How did it get to be almost October?
October is one of my favorite months because it means pumpkins and cool apples and hayrides. It means first fires in the fireplace and leaf-colored hikes. And this year, it means that OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW will be a real live book in bookstores. Some very nice people have been saying very nice things about it lately…like the folks at “Kiss the Book,” a blog for K-12 librarians, and “A Year of Reading,” which said:
This is the story of a father and daughter who are skiing across the snow. But as the ski over the snow, they are aware of all the things going on under the snow. Honestly, I had no idea about this “subnivean zone” until I read about it in this book. But Kate does a great job of making the idea accessible to children by showing us what happens over the snow at the same time so much is happening under the snow. The author’s notes at the end provide a great deal more information on the subnivean zone as well as the many animals in the story. The art is gorgeous and almost makes me wish for winter! I can’t wait to share this one with students–closer to winter time, I think!
And this from Kirkus Reviews:
The lyrical descriptions of the text and the gray/brown/ice-blue palette of the illustrations leave readers with a retro feel that harkens back to earlier days of children’s books and bygone times when life seemed simpler. Utterly charming, and informative, to boot; readers brought up on a diet of rhymes, bright colors and adorable fluffy animals will find its simple beauty a balm.
If you’d like a signed copy of OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW but can’t make one of my upcoming events, just call The Bookstore Plus at 518-523-2950 to order a personalized signed copy. They’ll get it in the mail to you right after my signing there on October 22nd.
So where has September gone? I’ve been Skyping with lots and lots of amazing readers, of all different ages, like these second graders, whose teacher, Mrs. Phillips, blogged about our virtual author visit.
I also Skyped with this terrific group of girls…
…who are not only great readers but great runners, too! They’re part of Natick Fit Girls, an organization that works with fifth grade girls as they train for a 5K race…and read a book together! They chose THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. since Gianna is a fellow runner. Here they are getting ready for their 5K.
I also enjoyed a lovely day at the Burlington Book Festival on Saturday, and I took some great photos, I’m sure. However, I suspect that the cord that connects my camera to my computer is buried under a ragged mountain of papers, books, and (thanks to my daughter’s school project) cut-up cereal boxes. Photos will be forthcoming…just as soon as I unearth that cord. For now, you can go see some at Cynthia Lord’s blog. She was there, too, and apparently has a neater desk.