children\'s literature

Painless Junior: Writing (Barrons Painless Junior Series)

Kids travel with Sammy Octopus on a reading and writing adventure. They are encouraged to try different methods of writing and see which way works best for them. They also learn the value of revising and editing, engage in activities that help them make good word choices, and get practice in descriptive writing, letter writing, report writing, poetry, and much more.

Teachers in grades 3 and 4 will appreciate the new Painless Junior Series of classroom helpers. Designed to resemble titles in Barron’s Painless Series— which are used in middle school and high school classrooms—the Painless Junior books feature larger page sizes, amusing illustrations, games, puzzles, and an approach to their subjects that reflects third- and fourth-grade curricula. Their purpose is to inject an element of enjoyment into subjects that many younger students find either boring or mystifying. Kids’ understanding will improve as they have fun learning.

Kingdom of Fear : Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century

Kingdom of Fear is billed as a memoir, but in essence, all of Hunter S. Thompson's books could fit into this category since his life and work have always been tightly bound together by a mythology largely of his own making. (After all, this is the man who, before earning a single dollar as a writer, began meticulously saving a copy of every letter he ever sent.) Still, this is certainly an unconventional memoir, but then what would you expect from the father of gonzo journalism? In these pages Thompson manages to dig deep and reveal a few "loathsome secrets" without offering the kind of personal details he has always avoided. His childhood, for instance, is basically summed up in a sentence: "I look back on my youth with great fondness, but I would not recommend it as a working model to others." He does, however, reflect upon his considerable legacy, including his well-known, and admittedly exaggerated, use of controlled substances ("The brutal reality of politics alone would probably be intolerable without drugs"), as well as offer assessments of his own work, such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ("It's as good as The Great Gatsby and better than The Sun Also Rises").

In this collection of twisted parables and outlaw adventures, Thompson writes about his early run-ins with agents of authority and the lessons learned; his stint in the Air Force and the beginning of his journalism career; his unsuccessful, though illuminating, bid for Sheriff of Aspen, Colorado in 1970 as the Freak Power candidate; the casualties and unintended consequences thus far in the War on Terror; and numerous examples of present-day injustice and hypocrisy--all with his characteristic mix of brutal frankness laced with humor. He also offers his own take on state of the Union: "The prevailing quality of life in America--by any accepted methods of measuring--was inarguably freer and more politically open under Nixon than it is today in this evil year of Our Lord 2002." Thompson continues to make even the most deadly serious subject matter endlessly entertaining. --Shawn Carkonen

Brilliant, provocative, outrageous, and brazen, Hunter S. Thompson's infamous rule breaking -- in his journalism, in his life, and under the law -- changed the shape of American letters, and the face of American icons. Kingdom of Fear traces the course of Thompson's life as a rebel -- from a smart-mouthed Kentucky kid flaunting all authority to a convention-defying journalist who came to personify a wild fusion of fact, fiction, and mind-altering substances.

Call it the evolution of an outlaw. Here are the formative experiences that comprise Thompson's legendary trajectory alongside the weird and the ugly. Whether detailing his exploits as a foreign correspondent in Rio, his job as night manager of the notorious O'Farrell Theatre in San Francisco, his epic run for sheriff of Aspen on the Freak Power ticket, or the sensational legal maneuvering that led to his full acquittal in the famous 99 Days trial, Thompson is at the peak of his narrative powers in Kingdom of Fear. And this boisterous, blistering ride illuminates as never before the professional and ideological risk taking of a literary genius and transgressive icon.

Children's Literature, Briefly (3rd Edition)

This compact and conversationally-written book focuses on children's literature genres. Excellent for those encouraging young readers, it includes four highly personal booklists for each genre chapter. An accompanying CD-ROM with user-friendly programming lists more than 15,000 titles searchable by author, title, illustrator, publisher, copyright, grade level, genre, topics, description, awards, or user comments. This exceptional resource for choosing children's literature allows readers to create their own library of children's book titles. The 4-color illustration guide gives readers a variety of illustrative styles, and helpful appendices provide additional resources for exploring magazines and audiovisuals. This book highlights the authors' “best picks,” letting readers know what literature children particularly enjoy. It comprehensively covers books and their content, describing the meaning of a “good” book, categories of children's literature, fantasy, fiction, biography, informational books, picture books, poetry, multicultural and international books, and controversial books. In section three, the classroom is explored; it shows the best ways to build a children's library. An excellent resource for educators of young children, this book can also serve as a personal guide for parents who wish to build a child-friendly collection of books.

Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom

Ursula Nordstrom, editorial director of Harper's Department of Books for Boys and Girls from 1940 to 1973 and a formidable creative force in 20th-century children's book publishing, was responsible for polishing and shepherding countless dog-eared classics from Where the Wild Things Are to Charlotte's Web to Harriet the Spy. One of the most remarkable things about this extraordinary woman was her prolific correspondence with her cherished team of children's book authors and illustrators, all of whom she liked to call "Genius." Fortunately, many of her letters--warm, witty, temperamental, flattering, extravagant, self-deprecating, sympathetic, and always human--have been culled from HarperCollins's archives, gathered from many generous individuals, and arranged in chronological order by the noted biographer and critic Leonard S. Marcus. The result is Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom, complete with black-and-white photographs, extensive footnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

In this fascinating behind-the-scenes look at children's book publishing, letters to Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendak, Laura Ingalls Wilder, John Steptoe, and Kay Thompson reveal a woman on an unorthodox quest to wrench children's literature from the stultifying clutches of sentimental illusion and false piety. Her dedication to creative, honest, original, non-condescending books for children changed the landscape of children's literature forever. As Marcus writes in his introduction, "...her letters have much to tell about the arts of writing, illustrating, and editing; the social history of the twentieth century; and the pivotal role that books, and a love of books, can play in children's lives. To read the letters is to receive a many-faceted education from a teacher of rare insight, good humor, and lively humanity. I am glad that readers will now be able to share in the experience."

Amazon.com Ursula Nordstrom, editorial director of Harper's Department of Books for Boys and Girls from 1940 to 1973 and a formidable creative force in 20th-century children's book publishing, was responsible for polishing and shepherding countless dog-eared classics from Where the Wild Things Are to Charlotte's Web to Harriet the Spy. One of the most remarkable things about this extraordinary woman was her prolific correspondence with her cherished team of children's book authors and illustrators, all of whom she liked to call "Genius." Fortunately, many of her letters--warm, witty, temperamental, flattering, extravagant, self-deprecating, sympathetic, and always human--have been culled from HarperCollins's archives, gathered from many generous individuals, and arranged in chronological order by the noted biographer and critic Leonard S. Marcus. The result is Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom, complete with black-and-white photographs, extensive footnotes, a bibliography, and an index. In this fascinating behind-the-scenes look at children's book publishing, letters to Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendak, Laura Ingalls Wilder, John Steptoe, and Kay Thompson reveal a woman on an unorthodox quest to wrench children's literature from the stultifying clutches of sentimental illusion and false piety. Her dedication to creative, honest, original, non-condescending books for children changed the landscape of children's literature forever. As Marcus writes in his introduction, "...her letters have much to tell about the arts of writing, illustrating, and editing; the social history of the twentieth century; and the pivotal role that books, and a love of books, can play in children's lives. To read the letters is to receive a many-faceted education from a teacher of rare insight, good humor, and lively humanity. I am glad that readers will now be able to share in the experience."

New to North America: Writing by U.S. Immigrants, Their Children and Grandchildren

New to North America is a collection of fiction, essays, poetry and memoir that documents the experiences and contributions of three critical generations from immigrant to second generation American. While the complex subject of immigration has been oversimplified by national headlines, the voices of immigrants have often been excluded from the debate. Our authors examine issues of identity, memory, assimilation, language, acceptance, struggle and the presence of the "American Dream." Used in history, anthrology, ethnic studies, geography and college composition classes, this text continues to voice relevant cultural themes.

Express Yourself 101 For Your Eyes Only VOLUME 2

An anthology featuring writers from the past, present and future. Part 1 - Once Upon a Time George Canning, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Khalil Gibran, Rudyard Kipling, Harold Munro, William Morris, Christina Rossetti, William Shakespeare, Ella Wheeler Wilcox Part 2 - After That Herminia Vivancos Part 3 - In Addition Elizabeth Aguilar, W. Jude Aher, Kevin Paul Alawine, Miriam Arango, Milagros Avila, Prmod Bafna, Therese Young Belisle, Alexander Bernace, Dev Bhardwaj, Zoyla Córdoba, Rachelle Arlin Credo, Alain E. Dardé, Chantal Dardé, Maggie Dardé, Gail Deemer, Carolina de la Uz, Juan del Cerro, Elena Diaz-Orta, Juana Escorbort Encarnación, Erik Estabrook, Andi Fisher, Mary García, Stacy Goll, Milena Gomez, Sergio Guzman, Beverly Houck, Jasmine Kang, Penn Kemp, Eda Marie LaPolt, Barbara Ledford Wright, Blanche L. Ledford, Brenda Kay Ledford, Michael Levy, Miriam Lorenzo, Michaela Macha, Joan Marques, PhD., Renee Matthews-Jackson, J. Michaels, Alina Monnar, Lipipuspa Nayak, PhD., Radha Binod Nayak, PhD., Daniel North, Jenny Ovalles, Hrusikesh Panda, PhD., Margaret Paniagua, David Pereda, José Luciano Piloto, Margarita Piloto, Dorin Popa, PhD., Charles P. Ries, Kimberly D. Robinson, Alexander Shaumyan, Miryam Shields, Adrian Spendlow, Rose Mary Stiffin, PhD., Linda Stypulkowski, Kathy Vasilas, Matthew Williams, J. Allen Wilson, S. S. Wong, Yujiro Part 4 - Furthermore Brandon Apagüeño, Kristin Aughenbaugh, Mitzi Bello, Rachel Bernhardt-Licea, Dayana Blandon, Mario Caraballo, Caitie Chrismon, Jacquelyn Conde, Lesley de la Uz, Alexandra Fernandez, Gabriel Fernandez, Johanna Gonzalez, Tania Gonzalez, Dakota R. Lipton, Amanda Lopez, Alberto Monnar, Alex Monnar, Anna Monnar, Alex Perez, Amanda Piloto, Andrea Piloto, José Piloto II, Jonathan Ruano, Justin Ruano, Alexander Sanchez, Giselle Talavera, Laurence Philip Tommasi, Jr., Annette Valls, Tiany Vasallo, Giovanna Velasco, Ibrain Zirini Part 5 - Before I Go Ana Monnar

In a New Land: An Anthology of Immigrant Literature

Creating Picturebooks: Interviews with Editors, Art Directors, Reviewers, Booksellers, Professors, Librarians and Showcasers

How are children's picturebook proposals chosen for publication? What characteristics of picturebooks promise success? How much input do the artist-authors have once their proposals have been accepted by a publisher?

The dynamic process of producing picturebooks is charmingly revealed through interviews with those directly involved from start to finish (including two galleries devoted to displaying the art). In the United States, picturebooks have accounted for $2 billion in sales in a recent year. Compiled from interviews with editors, art directors, and production managers from both British (e.g., Anderson Press, Victor Gollancz, and Walker Books) and American publishers (e.g., Farrar, Straus, and Giroux; Houghton Mifflin, Candlewick Press, and Random House), this book reveals how the creative process works within the business of publishing. The interviews with reviewers and booksellers help provide a well-rounded perspective.

Keeping a Road Journal.: An article from: U.S. Kids

This digital document is an article from U.S. Kids, published by Children's Better Health Institute on July 1, 2000. The length of the article is 1329 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Keeping a Road Journal.
Author: Joy Beck
Publication: U.S. Kids (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2000
Publisher: Children's Better Health Institute
Volume: 13 Issue: 5 Page: 14

Distributed by Thomson Gale

A Student's Guide to T. S. Eliot (Understanding Literature)