Book2Movie Alert: The Tale of Despereaux

Kate DeCamillo’s Newberry Award winning book, The Tale of Despereaux, hits the big screen today!

I’m hearing that in some ways it’s actually better than the book (I can’t believe it!) and in others it’s not as good (isn't that what I always say). I had so much fun reading the book, I’ll have to check it out for myself.

For more reading fun, be sure to read my previous post and visit The Tale of Despereaux movie website.



Enjoy the holidays. I'll see ya in January!

A Christmas Carol is Not Just Another Holiday Book

A Christmas Carol was published on December 19, 1843. We’re still reading that baby 165 years later. That’s some book!

These days there’s a whole boatload of movies too.

Lots of people say this book changed the way we celebrate Christmas. The author, Charles Dickens, focused on the importance of family and the joy of giving.

Before A Christmas Carol there were no Christmas cards, no Christmas turkeys, no Christmas trees in homes, no Christmas lights, and no Christmas presents. Yeah, read this and think of Christmas in a new way. Be thankful in a new way.

I say that’s the ultimate in reading fun.

It’s All About the Gingerbread

Christmas always reminds me of gingerbread houses. Play games here. Find out how to make one here.

Gingerbread houses always remind me of Hansel and Gretel. Find some fun books to read here.

Hansel and Gretel always remind me of… of… Huh. Hansel and Gretel remind me of gingerbread houses. Go figure.

Enter the Harper Holidays Sweepstakes!

Lucky! Ten people will win a Holiday Gift Box of books from HarperCollins. The winners get to choose from six different prize packs. You can enter here.

Naturally, I’d pick the kids books. Cuz… hello… they’re the best!

You’ve got to be 18 years old to be eligible. So, if you’re not, find someone who is. The last day to enter is December 22nd. You can read the other rules here.

Elf Yourself for Free

A dear friend sent this to my family last year—and I just can’t get enough!

Elf Yourself, courtesy of OfficeMax, is crazy fun! Create an emailable, dancing video of yourself and up to four of your friends and family.

When you get done laughing yourself silly and want to have more fun—go read some elf books.

National Poinsettia Day

Apparently today is National Poinsettia Day. I don’t even know what to say about that.

Stop and smell the poinsettias?

Yeah, that’s it.

And while you’re at it… read for fun. Here’s the Best Books of 2008 list from The Horn Book.

And wouldn’t you know it, there are even a few poinsettia books for kids.

Book2DVD Alert: Horton Hears a Who!

Yikes! I missed the release of Horton Hears a Who!

It’s out. Go get it!

And check out the website. There’s Fun and Games and Downloads and all sorts of cool stuff.

I must admit, I am a huge Dr. Seuss fan. He is quite possibly my favorite author.

So, I say after you watch the movie, you should read all his books. Just for fun!

Oh where, oh where has Cheri been?

Lately, the Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshop, school, and Christmas have been getting more of my attention than this blog. I’m glad I put those things first, but I’m itchin to get back you all!

I’ll try to have a little something for you tomorrow.

Oooh. My Inkdeath review appeared on the Well-Read Child last Friday. That’ll keep you busy for a while.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

I think I said all there is to say about J.K.’s new book in my previous post.

I hope you pre-ordered. If you didn’t, quit waiting around—it’ll be in stores this Thursday. This is reading fun you definitely don’t want to miss!

Book2Movie Alert: Marley & Me

John Grogan wrote Marley & Me about his real-life experience with a wild-and-crazy Labrador Retriever. Now there are a whole slew of Marley & Me books. One for every age group. You should definitely read at least one for fun!

And on Christmas Day there’ll be a movie too. It looks seriously funny.

And cute.

And wild!

And you’ll love it a lot more if you’ve already read the book.

Day After Thanksgiving

It’s the day after Thanksgiving. I’m taking the day off.

Kickin back. Chillaxin.

And putting up my Christmas tree.

I’ll be back Monday.

See ya!

Cheri Williams’s Thanksgiving Advice

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Here is my expert Thanksgiving advice:

Hang out with people you love.
And with people who love you.
Eat good food.
But not too much.
Be thankful.
Be thankful.
Be thankful.
And forget about football.
Read for fun!

Charles M. Schultz Birthday

Charles Schulz, creator of Snoopy and the beloved Peanuts gang, would have been 86 today.

He was the most widely syndicated cartoonist ever. His work appeared in over 2,300 newspapers and he published more than 1400 books. He won both the Peabody and Emmy. Wow. What a legacy.

Read some fun Peanuts trivia and comic strips.



Thank you, Charles!

Christmas Countdown

There’re 30 days til Christmas. And counting.

Do you have books on your Christmas list? Have you let the right people know about these books?

It’s time.

Make a list. Check it twice.

Be precise.

What are you waiting for?

Did you forget how to find fun books to read? Check my past posts here, here, here, and here.

People love to give books for gifts.

If you ask for books, I’m pretty sure you’ll get more presents ;0)

Book Alert: How to Talk to Girls

How to Talk to Girls. Advice for boys of all ages to talk to girls they like. Advice like…

Comb your hair and don't wear sweats

Control your hyperness (cut down on the sugar if you have to), and

Don't act desperate

This picture book sounds like serious reading fun. But the reason I’m totally stoked is because the author, Alex Greven, is nine years old. Yep, you heard me right. Nine.

A nine-year old author.

Sweet.

Alex wrote the book for a school assignment. His teacher gave it to the principal who suggested he have it bound. Then Alex sold it at the school’s book fair, sent a copy to the local news station, and appeared on the news and the Ellen Degeneres Show. Now it’s been published by HarperCollins and is due in stores tomorrow. See the whole story here.

So, I just want to say—kids rock! When we follow our dreams, there’s no telling how far we can go.

But wait... there’s more. Alex also has two books coming out in the spring—How to Talk to Moms and How to Talk to Dads. And, he’s donating part of his earnings to Stand Up 2 Cancer.

This is a kid who’s following his heart and making a difference. What would your heart like to do? You can start now—whether you’re nine. Or ninety.

PW's Best Books of the Year

Publishers Weekly, the leader in book news, just released their Best Books of 2008 list. You can read it here. The kids’ books are down at the bottom.

I gotta go. I’ve got some books to get! I’m gonna have me some reading fun!

Movie Alert: Disney’s Bolt

Just a reminder.

Bolt.

In theatres.

Friday.

You still have time to read the book. It will make seeing the movie more fun. I promise. Read my previous post, and see the preview here.

DVD Alert: WALL-E

At last we can get another dose of that irresistible robot WALL-E. I just love that guy! He’s cute, he’s fun, and he saves the world. What more can you ask for?

Read some books. Play some games. And watch that DVD!

If you missed my take on WALL-E, you can read it here.

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse

Mickey first hit the big screen in Steamboat Willie on November 18, 1928, so I figure that makes today his birthday. He seriously doesn’t look anywhere near 80 years old. Must be the cheese.

Read Mickey’s bio. Check out his website. Find the perfect Mickey books. Have some Mickey fun!

Book Alert: Burning Up: On Tour with the Jonas Brothers

About the Jonas Brothers. By the Jonas Brothers. Available at a bookstore near you—today!

Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas wrote the book themselves, and it includes never before seen pics. Some are from their Look Me in the Eyes tour. Others were taken during Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus's Best of Both Worlds tour.

You don’t want to miss this. The inside scoop on the Jonas Brothers. With pictures.

Their website looks sweet, too.

Today is National American Teddy Bear Day. Of course, this turns my thoughts to my favorite book bears (I’ll bet you knew it would!).

Winnie the Pooh. Paddington. Yogi. Smokey. Berenstain Bears. Bear of Karma Wilson picture-book fame. Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Little Bear. Goldilocks’s Three Bears. Brother Bear.

I love them all. They are so much fun! I think my all-time favorite must be Baloo.

How about you—who are your faves? Leave a comment below. Share the bear you have the most fun reading!

Create Your Own Comic Strip

Do you love to read graphic novels? Comic strips? Good old-fashioned cartoons?

Check out MakeBeliefsComix.com and get creative! Choose from 15 fun characters. Make them talk and think. If you’re not sure where to start, ideas and prompts will get you going. English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Latin are available—how fun is that?

When you’re done, you can print or email those babies!

Learn more about making and publishing your own comics here.

Celebrate Veteran’s Day

Do you know that Veteran’s Day used to be called Armistice Day? Yep, it’s true.

First, the United States honored World War I veterans. Now, we pay our respects to all veterans. Great reading, and fun activities about Veteran’s Day, can be found at The United States Department of Veterans Affairs website.

I love this site! There’s Cool Facts About Veterans, About the Department of Veterans Affairs, About the Flag, and Games and Activities for Kindergarten to 5th graders.

For 6th to 12th graders, check out the Department of Veterans Affairs, About Veterans, History of the American flag, Origins of Taps, Lincoln Jigsaw Puzzle, Beat the Blocks, Drawing, and Word Jumble.

You can also read The Library of Congress stories of United States veterans here.

When you’re done, click here for Veteran’s Day Word Searches, a Veterans Day Quiz, a U.S. Military Quiz, and Star-Spangled Banner gap-fill fun!

World Kindness Week is November 10-16

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation encourages us. Be kind. Kindness can change the world.

Print the Kindness, Pass It On! Poster, and see how many acts of kindness you can do this week. Things like, Cheer Up a Friend, Leave a Thank You Note, and Open a Door. These area great ideas. And we don’t have to stop on Friday—we can do them all the time!

Crayola.com offers fun Coloring & Activities and Craft Ideas.

For Acts of Kindness reading fun, click here.

DVD Alert: Kung Fu Panda

The Kung Fu Panda DVD releases on Sunday.

I saw the movie. I think you’ll like it.

But… you should read the books first. For fun!

This is not like having to eat vegetables before you get dessert. Not at all. These books are yummy!

Check out my previous post. It includes the preview and a link to the Official Website.

Letters About Literature

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target presents… Letters About Literature, a national reading and writing promotion program.

Whew. That’s a mouth full.

Translation? Here’s a chance for some reading, writing, and shopping fun!

This is the deal. You write a personal letter to an author explaining how his or her book affected you. You can win Target gift cards and a grant for your school.

Read the Participation Guidelines here. Some sample letters here. And Frequently Asked Questions here.

The deadline is December 6, 2008.

Movie Alert: Bolt

Bolt, with John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, hits theatres November 21. Bolt believes his life on a television set is real. And that he has superpowers. When he accidentally gets shipped to New York City, the dynamic doggie must decide if he is a superdog or a superdud.

You know I think you should read the book before you see the movie. I’ll bet you know it too. The book is almost always better, plus you get to know what happens before anyone else! That is definitely reading fun!

Find out about Bolt: Junior Novel here.

Visit the Official Website for videos, photos, games, and downloads here.

Election Day

Today is election day. Check out some cool books.

Movie Alert: Madagascar Escape 2 Africa

Madagascar Escape 2 Africa is in theatres and IMAX on Friday. That still gives you plenty of time to read the book and check out the totally amazing website. There is a serious amount of fun to be had there. Seriously!

Daylight Savings Ends

I do love a fun quiz. ;0)
Check out Trivia Quiz: Daylight Saving Time.

And, don’t forget to turn your clocks back tonight! This is totally cool. If you go to bed at 9 o’clock, you should reset your clock to 8 o’clock.

Woohoo—you just gained an extra hour for reading fun!