Maine Humanities Council

Not Norman by Kelly Bennett, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones, is one of five books that Raising Readers included in an anthology of Maine stories for pediatricians to give to 5-year-olds. Noah Z. Jones lives in Maine, and recently read Not Norman aloud for the Born to Read program. You can find this book, or the Raising Readers anthology, at your local library.

Text copyright 2005 by Kelly Bennett. Illustrations copyright 2005 by Noah Jones. Reproduced by permission of Candlewick Press, Inc., Somerville, MA.

 

 Not Norman [4:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (273)

Love and Kisses by Sarah Wilson, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, is one of five books that Raising Readers included in an anthology of Maine stories for pediatricians to give to 5-year-olds. Melissa Sweet lives in Maine, and the Born to Read program recently visited her studio, where she read Love and Kisses aloud. You can find the book or the Raising Readers anthology at your local library.

Text copyright 1999 by Sarah Wilson. Illustrations copyright 1999 by Melissa Sweet. Reproduced by permission of Candlewick Press, Inc., Somerville, MA.

 

 Love and Kisses [2:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (279)

Library Lion by Michelle Knudson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, is one of five books that Raising Readers included in an anthology of Maine stories for pediatricians to give to 5-year-olds. Kevin Hawkes lives in Maine, and the Born to Read program recently visited his studio, where he talked about Library Lion and read the first few pages aloud. You can find a recording of the entire book in audiobook read-along format from Live Oak Media here, or at your local library.

Text and illustrations copyright 2006 by Candlewick Press, Inc. Audio copyright 2007 by Live Oak Media. Permission to record this excerpt was granted by Live Oak Media.

 

 Library Lion [7:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (247)

School librarian Connie Burns of South Portland is a steadfast supporter of the Maine Student Book Award program. Here, she presents the winning book from the 2006-07 school year: Rules (Scholastic, 2006) by Maine’s own Cynthia Lord. Part of the first chapter from the audiobook, performed by Jessica Almasy and published by Recorded Books, is excerpted here. Connie Burns introduces the excerpt, then previews the rest of the story and explains how you can get involved with the Maine Student Book Awards.

The audiobook excerpt is included with permission from Recorded Books. You can find the full audiobook at your library. We welcome your feedback on this book talk.

 

 A Librarian's Introduction to Rules [12:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (339)

Another contender for a Maine Student Book Award in 2008-09 is Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party (Random House, 2007) by Ying Chang Compestine (pictured at right). This novel about life in China during the Cultural Revolution is based on the author’s own experiences. The first chapter from the audiobook, performed by Jodi Long and published by Listening Library (an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group), is excerpted here. South Portland school librarian Connie Burns introduces the excerpt, then previews the rest of the story and explains how you can get involved with the Maine Student Book Awards.

We welcome your feedback on this book talk.

 

 Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party [21:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (229)

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell, illustrated by Jonathan Bean (Henry Holt, 2007), is intended for children ages 8-12, but its whimsy and wit broaden its appeal. The novel was chosen as one of School Library Journal’s Best Books of 2007, and now it’s a contender for a Maine Student Book Award in 2008-09. Here, school librarian Connie Burns introduces the story and reads the first chapter aloud. You can find the book at your library. A complete professional recording by Full Cast Audio will be available in the fall of 2009.

We welcome your feedback on this book talk.

 

 Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat [17:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (364)