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It's dark by 5 pm.  The longest night of the year is only two weeks away.  Here are some great books about nightime.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen won the Caldecott award for the illustrations by John Schoenherr.  This is a quiet look at a winter night and the beauties of nature.  A father shares the night with his daughter as they hope to see an owl. 

Bear Snores On Karma Wilson.  Animals find their way into Bear's cave making more and more noise.  When Bear finally wakes up and wants t join the ensuing party, his friends are fast asleep.

As we begin a season of reflection and celebration, we are pleased to share some of our favorite books on thankfulness and being grateful that will help young readers on their journey to understanding gratitude.

   10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston & illustrated by Rich Deas “Looky!” says a silly turkey swinging from a vine. Gobble gobble wibble wobble. Whoops! Now there are nine.” Girls and boys will gobble up this hilarious counting story about ten goofy turkeys roller-skating on a fence, doing a noodle dance, and more! Give …

#83 Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman (2002)
24 points

A perfect blend of story, catchy poetry, and cute pictures. – Libby Gorman

Sometimes I wonder if Karma Wilson has ever regretted not giving Bear a name.  Considering how hugely popular this book became and the numerous sequels that were to follow, the fact that the hero is known only by his species and not by a catchy name like Bernard or Baskin maybe means that the book remains just a tiny bit more obscure than it would be otherwise.  Not that I should really worry.  Coming in at #83 I can attest that in my library system copies of Bear Snores On fly off the shelves with surprising speed.  Its future may well be assured.

Publishers Weekly describes the plot as, “The title also serves as the book’s refrain: because he’s hibernating, the fluffy, snoring Bear remains oblivious as Mouse, Hare, Badger, Mole, Wren and Raven seek refuge in his cave from the blowing snow and frigid temperatures. Working in soft-textured acrylics, Chapman (Happy and Honey) makes both the biting weather and the warm, womb-like shelter of Bear’s cave palpable. The once bedraggled animals perk up considerably, and first-time author Wilson describes the ensuing high spirits with a musical flair: ‘They tweet and they titter./ They chat and they chitter./ But the bear snores on.’ There’s a moment of tension when Bear unexpectedly wakes up and the uninvited guests wonder if they’ll be evicted. But Wilson demonstrates how well she knows her audience: the bear only bemoans the fact that he slept through all the fun; the unwitting host proves that he may be the biggest party animal of all.”

Because the book looks at hibernation but with a very young audience in mind, the book ties in rather well with school science units on winter animals and their long winter sleeps?  Indeed on her website Ms. Wilson highlights the book’s various themes, listing them as “Hibernation, Seasons, Bear habitat, Bear Rhyme, rhythm and alliteration, Sharing and Friendship”.

Plenty of awards and honors came its way:

• New York Times and Publishers Weekly Bestseller in the picture book category.

• Winner of the  2002 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) -Children’s Resource Gold Award Winner.

• Winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award.

• Chosen as a 2003 ALA Notable Book.

• Chosen by Capitol Choices as a 2002 noteworthy book for children under age seven.

• Pointed out as one of ten highly commended titles in Charlotte Zolotow picture book awards.

• An IRA (International Reading Association) Children’s Book of the Year finalist and is on the IRA notable children’s book list for 2003.

• Bear Snores On was the winner of 2004 Great Lakes’ Great Books Award

SLJ starred and said of it, “The descriptive rhyming text, reminiscent of Bill Martin, Jr.’s Listen to the Rain (Holt, 1988), is perfect for reading aloud as well as for one-on-one sharing. Kids will ask for this book again and again.”

Then Booklist said, “The comfy look of Bear’s cave and the snappy rhythm of the text beckon youngsters into the story, and the expressively drawn, amusingly posed animal characters ensure repeated readings.”

The Horn Book Guide

by Karma Wilson

When I do author visits the kids often ask how I come up with story ideas. I always tell them about the magic question.

“What if?”

It’s often the foundation of a story.

I asked myself just that when I wrote my first published book, BEAR SNORES ON. What if a bear were asleep in a cave? What could happen? Maybe some other animals could sneak in with him to get out of the cold. What if they threw a party while he was asleep? How would he wake up? As I kept asking questions a story was born!

Really, writing a story is just like pretending when you are a kid. Remember walking down the sidewalk or a dusty road with a group of childhood friends and saying things like, “What if we were stranded on a tropical island?” Do you remember the excitement such questions generated? A barrage of answers would volley back, “We could build a fort and eat coconuts!” “Our clothes would disinigrate then we would have to wear leaves! Or maybe be naked (gasp! giggle! gross!).” And on and on the answers would come, slowly creating a fantasy world, piling on juicy and funny details until the world was complete, and then—only then—could you step into the imaginary land and start to pretend you were there. Here are some more “what if” examples from my books:

What if a frog were sitting on a log eating innocent bugs? What if the log were really an alligator? — A FROG IN THE BOG

What if a hippo loved to dance, but was so loud and big that it bothered all her jungle friends? —HILDA MUST BE DANCING

What if a penguin were lost and alone, and asked all the other arctic animals where home was? —WHERE IS HOME, LITTLE PIP?

So, what if an author were to pretend she were a child again and ask “What if?” She just might answer that question with an amazing story that children of all ages can relate to. So often the very best and most fun parts of writing are in the fundamentals.

Happy writing!

Karma Wilson writes humorous, rhythmic picture books for the very young and books that share her faith in a fun, understandable way with the youngest readers. Karma is also pursuing her love of outrageously silly but sometimes philosophic poetry for older children (i.e. Shel Silverstein).

Karma lives with her handsome husband Scott, and her three not-so-young-anymore children, two dogs, one cat and four horses on a small ranch in Montana. Her hobbies include reading (of course), photography, baking, and training Mixed Martial Arts (a combination of boxing, jiu jitsu, muay thai, and wrestling) with her family.

Lucky enough to be the featured artist on Kathy Temean's blog 'Writing and Illustrating for Children' last Saturday. She features a different artist every week and I'm thankful I was accepted. Lot's of great feedback. See the post at this link ... http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/illustrator-saturday-hazel-mitchell/

Next on the what's happening with 'TWB' (The Wacky Brit) - an agent has expressed interest in rep'ping my Math Concept series! Yippee .. so stay tuned for more exciting news there I hope ....

The winter is still set in here ... more snow forecast this week. Confess I'm ready for spring. Everyone in the house is getting cabin fever. (4 dogs and the crazy cat and 'im indoors.) I fear there are a few more weeks to go yet.

Been working hard scribbling away this week. Mostly on rough drawings for the chapter book for Kane and Miller (under wraps so I  can't share ... but I PROMISE you - your going to love it ...), plus the beginning layouts for Charlesbridge 'Hidden New Jersey.'

As if my arm wasn't tired enough (and it is!), on Saturday  life drawing with Russ Cox and some other artists at a studio in Bangor. We hired a model for the day and got in six hours ... the time flies when you are drawing from life. So good to study a real model and do some disciplined drawing. Decided that as well as full length studies I would hone in on hands and feet (my worst thing!!) so here are a few sketches ...

 

My dream assignment would be to work on a project with author, Karma Wilson. I love her writing style and collect all of her books. I first discovered her work when I took Anastasia Suen's writing course and was studying picture books in rhyme. I've been hooked ever since.