Twitterville Talk #51

Yesterday was the last day of the 2011-2012 school year.  Let the summer reading begin!  Twitter was very busy with great new news and much sadness.

With that in mind, On June 7, Join the Conversation About Summer Reading via The Learning Network, Teaching & Learning With The New York Times.  It promises to be interesting and will enhance our personal and professional reading lives.

Check out a new website dedicated to early literacy created by the Fred Rogers Center Early Learning Environment for RIF.
Thanks to The Children's Book Council for these tweets.

For students who read and liked The Danger Box by Blue Balliett and The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, pointing them toward Darwin: A naturalist's voyage around the world  might quench their thirst for more information. 

Thanks to Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers for this tweet.





Maurice Sendak Remembered is another group of essays dedicated to this much missed member of the children's literature community.

Start counting the days; Rick Riordan Makes His 'Mark'.  I am collecting each of the books in all three of his series.  The covers by Caldecott Honor award winner, John Rocco, are outstanding.

And looking further ahead to November 3, 2012; Cover Reveal:  'Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  The Third Wheel'.

My thanks to Children's Bookshelf of Publisher's Weekly for these tweets.


If this is our future we are in good hands; WV Fifth Grader Donates $10,000 Prize to School Library.

I've pledged, have you?  Palacio's 'Wonder' Launches Companion Anti-Bullying Campaign.

Thanks to School Library Journal for the tweet.





Thanks to Dan Santat for tweeting about the new title, Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan written by R. A. Spratt with his wonderful illustrations.  The original title, The Adventures of Nanny Piggins, was hilarious.  As a read aloud you could not ask for a better book.

Enjoy a web site dedicated to the Bink & Gollie books by authors, Kate DeCamillo and Alison McGhee, with illustrations by Tony Fucile. 

Thanks to Candlewick Press for the tweet.


Check out this video interview of Tony DiTerlizzi regarding his new title A Hero for Wondla.  It is the sequel to The Search for Wondla.  Those two books are close to the top of my TBR pile.

Thanks to ScholasticKidsPress for the tweet.





On May 29th again the world of children's literature suffered two more deeply felt losses.  These are tweets for Leo Dillion and Ellen Levine.

Leo Dillon 1933-2012 tor.com/blogs/2012/05/…
— Dan Santat (@dsantat) May 29, 2012

Gorgeous tribute to illustrator Leo Dillon at Muddy Colors bit.ly/JQf0ac via @CynLeitichSmith#kidlit #PBart #RIP
— CBC Book (@CBCBook) May 30, 2012

Leo Dillon, the First African American Caldecott Winner, Dies at 79: bit.ly/LK6PPP / via @sljournal
— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) May 30, 2012

NY Times obituary for Leo Dillon pwne.ws/KK7O0F
— Children's Bookshelf (@PWKidsBookshelf) May 31, 2012

RIP Leo Dillon, 1933-2012 ow.ly/bhiD5 Fuse 8
— SchoolLibraryJournal (@sljournal) May 31, 2012

Author and social justice advocate Ellen Levine has died ow.ly/bdZRa
— The Horn Book (@HornBook) May 29, 2012

'My Name is Not Easy' author @DebbyEdwardson remembers Ellen Levine bit.ly/JvS03G #RIP
— CBC Book (@CBCBook) May 29, 2012

Another prominent figure in the field of children's literature passed away this week, Peter D. Sieruta.  Mr. Sieruta was a resident of our state of Michigan.   Please take a moment to read a tribute written by Julie Danielson of Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  This writing also includes links to other reflections by those who knew him well.