Jessica Haight's Blog, page 27

Fairday's Riddle: Face Front...

Hello, Riddlers! Can you guess our theme this week? Sometimes hard to draw up this feeling in certain situations, but less scary than hiding from things. ~ F

When the moment is uncertain— anything could be behind the curtain. Your gut flip-flops in wobbly doubt; inner voice wants to shout. Face the scene despite your fears and stand up tall through the tears. You'll know the answer to this rhyme if you've held your own one time.

What am I referring to? Stop by Wednesday for the answer. 

I gave you a clue!

FEAR NOT THE UNEXPECTED

Happy Thanksgiving!

We'll be taking time for family and friends this week for the Thanksgiving break. We are grateful for all our of our readers, and we hope you have a wonderful holiday celebrating with with loved ones. We'll see you around the book block, and we'll be back next week with more stories to share.

In the meantime, if you're looking for a great read to snuggle up with, here's a list of the books we've reviewed over the years, plus author interviews—find out the real story behind the story!
BOOK REVIEW INDEX
Happy Reading & Eating!
~ Jess & Stephanie



FEAR NOT THE UNEXPECTED

Margo's Musings: What is Twig's Fortune?

When we were at the CT Children’s Book Fair we were lucky enough to listen to author Brenna Burns Yu read aloud her picture book, Hazel and Twig: The Birthday Fortune. It's a wonderful story, and my little sister, Margo, and I learned about a Korean first birthday tradition. It sounded like so much fun and we were lucky to get an autographed copy. How special! We couldn’t wait to get home and read it again!

Twig is turning one and her doljabi is right around the corner. Her whole family is excited and curious to see what she'll select. Whatever she picks will tell her fortune. Each item that is placed on the ground represents something different. Will she be a builder? A musician? Or is something else in store for her? Only time will tell, and no one is more excited than Twig’s older sister, Hazel. She really hopes her sister picks yarn, so they can both live long lives. But on Twig’s doljabi she picks something quite unexpected. Will Hazel be able to help tell what it means?  You won’t want to miss this adorable debut picture book. 

Hazel and Twig: The Birthday Fortune by Brenna Burns Yu is such a beautiful and interesting picture book. Margo fell in love with Twig, and she especially enjoyed trying to guess what Twig would select. I hadn’t heard of a doljabi before, and it was cool to learn about a special Korean tradition. The illustrations are soft and appealing with adorable characters. I can't get over all the tiny details!  I'm sure we'll be pulling this book off the shelf many times to read again.


Has anyone else read Hazel and Twig: The Birthday Fortune by Brenna Burns Yu? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
~ FFEAR NOT THE UNEXPECTED

Answer to Fairday's Riddle: A Special Day

Excellent guessing, Riddlers! This week we're celebrating birthday traditions. Tune in Friday for Margo's children's picture book choice and find out how the answer ties into the story. See you all around the book block. ~ F





Once a year this shall come, starting count at day one. A merry-go-round of laughs and cries circles back to old new eyes. Manifestations born in time are celebrated by yours and mine. Blowing candles and festive song mark the date you came along. 

What am I referring to? Answer: Birthday!


Fairday's Riddles: Volume I  Make time to riddle and rhyme!62 original riddles and illustrations Available in all e-book formats

FEAR NOT THE UNEXPECTED

Fairday's Riddle: Time to Party!

Hello, Riddlers! Can you guess our theme this week? There are so many ways to celebrate this fun event.

CT Children's Book Fair 2018: Part 2

This week we're spotlighting the Connecticut Children's Book Fair. Here's part two of our exclusive coverage of the day. We were spellbound by all the books!

In case you missed it, here's part one of our visit.
Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson Illustrator/ Author team Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson are on the same team. This dynamic duo really knows how to collaborate. Robbi is the illustrator and Matthew is the author, and they're married! They work together to create art and stories. The first writing tip they gave us was brilliant, and simple— if you want to write or illustrate a book, do it. We definitely agree. Robbi and Matthew know how to take a project from concept to completion and deliver the story. They are a cool collaborating couple, and we're excited to read The Real McCoys.  Matthew Swanson, Stephanie Robinson, Robbi Behr
Brenna Burns YuAuthor/ Illustrator
Brenna Burns Yu had an interesting presentation. We enjoyed hearing about some of the things that influenced Hazel and Twig's story. Brenna talked about how she and her school friend would create tiny worlds with tinsy clothes and homes for their paper characters when they were kids. Recently, she'd gone to visit this old friend, and her friend had found the actual artwork. She even had a mini- catalogue that they'd made, which featured various small paper fashions. Tiny things are fascinating for sure! The illustrations in The Birthday Fortune are delightful, and we're looking forward to reading the book.
Stephanie Robinson and Brenna Burns YuBelow are highlights from previous Connecticut Children's Book Fairs that we've attended. 
—Click on the year to visit the post for book fair coverage—Click on author names that are linked to read an interview 
2011
Grace Lin, Sarah Weeks____________________


2012
Jerry Spinelli, Patricia Maclachlan, Leslea Newman
____________________

2013
Ann Martin, Tui Sutherland, Phoebe Stone, Nick Bruel
____________________

2014
Barbara McClintock, Anika & Christopher Denise, Chris Grabenstein, Nora Raleigh Baskin, Kevin Sherry, Natalie Lloyd
____________________

2015 (part 1)
Pierre Collett-Derby, Tommy Greenwald, Pamela Zagarenski


2015 (part 2)
Cynthia Lord, Wendell & Florence Minor, Jeanne Birdsall

____________________



2017 (part 1)
Marc Brown, Carol Weston
2017 (part 2)
Gordon Korman, Cammie McGovern____________________ Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson are co-authors of the Fairday Morrow books. They have been friends since they met in English class in 9th grade. They enjoyed chatting about books then, and they still do. When they're not solving a mystery with the DMS, they keep up with the book buzz and help spread the news about stories they love.
"It's interesting to find out the story behind the story. There's so much that goes into the birth of a book, and it's fascinating to meet the faces behind the scenes. The Connecticut Children's Book Fair offers a great opportunity for readers, writers, and artists of all ages to connect with each other and talk about books." ~ Jessica HaightFEAR NOT THE UNEXPECTED

CT Children's Book Fair 2018: Part 1

It's obvious we love books. There's nothing more magical than falling into the pages of a good story. That's why we get excited in November to visit the Connecticut Children's Book Fair. It's a beautiful season for a drive to the UCONN campus, and the foliage displays made the scene pop this year. We enjoyed perusing the tables of books, chatting with the authors, and learning about their stories.

Fall leaves paved the way, and we found ourselves caught up in story magic. Today we're featuring highlights from the author presentations we attended at the fair on Saturday.

We purchased their books, and we're looking forward to sharing our reviews.



Enjoy our recap in part one of the CT Children's Book Fair, and tune in on Friday for part two.

Happy reading! ~ Jess & Stephanie

Barbara McClintockIllustrator Barbara McClintock is a lovely person and a brilliant illustrator. It's always inspiring to hear her talk about her work. The intricate details craftily woven into her illustrations are delightful. What's truly amazing about Barbara McClintock's art is that it's all done by head, heart, and hand—the most ancient and modern forms of technology. The processes involved in creating art like this are extensive. They're not for the faint-hearted and involve a lot of double-stick tape. Wrangling words in line is tricky, but painting numbers in scenes can get sticky.

Creative forces were brewing, casting spectacular colors through the windows. Time was running short, and I didn't get to ask a question, but after learning about the different phases that an illustration goes through before it's a scene in a book, I wondered which part of the process Barbara McClintock enjoys most. There's so much love that goes into this kind of creation, I would be interested to know what part of making art gives her the most satisfaction.

Barbara McClintock & Jessica Haight

It was a pleasure to meet Jennifer Richard Jacobson who talked about her middle grade book, The Dollar Kids. The inspiration behind this story is unique and the characters sound intriguing. This author approaches concepts of death and community from an open and inquisitive perspective, laying the foundation for a thought-provoking story. It's interesting to know that she does not like to world build, but rather uses real places as the settings for her books. This adds a realistic texture to her writing, and we're looking forward to checking out The Dollar Kids and Paper Things.

Jennifer Richard Jacobson & Stephanie Robinson
Stop by Friday for part two of our trip to the CT Children's Book Fair. Featuring: Robbi Behr & Matthew Swanson, The Real McCoys Brenna Burns Yu, The Birthday Fortune

Below are highlights from previous Connecticut Children's Book Fairs that we've attended. 
—Click on the year to visit the post for book fair coverage—Click on author names that are linked to read an interview 
2011
Grace Lin, Sarah Weeks____________________


2012
Jerry Spinelli, Patricia Maclachlan, Leslea Newman
____________________

2013
Ann Martin, Tui Sutherland, Phoebe Stone, Nick Bruel
____________________

2014
Barbara McClintock, Anika & Christopher Denise, Chris Grabenstein, Nora Raleigh Baskin, Kevin Sherry, Natalie Lloyd
____________________

2015 (part 1)
Pierre Collett-Derby, Tommy Greenwald, Pamela Zagarenski


2015 (part 2)
Cynthia Lord, Wendell & Florence Minor, Jeanne Birdsall

____________________



2017 (part 1)
Marc Brown, Carol Weston
2017 (part 2)
Gordon Korman, Cammie McGovern____________________ Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson are co-authors of the Fairday Morrow books. They have been friends since they met in English class in 9th grade. They enjoyed chatting about books then, and they still do. When they're not solving a mystery with the DMS, they keep up with the book buzz and help spread the news about stories they love.

"It's interesting to find out the story behind the story. There's so much that goes into the birth of a book, and it's fascinating to meet the faces behind the scenes. The Connecticut Children's Book Fair offers a great opportunity for readers, writers, and artists of all ages to connect with each other and talk about books." ~ Jessica HaightFEAR NOT THE UNEXPECTED

CT Children's Book Fair Spotlight!

Hello, Readers! This week we'll be spotlighting the Connecticut Children's Book Fair, so stay tuned. Featuring...





Barbara McClintock Nothing Stopped Sophie
Jennifer Richard Jacobson Paper Things/ The Dollar Kids
Brenna Burns Yu Hazel and Twig- The Birthday Fortune
Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson The Real McCoys
The day was inspirational, and we can't wait to share the books with you! FEAR NOT THE UNEXPECTED

Margo's Musings: If the Foot Fits!

October was spooktacular! The Halloween season was full of spirits to get us in the mood for a night of trick-or-treating. Our local library had a special display of spooky stories and my little sister, Margo, loves to be scared (because she thinks it is funny- she’s quite the brave one). Since Margo loves watching Disney’s Cinderella, I thought it would be fun to read a favorite retelling of this famous fairy tale. Cinderella Skeleton by Robert D. San Souci is a book I have enjoyed for ages. Over the last month, Margo and I read it together at least ten times. I’m not sure she understands all the references, but she’s fascinated by the illustrations and she likes the rhythm of the text. Make no bones about it; this book will surely put you in the mood for Halloween. 



Cinderella Skeleton is a lonely ghoul and her evil stepsisters make her life even harder. Living in a mausoleum still means there are chores to be done. Hanging cobwebs, arranging dead flowers- Cinderella Skeleton’s work is never done. When her stepmother doesn’t allow her to go to the ball, she is upset and knows she must find a way to attend. After a visit to the witch in the woods, Cinderella Skeleton finds herself transformed in new clothes and a special evening follows. How will this retelling end? Well, for starters she loses more than a slipper- a bony foot is left behind. Will the prince ever find out who it belongs to or will he live in sadness? Let this book tickle your funny bone as you enjoy all the creepy twists and turns. 

This story will sweep you up into the mystical world of ghouls and spirits! Margo and I love looking at the amazing illustrations by David Catrow. Some may find them a little spooky- but the colors and images gave us just the right amount of spine tingles. Ending the spooky season with this twist on an old favorite was just right. I think it may have influenced Margo’s costume- as she was Cinderella, but she wore her skeleton pajamas underneath!  She can’t get enough of this Halloween tale.
Has anyone else read Cinderella Skeleton? Or have you read another book by Robert D. San Souci? Or perhaps you have read another book illustrated by David Catrow? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~FFEAR NOT THE UNEXPECTED

Answer to Fairday's Riddle: Rattle Your Bones!

Excellent guessing, Riddlers! This week our bones will dance until midnight. Tune in Friday for Lizzy's spooktacular book review to find out how the answer ties into the story. See you all around the book block.