En la oscuridad. Invitación oficial/Official invitation

¡Ojalá nos puedan acompañar! I hope you can join us!

¡Presentación de En la oscuridad, libro recién salido del horno!/Launching of En la oscuridad, book just taken out of the oven!

Cuando los padres apagan la luz y salen de la recámara de sus hijos, muchos chiquitos escuchan ruidos raros, se tapan la cabeza con la manta y dejan de respirar. ¿Qué será eso que está en el cuarto? ¿Es una bruja de sombrero picudo o un vampiro que viene a chuparle la sangre? Si quieres que ellos vean qué sucede en esos momentos de oscuridad, leéles este cuento y disfruten juntos de las ilustraciones de Fabricio Vanden Broeck, que les explicarán qué exactamente está acompañándolo En la oscuridad. Es de la colección Buenas Noches de Editorial Norma y la presentación se hará el 9 de noviembre, 2013, a las 12 horas en la Feria de Libro Infantil y Juvenil en el CNA, Churubusco y Tlalpan, México, D.F.  ¡Después habrá firma de libros! Ojalá nos puedan acompañar.

When parents turn off the lights and leave their bedroom, many little ones hear strange noises, cover their heads with the blankets, and stop breathing. What's in the room with them? Is it a witch with a pointy hat or a vampire that wants to suck their blood? If you want them to find out what is going on in those dark moments, read them story and enjoy Fabricio Vanden Broeck's illustrations that will exoplain exactly what's in the room with them. En la oscuridad is of the Buenas Noches collection of Editorial Norma and the presentation will take place on November 9, 2013, during the Feria de Libro Infantil y Juvenil (FILIJ), the International Children's Book Fair at the Centro Nacional de las Artes, Churubusco and Tlalpan, Mexico City. After there will be a book signing! I hope you'll be able to accompany us!

Mary Poppins

The Mary Poppins books, written by P.

L. Travers (Pamela Lyndon Travers) and the first published in 1934, were some of my favorites when I was a little girl. I read them time after time and enjoyed them tremendously. I wanted to have a nanny just like her! She was so no nonsense on the outside but, oh my, what wonderful adventures she had with the Banks children and all those great characters who surrounded her. Recently, when I was in New York, I had a delighful time at the wonderful "The ABC of It" exhibition at the New York Public Library and was thrilled to see P.L. Traver's parrot-head umbrella, exactly like the one that Mary Poppins uses, as well as some of the original illustrations for the books by Mary Shepard and a doll that served as a model for that perfect nanny. I think that this rainy afternoon will be a good time to read one of those books again!

Los libros de Mary Poppins, escritos por P. L. Travers (Pamela Lyndon Travers) y el primero publicado en 1934, fueron algunos de mis favoritos cuando era una niña. Los leí vez tras vez y los disfruté enormemente. ¡Yo quería tener una nana igual que ella! Era aparentemente muy seria pero, ¡ay!, qué aventuras tan maravillosas tuvo con los niños Banks y todos los otros personajes maravillosos que la rodeaban. Hace poco, estuve en Nueva York y pasé un rato maravilloso en la exposición "The ABC of It" en la biblioteca pública de esa ciudad. Ahí vi el paraguas con cabeza de loro de la autora y que es igual a la que usaba Mary Poppins asi como algunas de las ilustraciones originales de los libros hechas por Mary Shepard y una muñeca que sirvió como modelo de la nana perfecta. ¡Creo que esta tarde lluviosa será perfecta para leer uno de esos libros de nuevo!

Acabo de regresar de Nueva York y tuve la oportunidad de ver la maravillosa exposición de libros para niños en la NY Public Library. Me encantó especialmente porque yo lei muchos de los libros que están ahí y siguen siendo de mis favoritos. Si tienen oportunidad de hacerlo, vayan a verla porque, además de los libros, la forma en que todo está expuesto es fascinante. Luego subo más fotos pero, mientras tanto, les mando esta, donde estoy en medio de la silhueta de Max de Where the Wild Things Are y que, del otro lado, está forrado de peluche. También están libros como los de Mary Poppins (además del paraguas con cabeza de loro de P.L. Travers), The Secret Garden, The Phantom Tollbooth, comics, libros antiguos, una selección de libros prohibidos (en Estados Unidos) y un gran etcétera. Bien vale la pena pasar dos o tres horas ahí, rodeados de color, letras y buenos amigos.


I just got back from New York and had the chance to see the marvelous exhibit of children's books at the NY Public Library. I also loved the fact that I saw many of the books that I read as a child and which continue to be favorites to this day. If you have the chance to, go and visit it because, besides seeing the books, the way they are exhibiteid is fascinating. I'll upload some more photos later on but, in the meantime, here I am standing inside the silhouette of Max, from Where the WIld Things Are and which, on the other side, is covered in fake fur. There are also books like Mary Poppins (plus P.L. Traver's parrot-headed umbrella), The Secret Garden, The Phantom Tollbooth, comics, antique books, a selection of banned books (in the US), and a huge etcetera. It's well worth it to spend two or three hours there, surrounded by colors, letters, and good friends.

Starred review by Kirkus for Whiskers, Tails and WIngs!/¡Muy buena reseña de Kirkus de Whiskers, Tails and Wings!

I'm thrilled that Kirkus gave my book a starred review!

¡Me da mucho gusto que Kirkus le otorgó una estrella a mi libro!

WHISKERS, TAILS & WINGS [STARRED REVIEW!]
Animal Folktales from Mexico
Author: Judy Goldman
Illustrator: Fabricio Vanden Broeck

Review Issue Date: July 1, 2013
Online Publish Date: June 12, 2013
Publisher:Charlesbridge
Pages: 64
Price ( Hardcover ): $16.95
Price ( e-book ): $9.99
Publication Date: August 1, 2013
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-1-58089-372-5
ISBN ( e-book ): 978-1-60734-617-3
Category: Folklore

Five animated, traditional tales are enhanced by ethnographic information about the indigenous peoples who still tell these stories.

The author has selected tales not from the well-known Aztec or Mayan tradition, but from the Tarahumara, Seri, Huichol, Triqui and Tseltal peoples. Each short tale is followed by a description of the group’s traditional customs and their contemporary lives, including their use of cars and computers (and, in the Huichol chapter, ceremonial peyote by chosen adults). The stories attest to the ingenuity of the cricket, Señor Grillo, over the force of Señor Puma’s army and to the steadfastness of Mosni, the sea turtle, whose journey to bring sand from the ocean floor enabled Hant Caai, the Seri god of creation, to create land that humans would inhabit. The Huichol story explains why the opossum has a bare but prehensile tail. The humorous Triqui tale describes insects invented by their god of creation to make Man and Woman do some real work, and the last story recounts the scary encounter between a large buzzard and a small frog. The book is handsomely designed, with full-bleed acrylic-and-watercolor paintings on heavily textured papers starting off each story. Realistic vignettes emphasizing folk art and intricate clothing illustrate the informational sections. Comprehensive glossaries (with pronunciation guides) accompany each story, and a scholarly bibliography and index round out the volume.

One of the most satisfying folklore collections in recent memory. (Folk tales. 7-11)

¡Estaré en la conferencia de la American Library Association en Chicago!/I'll be at the American Library Association in Chicago!

Attending the ALA Annual Conference this month?  You are invited to attend  "Cuentame un Cuentito,"  a cross border look at Spanish children's books from Mexico and the U.S.  The panel will be part of the REFORMA program on Saturday, June 29th. 

Presenters include:
Judy Goldman, children’s author from Mexico who has published a number of books in both Mexico and the U.S.
René Saldaña, Jr, children's and YA author and associate professor of language and literacy at Texas Tech University.
Tim Wadham, Director of the Puyallup Public Library and author of  School Library Journal column “Libro por Libro."
Pam Fochtman, President of Lorito Books, will moderate.

The panel will discuss how authors create stories that inspire and how to identify the materials that engage young Latinos.  It will look at children's and young adult materials published on both sides of the border and contrast the type of books published for Latinos in the US with Spanish children's materials in Mexico.  In light of the recent articles in The New York Times and Publishing Perspectives, this panel should be informative and thought-provoking. 

Details:
Saturday, June 29th, 4:30-5:30pm
McCormick Place Convention Center
Room N227a

Please join us!

¡Por favor acompáñenos!

Maurice Sendak

Hoy Maurice Sendak hubiera complido 85 años. En mi opinión, fue uno de los grandes de la literatura infantil y juvenil pues escribía e ilustraba, an algunos casos, sin miramientos y si colorear todo de rosa. Por eso, sus libros siguen gustando a legiones de niños que los descubren por primera vez o que los siguen leyendo años después con tanto gusto. Sus personajes, como Max y los monstruos, los llevas siempre en el corazón. En los libreros de mi casa hay varios de sus títulos y, aparte de Donde viven los monstruos, uno de mis favoritos, también están Swinelake, Mummy?, un libro pop-up de Arthur Yorinks, y otros pero los que más cuido son dos que ya casi no se encuentran porque fueron de los primeros que el ilustró. Fueron escritos por Ruth Krauss: A Hole is to Dig y Open House for Butterflies. Los dos recogen divertidas definiciones hechas por niños en edad preescolar y son un deleite. Tuve la suerte de comprarlos usados hace varios años y me di cuenta, después, que son primeras ediciones. Son unos de mis tesoros aunque no están en óptimas condiciones. Eso no me importa porque me parece que los niños que los leyeron lo han de haber hecho tantas veces que los dejaron así. 

Libros así son libros amados.

Hoy no nos queda más que agradecer la vida y la imaginación y talento de este hombre. 

Today Maurice Sendak would have celebrated his 85th birthday. In my opinion, he was one of the greats in kid's lit because he wrote and illustrated, in some cases, without being oversweet or producing literature that saw everything through rose-colored glasses. I believe this is why his books are still being enjoyed by legions of kids who discover them for the first time or are still reading them years later with so much pleasure. His characters, like Max and the wild things, will always be in our hearts. My bookshelves are home to many of his books and, besides Where the Wild Things Are, you'll also find Swinelake, Mummy?, written by Arhtur Yorinks; and others but the ones I take care of the most are two written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by him: A Hole is to Dig and Open House for Butterflies. Both have definitions made by preschoolers and are delighful. I had the good luck of buying them used a few years ago and later found out that they're first editions. They're treasured though they're not in excellent condition. That doesn't bother me since the kids who read them must have done it so many times that they left them like that. 

Books like those are loved.

Today we can but thank Sendak for his life, imagination, and talent.

 

Exhibición de fantasía/Fantasy exhibit

Yo soy fan de la fantasía y no me da pena decirlo. Crecí con los libros de Narnia y Mary Poppins, devoré los libros de Harry Potter y amé la serie de Philip Pullman que empieza con Las luces del Norte.

Me acabo de enterar de esta exhibición y cómo me encantaría verla en persona. Como no es posible, porque no tengo una escoba mágica que me lleve a Inglaterra, vean de qué se trata en esta liga: http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/whats-on/online/magical-books 

Ojalá la trajeran a México, donde hay muchos fans como yo. Yo sería la primera en la fila para entrar.

I'm a big fan of fantasy and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I grew up with the Narnia books and Mary Poppins, I devored the Harry Potter books, and loved Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy which begins with The Golden Compass.

I just found out about this exhibit and how I'd love to see it in person. SInce that's not possible, because I don't have a magic broom to take me to England, visit this link and learn what it's about. http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/whats-on/online/magical-books

Hopefully, they'll bring it to Mexico, where there are a lot of fans like me. I'd be the first in line to see it.

Mi nuevo blog para niños/My new blog for kids

¡Me da mucho gusto anunciar que tengo un nuevo blog para niños! Por favor visítenlo en www.judygoldman4kids.blogpsot.com .

I'm very  pleased to announce that I have a new blog for kids! Please visit it a www.judygoldman4kids.blogspot.com .

Un elefante morado con motas rosas/A purple elephant with pink spots

Cuando voy a escuelas para platicar con los niños, les cuento que ellos tienen una magnífica imaginación y que pueden crear cuentos, igual que yo. Para probarlo, les digo que vamos a jugar el juego de "qué pasaría si...?" Es algo que yo juego constantemente pues de ahí salen muchas ideas para cuentos. Hay que tener a la mano papel y pluma o lápiz porque las ideas se las lleva el viento y, si no apunto las cosa inmediatemente, a veces después no me acuerdo de mi muy magnífica idea. No es nada raro que vaya en el coche y se me ocurra algo que me encanta y me pongo a buscar, como loca, el ticket del súper o un papelito cualquiera además de la pluma, que siempre se esconde en la parte más oscura de mi bolsa. Me he tenido que detener, cuando es posible, para buscar en dónde apuntar aunque sean unas cuantas palabras y, luego, ya que estoy frente a la computadora, empezar a desarrollar la idea. Con los niños hago lo siguiente: les preguntó que qué pasaría si un día, al salir de la escuela, se toparan con un elefante morado cubierto de motas rosas. Luego luego se ve que la idea les llama mucho la atención y ahí empieza la aventura pues una pregunta lleva a otra: ¿Por qué está ahí el paquidermo? ¿Por qué es de ese color tan raro? ¿Dónde vive y porque ya no está ahí? Los niños le entran al juego y me dan muchas respuestas muy divertidas y yo les digo que ya empezaron a crear un cuento. Así, además de todo, se dan cuenta que ellos también pueden contarlos y escribirlos. Y ustedes, ¿de dónde creen que salió ese elefante tan estrafalario?

When I go to schools to talk with kids, I tell them that they have a magnificent imagination and that they, too, can create stories just like I can. To prove it, I tell them that we're going to play the game of "What if...?" It's something I play all the time because I get many story ideas from it. You need to have paper and a pen or pencil on hand because ideas can be very fleeting and if I don't write them down immediately many times I forget my very magnificent idea. It's not rare that, when I'm in the car, I come up with something and, like crazy, I search for a supermarket receipt or a piece of paper as well as a pen, which usually hides in the darkest corner of my handbag. I've had to stop, when it's possible, to scribble at least a few words and then, when I'm in front of the computer, I begin to develop the idea. With kids I do the following: I ask them what would happen if, when they left the school that day, they found a purple elephant covered in pink polka dots. You can immediately see that the idea has caught their fancy and that's when the adventure begins because one question leads to another: Why is the elephant there? Why is it such a strange color? Where does it live and why isn't it there? The kids gladly play the game and give me many funny answers and I tell them that they have begun to create a story. In this way, they also realize that they, too, can tell them and write them. And you, where do you think that excentric elephant came from?

International Blog Event: The Next Big Thing #nextbigthing #literacy #mexico #folktales

 

The Next Big Thing is an awareness blog campaign that began in Australia and became international. It features authors and illustrators of books for kids and young adults and their recently published books and/or those that are slated to be released this year. Thank you to picture book author Patricia Newman (http://www.patricianewmanbooks.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-energy-books-for-next-big-thing.html) for the invitation to participate by answering the following questions:

1) What is the working title of your next book? My next book is called Whiskers, Tails and Wings-Animal Folktales from Mexico and it was illustrated by Fabricio VandenBroeck.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book? I've always loved folktales and I've published quite a few in Spanish and in Mexico. This is my first book with folktales in English that features five stories with animals as the main characters.

3) What genre does your book fall under? It's a picture book.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition? It would have to be an animated film!

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Wh¡skers, Tails and Wings has five fun folktales from Mexico with information about each of the native groups that tell them: the Tarahumara, the Seri, the Huichol, the Triqui and the Tseltal.

6) Who is publishing your book? Charlesbridge is publishing the book and it has been delighful working with them.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? A very long time since I wrote some of the stories years ago and others when I presented the project to the editors at Charlesbridge.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Hmm, tough question but I'd say folktales written Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy, Tomie DePaola, and Yuyi Morales, all whom I admire.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book? There are over 60 native groups living in Mexico, each with their own language, traditions, songs, stories, and way of looking at life. I'm fascinated by the lovely stories they tell especially those about animals.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest? Perhaps they might learn something more about Mexico, a lovely country with wonderful traditions, warm, friendly people, great folk art, and some of the best food in the world.

Visit Patricia Newman's blog to learn about her two new books  and, next week, visit Anna Levine's blog (http://www.annalevine.org/blog.htm ), Raquel Castro's blog (http://www.facebook.com/l/kAQHsLP3PAQEUfh0WWlvYst81ojofzS7ddJ4DCkmEECQrjw/www.raxxie.com   ) which is in Spanish, and Lawrence Schimel's blog (desayunoencama.livejournal.com).

Whiskers, Tails and Wings-Animal Folktales from Mexico

Les comparto la portada de uno de mis nuevos libros, Whiskers, Tails and Wings-Animal Folktales from Mexico, que saldrá en agosto del 2013. Bellamente ilustrado por Fabricio Vanden Broeck, será publicado por Charlesbridge, editorial de Boston. Tiene cinco cuentos de tradición oral ––uno tarahumara, uno seri, uno huichol, uno triqui y uno tseltal–– además de breve información sobre cada uno de estos grupos.

This is the cover of one of my new books, Whiskers, Tails and Wings-Animal Folktales from Mexico, to be released in August 2013. Beautifully illustrated by Fabricio Vanden Broeck, it will be published by Charlesbridge of Boston. It has five traditional tales ––of the Tarahumara, Seri, Huichol, Triqui and Tseltal–– including brief information about each group.

Receta para galletas de chispas de chocolate/Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lo que más, más, más le gusta a Valeria, del cuento El berrinche de Valeria, son las galletas de chispas de chocolate y muy amablemente nos dio la receta para prepararlas. Búscala en www.momostro.blogspot.com. Ya que las prepares nos avisas cómo quedaron y si estás de acuerdo con Valeria.

What Valerie, of Valerie´s Tantrum, likes the most are chocolate chip cookies and she kindly gave us the recipe for them. Look for it in www.momostro.blogspot.com. Once you've made them let us know how they came out and if you agree with Valerie.