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illustration from the very lovely forthcoming A Leaf Can Be . . . by Laura Purdie Salas, illus. by Violeta Dabija, Millbrook Press, Spring 2012

Check out the flash mob at our company holiday party! We loved our jingle bell rockers!
//www.youtube.com/get_player

I hope your Halloween was as much fun as mine was! Look at what a little creativity with power tools and with some papier mache produced!

Be sure to check in next week for more from TFCB.

[Photos: Eiffel Tower pumpkin, left; papier mache witch, right. Courtesy of Yours Truly.]

I’m just over a week late, but better late than never to say happy blogoversary to us! I checked what Andrew had to say about our blogoversary last year, and it just so happened that it coincided with a preview of our Fall 2010 books on the Fuse #8 blog. Well, as it happens, Betsy’s preview of our Fall 2011 books just went up a few days ago. So happy blogoversary! Happy preview!

And if you’re curious, you can revisit a few of our most popular posts from the last year:

Jeni Reeves on Enrique Esparza and the Battle of the Alamo

A Big Bouffant Is All I Really Want!

10 Quick Facts about Muammar al-Qaddafi and Libya

Now go have some cake!

Many people have been getting ready for Easter this week, while many others have been celebrating Passover. But do you know how the two holidays are linked? A colleague who shares my interest in etymology passed along some info on the origin of the word Easter, as well as the connection to Passover (from History.com), and I can’t resist sharing:

The exact origins of this religious feast day’s name are unknown. Some
sources claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of
spring and fertility. Other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada
alba, or white week, an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing
donned by people who were baptized during that time. Through a translation
error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old High German, which eventually
became Easter in English. In Spanish, Easter is known as Pascua; in French,
Paques. These words are derived from the Greek and Latin Pascha or Pasch, for Passover. Jesus’ crucifixion
and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or
Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites’
exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter.

That’s probably more than any student needs to know. But you can help students increase their cultural understanding of Easter—without the linguistic geek-out—through Millbrook’s Easter around the World. Explore the many ways that kids and families will be celebrating this weekend (and in the weeks to come) around the globe.

Also, happy Earth Day! Enjoy today’s Google doodle and go be kind to the environment: leave the car in the garage, plant a tree, see what you can recycle or reuse instead of throwing it in the trash. (Get crafty!)

Best wishes for any and all holidays you may be celebrating this weekend!

Happy Halloween from Domenica Di Piazza, Editorial Director, TFCB!

NEWS FLASH! The October 1, 2010, issue of Booklist includes a list of Top Ten Health series, including three of our series: USA TODAY Health Reports (TFCB), Body Battles (Millbrook), and Health Zone (Lerner). Click on the live links for more information about each of these series.

HALLOWEEN TIP: Try this easy approach to Halloween pumpkins: raid your basement or your junk drawer for old hooks, doorknobs, window latches, and other such paraphernalia. Create a face or other design on the pumpkin with whatever you find. No more laborious carving out of the pumpkin innards and no more knife work. Of course, the junk-drawer pumpkin doesn’t glow at night…..

Enjoy the festive weekend! And check in next week for more from TFCB.

[photo: courtesy of self]