Homer on the Case
by Henry Cole

Meet Homer: a smart homing pigeon who has taught himself to read with the newspaper detective comic strips that line his birdcage. He spends most days testing his homing skills with his owner Otto, that is, until one day Homer witnesses sneaky cat and rat criminals stealing valuables from both the animal and human communities.

Knowing something is afoot—especially when Otto’s grandfather becomes the newest victim—Homer and his new parrot friend Lulu set out to investigate this unsettling animal crime spree. Using the sleuthing techniques Homer has learned from his favorite mystery comics, he and Lulu track down the bandits but realize they need human help to stop the crimes for good. Can they find a way to communicate with their owners and lead them to the culprits’ hideout?

Celebrated author and illustrator Henry Cole returns with a fun, action-packed middle grade mystery adventure that will keep readers turning the page to find out if the crime-solving pigeon will get his guy. A supporting cast of animal and human characters forms a community that will have every reader wishing they could join in the hunt.

Can’t wait to solve the mystery with Homer? Read an excerpt!

Learn to draw your own Homer in this video.

“Cole’s gentle animal fantasies can always be depended upon, and this light mystery is just right for young readers…. Cole mixes humor with intrigue to keep the narrative bouncing along, and readers will get a kick out of the unusual detective team… Hand this to fans of Chris Riddell’s Ottoline and the Yellow Cat (2008) and A. B. Greenfield’s Ra the Mighty: Cat Detective (2018).” —Booklist

Solve the mystery with Homer and his friends when Homer on the Case arrives April 1st at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble. And don’t forget to check out the rest of our brand-new picture books and middle grade and YA titles coming to Peachtree this season!

I guess you can say Black Boys Read NOLA started organically. We were living abroad in England for my husband’s job. Being away from New Orleans was a wake-up call. While it was an amazing overall experience, the boys really began to miss being around black people. Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of black people all over Europe but simply not concentrated the way that they are in a city such as New Orleans. It’s crazy, you know? I believe we tend to take genuinely black experiences for granted when we are among ourselves so frequently in predominantly black cities.

As summer approached, our middle child, Dylan wanted to read 80 books before the summer’s end. While this made us proud, we are quite realistic as parents. We knew that this would be a huge obligation for us as well. After much back and forth, we were eventually able to talk him down to 60 books. As a reward, we agreed to award him with prizes of his choosing at 20 book intervals. Being the efficient parents that we are, we thought to kill two birds with one stone— rekindle their connection with black people through books while meeting Dylan’s 60 book benchmark.

In our efforts to find books that were very diverse, we happened upon lots of black authors and black social media accounts that really highlighted black excellence. Dylan ended up exceeding his 60 book goal and was awarded accordingly. We returned home May of 2018. This was just in time to receive the summer assignments for our sons. (Before I go on, I feel I should mention that the curriculum in England was extremely diverse and showcased people of African descent in an extremely positive light.) We were quite excited to see this, and we were also excited to see what book Dylan was going to bring home next. That said, we returned home to New Orleans, a city that is over 60% black, only to receive a summer reading list for Dylan that caused our jaws to drop. It contained zero books to which he, or any young black male, could relate.

We found this unacceptable. So, we took it upon ourselves to reinforce black positivity with our boys. It’s as simple as that really. Pride in oneself is knowing oneself and the best way to know yourself is to know your history. At school, all our kids get is one month a year, and it usually begins with slavery and ends with Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights struggles of the 50s and 60s. Our rich and colorful history goes back thousands and thousands of years. We built pyramids, invented democracy and dynastic system of rule. We spread rich and diverse culture all over the globe! So why start with the ugliest blemish on our history?

Black Boys Read NOLA seeks to amplify self-pride and dignity through books and history while also exposing our boys to things that most school systems will not. From Congo square, to STEM, to golf and horseback riding, to local musicians and so much more, we aim to show our members that there’s more out there than what the schools are willing to expose them to. Our aim is to show the boys that success can be attained in many ways.  Not just music and athletics. We also aim to modify the way we define success. I think most readers will agree that your salary and success in life are oftentimes mutually exclusive. The preschool to prison pipeline for black males is quite real, especially here in Louisiana. Consequently, we must fight back in any way we can. If these voids continue to exist in society, Black Boys Read NOLA will remain a necessary and vital entity. We are simply filling a demand for diversity and self-dignity in young black males.

I do tons of research and follow many Instagram pages that focus on diverse reading selections. One of my favorite pages to follow is Here Wee Read! We read fiction and nonfiction. However, the boys enjoy nonfiction more. They love to read about people who look like their ancestors and brought change to the world. When I saw a post about Carter Reads the Newspaper I immediately started planning for this to be our next read. The illustrations are breathtaking! My  top reads right now are Carter Reads the Newspaper by Deborah Hopkinson, Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions By Chris Barton, Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford, Charlie Takes his Shot: How Charlie Sifford Broke the Color Barrier in Golf by Nancy Churrin, Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed and Grandad Mandela by Ambassador Zindzi Mandela.

The book club’s experience with Carter Reads the newspaper was amazing. The way it is structured was quite advantageous. It is an amalgamation of amazing black characters throughout history, all culminating on the accomplishments of Carter G Woodson. This was a unique opportunity for us to discuss Carter’s accomplishments as well as the history of Black History Month. It also gave us an opportunity to discuss some lesser-known, but equally important, black historical figures in the process.

It’s interesting, one of our boys made the point that Carter had essentially started a book club just like the one that we have at BBR NOLA. Like-minded individuals coming together to further educate themselves and learn from one another all while reflecting on the accomplishments of their ancestors. It’s amazing really. Things have come full circle. We encouraged our members to conduct some further research on the leaders that are mentioned in the back of the book, because, again, our history began long before the year 1 CE. It’s very important that the boys know where we all come from and what we come from. How technologically advanced our civilizations were before colonization. This book does an amazing job at getting that conversation started.

Follow the Black Boys Read Book Club NOLA on Instagram to keep up with all the books they are reading!

In the fourth book of their Dog Chronicles series, Alison Hart and Michael G. Montgomery bring readers an exciting tale of friendship and loyalty. Leo, Dog of the Sea, is an action-packed and heartwarming story of a hardened old sea dog who learns that life can be much more than survival.

After three ocean voyages, Leo knows not to trust anyone but himself. But when he sets sail with Captain General Ferdinand Magellan on a journey to find a westward route to the Spice Islands, he develops new friendships with Magellan’s scribe, Pigafetta, and Marco, his page. Together, the three of them experience hunger and thirst, storms and doldrums, and mutinies and hostile, violent encounters. Will they ever find a safe passage and reach their destination?

This captivating historical fiction chapter book will satisfy any history- or dog-loving reader. Through a dog’s-eye view, children will learn fascinating details about life aboard a ship at a time when much of the ocean had not yet been navigated.  Extensive back matter includes information about the historical period and the role of dogs, as well as a bibliography and references for further reading.

Learn more about Leo, Dog of the Sea in the Discussion Guide and the Author Q&A!

Be sure to follow Leo on the blog tour! Dates and locations as follows:

Leo, Dog of the Sea is set to dock at most literary ports April 1, so keep a weathered eye open at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble! 

Q: The Dog Chronicles series portrays history through the unique perspective of dogs. What inspired this approach?

A: When I first thought about a ‘dogs in history’ type series, I began reading everything I could about how dogs and humans have worked together throughout time. I felt showing history through the perspectives of dogs was a great way to dive into gritty historical moments—such as a horrific WWI battle and a mine fire—and make them interesting for kids.

Dogs have been used in so many ways in history that I wanted to show a variety in the series. Darling, Mercy Dog of WWI, the first book, is about the different jobs dogs were used for during wartime and trench warfare. The second book, Murphy, Gold Rush Dog, is set in Alaska during the 1900 gold rush; dogs were necessary as pack animals, sled dogs, guards, and companions. Finder, Coal Mine Dog, the third in the series, is about dogs that worked with coal miners in the early 1900s.

Illustrations by Michael G. Montgomery

Q: What sort of research goes into telling a story through a dog’s-eye view?

A: Historical fiction requires incredible amounts of research whether the hero is a dog or a human. To write historical fiction, I have to know enough to “sort of” be an expert. Then I look for exciting moments in time and then add in great characters and rich sensory details. If the facts don’t enhance and move the story, they are left out.

Q: The Dog Chronicles often deals with serious, even brutal, situations that occurred in history. How do you decide to approach these events when writing for children?

A: I try to be very sensory in my writing, so sometimes there are graphic details about explosions or deaths. But since my heroes are usually dogs or children, I tell the story through their eyes, so it adds an immediacy and innocence.

Q: In Leo, Dog of the Sea, Leo is a dog who chases and catches rats on the ship. What kind of dog is Leo and how did you come up with his character?

Illustrations by Michael G. Montgomery

A: Since early times, the Spanish had “ratters,” a small dog that kept the vermin at bay in inns and homes. There is no mention of a rat dog on any of Magellan’s ships, but history does mention plenty of rats. And since this is fiction, I simply decided that Magellan needed a ratter!

Q: A lot of the characters in Leo are real historical figures. How did you go about characterizing these people from hundreds of years ago?

A: Luckily, fiction is on my side. There are many books about Magellan, and Pigafetta’s journal gave some insights into the captain general as well as the journalist himself. Some of the dialogue came from historical quotes, but mostly I gleaned information about the officers and crew from research and then turned them into “real” people. There was a page who made the entire journey around the world, but Marco the character is fictional.

Q: What do you hope children will take away from reading this book?

A: I hope young readers become hooked on history when it is told as a story and not a list of facts. Each time I research an event, I am fascinated by the inventiveness, perseverance, and strength of humans—and dogs!

 

Leo, Dog of the Sea will be at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble on April 1st!

]]> https://peachtree-online.com/2017/03/sunday-brunch-with-alison-hart/feed/ 615 https://peachtree-online.com/2017/02/charlie-bumpers-biggest-fan/ https://peachtree-online.com/2017/02/charlie-bumpers-biggest-fan/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2017 18:00:00 +0000 http://peachtree-online.com/charlie-bumpers-biggest-fan/ Meet Gabe.

Gabe is a reading rebel whose story we had to share. Gabe has been a reader from the moment he could read on his own. In late kindergarten, he began reading books meant for grade levels three and four years ahead of him. Specifically, he began reading Charlie Bumpers.

Once Gabe had read through a few of Charlie’s stories himself, he began sharing them with his friends. On the bus to school one day, Gabe was once again urging his friends to read Charlie Bumpers when a rather unfortunate thing happened. Gabe’s friend got carsick from reading on the bus! Reading was banned thenceforth to Gabe’s dismay. (Like we said—reading rebel).

Since then, Gabe has continued to read, despite the bus ban, and is now inspiring the reading life of his little brother! We’ll let Gabe do some of the talking now, but we wanted you to have that introduction first.

Let us know if you have reading rebels in your life! We’d love to share their stories and hear how reading has impacted them.

]]> https://peachtree-online.com/2017/02/charlie-bumpers-biggest-fan/feed/ 3831 https://peachtree-online.com/2016/03/march-madness-roundup/ https://peachtree-online.com/2016/03/march-madness-roundup/#comments Wed, 23 Mar 2016 16:00:00 +0000 http://peachtree-online.com/march-madness-roundup/ March Madness is upon us! Predictions are in, and the bracket-busters have already begun. Hopefully the basketball fever is just getting started for readers, because we have some great basketball books for the season!

The following titles come from author Fred Bowen, a lifelong sports fanatic who has coached youth league baseball, basketball, and soccer. It’s tip-off time—start reading!

Outside Shot

Eighth-grader Richie Mallon has always known he was a shooter, but will his amazing shooting talent be enough to keep him on the team?

The Final Cut

Four friends who share a love of basketball have to go through tryouts for the school team. But will they all make the team?

 

Full Court Fever

The Falcons have the skill but not the height required to win their games. Will they be able to win the dreaded end-of-the-season game against their much taller rivals? 

 

Hardcourt Comeback

When a basketball team’s star forward loses his confidence, he has to learn how to think like a winner again.

 

Off the Rim

Chris yearns to be more than a bench warmer on the Oak View Middle School basketball team. With the help of his best friend Greta and her mom, Chris begins to change his defensive strategy and successfully learns to keep his opponents from scoring. 

On the Line

Marcus is the high scorer and best rebounder on his basketball team, but he’s not so great at free throws, until the school custodian helps him overcome his fear of failure.

Real Hoops

Can street ball and technical play mix it up on the court and score wins for the team? Can Ben convince Hud to leave his hotshot style back on the pickup court?

Look for these titles and more at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble!

It was quite a turn of events that in our Southern publishing house, we had the following votes:

As stated, most of us would probably rather be reading than watching football, so maybe book-related entertainment would get us all more invested in the game. Half-time read-aloud, anyone? In fact, we are all better prepared to watch and understand the game thanks to Fred Bowen’s football titles that we all know and love.

No matter if you are a football lover or need to brush up on your football knowledge, these stories are sure to keep your attention and hopefully get you excited for Super Bowl 50.

Quarterback Season

Double Reverse

Touchdown Trouble

Let us know who you will be rooting for this weekend or what your favorite football titles are!

Put them both to use by making cardboard cars to take into Stanley’s Garage!

via laughpaintcreate.blogspot.com

Supplies:

–   1 large box
–   Colored duct tape and/or hot glue
–   Construction paper and/or paint
–   4 Paper plates
–   2 Solo cups
–   Wide colored ribbon

via mumsgrapevine.com.au

1. First, cut off the bottom and top flaps of the box so that it fits over your child’s head.
2. Glue or tape two paper plates on either side of the box to make wheels.
3. Glue or tape your two Solo cups on the front of your box to make headlights.
4. Finally, cut two strips of ribbon and attach them to the front and back of the box to make straps. Measure them so that the box hangs from your child’s shoulders.
5. Give that car a custom paint job! You can finger-paint it, glue on construction paper patterns, or even make designs from your colored tape. Be creative!

Beep! Beep! You’re ready for the open road!

As a special Halloween treat, we’re giving you, our wonderful readers (and the rest of the internet, I suppose…), a super-exclusive (and by that, I mean: open to the entire computer-literate world) insider’s look at recording an audiobook!

Bill Harley is a two-time Grammy award-winning storyteller and the author of the Charlie Bumpers series. It only makes sense that he’d record his own audiobook.

So a few months back, armed with copies of The Squeaking Skull, lots of coffee, and our video camera, a couple of us from Peachtree headed to the ListenUp Audiobooks recording studio here in Atlanta.

In a dark room with orange padded walls, we (plus our awesome sound tech, Dante) carefully followed along, watching for mistakes, as Bill brought his characters to life.

This was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in book world, and I thought you might like to see what goes into recording an audiobook too. So here you go!

It may seem like spinning a spooky yarn ought to be easy as pumpkin pie, but, like tight rope walking, writing a children’s book (Am I right, guys?), and drinking black coffee, telling a scary story is a skill that must be honed with years of careful study.

But, since Halloween is just a few days away, consider this Scary Story Bootcamp.

(via duplexproductionblog.com)

Props: 

The only true necessity is a flashlight. Shine it under your face in the dark and give your audience a ghoulish grin. Works every time.

Other props might be things like a scary mask, a storyteller’s costume (cape? tophat? pipe?), maybe some fake snakes or bugs, or spooky music to play in the background.

Setting: 

You might think the setting in which you tell your creepy tale story isn’t important. Wrong. Atmosphere is vital. Here are some tips on working your audience into maximum fright before you even open your mouth.

• Indoors:
  • Make a blanket or pillow-fort. First off, they’re awesome. Second, they’ll hide all the light from outside the fort, leaving your flashlight as the only source of light. And third, forts are awesome.
• Outdoors:
  • Do you have an outdoor fire pit? The eerie light will flicker; the fire will crackle; and creatures of the night will skulk and slither in the shadows just out of sight…

(via stellarfour.com)

(via nypost.com)

• Tommy Knockers
• You Can’t Get Out

Moderately Scary:

• Bloody Mary
• The Headless Horseman
• Yellow Ribbon

(via marydoodles.deviantart.com)

Super Scary/Proceed with Caution:

• Girl in White
• Hairy Toe
• No Trespassing

The Best Original Scary Story Ever:

• The Long Fingered Man

Okay, that last one might be biased, but it is a great spooky story and you can read it (or hear it!) yourself in Bill Harley’s third Charlie Bumpers book, Charlie Bumpers vs. the Squeaking Skull!

Did we miss any of your favorite stories? Have you made up an awesome one that you’d like to share? Do you have any more tips on how to tell them? Leave a comment below!