We are delighted when we see one of the authors or illustrators who have contributed books to Sharing-Books be recognized. Eleanor Aspin, author of Corn-Zee-Pop Treats, Helen the Heart, and I am an American Child has been interviewed on California readers. Follow this link for the article.
On March 27th, we had the pleasure of attending the Vancouver Children's Literature Book Roundtable Book Awards. There were many highlights but two speakers stood out among the audience members, many of whom were dressed in their own renditions of fairytale costumes!
Janet Wilson was named as this year's VCLR's Artist of the Year for her book One Peace. She pointed out that children today have become the activists of our generation. Her presentation cited several examples of children successfully bringing awareness to issues of our day, be it the environment, peace or education for girls. She astutely pointed out that there is no force more powerful than that of Pester Power. We have all been subject to this experience: a child in our midst presents an idea (like digging up the front lawn to create a vegetable patch) and then champions that idea like a bulldog on a bone. It can be wearing on adult nerves when there is laundry to do, meals to cook and a living to be made. But what adult has not related the story to a friend amidst fits of giggles and admiration for their tenacity?
The guest speaker of the day was Jack Zipes, a retired professor from the University of Minnesota. Today, he lectures around the world on the value of fairy tales in a child's upbringing. He sees them as having the ability to "pass on information vital to adapting to changing environments." For Zipes, the "best fairy tales are those that illuminate conflict while offering hope to readers."
At Sharing-Books, we encourage you to continue your quest to find your own Pester Power, to dig up that story hidden in your heart (or pile of papers) and present your tale that offers hope to readers living in a changing world fraught with dragons and dungeons.
As we approach 30,000 books downloaded, we noticed that our original book, The Little Suitcase by Andrea Azevedo has passed 1,000 downloads. While these numbers may not be impressive in a web world that counts in millions, they are encouraging in the children literature world. If we factor in the ease and speed at which our DRM free e-books are shared, we know that thousands around the world have been touched by this great story.
Bravo and thank you! to Andrea.
Our friends at the Vancouver, BC, Chapter of Room to Read were honored in San Francisco last week. The Chapter receive a "Zackie" (reference to Zack the Yak that carried the first delivery of books to a library by Room to Read). The Vancouver team completed an excellent year full of initiatives that were rewarded by great success in fund-raising for the benefits of the children served by Room to Read.
Congratulations to Chapter Leaders Lisa Clement, Sharon Davis, Joyce Reid and their team!
Our book creator and friend Jennifer Poulter connected us this week with Reach Out and Read, an organization promoting reading to children. If as a parent you need a bit of encouragement to read more to your kids, take a minute to read this page and check the data offered.
Read and E-Book week 2010 will be held from March 7 to 13. This initiative started in 2004 by Rita Toews and friends is now in its sixth edition. While E-Books were still a novelty in 2004, they are rapidly becoming mainstream. When Fortune magazine makes E-reading the cover of its current issue, you know that E-Books have become a major publishing form.
Sharing-Books was conceived as an E-Book publisher from day one. We believed that readers would separate the concept of book from "paper". Books are a collection of thoughts expressed with words. Whether these words are printed on paper or displayed electronically does not change the story or ideas the writer is sharing.
As a baby boomer I remember fondly the smell of a new paper book. By contrast today's kids will remember discovering the features of their new electronic devices. When we wrote our original business plan in 2007, we envisioned delivering children E-Books to gaming devices like the Nintendo DS. A little over 2 years later the humble Nintendo becomes an E-Reader.
We are entering a new and exciting phase in the deployment of the e-reading industry. The devices are becoming much better. The industry is grouping around a few distribution models, closed store/device systems like the Kindle that mimic the very successful ITunes/Ipod combination, open e-readers that accept a variety of format and allow sourcing of books from any vendor, and in our opinion the biggest market will be multipurpose devices like the IPhone acquiring e-reading capabilities. I started reading E-Books on my first smart phone, a Palm Treo, in 2002, so I am partial to the phone/PDA/e-reader combination.
What is more interesting to us is how the E-Book publishing business will look like in years to come. There is a consolidation play by giant channels like Amazon and Google. There is price point resistance from large books publishers like MacMillan and the Murdoch empire who want more money for their content. Small publishers like us welcome their initiative as it protects the value of the E-Books we publish. So we are optimistic that we will be able to realize more value for our book creators.
E-Books offer greater value-add possibilities than paper books. It is much easier to vary the format of an E-Books than a paper book. New free software like Blio will make it easier to move E-Books across software and hardware platforms and to transform E-Books into audio-books or other forms friendly to the visually challenged. Children E-Books will become especially fun as book creators master how to insert in their books hyperlinks to sites that add to the e-reading experience. Book creators will also learn to add short videos and sound effects that will make E-Books a richer learning experience and become an interesting alternative to the video-games children have in their hand held electronic devices.
So let's celebrate E-Book Week as we can all benefit from the emergence of this new way to share stories and ideas.
You meet the most wonderful people when you provide a service focused on children. I just finished a conversation with Sylvia McGrath who is building a second career serving children and adults facing chronic illnesses. With business associate, Belinda Witsenhausen, Sylvia has created a series of web sites and resources to make a difference word by word. We agreed to cooperate to serve our mutual audiences.
After a successful career in business, Sylvia reoriented her life to serve children with books and tools to help those with severe health challenges. Sylvia publishes a monthly newsletter for children with special needs, chronic illnesses and learning challenges. The newsletter includes practical information as well as book reviews, games and craft projects. Sylvia will feature some of the books from our library. Sylvia is also an author completing her first children book that we hope to see on Sharing-Books in the near future.
For those of you with special needs children, we invite you to discover these free resources created thanks to Sylvia's dedication:
Professor Owl's Publication Centre
A Treasure Chest of Resources
Professor Owl's Book Corner
Our Charity partners, Room to Read, who have played a very productive role to develop and equip libraries in developing nations, and who have helped thousands of girls go to school, have released a ten year review and updated vision in a very interesting document: Envisioning Our Future: A Road Map for Learning.
As usual with Room to Read documents, their review is well researched and their plans are inspiring.
Enjoy the read!
As we are often asked for business details, our team has assembled a Sharing-Books Quick Fact Sheet (as of January 2010).
I was delighted to discover the Canadian poet Shane Koyczan at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Featuring him was a bold and brilliant decision.
First as a Canadian, I loved what he had to say about our country. And as a participant in a project like Sharing-Books that supports literacy and new authors, I feel really inspired that maybe we will help a new author find his voice, or that through one of our e-books a child will discover that poetry is a calling worth following.
Maybe one day, they too will recite their poem in front of over two billion TV viewers.
Our friends at Room to Read have posted their latest update. Take a few minutes to see how our friends at Room to Read have accomplished much despite a difficult economic environment.
In honour of Family Literacy Day here in Canada, we are publishing the 1908 edition of Anne of Green Gables. It is a powerful story about an orphan, who is mistakenly sent to the Cuthbert brother and sister, who were hoping for a boy to help out with the farm. Anne takes on the challenge admirably, and through her chatter and her wonder wins the hearts of her adopted family and community.
Over the last hundred years, this Canadian book has become an enduring classic for many cultures. The book was given to Polish soldiers in WWII, as a gesture of friendship and encouragement. A little later, Green Gables was preserved, becoming a popular historical site for many young girls to visit, especially the Japanese. More recently, a movie trilogy directed by Kevin O'Sullivan and Stefan Scaini was released, receiving an Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
We hope this book inspires you to read a chapter with your young friends. Perhaps at bed time, or during quiet time. For your younger listeners, you can even encourage them to draw pictures of Anne or her new home. Either way, you will be inviting them to imagine characters and settings, as they expand their vocabulary and wonder of faraway places.
For the artists in our midst, perhaps you would like to illustrate the story and upload it for publishing at Sharing-Books. We look forward to seeing your interpretation of this Canadian classic. These are just a few of the ways you too can participate, and we encourage you to join us in celebrating Family Literacy Day.
In the famous Peanuts cartoon by Charles M. Schulz, the character Schroeder is seen playing his piano, often recreating a tune of Ludvig van Beethoven's. Many times, the same song comes out, but somehow, he hits the right series of notes to emphasize his progress or frustration.
As we begin the New Year, we too at Sharing-Books continue to play our music. Our IT department regularly meets to find ways of enhancing the site. Our Classics department scours the globe in search of material that will somehow strike a chord in the minds and hearts of our readers. And of course, our Executive Team meet with those interested in supporting literacy and raising up the next generation of readers.
Our creators have brought you lively illustrations, such as those created by Catherine York and James Stroud, as well as topical written material that addresses the human condition. And that is to only name a few of our creators! Together, we create a global publishing company that has released over 150 e-books and posters in 2009.
So just as a pianist takes a fraction of a moment before beginning the next song, we encourage all of you to consider how truly splendid that feat is! It started with a single note, followed by a second hand on the keyboard, only to be joined by yet more players and more instruments. It seems only fitting of course, to encourage you to listen to this piece by Beethoven, as we ring in the New Year. Please join us in humming, singing and conducting this rendition of Ode To Joy.
Some of you have asked what it is like to be a book fox. Recently, we had an opportunity to go in search of books along Portobello Road in London UK. A posh part of London, Notting Hill regained familiarity with the release of Notting Hill starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. From Notting Hill Tube station, it is a 20 minute walk, crossing cobbled streets, and sniffing floral holiday wreaths now available for sale at local market stalls. At 2 pm on a Friday afternoon, the market is a press as mothers push strollers, their toddlers all bundled up in bright fleece toques. There are pubs with funny names, like The Fat Badger - a remarkably fitting site to stage a scene from the classic Wind in the Willows. And of course there was the obligatory sausage shop featuring all kinds of nummy edibles for our tummies.
We returned to the street to begin our quest. We weeded through one stack, only to begin another. Just where will we find this one book with that particular illustrator? Will this one book matter to one child or thousands? Moving to the next stall, one vendor was kind enough to show us his collection of Grimm's Fairy Tales that was illustrated by a spooky 20th century artist. Another offered to help us search for additional classics via estate sales. Meeting these people and unearthing chapter books and picture books in varying conditions is, for us, akin to an archeological dig at the base of the Egyptian pyramids! Despite the dirty pages and the cold November air, the process is oh so thrilling!
In the end, we found some beautifully illustrated books, courtesy of a renowned silversmith. It turns out their family had been collecting them for years. We would like to take the time to thank the jewelers Cox and Power and invite you to shop at their Marleybone High Street location. Tony, Vicci and Rachel will be more than happy to help you.
For those of you located in the lower mainland of British Columbia,you may want to join us for lunch and hear Erin Ganju, co-founder and CEO of Room to Read present an update on the activities and plans of our favourite charity. This is a unique opportunity to meet the leader of a non-governmental organization that has won multiple awards for its work around the world.
Click here to order your tickets.
See you on November 17.
We are delighted to note that we have delivered over 20,000 e-books to children around the world. By our own (very unscientific) estimate, each book averages 5 readers when we include the classrooms where they are used. So we believe that over 100,000 young readers around the world have enjoyed the work of our book creators.
We are thankful for our book creators who believe in what we want to accomplish and who join us with their creative work. The joy we have each time we read new books submitted by our creators make all the effort to put this project together worthwhile.
The beauty of a web 2.0 site is that your users innovate with the tools you give them.
We originally saw the site as a book publishing tool. But Jennifer Poulter, an educational author form Australia, saw in Sharing-Books a tool to publish one page books that she calls poster-poems as classroom aids to help students learn poetry and/or help teachers introduce discussion topics relevant to their classes. The form of the poster-poem has been received well and Jennifer's work has been used in classrooms around the world. One of our authors, Urs Dietrich, who wrote Miki Makes a Promise, reported that on his last trip to Odessa, he visited a classroom where Jennifer's poster-poems were used to teach English.
Now it is author Timothy Schenk who published last week a surprise he had hinted was coming. Timothy has previously illustrated two poster-poems written by Jennifer. He also wrote and illustrated My Pretty Pointe Shoes that won the second prize in the July 2009 Simone Woods Awards. This time Timothy published our first talking book: Fan of Halloween.
Fan of Halloween demonstrates Timothy's technical know-how as he took advantage of a new feature Adobe introduced to PDF files, the ability to insert flash files. So as you download what looks like a normal and relatively small PDF file, you also download a little movie and a recording of Timothy reading his poem. When you click on the image of the pumpkin on the page, the pumpkin moves in as Timothy reads the poem.
This is very exciting and very promising. We deliberately limited the file type of our books to PDF so that universal distribution would be easy and that given the small size of the files, our books could be downloaded in low bandwidth regions of the world. Obviously this limited the books in being two dimensional. Now we can see the form of the e-book developing new and valuable attributes. Imagine a PDF e-book where a child can click on a cow and hear it go Moo! Or have an alphabet book read to them or having technical details added to a science book.
We thank Timothy for innovating with this first book and showing the way to one more imaginative use of Sharing-Books.com
I remember that we were so excited when we celebrated our 1,000th book download. Then the 2,000th came much faster. We celebrated every 1,000 books increment up to 10,000. Then we decided to celebrate every 2,500 as the volume was growing. I tried to catch 15,000 to no avail. Now we are past 16,000. Hum! I mean 17,000. Oh well maybe we'll celebrate and post a screen shot when we reach 20,000 books downloaded.
Thank you for your enthusiasm for the creations of our authors and illustrators. Don't forget the Donate Button!
A.A. Milne, Creator of Winnie the Pooh, published in 1927 a series of poems in Now We are Six.
While Christopher Robin is older than Sharing-Books, we are delighted to be one year old. This year has introduced a host of authors and illustrators from around the globe to you, the reader. In fact, we have received such attention that Sharing-Books is likely the largest publisher of new children's books in Canada.
There has been plenty to celebrate and we did so, bringing together those in the local area. Sharon Davis of Room to Read, Vancouver Chapter joined us and Pierre Lapointe, CEO turned our minds to the coming year. Of course, as any child will tell you, the most important part of the evening was the cake! Lit with sparklers and iced with lots of gooey icing, it was a grand way to celebrate our first year live, giving us plenty of sugar to fuel our plans for the future. So do join us in singing Happy Birthday and stay tuned for upcoming features to enhance your child's reading experience!
BRIGITTE ROZARIO of the Star Online wrote a good review of Sharing-Books.com and we are thankful for the publicity. Click here to read the full article.
October through February is often known as flu season. Exposed to a host of germs in classrooms around the world, posters in libraries and doctors' offices alert parents and caregivers to ensure their children wash their hands and cover their mouths when they cough. Sometimes, those children who need to be tucked up in bed are back in school, still infected, because their parents have to rush back to work. Those, at home, find themselves covered in blankets, noses running and glands swollen, and feeling all crotchety. As a young boy, the famous author Robert Louis Stevenson often found himself ill at home, under the careful eye of Nurse Cunningham. Like your children, he watched the world outside his window go by.
Thankfully for us, Stevenson captured some wonderful insights into his world of Victorian England, and created such memorable poems as "The Land of Counterpane" and "Picture-Books in Winter." Published in our 1907 edition of A Child's Garden of Verses, it has been a popular read for many years. So today, give your tyke a crisp copy to read under the covers with a flashlight. He will keep warm, and before long he will be imagining himself as 'the captain of a tidy little ship', as he slumbers off to "The Land of Nod."
For all our Canadian friends. We highly recommend encouraging Raise-a-Reader volunteers who will canvass your area. Look for them in bright orange t-shirts offering a special literacy edition of your local newspaper.
For more details follow this link.
The world of children publishing is full of wonderful people doing extraordinary things. Irene Brodsky is enjoying the thrill of a new career at a time when most people think of retiring. Her energy and enthusiasm are examples for all. Irene was kind enough to find the time to answer a few questions for us.
IRENE, please tell us why you love poetry and where this passion for words comes from?
My passion for words began with the World Trade Center tragedy that took place on September 11, 200l, my 55th birthday. I just had to sit down and write about how to deal with a tragedy and a birthday on the same day. The words came from my heart and I called my words “The Tallest Twins” My love for poetry came from the freedom to just write whatever came into my mind, without hesitation. I have been writing ever since. I now have approximately 100 poems.
Please tell us about your background?
I was born in Brooklyn New York on Sept. 11, 1946. I loved music, played piano/clarinet. In 1970 – 76, I sang with The Chris Grieco Trio without much success. So I enrolled in college to become a New York City School Secretary for The Board of Education. At age 55, I retired and suddenly had nothing to do. So I returned to college to see if I could pass anything after being out of school 26 years.
You distinguish yourself by graduating from Brooklyn College at a stage in your career when most people think of slowing down, not accelerating towards new goals. What drove you to complete this degree?
Many of my peers thought I was being foolish to return to school and my first professor failed me for not writing a good essay. That inspired me tremendously to show that I could do better. And because of the WTC tragedy, I was determined to not put off for tomorrow what I could do today! I kept thinking of those unfortunate victims who had no tomorrow and knew I must do this now!.
I am most proud to say that I graduated Brooklyn College City University of New York with a BA in Philosophy with a minor in English, Class of 2007, May 31, 2007. I will never forget that day because I was 60 years old!
Who is your favorite poet and why? Which of his/her books has been most inspiring for you?
My favorite poet is Dennis S. Martin. He writes romantic poetry. In his book “Love and Passions”, he remains true to his craft. He does not resort to violent or x-rated words. He speaks of true love and desires in a way that would make the famous poets of the past centuries stand at attention.
You teach poetry today. What do you find most rewarding about teaching? Most challenging?
What is most rewarding is that I was offered this job at this stage of my life. I was honored to be given a poetry class to teach and hoped to share my love of poetry with my students to see that it can be fun, not boring, not stuffy, and it could be very relaxing too to just get your feelings out onto paper. You never know what is in you unless you try. That is what is most challenging, to put words on paper and see what you come up with!!!!!! So very exciting!!!
We are fortunate that you chose us to publish your first children’s book “Silly Kitty”. What do you find different about writing for children?
Writing children’s books makes me feel like a child again. I read to the children in nearby schools and in local restaurants that sponsor book events for me. My books are about kittens and puppies, so we get to meow and woof a lot and that is so much fun for anyone!!! I also have a Monster Blog that I perform every Halloween.
What can parents do to help children appreciate poetry?
I think they should ask them to just write about what they did today…..at school….with friends, etc., just to get them used to writing. Also parents can read children’s poetry to them. Many of such poems are available online or in the library.
Colleagues mention to us how effective you have been at building an online presence and how active you are at communicating with your online friends. Many book creators are still hesitant to use the internet and its networking power. What would be your advice for someone just starting to write and publish?
I feel a new writer must be aggressive, use all tools available to get well-known, especially since no one knows you when you are new… How are they supposed to know you have a book if you don’t find a way to tell them??? So I went on facebook, twitter and my space to campaign for myself!!!!! My first poetry book “Poetry Unplugged” was on 3 booksites at the time but I had to get people directed to those sites. I also had a wire associated press release to put my book on all major web sites. I now have a marketing coach to come up with newer ideas like getting your book into the Library Catalogs. My poetry book is now in 4 New York City libraries.
You must utilize the internet. You cannot be afraid of the computer. It is your friend. I would tell any new writer to send out their proofread manuscripts to as many publishers as they can find and see who will be interested! I would also tell them to enter as many writing contests as they can. And, of course, to send their children’s book to Sharing-Books.com! What a great way to help a child to read!!!!!!
I will be 63 on Sept. 11, 2009 and hope that I am a role model for any older person who wants to enrich his/her life with a new career. I say “Age is Just A Number…..and your number can be any number you like it to be.”
Thank you Irene, we look forward to reading your next book.
We are thankful for today's recommendation by SavvyMom.ca on their national newsletter. SavvyMom.ca is a well designed site full of practical information.
As entrepreneurs, we especially appreciate their support for Moms who start their own businesses. Make sure you vote for the Mom Entrepreneur of the year, a cause Savvy Mom has supported for several years.
Check also the regional Savvy Mom editions featuring interesting local stories.
"Of course, a book is more than the sum of its materials. It is an artifact of the human mind and hand."
Written in the recent book People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks' words echo not only throughout her book, but also in the library of the Classics Collection that is Sharing-Books. Tom Brown's School Days is an example of a book, whose story is found, not only between its covers, but in the travels of one woman.
Originally a prize for attendance, the second hand book followed its current owner from the Australian sheep farm of her birth, safely escaped the destruction of World War I, through the heights of the Roaring Twenties in English upper class society, and on through the epic battle of World War II. It stayed with her during the British Raj in India where she witnessed two births: one of a blonde boy and the other, the birth of the nation that is now India. It escaped under the protection of a Gurkha lieutenant colonel and now resides in a pastoral community in Lincolnshire where the book has enthralled two succeeding generations of her family.
The next stop for Tom Brown's School Days is as a download in your home. As you read through the pages, you will notice smudges, folded pages, and traces of bits. We have chosen to capture the weathered, golden pages of all our classics that come under our protection. We thought you too would treasure reading each story, just as they have come to us.
