I was excited to learn recently that Spiky, Slimy, Smooth: What Is Texture? by Jane Brocket had won a 2012 Teacher’s Choice Award for Children’s Books. I just now experienced a whole new wave of excitement when I came back from a meeting to discover that this award comes with an honest-to-goodness plaque. Wow! Now […]Read more "An Honest-to-Goodness Plaque"

[I asked production editor Jen Garske to share her thoughts as we head into the holiday season.] Well, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is upon us. Children are making lists of the presents they hope to receive. Adults are making holiday goodies, writing out holiday cards, and doing their holiday shopping. All […]Read more "Giving Back"

Congratulations to Willynate and designhouse9! They are the winners of Ultravioletby R.J. Anderson! Willynate and designhouse9, please send your mailing addresses to lmatvick@lernerbooks.com.After a quick pause last week for Thanksgiving, we’re ready to giveaway a huge prize this week! One lucky winner will receive all six books in our new Searchlight Books–What’s Amazing About Space? […]Read more "Free Book Friday!"

Or is it getting a little listy in here? Congratulations are in order for Steve Brezenoff and Carla Killough McClafferty. Steve’s Brooklyn, Burning made Kirkus’ Best of 2011 list and Carla’s The Many Faces of George Washington nabbed a spot on SLJ’s best-of sheet. Tutti bravi.  Read more "Is it just me?"

On November 19, the fifth annual Children’s Book Fair took place at the Brooklyn Museum. Graphic novelist Laura Lee, author of Page by Paige, shared a table with Graphic Universe’s ebullient Colleen AF Venable, author of our Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye series. Laura offera full report on her blog. Colleen was on hand […]Read more "Brooklyn Children’s Book Festival"

Are you wondering what movies Americans went to see this past Thanksgiving holiday weekend? Here are the Top 5, and three of them are 3D. I went to see Hugo on Saturday afternoon with my father, albeit the 2D version (the 3D showing was sold out). We thought it was a little sappy and wished […]Read more "Top 5 Thanksgiving Movies"

Earlier today, I was looking up something on our website and I happened to choose the “advanced search” option. Wow—I had completely forgotten how many ways you can filter a search. And then after the results come up, you can narrow the results, for example, to show only fiction or only nonfiction. Or only hardcover […]Read more "Looking for Something?"

Thursday night I got some news my brain couldn’t understand or accept. Rosalie Lightning Hart was dead. The words just didn’t make sense. Rosalie was the daughter of two dear friends of mine, Tom Hart and Leela Corman. Tom and Leela are both cartoonists, much-loved by the comics community. Earlier this year they set off […]Read more "Rosalie Lightning Hart, 2009-2011"

In honor of Thanksgiving, I pulled out my copy of Fall Harvests: Bringing in Food by Martha E.H. Rustad. Thanksgiving a time to celebrate the harvest in the United States, but many other countries have their own harvest festivals. Koreans celebrate the Harvest Moon Festival, or Chuseok. The date varies from year to year depending […]Read more "Harvest Festivals"