What's better than walking a mile or two each morning? Doing so with a friend! Knowing that someone is waiting for you is certainly incentive to get out of bed and get moving even on those days when you would rather stay snuggled under the covers. Every morning I head out the door to meet my neighbor. Dubbed the Good Morning Girls, we walk at a fast pace through the neighborhood. We are greeted by the school bus drivers and our neighbors on their way to work who say, "Good morning, Girls!"

We have discovered that starting out with a good walk, a good talk, and a good laugh is one way to greet the day and make it a "good morning." We talk about the weather and world and national news. We discuss job searches and new car purchases, and what flowers to plant in our gardens. I am sorry to say that we have not solved any of the world and national issues; nor have we been able to do anything about the weather. I am happy to report that we have, however, resolved other matters in our own little world. Friends help you do that.

The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD) is like walking with a good friend every day. It is there to help you connect children and young adults with the right reading materials. You might be looking for award winning titles, working on booktalks, compiling orders, creating book displays or responding to a book challenge. Perhaps you need to download MARC records. Maybe you are looking for information about an author or illustrator. Did you know that CLCD has the largest compilation of author and illustrator information? It is true. No other resource is as comprehensive. In addition to reviews of children's and young adult media, there are reviews of professional materials for librarians, teachers and parents. The curriculum tool links provide quick ways to introduce books into the classroom.

With a subscription to CLCD you have a friend at your side morning, noon and night, 24/7. The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database goes the extra mile for you, in service and substance. Sign up today and get those fingers walking.

Quote of the Month

"This database is a daily companion at my desk. I have promoted the use of this to my Youth Services staff finding full-text reviews for books they recommend to children and for our Voice of Youth Award lists that we put together each school year. I especially appreciate your 'Featured Authors and Illustrators' monthly feature, that gives great insights into authors and illustrators and their books not found elsewhere."
Jan Watkins, Head of Youth Services
Skokie Public Library

We are preannoucing a proposed modification that should make it easier to identify books published in various countries as well as distributors. When the search results page is displayed, we plan to list the city of publication which comes from the cataloging record. Because we are using what is available in the MARC records, sometimes there will be no city listed.

Monthly Features

This is the time of year for creamy strawberry soup, a chocolate milkshake, and a good old-fashioned ice cream cone. It is no wonder that June is Dairy Month. Among the books reviewed in our feature you will find one about ice cream as well as a graphic novel about Louis Pasteur. Clarabelle: Making Milk and so Much More by Cris Peterson with photographs by David R. Lundquist presents life on a modern day dairy farm in Wisconsin.

Flag Day is June 14. We have updated our list of books in our Flag Day/ Pledge of Allegiance feature. One of the books for students in middle grades is Flag by Lauren Diemer. In addition to information about "Old Glory" our reviewer commented that it "offers them a plethora of pertinent information about flags as symbols for each state in the United States."

This month we celebrate the special dads, grandfathers and other father-figures in our lives. Father's Day is June 21. We have updated our feature with stories about fathers and grandfathers. Our reviewer says of My Dad and Me by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and illustrated by Susan Mitchell, "This would be a perfect share for Father's Day or for use in a multi-lingual preschool or primary classroom."

Author Features

Ellen Javernick writes stories about everyday occurrences. Ideas come from her students, children and now grandchildren. The idea for her most recent title, The Birthday Pet with illustrations by Kevin O'Malley, came from a neighbor. It is about a boy who wants a pet turtle but gets a dog instead. Learn more about the various kinds of writing she does in this feature.

Laura Krauss Melmed brings us up-to-date on her most recent titles. She shares the life altering events that inspired My Love Will Be with You, a companion book to I Love You As Much...which has been popular in both picture book and board book formats. Following her two popular city ABC books--New York, New York!: The Big Apple from A to Z and Capital!: Washington D.C. from A to Z, Laura and Frané Lessac have teamed up for a new ABC book. This time they are taking on an entire state. Find out how and why they created Heart of Texas: A Lone Star ABC and so much more in this feature.

Susan L. Roth conceived the idea for her new book Listen to the Wind over twelve years ago during a visit with a friend. She talks about the inspiration for her collages, and what she would like readers to glean from her New York Times best seller, which she co-authored with Greg Mortenson.

Children's Literature currently assists schools, museums, conferences and other organizations in identifying authors and illustrators for speaking engagements. Authors and illustrators provide valuable insight into their craft and connect their audience with the world of literature. In each issue we will highlight several of our booking service participants. To learn more about this service, please go to http://www.childrenslit.com/bookingservice/bs-home.html

Lulu Delacre There are not many authors or illustrators who can appeal to kids ages 6 to 16, but Lulu Delacre has done that with her books which range from Arroz con leche to Alicia Afterimage. In the latter, Lulu shows the impact that the sudden death of a teen had on her family and school community. The former contains popular and traditional songs, musical games and nursery rhymes in Spanish and English in a nicely illustrated bilingual collection. In between, there are early readers (Rafi and Rosi series) and picture books including most recently, the Storyteller's Candle about the period and impact of Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian in New York City. This special book has been selected to receive the Pura Belpré Honor Medal and has also received a Skipping Stones Award, a Jane Addams Honor Award, and an Americas Honor Award! Lulu offers a variety of programs http://www.childrenslit.com/bookingservice/delacre-lulu.html.

Carolyn Reeder "Books set in the past never go out of date. That's one reason I like writing historical fiction. I also enjoy the challenge of finding out really interesting things that happened in the past and working them into my stories about ordinary people." Carolyn offers nearly a dozen different presentations based on her many books. One of the most recent is the trilogy of stories (Timothy Donovan's Story, Gregory Howard's Story and Joseph Schwartz's Story) about three young men and the start of the Civil War. Timothy Donovan featured in one of them, isn't a coward . . . not exactly. "But he is prickly, overly defensive, stubborn to a fault, and not precisely certain he really wants to give his life for his country." Gregory Howard finds himself living under martial law in Alexandria, Virginia and "finds that the conflict is no longer high minded and political, but ugly and intensely personal..." Joseph Schwartz of Baltimore, Maryland is faced with a real dilemma, he is a Unionist and his friends all seem to be on the side of the Confederacy. As reviewers have noted "..her youthful characters in turmoil ...reflect the lives of today's youth..." To invite Carolyn to your school visit http://www.childrenslit.com/bookingservice/reeder-carolyn.html.

CLCD Newsletter Editor, Sharon Salluzzo serves as a library and education consultant to CLCD. In addition, Sharon is a book reviewer, a storyteller who often performs with The Genesee Storytellers, and a member of The Children's Book Guild of Washington, DC. Sharon earned her MLS at SUNY Geneseo.

About the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database

Our monthly newsletter is now available to everyone within an organization, not just the primary contact. A new feature at www.childrenslit.com will provide you with a form allowing you to sign up for just the electronic newsletter. The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database, updated mid-month, is your most complete source of information about children's books. Indeed, it is the next best thing to having the book in hand, and the best tool for leading you to the best books. All at a most affordable price. To subscribe to the CLCD or contact us, go to www.childrenslit.com.