New Trailer for A Flock of Shoes!

It's time to introduce you to another of our new Fall titles: the delightful A Flock of Shoes, in which Abby's beloved sandals fly south for the winter. However, they haven't forgotten her--all through the winter, Abby receives postcards from her vacationing sandals. Will they be back in time for spring... and will they still fit? Stacey at Word of Mouse Book Reviews declares that this cute picture book is "as thrilling as shoe shopping!"

And there's another great story behind the story. Author Sarah Tsiang came up with the idea of making a trailer for the book, and asked illustrator Qin Leng if she'd like to be involved. Things developed quickly after that: Sarah explains that "the fantastic Qin just ran with it and created something waaaaay beyond my skill level!" Qin says that she agreed to try making the trailer as a test, and then, "soon enough, I got carried away with the images, text, and music. It was most definitely an extremely exciting experience!"

In just three short weeks, Qin and Sarah put together a wonderful trailer, and now it's ready to make its debut. Enjoy!

Updates for Fall

We're excited to announce that our Fall books are now up on our website! Check them out at www.annickpress.com/catalog/new.html

Today I found a great blog post called Great Children's Books About Princesses. I was very pleased (but not surprised!) to see that The Paper Bag Princess had made the list. (Fun fact: this book has now been in print for 30 years. It's available in hardcover, paperback, Annikin version, board book, and special 25th Anniversary edition!)

It also got me thinking: what would Elizabeth, star of The Paper Bag Princess, read as a teenager? Any suggestions? Favorite young adult novels with strong female protagonists? Let me know in the comments! (Personally, I'd vote for Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games trilogy... can't wait for the third one, Mockingjay, to come out this August!)

A Sports Book That's Perfect for Fall

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been giving a sneak peek at what our fall list will bring. I've posted about books set in Afghanistan (Thunder over Kandahar) and Ethiopia (Cry of the Giraffe), and now it's time to move to North America and the wide world of sports.

In Game Day: Meet the People Who Make it Happen, Kevin Sylvester takes young readers on a tour of behind-the-scenes jobs in sports. From timekeepers to coaches, and from Zamboni drivers to organ players, there are many careers in sports beyond being an athlete. For more examples, click here to listen to Kevin's podcast about the book (podcasts are in alphabetical order by title), or watch this interview with him:

More Fall Sneak Peeks!

Last week I posted about Sharon McKay's new book Thunder over Kandahar, which is set in Afghanistan. Now let's move a little to the west and talk about another exciting new fall title: Cry of the Giraffe by Judie Oron. This novel is based on the true story of Wuditu, a 15-year-old Ethiopian Jewish girl (note: her name has been changed to protect her privacy). As members of a Beta Israel community, Wuditu and her family face persecution in their native Ethiopia, and so they plan to secretly move to Jerusalem. However, things go horribly wrong and Wuditu becomes separated from her family. How will she survive completely on her own, let alone make it from Ethiopia to Jerusalem?

Listen to Judie's podcast to find out more about her experiences in Ethiopia and what inspired her to write this book. And check out this gripping book trailer:

Looking Forward to Fall

I know it's only June, but in the publishing world that means that we're finishing off our Fall 2010 list! We've got some exciting titles coming up, which I'll profile over the next few weeks.

Today, let's talk about Afghanistan. In 2009, Sharon McKay became the first children's author to participate in the Canadian War Artists program. She asked to be sent to Darfur, but was told it was too dangerous--so instead, she visited Afghanistan! Her latest novel, Thunder over Kandahar, is about two teenage girls in Afghanistan called Tamanna and Yasmine. Each girl is struggling with her own problems, but together, they come up with a very daring solution...

Here's an interview with Sharon as she talks about the book and about her experience as a Canadian War Artist:



And here's a trailer for Thunder over Kandahar: