Kids and Teen Blog

Category: Vancouver

Kick off Christmas With Sara Gillingham and My Little Stocking

by Crystal
Board Books + Events + Kids + Vancouver / November 29, 2011

Get into the holiday spirit by joining us to celebrate the launch of darling new holiday puppet board book, My Little Stocking, by Sara Gillingham. 

Sunday, December 4th from 4-5 at Dilly Dally Kids – 1161 Commercial Drive(at William) in Vancouver.

Sara Gillingham will give a presentation of the book and then help the little ones make a "My Little Ornament" take home keepsake. 

For more information contact Dilly Dally Kids at 604-252-9727.

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8 Year Old Sophie France Writes About Meeting Annie Barrows

by Crystal
Events + Guest Blogger + Kids + Vancouver / November 18, 2011

On November 1st I had the great pleasure of spending the day with author extraordinaire, Annie Barrows. Annie is the author of the hilarious Ivy and Bean Series.

Annie and I got into all kinds of mischief together, including riding a giant teacup at Chapters Robson and taking a well deserved break on the Raincoast boardroom table after signing a few hundred copies of Ivy and Bean No News Is Good News. (See photographic evidence.)

Annie is such a blast to hang out with. One of my favorite things about her is the way she interacts with the kids who come out to her events.

My good friend Hanna, who writes the blog The Famished Foodies, was at the event with her 8 year old daughter Sophie. I decided that instead of me telling you about my day with Annie it would be more interesting to hear about one of Annie's events through the eyes of a child. Sophie, an aspiring illustrator and writer was happy to oblige. Take it away Sophie!

Let's run! I was pulling along my mom to see Annie Barrows. It was a chilly night and it was already dark after our warm sushi dinner. We were forty minutes early and I got what I wanted. Front row seats!

 

Annie Barrows is a famous writer of my favourite books. She wrote all of the Ivy and Bean books and also The Magic Half. And she uses tons of juicy words. My teacher likes those juicy words. I love Ivy because she reads a lot and so do I. And I like Bean a lot because she's goofy. I am the goofiest! All of Annie Barrows' stories are funny, realistic and wonderful. One time, in What's the Big Idea?, Ivy and Bean made a million and seven science potions in their house. This got messy. This is something I do. (But I haven't done a million and seven.) Yet. 

 

Sitting in the front row with my new hardcover, No News is Good News, I saw my friend, Emma, from school and invited her to squeeze in next

 to me. I was really excited and I had to talk and talk and we laughed and laughed until it was time to listen. And then there was Annie Barrows. She read four chapters of this great new book and it was very funny. She was funny too! She even brought a cheeseball covered with red wax just like in the story. 

 

 

After her reading, she answered questions like which book was the easiest and which was the hardest to write. By the way, the hardest book was Doomed to Dance and the easiest was Ivy and Bean, the first one. Then she signed books and wrote "Say cheeeeese!" in mine. See? She's funny.

At home that night I only read two chapters but I finished the book the next evening. I'm really excited to wait for the next book but while I wait, I'll be reading the series over again from the beginning. When I grow up I will definitely be an illustrator and now I think I may be a writer too!

By Sophie France Ahn, age 8!

A special thanks to Kidsbooks for hosting two fabulous Ivy and Bean events, to Hanna Ahn (Zuzu Photography) for her beautiful photographs (last two in this post) and for having such a talented daughter, to Annie Barrows for another fabulous day together in Vancouver and to Sophie for her incredible blog post. 

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Annie Barrows Returns to Kidsbooks

by Crystal
Events + Kids + Vancouver / October 21, 2011

Annie Barrows the author of the bestselling Ivy and Bean Series is returning to Vancouver for the North American Launch of Ivy And Bean No News Is Good News with Kidsbooks.

Two fabulous events to choose from. 

In North Vancouver:

Tuesday November 1st at 4 pm at North Van District Library, Lynn Valley Branch, Community Meeting Room
1277 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver
For more information, call Kidsbooks in the Village at   604-986-6190 

In Vancouver: 

Tuesday November 1st at 7 pm
West Point Grey United Church Sanctuary
4595 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver
For more information, call Kidsbooks at 604-738-5335  

Don't delay! Call and reserve your tickets early in order to avoid disappointment. 

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Intern Insights: Thanks for the Little Things

by Janet
Fiction + Vancouver + YA Fiction / October 11, 2011

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a great long weekend. It was Canadian Thanksgiving and I definitely got my fill of stuffing and mashed potatoes (I'm a vegetarian so no turkey for me). I got to thinking about things I'm grateful for, this internship definitely being one of them, and it's always the small things that make a place great.

The Little Things:

• Office Supplies:
  Who doesn't love office supplies? From the feel of a fresh new pen on a brand new Moleskine to colourful sticky notes and pink paperclips? I cleaned up my desk today with stackable trays and that definitely brings a smile to my face!

  

• Tea:
  I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I can definitely finish off three cups or more of tea. Any kind: I love earl greys, greens, whites and blacks! A hot steaming cup, sometimes sweetened, sometimes with milk or cream - no matter how it's prepared it's always a warm and uplifting drink. Perfect for those rainy Vancouver days. (Crystal is tea lover as well!)

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” ~C.S. Lewis

•  A good book:
  One of the perks of being an intern at a book distributor is access to advanced copies! Tempest is a hot new young adult book from St. Martin's press and has already been slated for a movie by Summit Entertainment (Twilight). Julie Cross debuts with this fast and action packed time jumping novel. The narrator is a teenaged boy, rare in the world of YA books, but don't let that scare you, when this comes out (January 2012) I suggest you pick it up!
  Romance and young love, secrets and government spies and time travelling! What more could you ask for in a good weekend book?
   

What are you thankful for? I’d love to hear in the comments or let me know by email.

I'll leave off with a lovely comic about reading (I think we can all relate):

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The Intern Journals: Week One

by Janet
Kids + Picture Books + Vancouver / October 06, 2011

Imagine an office space: keyboards clicking away, the quiet humming of the air conditioner and the comfort of an ergonomic office chair. This isn't any office though, there are books everywhere. There's a staff library, there's an advanced reading copy library, there are books being shipped out and in and a huge warehouse filled and filled with books! Not to mention the many I have on my desk.

This is the Raincoast office and I am Janet, the new publicity intern and I've just survived my first week!

First off I have my own desk! This is pretty exciting to have your own workspace: 

I remember asking myself when I was lucky enough to grab this opportunity, "What is a publicist?" I had no idea what kind of work I'd be doing, I just knew I wanted to be a part of the publishing and book world. I did a quick Google search but there wasn't too much other than the vague "generate publicity" answer, I guess I'd have to wait until my first day to see!

My tasks so far have included creating Press Releases and mailing out books. A publicist will create a Press Release (pictured to the right) to build up hype. This document will detail a book's synopsis, rave reviews and an 'about the author' paired with the book's cover. Then we send these to media outlets!

I also mailed out books to reviewers today; we're crossing our fingers that they will promote them with good reviews. Today I mailed out two childrens'’ books to various magazine and newspaper reviewers.

One of the books was A Dog is a Dog by Stephen Shaskan. This picture book is a great and fun story filled with vivid illustrations; I was smiling at every turn of the page! I know my little sister and brother would laugh out loud at each hilarious revelation. Definitely recommended!

 

The other book we mailed out was The Crown on Your Head by Nancy Tillman. It reads like a dream, the pages are filled with gorgeous landscapes and ethereal children and animals. This is a beautiful book filled with love and self-esteem boosters. One of my favourite quotes with how Tillman describes our crowns:

"It was made up of glittering, sparkling things

Like moonlight, and fireflies, and dragon wings."

Well Thursday is almost over and I will be back next week for some more Intern insights. Happy Thanksgiving!
 

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Ivy and Bean Day November 12! Stores and Libraries Order Your Materials!

by Crystal
Events + Kids + Vancouver / September 21, 2011

November 11th is Ivy + Bean Day! If you aren't familiar with Ivy and Bean you are sorely missing out. Ivy and Bean are the lovable characters in the bestselling series by Annie Barrows. Two young girls who are sure that they won't like each other, but become best friends anyways. Their favorite activities? Bugging Bean's older sister, causing mischief and of course, spending time together. "A little bit bad and a whole lot funny", Ivy and Bean bring me right back to my childhood reading Beverly Cleary's Ramona books. 

What Ivy + Bean day mean's for you:

If you are a school, library or bookseller head over to the Ivy + Bean Day website, download and request materials to help you celebrate! But do it fast! Supplies are limited. 

If you are an Ivy + Bean fan contact your local bookstore, library or school and ask them to throw an Ivy + Bean celebration. Direct them to this page for all the info they will need to throw and Ivy + Bean party. 

Also make sure to check out all the Ivy + Bean fun and games that are available all year long on the Chronicle Books website. Every day can be Ivy + Bean day!

If you live in Vancouver you are especially lucky! Annie Barrow's will be launching Ivy + Bean Book 8: No News Is Good News with Kidsbooks on November 1st. Stay tuned for more information. 

Make sure to "like" Ivy + Bean on Facebook! 

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Notes From A Children’s Book Publicist- Volume Eight

by Crystal
Kids + Vancouver + YA Fiction / August 10, 2011

One of the weirdest things about the publishing world is how far in advance you work on books. Our national accounts manager and sales manager were at Chronicle Books a month ago learning about books being published Spring 2012 already, books that I am sure have been in the works for awhile.

Here in Publicity Land we are right in the thick of fall and getting ready for winter. Every day more and more of the fall books are arriving in our warehouse (see below) and landing on our publicity mailout tables.

The person who delivers our books tells us how bad he feels for us, saying that it feels like we can never make a dent in the books piling up on our table. Other collegues just make comments, saying things like "We have guests coming into the building this week, you really should clean your tables off." Oh, little do they know the life of a publicist. LOL. Our work tables are a constant rotation of new, fascinating titles. So I thought I would give you a little tour of what is down their right now.

Down The Mysterly River. Not only is there a copy of this on my mailout table, there is also a copy on my nightstand. Yes, this is the book that I am currently reading. Just a few chapters in and I know this book will be one that I talk about for months to come. It is about a boyscout who wakes up in the woods with no inkling of where he is or how he got there. He sets out on a journey to try to solve the mystery and soon finds that he can understand what the animals in the forest are saying. Is he dreaming? Is he dead? Heck if I know. Hopefully I'll have time to really delve into this book this weekend.  The book in this photo is the last sample I have here at work. I did a huge mailout earlier this week. I always try to keep one around in case there is someone who I missed. This is also the first book that I have worked on with the folks from Tor (who are really fantastic.)

 

The Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure Mars and The Worst-Case Scenario Survive-o-pedia. One of my favorite series of books as a kid were the Choose Your Own Adventure series. I read them over and over  trying to get new storylines each time I read. Worst-Case Scenario has taken that concept and created their Ultimate Adventure Series (which started out with Ultimate Adventure Everest this summer). Worst-Case Scenario is always pushing the boundries and creating new concepts. They also have their new Survive-o-pedia format coming out this fall, it is so much fun and you will learn new things every time you read (and re-read) it.

It's A Little Book. I am prone to squealing, and there was definitely some squealing happening this afternoon when I went downstairs and saw that the fabulous Lane Smith's new book, It's A Little Book, had arrived. So cute and the perfect companion to Lane's previous picture book It's A Book. Make sure you check out the trailer's for Lane's two Fall 2011 books that I posted on the blog a few weeks ago. 

Darker Still and Cinder. These were the last two novels that I read (I'm on a bit of a YA kick right now). Both are the first books in new fiction series for teens. Darker Still is about a mute teenager living in New York in 1882. Her father works for the museum and one day she discovers that their is life within one of the paintings. Cinder is a futuristic Cinderella story in which Cinderella is a cyborg living in New Beijing. I have a feeling that this series will be the next "big thing".  Both were so good and impossible to put down. I can't wait for the next books in the series. 

One Love. Last but not least. Last week I told you all about Cedella Marley's fabulous book One Love and now the finished books have arrived! Such a feel good story based on an equally feel good song. Make sure to check out the trailer in last week's blog post.

That's it for now! What have you all been reading this summer?

Happy Reading!

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Notes From A Children’s Book Publicist- Volume Seven- One Love

by Crystal
Kids + Vancouver / August 04, 2011

Growing up my Dad had an incredible collection of vinyl records. My memories of childhood include waking up Sunday mornings to the smell of blueberry pancakes cooking and the sounds of Bob Marley, Crosby Still and Nash, Paul Simon, Bill Withers, Van Morrison and other great artists playing on the record player. 

I was one of the lucky few to attend the Fall 2011 Launch at Chronicle Books in January. My buddy Pete who attended with me can attest that I squealed a little bit when One Love by Cedella Marley was announced.

The presenters played a video that Cedella had created for us telling her story of growing up with Bob Marley as a father. She said as a child she and her brother's and sisters didn't realize that their father was famous. They thought that their dad wrote the music for them and they each had their own songs that their dad sang to them. One of Cedella's songs was One Love. It wasn't until she got a bit older that she realized that her father was a famous musician.

One Love is Cedella's adaptation of her father's song of love. Here is a sneek peak. I hope that you are excited about it as I am! 

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Notes From A Children’s Book Publicist- Volume Six

by Crystal
Kids + News + Picture Books + Vancouver + YA Fiction / July 13, 2011

 

 

Happy Reading!

Crystal

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Notes From A Children’s Book Publicist- Volume Four

by Crystal
Kids + News + Picture Books + Vancouver + YA Fiction / June 01, 2011

 

There are oh so many reasons that I love my job. Please. Who wouldn't love being surrounded by fun kids books all day? Here are my top 5 reasons I love my job:

 

 

1. The people I work with. They really are super fab! These are just a few of them.

2. The insanely talented editors that I get to work with and the fun mail that they send me. For example check out the summer issue of The Magazine below, visit them online and pick up an issue on newstands now. Their are reviews of Cinderella Ninja Warrior, I'm Not Her, The Big Book of Spy Stuff, The Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure Everest and Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings.

3. The super knowledgeable stores that I get to work with. Check out the store front of Kidsbooks right now and their Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure Everest Window!

4. The authors, publishers and incredible publicity departments at those publishers. What other girl get's to say that she works with Chronicle, Gibbs Smith, Lonely Planet, Moleskine, New Harbinger, Silver Dolphin, Simply Read and Sourcebooks every day?

5. The books. Because really, at the end of the day, that is why I do what I do. Because of the mountains of beautiful, moving, funny, clever, magical books that transport me and anyone else who is a kid at heart to other worlds.

And that is why I do what I do! 

Happy Reading!

Crystal

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