Category Archives: More Connections

Pop’s Top 10: Literary Baby Showers

Posted on by

Oh, this is going to be CUTE. Katie searched for some of the most adorable literary baby showers she could find, and these parties do not disappoint! Here are Katie’s Top 10, in no particular order…

#10 GOODNIGHT MOON
From Bump Smitten

Those are PILLOWS at the heads of the tables! And while there are no bowls of mush in sight, there ARE these adorable “Hush” cookies…

#9 THE PIGEON NEEDS A BATH
From Tonya Staab

The pigeon in the cotton ball bubble bath, the rubber duckie…and the DONUT TOPPERS on the milk bottles below!

#8 CURIOUS GEORGE
From Kojo Designs

The mural of pages! The yellow hats! The spotted ties around the glass treat jars! And this adorable sock monkey balloonist…

#7 IF YOU GIVE A DOG A DONUT
From Pizzazzerie

Technically, this shower wasn’t just If You Give A Dog A Donut. It featured several children’s books, as evidenced by their charming party menu:

#6 WINNIE THE POOH
From Hostess with the Mostess

I love the non-pastel colors, the big red balloon, the charming floral centerpieces, and the quotes on the plates!

#5 WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
From Homeroad

The botanicals add such a fabulous wild feel to this table, and the little cookie packets and copy of the book for guests to sign are way cool. Plus…a cake with a crown and wooden platter!

#4 BABAR
From 100 Layer Cake-let

I think the photo of mom as a little girl reading says it all! Also love the lanterns/hot air balloons and the mini clothespin garland with prints from the books!

#3 PETER RABBIT
From Hello Brielle!

Awwww! The baby clothes Peter Rabbit scarecrow! And HUGE props for making vegetables so incredibly celebratory!

#2 GOLDEN BOOKS
From Aesthetic Nest

This bold, fabulous color palette is utterly fantastic. Definitely the winner of “Best Use of Yellow and Blue!” Also, the time and effort that went into these cupcake toppers alone. I’m impressed (and they provide the printables for them on their blog)!

#1 THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR
From Leigh Anne Wilkes

Fruit kabobs are PERFECT for hungry caterpillars! But check this out…one of the shower gifts was customized book chapter onesies for monthly baby photos!

The shower featured a number of books and treats (don’t miss the mouse sugar cookies!) but we thought we would end with something that applies to ALL literary parties. SO going to use this somewhere:

What’s In YOUR Wallet?

Posted on by

what's in your wallet

Can you guess the character who owns this wallet? That was the challenge at Cotsen Critix, our literary society for kids ages 9-12! First, we gave each kid an empty wallet. Then we invited them to construct a literary character’s wallet by including notes, photos, small objects, clever little clues, etc. The one thing they COULDN’T include? The name of the character!

The wallet activity is directly related to this cool hands-on historical endeavor at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and also similar to the character books activity I blogged about in 2015. The wallet activity, however, feels more personal then the book activity…you can really imagine your character carrying the wallet in their hand, pocket, or bag.

The wallet activity is less expensive as well, as small wallets can typically be found at the Dollar Store, or purchased for a couple bucks on Amazon. The kids brought their completed wallets to one of our sessions, and we had a great time trying to figure out the characters…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

And the wallet that started this post? The key, the comb, the archeology pamphlet, the caiman, the Incan ruins, and the Theodore Roosevelt Middle School identification card all point to that most intrepid adventurer, Addison Cooke! We read Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas at our To Be Continued story time (and braved a seriously booby-trapped treasure vault as well!). It’s a fantastic, and highly recommended, read!

The BiblioFiles Presents: Tony DiTerlizzi

Posted on by

Tony DiTerlizzi - Photo credit "Jim Gipe photo / Pivot Media"Just posted! A webcast and podcast with multiple award winning, and New York Times bestselling, author and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi.

For 20 years, DiTerlizzi has infused the children’s book world with his brilliant imagination, endless creativity, and considerable artistic talent. His first series, The Spiderwick Chronicles (created in collaboration with Holly Black), details the adventures of the three Grace children and their discoveries on the other-worldly estate inherited from their relative, Arthur Spiderwick. Their much-loved adventures resulted in a spin-off series, Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, several companion books, and a feature film.

DiTerlizzi’s second series, the Wondla trilogy, is an epic science fiction fantasy. It centers around human girl Eva Nine as she emerges into a world distantly removed from planet Earth – a world on the brink of an alien civil war and global reawakening. The books are illuminated with DiTerlizzi’ s gorgeous illustrations of air ships, alien species, battle scenes, and beautiful moments. It’s simply amazing.

In addition to his chapter books, DiTerlizzi has produced a number of picture books, including The Spider and the Fly, which won a Caldecott honor in 2003, The Story of Diva and Flea with Mo Willems, and The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, with Lucasfilm. In 2018, the Norman Rockwell Museum hosted a 20 year retrospective on DiTerlizzi’s work titled “Never Abandon Imagination.” He has been featured in Time magazine, USA Today, and a guest on CNN, PBS, NPR, BBC, and The Today Show.

Follow this link to the BiblioFiles interview

Tony DiTerlizzi photo by Jim Gipe Photo / Pivot Media