It is obvious to those of us living in the northern hemisphere that we are moving toward the winter solstice. Dinner is now eaten in the dark of night, whether one eats at 5 o'clock or at 8. While some people think they should hibernate until spring, others find ways to brighten the darkness. Some people are cheered up by holiday lights around the house, on a table, and on a tree. Others volunteer their time and talents to make another person's world a little brighter. Every one of us needs an occasional reminder that after the darkness comes the light. How empowering it is to know that we, ourselves, can provide the spark that will brighten someone's world.

Our Featured Themed Reviews this month reflect the cheerfulness of happy holidays with friends and family, and sometimes with strangers. Snow can be so bright on a clear day that sunglasses are necessary. The books upon which our Author/Illustrator Features are based have something in common as well. Each in its own way is a beacon of light. These stories deal with our interconnectedness with animals and nature. Each has a strong thread of hope woven into the story.

The wonderful thing about children's literature is that there are many "brilliant gems" to be discovered and shared. These "good reads" are bright spots that brighten our days and nights. They enlighten the mind, lighten the heart, and lift the spirit.

Here at the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD) we strive to make it a little easier for you to mine these gems. We now aggregate 38 review sources; make it simple to search just for award winners and honors; allow you to search by reading metrics and publication date; and offer many more ways of quickly searching that are too numerous to mention but easy to discover at www.childrenslit.com.

From all of us to all of you: May you always find a glimmer of light even in the darkest night.

We wish you happy and safe holidays, and a bright New Year.

CLCD On the Road

Children's Literature/CLCD will be in Boston for ALA Midwinter from Friday, January 15 to Monday, January 18. We will be at Booth 2638 in the Exhibits Hall. We look forward to seeing you there.

Twitter

If you were receiving our tweets this month, you would have been among the first to learn about The Winter '09/'10 Children's Indie Next List published by the American Booksellers Association; a notice about Stephanie Meyer's appearance on Oprah; a link to trailers on the new movie, "Fantastic Mr. Fox;" and more. To follow us on Twitter, just click on the blue Twitter bird at www.childrenslit.com.

Our Blog

Interesting perspectives, keen insights, and practical applications are what you will discover on our blog. We will be talking about new books that will nicely fit into your school curriculum and creative ways our subscribers are using CLCD. Occasionally, some of our favorite authors will be contributing as well. To read our blog go to our home page www.childrenslit.com and click on the blog symbol.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"I use the CLCD every day for both collection development and for helping patrons. I love that one click gives me all of the information I need. I love all of the different options for narrowing my search."
Tanya DiMaggio, Children's Services Coordinator
St. Tammany Parish Library, LA

With the plethora of series published, CLCD can help you quickly read reviews and determine if the ones that you are considering are worth adding to your collection. For many even if the author is the same, the quality may vary. The quality definitely varies when there are different authors involved which is why in CLCD you will find individual reviews for each title.

Monthly Features

Our features present selected titles. For a more comprehensive and complete list of published titles with multiple reviews, use the CLCD.

There are so many new Christmas books each year, how is one to decide on what to buy and what to read? The titles in this year's themed review section include recipes, hospitable cats, an accident-prone Santa, some very nice board books, and a couple titles that are not to be missed. For ages 10 and up, there is the hopeful Truce: the Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting by Jim Murphy. For younger children, there is the joyous A Piñata in a Pine Tree: A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas by Pat Mora and illustrated by Magaly Morales.

Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 11th. Be prepared with some new titles such as Hanukkah by Molly Aloian. It is part of the new series, "Celebrations in My World." Designed for young readers, this informational book has strong visual appeal.

Snow, Snowflakes, Snowmen: some children get to experience them while others can only dream. Our themed reviews include a reissue of an old favorite, a new retelling of a favorite story, winter activities, and more. Our reviewer says of the "handsomely conceived and executed" Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart with illustrations by Constance R. Bergum: "For a classroom study of animal survival in winter or just as a family share this is an excellent introduction."

Space Feature Updates

According to NASA, "the International Space Station is a large, inhabited Earth satellite that more than 15 nations are building in space." 2010 is the tenth anniversary of the arrival of the first full-time crew. One American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts were onboard. There are books for a wide range of ages and reading levels in this section. Space Junk by Steve Kortenkamp is a high interest book for reluctant and low-level readers. Did you know the International Space Station can be moved to avoid space junk?

Science Fiction takes us to future worlds and introduces us to a realm of possibilities where mutants, plagues, aliens, space travel, and androids are all commonplace. Science fiction encourages us to think about what makes us human. We have included short stories and novels such as Hunger: A Gone Novel by Michael Grant which is the second in a proposed series of six novels. According to our reviewer, YA's cannot wait to read it.

Author Features

Marion Dane Bauer says she has a "reductionist mind" which has been a valuable asset when writing for children. Interestingly, her books have just the opposite effect: they expand the reader's viewpoint. I recently spoke with Marion about her new book, The Longest Night. Learn about the interesting origins of this book and what she hopes children will discover as they listen to this story.

The mesmerizing cover that Ted Lewin created for The Longest Night compels the reader to open the book. I spoke with Ted about the art he created for it. In this interview you will learn about his technique and how he designed the illustrations. By the way, Ted says this book is a wonderful read aloud.

Craig Hatkoff and his daughters Juliana and Isabella are the authors of Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again. In this interview with Craig he says, "Winter's story is helping to de-stigmatize disabilities of all kinds in a natural way. It adds a dimension and a new set of tools for kids, parents, and teachers to deal with difficult subjects or topics." Learn more about Winter's story and follow the link provided to view her via live webcam.

Reminder: if you missed a newsletter or want to check on a previous feature, please note that all the newsletters are posted for your convenience here.

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

Mary Quattlebaum

Sound and rhythm have always been integral parts of successful literature, and Mary Quattlebaum has spent her career as a children's author seeking to explore these ideas. Mary engages in the world around her to find inspiration for her stories and poems and often uses the noises of her surroundings-the clatter of feet on the pavement, the calls of animals in nature, or the honking of horns-as templates for her work. She also writes frequently for The Washington Post, Washington Parent Magazine, and numerous other publications. Mary's presentations are geared for students in grades 2-5. To learn more about this author/illustrator, please visit http://www.childrenslit.com/bookingservice/quattlebaum-mary.html.

Roxie Munro

Roxie Munro has spent her entire life working as an artist, including stints as a television courtroom artist and contributing artist for The New Yorker, where fourteen of her works have made the cover. Roxie has published over 30 children's books and her works have been translated into Italian, French, Dutch, Japanese, and Chinese. Her artwork, which is frequently exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States, focuses primarily on cityscapes and is usually made with oils, watercolors, prints, and drawings. Roxie's talks to adult and school audiences focus on her career as an artist and author. For more information about Roxie, please visit http://www.childrenslit.com/bookingservice/munro-roxie.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.