National Children's Choice Book Awards Announced...

You may have spied the Children's Choice Awards widget on the right side of my blog. Well the results are in for the award, announced last night at a Children's Book Council dinner in NYC hosted by Jon Scieszka. Here they are (in non-widget form), reinforcing for all of us that kids dig scary stuff, precocious pigs and boy wizards (drumroll please...):

• Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year: Frankie Stein written by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Kevan Atteberry (Cavendish). I'm posting the cover of this one, because I really dig Kevan and his book. (Murray loves it too, but he's too young to vote.)
• Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year: Big Cats by Elaine Landau (Enslow)
• Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year: Encyclopedia Horrifica by Joshua Gee (Scholastic)
• Illustrator of the Year Award: Ian Falconer, Olivia Helps with Christmas (Simon & Schuster)
• Author of the Year Award: J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Scholastic)

Halloween Continues at My House...

My son got a package in the mail yesterday--a copy of Frankie Stein, a wonderfully fun and monster-y picture book by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Kevan Atteberry--who was the sender of this tardy Halloween treat.

After Murray and I opened the package, we sat on the floor of his room to read it but never did make it through all the text because my little monster lover was fascinated with the illustrations. (He digs the ghost and rat that appear page after page observing the antics of cute little Frankie Stein's parents as they try to make Frankie a little more monstrous.)

This is a great book to add to your sorta spooky picture book collection. And this is my public shout out to my pal Kevan--thanks for the book!