Sheryl McFarlane

I had the flu this past weekend, but I gather everyone else on the planet was out shopping, including President Barak Obama. According to the White House, here’s the list of books he bought:

List of books purchased by Obama, according to the White House:

“Half Brother” by Kenneth Oppel
“Heart of a Samurai” by Margi Preus
“Flora and Ulysses” by Kate DiCamillo
“Jinx” by Sage Blackwood
“Lulu and the Brontosaurus” by Judith Viorst and Lane Smith
“Ottoline and the Yellow Cat” by Chris Riddell
“Moonday” by Adam Rex
“Journey” by Aaron Becker
“The Lowland” by Jhumpa Lahiri
“Red Sparrow” by Jason Matthews
“Harold and the Purple Crayon” by Crockett Johnson
“A Constellation of Vital Phenomena” by Anthony Marra
“The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance” by David Epstein
“Collision Low Crossers: A Year Inside the Turbulent World of NFL Football” by Nicholas Dawidoff
“Ballad of the Sad Cafe: And Other Stories” by Carson McCullers
“My Antonia” by Willa Cather
“Ragtime” By E.L. Doctorow
“The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
“Buddha in the Attic” by Julie Otsuka
“All That Is” by James Salter
“Wild: From Lost to Found On the Pacific Crest Trail” by Cheryl Strayed

Did you notice that the first book on the list is Half Brother which just so happens to be a great kid’s book written by fellow Canadian Ken Oppel.  Hurray Ken.  There are a few other kid’s book authors on the list too, including one of my favorite writers, Kate DiCamillo.

May I suggest that our Prime Minister Stephen Harper take a page out of Obama’s book and do a little book shopping too! A little support can go a long way Mr. Prime Minister.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all my friends and family to the south.

And to all of you NaNoWriMo fans…2 days to go so get cracking and WRITE WRITE WRITE.

November is Picture Book Month.  In my humble opinion, you’re never too old for picture books.  There are picture books about virtually every topic.  Some are funny. Others are quirky. And still others explore serious subjects.  Some picture books are designed for the very young. And some are clearly sophisticated cross-over books that both children and adults can enjoy.  Here’s a super cute video that gives you a little insight into the wonderful range of picture books.

So, what’s your favorite picture book? Is it one of the wildly popular Scaredy Squirrel books, or a classic like Where the Wild Things Are? Or maybe you’re a fan of Mo Wilms’ quirky  Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.  Or, you might be one of Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever fans who number in the millions. Whatever your taste, there’s a picture book out there waiting to be loved and waiting to be shared.

The New York Times Book Review Announces Annual List of the 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books

One of my absolute favorite books, The Book Thief by Mark Zusak, is being made into a film. I’m really curious to see how they handle “Death,” who narrates this superb crossover novel.  If you haven’t read this yet, I’d suggest you pick it up before seeing the film.

I can’t wait to see the film, but in the meantime, here’s the trailer.