancy!?

I read a few stanzas of the story, then we took breaks to play games. After each game, they sat and listened to the story to see which game would come next. A few of our games: canonball fight, walking the plank, swabbing the deck and sword fighting with Captain Chris.

How to Host a Pirate Party

2006-12-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

How to Host a Pirate Party

1. Start with the invitations. Our invitation consisted of pirate lingo printed on tan paper. We tore the paper to make jagged edges, rubbed the edges with a dab (just a dab, no more!) of water, placed them on a cookie sheet and baked at 200 for about 10 minutes (until the paper started to curl). I've also heard of people dabbing the edges with a wet tea bag before baking, but I prefer this look.

2. Wear your pirate garb.

3. Write a pirate story. Oh, you don't have one? Well...I just happened to write one! Wouldn't it be great if some brilliant publisher made it into a picture book? (I have sent it out as an exclusive submission to one publisher. Crossing my fingers and biting my nails!)

More details coming soon!

Schmooze

2006-11-12T04:40:00.000-08:00

We had an SCBWI Schmooze event yesterday. Our first stop was Joe's Crab Shack for drinks and appetizers and lots of writerly talk. L.D. Harkrader was there and it was a pleasure to meet her lovely daughter. L.D. told us a little about a very cool new project she's working on. Susan Uhlig (otherwise known as Sue the RA!) came with her always-helpful and friendly hubby. What a patient man for putting up with four hours of writer talk! Jenn, one of my critique partners (who is writing a very good, hilarious novel that any publisher would be lucky to get their hands on), came too.

After drinking and snacking, we walked over to the movie theater to see STRANGER THAN FICTION (See the movie trailer here.) It's about Harold Crick, a boring, predictable IRS agent who begins to hear voices. The voice is that of a novelist who always kills off her characters. Harold is a character in her latest novel. He consults with a professor of literature, and sets out to convince the author to spare his life.

As you can see, it was a perfect movie to attend with a bunch of writer friends! It was just what my stressed-out brain needed too. Little snowmen woke me up all night long. They are characters in my latest PB, and I'm awake before the kids, ready to write about them.

In a bookish sort of mood

2006-11-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

I'm in a bookish sort of mood today. I've been admiring all my books (autographed and not) by my lovely LJ and Blogger friends, which made me think we should start a Christmas/birthday/holiday list.

What books written by our blogging friends are currently available? Let's make a list. Reply to this post. I'll compile the list and post it as a new post.

Include: Title, Author, if it's a PB, MG, YA (or something else), a link to the book or author site, if you want. Also, if there's a reason (aside from the obvious, "it's a great book!") that it would make a good selection for a particular age group this holiday season.

Don't be shy! You're allowed to post about your own book!

Santa Knows

2006-10-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

Have you checked out Santa Knows by Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith? I bought it about a month ago and had the perfect opportunity to see Christmas magic in October this week.

*******

My third grader came home from school this week and announced that her friend told the class that there's no such thing as Santa because Santa couldn't fly around the world in one night and reindeer don't have blinking noses. The other kids insisted Santa exists. It was just the one kid who didn't believe.

It sounded like something straight out of Santa Knows, so I handed her the book and told her that this book had all the answers; it was as simple as elf science and technology. I sat next to her as she read.

Finally, she let out a gasp. "Who wrote this book?"

I paused, about to tell her that I've met one of the authors. Before I could say anything, she said, "Do you think they are Santa's elves?"

"Well, they just might be," I said.

"They have to be. How else would they know all of this? Only an elf would know about the conveyor belt!"

"What do you think? Does this explain everything?"

"Yes! It says right here that Santa believes in those who believe in him!"

She glanced at my computer across the room. "But, maybe we should look these authors up on the Internet. If they show up, they can't be elves!"

So, now I've spent the whole week trying to keep her away from Google! Maybe I should teach her about pseudonyms or ghost writers. After all, elves are way too busy to write their own books!

********

Here's to Cynthia and Greg. May they have wildly popular book! Definitely one to add to your collection. You never know when the facts on elf science and technology will come in handy!

Two new reviews

2006-10-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

I have posted two new reviews at YA Books Central.

Estelle Takes a Bath by Jill Esbaum (Cynsations interview)

Santa Knows by Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith (Edge of the Forest interview with Cynthia)

Both books are darling, must-read books. Estelle encounters a shivering mouse while bathing and hilarious cause and effect ensues. In Santa Knows, Elfie doesn't believe in Santa until he learns about elf science and technology. You'll have to get full scoop at YA Books Central--that's where my reviews go first!

Troy Wilson Interview

2006-09-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I'm a big fan of Troy Wilson, author of PERFECT MAN and FROSTY IS A STUPID NAME.

I absolutely love these two books. I like the way Troy's imagination works! (The characters in both have vivid imaginations.)

CBC Radio One's GO has reunited Troy with his Grade One teacher from thirty years ago. He says, "It was wonderful to thank her for nurturing me as a writer at such a crucial time."

The interview will air Saturday just after 11am (GO is pre-taped, so it airs at exactly the same time of day across North America).

Here's a link for listening online:
http://www.cbc.ca/listen/index.html

Catch Troy on the air if you can!

What the audition process taught me about life and writing

2006-09-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

This was a very exciting and busy weekend for our family. A (8) and S (5) both auditioned for their first play on Friday night. They were both exceptional. They did the very best they could on that night, and we are so proud of them for doing what they love and being brave enough to try out. They both love to sing and perform, but they are both shy. They put their hearts into the audition process.

A got a callback. S did not. We waited and waited until Sunday night to hear the results. Neither girl made the cut. There will be no show for them this time.

All said, it was a fabulous experience. Here's what I learned about life and about writing as I watched my daughters. (S was not upset at all that she didn't make it. "I'm glad I didn't get in. That was scary!" For that reason, I'll focus on A's experience below.)

1) Enjoy the journey. We hear this all the time, but what does this really mean? A knows. She enjoyed the journey. Friday night, she was scared as she prepared to perform for a room full of people. She tapped into her courage and sang her little heart out. She raced back to me afterwards and squeezed me and said, "That was so much fun!" She couldn't believe how quickly the scared energy turns into something more powerful. She caught the performance high.

The next day, she learned she had a callback. She went for dance auditions saying, "I'm just so glad I get another chance to try again!" She learned the dance and performed it and ran to me with a huge smile, pleased with her performance once again.

All weekend, she thought about how great it would be to perform on that big stage. When she learned she didn't get a part, she cried lots of tears. Even though she didn't get in, she enjoyed herself. She had fun. She learned something. Getting the part wasn't the only goal here. She did her best and she grew from the experience. Is your only goal publication? Are you learning, growing and HAVING FUN?

2) Failure makes success even sweeter. So, A hasn't learned this one yet, but I can see this one as her mom. There was tremendous competition. I had no idea there was this much talent in the KC area. Wow. Yes, it would have been lovely to get in on her first try, but working hard and knowing how far she's come will make success that much more meaningful. Yes, it would be fun to be published with that first manuscript that we send out, but isn't the frustration and the sweat part of what makes the victory feel like it was worth the effort?

3) Discover your passion. A was upset about not being part of the cast because this is her passion. If it didn't hurt a little, if it didn't sting, we'd know she wasn't serious about acting. What about you? How much do you care?

4) Bounce back. It's easy to sit and mope when we get a rejection, but if you are meant to be an actress (or a writer), if you have that passion, you'll eventually bounce back. A was still sad this morning when she woke up, but she was already making plans to audition for the spring show, and she was asking about ways she could volunteer for this show. I think she's decided to help work the concession stand or to be an usher for a show or two. Are you a bouncer or a perpetual moper?

5) Surround yourself with people who care. A was crushed when she got the news. I rocked her like a little baby and wiped away her tears. I listened to her frustration. Then, I reminded her about all she learned, the fantastic performance she gave that night, and what an exciting experience this was for all of us. Even if she never gets a part, I'll be proud of her for trying. Who lifts YOU up when you need a boost?

6) Get a good coach. A has taken acting lessons since last January. This was her first audition. None of us knew what to expect. Her vocals teacher continues to work with her, and with each class, A becomes just a little more confident. Now that my husband and I know what to expect, we too can help coach her practice sessions as she prepares for the spring show. Do you have a teacher, a mentor or a critique partner? Someone to learn from and who can help you improve?

7) Find someone to give you a push. A didn't need a push this time, but her vocals teacher works to help her stretch her ability and confidence. With each gentle nudge, A realizes she can do more than she thought possible. For the next show, she'll need to push herself again--and if she doesn't push herself to that next level, we'll help her find the inspiration to reach. Do you have someone who challenges you to do your best? Someone who gives you a gentle nudge? Someone who sees your talent and your ability and helps you take those baby steps toward success?

Would we be a more literate society if...

2006-08-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

I took the girls to Applebee's for dinner tonight. The kid's menu had an ad for Lowe's home improvement stores, saying that kids could go to Lowe's to work on various wood crafting projects throughout the summer.

This reminded me of Sonic and their passion for offering what they consider to be educational toys with their kids' meals.

This made me wonder what would happen if books were promoted the same way we promote movies in this country.

Why don't we see book tie-ins in kids' meals and on kids' menus at restaurants? Does it have to be Disney and Pixar movie characters all the time? Now, I know many children's authors hate the idea of selling out. But, I personally think it would help the industry and literacy as a whole if publishers took their marketing to where the kids are.

Why not....tie in with someone like Sonic and offer a short story or activity book that ties in with a new release (with a coupon for a discount on the book or a special incentive with purchase).

Why not... offer McDonald's a picture book series of toys or stuffed dolls based on famous PB characters or even a way for kids to collect points that they can redeem for a new book?

Why not ...promote new releases with the movie trailers at movies that target the same type of audience?

Maybe it all comes down to budget once again. However, kids will want to read if they find a book they love and they think reading is cool. Why can't we make reading become important by giving it the high profile our beloved characters deserve?

The Edge of the Forest

2006-08-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

The August The Edge of the Forest is up. This issue has an interview with Linda Sue Park .... and my review of Pinkalicious. (Have you bought that book yet? You know I've talked about it enough!)

Cheetahs!

2006-08-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

If you want to know what tweener girls are into, I encourage you to watch Friday night's premiere of CHEETAH GIRLS 2 on Disney Channel. This time, the girls go to Spain for a shot at their big break. Directed by Kenny Ortega (the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL director), Disney is hoping for another hit with the tween crowd.

You (or your children :-) can go to the Disney Channel website to sample music and get party plans. Being the party family that we are, the girls are having friends over for the premiere. This time, we've limited it to just five friends, so we'll have seven girls total--eight if you count our two year old who will no doubt want to be in on the fun!

We're rolling out the red carpet and asking the girls to wear Cheetahlicious rock star clothes. I couldn't find enough red poster board to make a red carpet (and I swore I wasn't going to spend a fortune on this party after our big blowout in July), so I think I'm going to paint a pink carpet using Crayola paints on the driveway.

A wants to follow the official party plans on the Cheetah Girls site, so she's setting up a concession stand, and we've asked each attendee to bring a snack. We're serving popcorn in paper sacks and we have small boxes of M&Ms and Milk Duds.

Our camera is broken. S accidentally threw it across the kitchen last weekend. SIGH. If I did have a working camera, I'd take a red carpet photo of each girl and send them home with a party photo framed in the cheetah print frame that is part of my Microsoft clip art.

Illustration notes??

2006-08-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

My friend Tammi Sauer has just posted some great notes from the Mo Willems talk at the conference.

I asked the following question on her blog. What's your opinion?

One thing I'm getting from all the PB notes from the conference is that the visuals really count (DUH!) and to decrease the word count. Common sense, yes?

I've never put in any illustration notes, and I know illustrators don't care much for overly-explained notes. BUT, wouldn't it help sell the book if you could help the editor "see" what you have in mind? I could definitely write less wordy if I had a way to SHOW what I'm seeing. Sometimes I think author/illustrators have such an advantage!

So...do you/would you/should you put in illustration notes (even simple notes) if you are an author-only?

What do you think? Is this the start of an illustration note trend?

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

2006-08-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

I'm really struggling with some of the "rules" of writing right now. In the story I'm trying to get ready for our conference, one reader told me that Lion solves his problem too easily. That's fine. Maybe he does, but it's a creative, somewhat realistic solution to his problem. I did stick with the rule of threes and I had the MC solve his own problem.

What confuses me is that I can think of many books that have made publishers and authors lots of money that have less tension and less plot. Because it's been talked about so much lately, Punk Farm is the one I thought of first. I LOVE this book. I've owned it for over a year and we read it often. Punk Farm is being made into a movie, and the author is a very clever promoter. (Check out the Punk Farm video on his site).

HOWEVER, the book's big plot crisis? The animals might get caught practicing in the barn! How do they overcome the problem? They don't. They hold their concert anyway. The concert is Punk Farm's own version of Old MacDonald. On the final page, the farmer gets up in the morning and finds all the animals aslep in the barn. Yup. That would be the whole book.

I don't think that every picture book has to be some heavily-conflicted book with major drama and crisis. Sometimes, girls (I mean readers) just wanna have fun...even when the book covers a serious topic. What do you think?

(Oh, by the way, have you seen the fabulous video Punk Farm author, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, showed at the SCBWI conference?)

Pink, Pink, Pink

2006-08-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

We're still loving Pinkalicious!

I've been trying to record K "reading." I finally caught her today! She was reading one of her favorites, "Pinkalicious." She used to just speak jibberish, pause and turn the page. Now, she squeezes real words in too!

Okay, so she's reading the book backwards and can't tell PINK from green. It's still darn cute and one to save for the baby archives. If you listen, you can hear her say, "No cupcakes, Daddy." and something about the bumblebees getting on Pinkalicious. She actually had most of the story right.

For the record, we just like this book. I do not know the author or the illustrator.

Reality Chick Contest

2006-07-25T05:57:00.000-07:00

Introducing....THE REALITY CHICK BUZZ THE BOOK contest!

The PRIZES:
(1) Your choice of either an iPod Shuffle, OR a fifty dollar Amazon.com gift certificate
(2) An autographed copy of REALITY CHICK by Lauren Barnholdt
(3) A copy of the August issue of Teen People, which lists REALITY CHICK as a Can't-Miss Pick for August
(4) Free tuition to a session of Lauren's YA writing class

THE CONTEST: STEP ONE: Simply copy and paste this whole message (including the info about the contest) into any blog, message board, email list, myspace bulletin, or anywhere a lot of people will see it!

REALITY CHICK by Lauren Barnholdt is NOW IN STORES!

Going away to college means total independence and freedom. Unless ofcourse your freshman year is taped and televised for all the world towatch. On uncensored cable.Sweet and normal Ally Cavanaugh is one of five freshpeople shacking upon In the House, a reality show filmed on her college campus. (As ifschool isn't panic-inducing enough!)

The cameras stalk her likepaparazzi, but they also capture the fun that is new friends, oldcrushes, and learning to live on your own. Sure, the camera adds ten pounds, but with the freshman fifteen a given anyway, who cares? Ally's got bigger issues -- like how her long-distance bf can watch herloopy late-night "episode" with a certain housemate...Freshman year on film.It's outrageous.It's juicy.And like all good reality TV, it's impossible to turn off. IN STORES NOW!

Check out Lauren on the web at www.laurenbarnholdt.com or on her myspace at www.myspace.com/laurenbarnholdt

STEP TWO -- Email Lauren at lauren (at) laurenbarnholdt.com and let her know you've posted about the contest and the book, and you'll be entered to win the prize pack! The winner will be picked at random on September 1st. The more places you post, the more entries you get. Have fun and good luck!!!

Camp Pinkalicious

2006-07-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

Friday night, 15 kids will attend Camp Pinkalicious in my backyard. We're calling it a "reading party in honor of summer and lots of great books." Inside the invitation, we have a picture of the Cowboy Camp cover. Underneath, it says, "Cowboy games. Cowboy food." Below that is the Pinkalicious cover with the words "and lots of pink, pink, pink!"

We asked kids to bring a paint shirt and one used book to swap.

When they arrive, they will be assigned to a tent where their counselor will read the welcome announcements and daily camp schedule. While they wait for the other campers to arrive, they can read books in their comfy tents.

Next, they are off to "wardrobe" where they will get pink ribbon hair ties, pink nail polish and pink pony tails. (For the one best friend who is a boy, we bought silver hair spray. The girls get pink)

We'll ring the dinner bell and they will go to the mess hall for cowboy dinner. We decided on hot dogs, baked beans, carrots and chips to make this easy. Dinner will be served in tin pans.

While we eat, I'll read Cowboy Camp. (author site)

After dinner, it's off to the garage to paint reading pillows.

While they are painting (or right after, depending on the attention span) we'll read Pinkalicious (author site).

The obstacle course will be next. We have a tin can shoot (water guns), sack races, horse shoes, "horse" races, hula hoops and some hoops to hop through.

After they are all hot and tired, we'll make S'mores and have Campground Karoke. A wants to teach the kids to sing I Will Survive, and the dance that goes with it, from her Girl Power Pop Vocals camp. We've also made a long CD of songs tweeners love, with lots of High School Musical.

We'll end the night with a water balloon fight. While they wait for parents to pick up, they can make book marks and post cards or run around the yard like wild people (most likely).

So, that's the plan. I'll post a few pictures post-party!

This party was inspired by this post by Esme Raji Codell

REVIEW: JUST FOR YOU TO KNOW

2006-06-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

This week, I read JUST FOR YOU TO KNOW by Independence, Missouri author, Cheryl Harness.

JUST FOR YOU TO KNOW takes place in 1963 as Carmen Cathcart and her five younger brothers move from a beat-up old house in the country to a fixer-upper in Independence, Missouri—-the tenth home in which almost-13-year-old Carmen has lived. She’s embarrassed by her family and would rather daydream and draw than spend time with these crazy, noisy people.

After the big move, Carmen makes a new best friend and starts junior high, but the most dramatic change comes when another Cathcart baby is born. The reader embarks on an emotional journey with Carmen as she learns to appreciate her family while struggling to maintain her individuality and hold onto her dreams.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could not put it down! Cheryl Harness creates a captivating world with bits of history interspersed throughout. This comes as no surprise because Cheryl is a prolific author and illustrator of historical non-fiction and fiction, with 25 books in print (and several more in the works). If you enjoyed THE PENDERWICKS or BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE, you’ll love JUST FOR YOU TO KNOW.

REVIEW: JUST FOR YOU TO KNOW

2006-06-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

Summer Reading Events

2006-06-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Kansas City is hopping with literacy events this summer!

Reading Reptile will feature local authors on Wednesday nights:

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14TH 7:00pmLISA CAMPBELL ERNST
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28th 7:00pm JENNY & PETE WHITEHEAD
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21st 7:00pm BRAD SNEED
WEDNESDAY, JULY 5th 7:00pm LAURA HULISKA-BEITH

Wonderscope Children's Museum has a great line up the next few weeks. They are working with Beyond the Book to bring stories and book-related crafts to children on Mondays. Also, the Paul Messner Puppets and Martin City Melodrama, and Theater for Young America will hold performances there this summer.

What kinds of things are taking place in your area to get kids excited about reading?