There's just something about a princess...

I confess. The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was turn on the television to see Kate Middleton in her wedding gown. The ceremony had just finished, and the happy couple was beginning their walk down that LONG aisle.

She took my breath away; classic beauty at its best. I couldn't help but tear up. I am one of the optimistic lot who has decided William and Kate's story is a real-life fairy tale. And who doesn't love a fairy tale?

So if you are like me today, feeling especially romantic and whimsical, track down a Storybook Classic, a My First Classic Story, or a Graphic Spin and escape to a world of princesses, and princes, and magic.

Give Me an S! (for Stone Arch, of course!)

I am excited to share with you one of our covers from a new series that will be coming out this fall, titled Team Cheer. These are super fun stories about a group of girls who love cheerleading. The author, Jen Jones comes from a cheerleading family and has written many books on the subject, so she an expert. Her love of all things cheer comes through in her stories. Be sure to check them out!

Changing Seasons

For most of the past week, Minnesota has looked a lot like the cover above. Cold, snowy, and altogether unpleasant. And believe me when I say I haven't been having nearly as much fun with the return to winter as the kids on our adorable "I See Winter" cover. We got a brief taste of spring last week, but it was fleeting. Some days I've wondered if we skipped spring completely and are permanently stuck with winter. Thankfully, as of tomorrow, I'll be seeing a new season (at least for a little while):

I'm fleeing south to the warmer weather of Florida for the week, where I'm sure my attitude will more closely mirror the characters' expressions in "I See Summer." Fingers crossed Mother Nature (specifically the one in charge of Minnesota's weather) gets her act together by the time I return.

What Year Is It?

Today is Wednesday, April 20......2011. Yes, it took me a few moments to remember what year it is. Why? Well, working in book publishing can really mess with your head (even more so than MN weather). Right now it is the spring of 2011 (even though it doesn't feel like it), but we are just finishing up our Fall 2011 season. On top of that, we are well into our Spring 2012 season and getting started on our Fall 2012 season. The second anyone starts talking about Spring 2013, I basically shut down. And such is the life of an editor.

TLA treasures

I didn't go to TLA this year, but Capstone was there in full force. My boss was sent down to Austin with directions to not return unless he brought a signed copy of one of the Kylie Jean books for me. Our wonderful author Marci Peschke did a signing at the show, and the books were a huge hit--she signed over 200 copies.

The first thing Michael did this morning was hand this over to me. Yay!

Jackie Robinson Day

Did you know that today is Jackie Robinson day? A whole day devoted to one of baseball's legends who revolutionized the game in so many ways! I am a big baseball fan myself, although I tend to be a home town team girl, so in my case the Minnesota Twins. Baseball is one of the few sports that I actually understand and enjoy. I still have a lot to learn about the sport, so I am glad I can walk down the hall to our library to educate myself a bit more on this topic.

If you would like to learn more about this baseball great, we have a plethora of books in our collection, (both fiction and non-fiction) just about Jackie Robinson. Go to our website and search by his name to see what pops up, even better try searching for "baseball" in general and you will get 12 pages of results! We have such an extensive collection, go check it out and start reading!

Wishful thinking . . .

Most days, I love the challenges of my work. But once in a while, a day comes along that makes me wish I was Cow.


Or Puppy.



Or Lamb.


Or especially Kitty.

Happy Friday!

While browsing a blog that some of us designers regularly peruse, Share Some Candy, we happened to come across some of our books! How cool! And what a nice way to end the week. Don't they look good? We certainly think so! Written by our own Michael Dahl, illustrated by Migy and designed by Bob Lentz, these books are filled with colorful fun! Check them out on our website, and have a great weekend!

Image from Share Some Candy

Can There Ever Be Enough?

March Madness has finally ended (in April, which is very confusing), baseball is in full swing (Twins home opener is on Friday, and I will be there!), and summer league slow-pitch softball for men is right around the corner (don't even ask). Sports are a big part of my life. In fact, every two years my life is consumed with the Olympics. (My obsession borders on crazy.)

Coincidentally, sports are also a big part of children's book publishing. Every season we do at least two series about sports (Jake Maddox, anyone?), and I doubt that will change any time soon. From My First Graphic Novel sports stories to Sports Illustrated chapter books, we have a great range of topics for every age group. Because really, can we ever have enough sports books?

April is National Poetry Month

The Enkindled Spring


This spring as it comes bursts up in bonfires green,
Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes,
Thorn-blossom lifting in wreaths of smoke between
Where the wood fumes up and the watery, flickering rushes.

I am amazed at this spring, this conflagration
Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze
Of growing, and sparks that puff in wild gyration,
Faces of people streaming across my gaze.

And I, what fountain of fire am I among
This leaping combustion of spring? My spirit is tossed
About like a shadow buffeted in the throng
Of flames, a shadow that's gone astray, and is lost.


--D.H. Lawrence

Autism Awareness Month

April has a lot of great things to offer. It has April Fool’s Day. It has Easter. It has Earth Day. It often has what feels like the real start of spring. But it also has something more meaningful: Autism Awareness Day. This is something that always hits close to home for me since my brother Ryan has autism. He and I are only two years apart in age, so we’ve always been close. (Especially when you take into account how siblings usually bicker!)

There are a lot of misconceptions about people with autism: they’re standoffish, they don’t show affection, they always prefer to be alone, they can’t communicate, they’re all savants like in Rain Man, the list goes on and on. And while some of those might be true for some people, they’re not true for all. My brother is without a doubt, one of the sweetest, funniest, most affectionate people I know. And believe me, when he wants something he has ZERO trouble communicating it to you. And despite whatever challenges and problems may arise as a result of Ryan’s autism, I know I’m a better person for having him in my life.

Today in the United States, 1 in every 110 children is diagnosed with autism, and that number increases to 1 in 70 for boys. That’s a 600% increase from when Ryan was diagnosed almost 20 years ago, and there’s still no cure. Tomorrow, April 2nd, is World Autism Awareness Day, and all of April is Autism Awareness Month — use the time to talk to a child you know about what autism is. For more information, check out http://www.autismspeaks.org/index.php or http://www.autism-society.org/.