Do you have a book to sell? As a library media specialist, I'm part of your market...along with thousands of others in schools all over the country and across the world.

Ever wondered how books are selected for a school library book collection? Today, I'm introducing a new series on how school library collections are developed.

Before I even consider the actual books, I have two major restrictions that come into play: budget and space. In this time of cut-backs, I must make every dollar count which basically means I want library books to serve multiple purposes. Does that Picture Book that I'd love to read to classes also fill a niche in the curriculum? Just the fact that a book is currently popular is almost never reason enough for a purchase. Particularly when I factor in my second restriction which is shelf space. Library shelf space is a valuable commodity and I have to determine if a book deserves a share.

How I make those determinations will be the topic of future posts.

Meanwhile, today's post at Editorial Anonymous titled: Children vs Adults is well worth reading. The article discusses the balance in appealing to children who are the audience, and adults who hold the purse-strings. Publishers must weigh those two points of view when considering projects.


Here's the answer to Friday's Famous First: "Fingers trembling, eyes on the man at the cash register, Mongoose snatched the Milky Way bar and stuck it in his coat pocket." The Library Card by Newbery Award winner, Jerry Spinelli.

Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted today at Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day.

In honor of Earth Day, I'll offer the following poetry books and/or collections:

• Earthdance, written by Joanne Ryder with illustrations by Norman Gorbaty. This poem and the vibrant illustrations invite the reader to become one with our amazing planet.


• Earthshake: Poems from the Ground Up, written by Lisa Westberg Peters, with illustrations by Cathie Felstead. This is a collection of poems about geology. That's right, I said geology! You'll delight in the wordplay and colorful pictures that explain how geological forces shape the land.


• Horizons: Poems as far as the eye can see, written by Jane Yolen with photographs by Jason Stemple. Strong poetic images and beautiful photographs are paired in this collection that would be an inspiration for students to create their own work.


• The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination. The poetry in this anthology was collected by children's poet, Mary Ann Hoberman and Language Arts Teacher/anthropologist, Linda Winston. Illustrations are by Barbara Fortin. From the classic poets to the modern masters of children's poetry, here is a collection devoted to the science of nature.

Friday's Famous First: Can you name the title and author of this first line?

"Fingers trembling, eyes on the man at the cash register, Mongoose snatched the Milky Way bar and stuck it in his coat pocket."

It's Writer's Wednesday

I'm putting the final (I hope) polish on a novel. I'm always amazed at how much every book teaches me. Even as I work on the last chapter I'm finding ways to tweak the characters even a bit more.

If you are struggling with your character development then you should take a careful look at two great posts at Pen and Ink: Sunday, April 18th post, Bad Things Happen to Good People, and today's post, To Torture or Not to Torture: Has Your Main Character Suffered Enough?

For my librarian friends -- Here are two of my favorite library-themed books.

My students always find it funny, but not surprising that one of my favorites is titled Book! Book! Book! by Debroah Bruss with illustrations by Tiphanie Beeke.

And because not every library is found within walls I love to share: My Librarian is a Camel: How Books are Brought to Children Around the World by Margriet Ruurs.

Here is the answer to Friday's Famous First: "In SPRING,/ Red sings/ from treetops:/ cheer-cheer-cheer,/ each note dropping/ like a cherry/ into my ear." Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors written by Joyce Sidman, Illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski. For all you illustrators out there you will find an interview of Pamela at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

Spring is, without a doubt, one of my favorite times of year. My office overlooks the garden and I'm coaxed outside several times a day by the promise of growing things. Something of that burgeoning energy seeps into my bones and makes me want to be doing and writing. It's a good thing! And something I like to share with my students.

Here are some lovely and lively collections of Springtime poetry.

• Handsprings: poems and paintings, written and illustrated by Douglas Florian. This is the last of his four seasonal poetry books. You'll find a fun combination of rhyme for young children to pantomime plus puns and sophisticated wordplay for older students. From the title poem: "Spring is great/ for growing grass./ Spring has zing/ and spring has sass..." and so does this book.
• Oddhopper opera: a bug's garden of verses, written and illustrated by Kurt Cyrus. Delicate flowers and tasty veggies aren't the focus of this poetry collection. No, it's the weird and wonderful garden critters - from beetles to snakes - that scurry and slither through these pages in meticulous illustrations and poetic lines. This is an invitation to read a portion and encourage children to try and guess the subject: "Sliding softly, here and gone,/ A belly with a head stuck on."
• Toad by the Road: a year in the life of these amazing amphibians, written by Joanne Ryder and illustrated by Maggie Kneen. The title is perfectly accurate as to the subject, but doesn't convey the stunning combination of poetic skill and scientific curiosity that fills each page. Beautifully detailed artwork enhances the language that depicts this simple, but amazing animal's existence from season to season.

Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted by Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Don't miss it.

Friday's Famous First: Can you identify the title and author of this first line?
In SPRING,/ Red sings/ from treetops:/ cheer-cheer-cheer,/ each note dropping/like a cherry/into my ear.

It's Writers Wednesday...

And I've been hearing a lot of questions from new and/or unpublished writers on the topic of self-publishing. The pros and cons of going the self-publishing route need to be carefully considered before a decision is made. I urge writers to begin by honestly answering a couple of questions:

• Why are you writing?
• What outcome do you expect from having a book in print?

Understanding your motives and clarifying your goals will go a long way to helping you make a decision that will work for you. Then do your homework.

To help you get started, you'll find this post, "If You Are Considering Self-Publishing" by Bev Cooke a worthwhile read. The post is at Harold D. Underdown's blog, "Information About Writing, Illustrating and Publishing Children's Books: The Purple Crayon.

For more on the topic, be sure to read the guest post by Stephanie Gunning, former senior editor at Bantam-Doubleday-Dell titled: "Is Self-Publishing an Impediment to Landing a Publishing Contract?"at The Savvy Book Marketer.

If you have a teen or tween science-fiction fan in the house, you should check out Jen Robinson's Book Page for her comprehensive review of The Web of Titan: A Galahad Book. It is the second in the series by Dom Testa which began with The Comet's Curse.

I touched upon linking poetry and the science of growing things in my previous post and low and behold, I'm treated to a wonderful book, courtesy of Anastasia Suen's Blog - Picture Book of the Day. She has a thoughtful review of Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in Nature written by Sarah C. Campbell plus some great lesson ideas for the classroom.

Here is the answer to Friday's Famous First: "It was hot." Dreams by Caldecott winning author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats.