2008 New York Statewide Summer Reading Program

There are fun activities for kids on the 2008 New York Statewide Summer Reading Program website, including word games, crafts, puzzles, and more. Click the flyers for more info about the Program!

Summer Reading

The Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library's Kickoff Celebration for Summer Reading '08 takes place on Thursday, June 5th at 12 PM; you can sign up to enjoy the Big Apple Circus To Go and a magician, catch a screening of Bee Movie, take a picture with Mr. Met and more. All neighborhood libraries also have kickoff events that day where you can sign up. Or, register online.

BookSmart Warehouse Sale, June 9-12

BookSmart NY, the folks who stock most NYC private school book fairs, are gearing up for their Semi-Annual Warehouse Sale, with the entire inventory discounted 25-75%: Interactive - Board, Cloth, and Bath Books, Touch & Feel, Lift-the-Flap, Pop-Up; Reference- Dictionary, Atlas, Guinness Book; Gifts- Arts & Crafts, Science Kits, Board Games; Myths/Legends - Fairy Tales; Activity/Humor- Crosswords, Mazes, Drawing Books; Science/Nature - Human Body, Space, Dinosaurs, Oceans; The Arts - Music, Dance, Theater; Sports - Baseball, Soccer, Football, Hockey; Cookbooks - For Adults & Children; Picture Books/Caldecott; Feelings; Reading K-12 (Sci-Fi Fantasy, Mysteries, History); Classics; Poetry; Adult Best Sellers; Coffee-table Books, and More.
BOOKSMART *NYC Warehouse
June 9-12 from 10 AM-5 PM
27 W. 20th Street Suite 506 (between 5th & 6th Ave.)
Credit cards accepted for purchases over $25. 212.675.8677

Acclaimed Author/Illustrator Vera B. Williams Returns To PS 29 This Friday!

PS 29 has the privilege this Friday, May 9th of hosting a return visit from acclaimed author/illustrator/activist Vera B. Williams, best known for A Chair for My Mother. Ms. Williams will will share her work with our second graders. Here's a bit about her sources of inspiration, in her own words:

I love woods, the moon, rivers. . . But my writing was mostly flavored in the soup pot of family and New York City's multi-ethnic neighborhoods. Mine was a fiercely scrapping, loud-talking, loving but unsettled family struggling to make a living, as were so many around us. We were also radicals, world meddlers, people lovers, and lovers of literature, art, and music. My books seem to be telling something of all that and, at the same time, celebrating it.

Parents, just click the slideshow to purchase Williams' books via the PS 29 Amazon School Rewards Program.

In addition to Williams, the PS 29 2007-2008 In-School Literary Series, featuring a guest author per grade, has so far included Richard Lewis (First Grade), Kam Mak, (Third Grade) and Jacqueline Woodson (Fifth Grade). Rounding out the series will be illustrator Meredith Hamilton (Kindergarten) next Wednesday, May 14th and author/illustrator Nina Crews (Fourth Grade) next Thursday, May 15th. Details about next week's visits to follow!

Author Richard Lewis Visits PS 29's First Grade!

The first grade, in conjunction with their April poetry unit, had a very special workshop today with Richard Lewis, a teacher, author, and founding director of The Touchstone Center for Children.

In addition to his teaching, Richard Lewis has edited and written many books about the poetic and imaginative life of childhood, including Miracles: Poems by Children of the English–speaking World; There Are Two Lives: Poems by Children from Japan; and, most recently, When Thought is Young: Reflections on Teaching and The Poetry of the Child and Living By Wonder: The Imaginative Life of Childhood. 

Mr. Lewis has collaborated with many well-known illustrators, including Ezra Jack Keats (In A Spring Garden), Ashley Bryan (Moon, For What Do You Wait?), Ed Young (All of You Was Singing and In The Night Still Dark) and Debra Frasier (In the Space of the Sky, which he read with the children today, and pages from which are included above).

Touchstone Center Publications recently published a number of original poems that Mr. Lewis created for his work with children, including Each Sky Has Its Words (illustrated by Gigi Alvare); The Bird of Imagining (illustrated by children from New York public schools); Cave: An Evocation of the Beginnings of Art (illustrated by Elizabeth Crawford), and A Tree Lives (illustrated by Noah Baen).  

Parents, if your child came home today with a tiny envelope full of light and air and a head brimming with playful thoughts, Mr. Lewis and the Touchstone Theatre Ensemble will present Wondrous Light, Wondrous Air, a poetry and art-making workshop, on Saturday, May 10th at 2:00 PM at Poets House @ the Mulberry Street Branch of the New York Public Library, 10 Jersey Street (between Lafayette Ave. and Mulberry St.). Free Admission. For information: 212-431-7920, Ext.2219.

SAVE THE DATE! Poetry Reading, May 2: Edwin Frank, Susan Kaplan, Sarah Browning

Poets Edwin Frank, Susan Kaplan, and Sarah Browning will read from their work on May 2 at 7:00 P.M., the last evening of the 2008 PS 29 Literary Salons. In case you have missed the last evenings, the events, which take place at the school, showcase fiction, non-fiction, and poetry by new and established authors from Brooklyn and beyond. The $5 admission includes babysitting and refreshments. Discussion and booksales by local book seller, Bookcourt, follow. On-line ticketing will soon be available for this event!

Edwin Frank is the author of two chapbooks, Stack and The Further Adventures of Pinocchio, and his work has been published in Agni, Bomb, Epiphany, The New York Review of Books, and Threepenny Review. He is the editor of the New York Review Books Classic series.

Susan Kaplan is an award-winning poet and an attorney. Her work has appeared Poetry, Pegasus, Boulevard, Another Chicago Magazine, and the New Orleans Review, among others. She has won awards from the American Academy of Poets and the Poetry Society of America.

Sarah Browning is the director of the Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation and Witness. She’s the author of Whiskey in the Garden of Eden, and coeditor of D.C. Poets Against the War: An Anthology. A recipient of an artist fellowship from the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities and a Creative Communities Initiative grant, Browning hosts the Sunday Kind of Love poetry series in Washington, D.C.

For more information, please contact event organizer, Julia Lichtblau, 917-547-4721.

PS 29 2008 Authors Series Launches Tomorrow with A Special Visit from Author/Ilustrator Kam Mak!

Acclaimed Hong Kong-born author/illustrator Kam Mak will lead off the PS 29 2008 In-School Authors Series tomorrow morning, Wednesday, January 23rd with presentations to the third grade.

Mr. Mak is the author/illustrator of My Chinatown: One Year in Poems.
Other authors in the series will be announced soon, with one author's visit per grade planned.

Mr.Mak moved with his family to the United States in 1971 and settled in New York City. His interest in painting was awakened through involvement with City Art Workshop, an organization that enabled inner-city youths to explore the arts. Mr. Mak continued to pursue his interest in painting while attending the School of Visual Arts, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1984 through a four-year full scholarship.

Mr. Mak‘s artwork has been exhibited at the Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition and The Original Show (dedicated to the Best of Children’s Picture books). His paintings have appeared in books and covers produced by numerous publishers. Mr. Mak’s current book title, My Chinatown: One Year in Poems, is an autobiographical tale about a little boy growing up in Chinatown. Earning a starred review from Kirkus, My Chinatown was a Parent’s Choice Recommended Award Winner (Parents’ Choice Foundation). The Dragon Prince, published by HarperCollins, won Mr. Mak the Oppenheim Platinum Medal and National Parenting Publication Gold Metal for Best Children’s Picture Book. Mr. Mak was recently awarded the Gold Medal for the cover art to The Kite Rider and Silver Medals for the cover art to My Chinatown from the Society of Illustrators 45th Annual Exhibition. Mr. Mak is the recipient of the prestigious Steven Dohanos Award for Artistic Excellence from the Society of Illustrators.

In January 2008, the United States Postal Service introduced Mr. Mak’s new 12-year series of stamps celebrating the Lunar New Year. A new cycle begins with the Year of the Rat.

Mr. Mak is Vice Chair of the Illustration Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology and is presently working on series of paintings inspired by imagery of animals as food in Chinatown. He lives in Brooklyn with his family.

Click the flyer for information on Mr. Mak's special visit to PS 29.

BookSmart Warehouse Sale Through Friday, December 14th

The BookSmart Holiday Warehouse Sale, through Friday, December 14th (10 AM-5:30 PM) has a large inventory of children's books, as well as adult cookbooks and best-sellers, at up to 70-percent off. Through Friday, 12/14, 10am-5:30pm. 27 West 20th St. (bet. 5th & 6th Ave.), Suite 506, 212-675-8677.(BookSmart is a book consultant and supplier for independent schools in the tri-state area.)

Caldecott Medal and Honor Books, 1997-2007

Thanks to the many members of the PS 29 community who have made purchases via the Amazon School Rewards program!! There have been over 50 orders placed since last week, bumping us up to a 6.5 percent commission! Click on the PTA's aStores, Caldecott list below (a decade of medalists and honorees!) or the Amazon School Rewards button and the donation is automatic!

Thanks for remembering Amazon School Rewards and GoodShop.com! The support really adds up! Please forward to friends and family; and ask grandparents, et al., to forward to their friends, too!

Schoolwide Read Aloud Book, One Grain of Rice

The kids recently took to heart the lessons of the schoolwide read-aloud book, One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale, in which a resourceful village girl outsmarts a greedy raja, turning a reward of one grain of rice into a feast for a hungry nation. The City Harvest food drive, held concurrently with the Rice read-aloud, doubled last year's success, bringing in a whopping 2,000 pounds of food to feed New York City's hungry!

If you have been hearing about this book at home, here's an opportunity to add it to your home library, while supporting the school!

New PTA Online Holiday Bookstore!

The PS 29 PTA today introduces its own online Holiday Book Store with a great selection of Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa books, along with the current New York Times Best-Selling Kids' Books; New York Public Library 100 Recommended Children's Books of 2007; and a roundup of books by Brooklyn children's author/illustrators! We earn six percent on purchases through our School Rewards link and our Amazon Stores (we have a Pinkalicious Amazon shop, too!). Thanks for taking a look and enjoy!

Prepare for Pinkalicious!

Get ready for Vital Theatre's Pinkalicious performance on Friday, December 7th (6:30 PM) with the original Pinkalicious book, and its hot-off-the-presses sequel—what else, but Purplicious! Click the links above and a percentage of your purchase goes straight to the PTA! Great holiday gifts!

Brooklyn Museum Kids' Book Fair Today!

Go check out the Brooklyn Museum Children's Book Fair this afternoon, from 1:00-5:00 PM — and remember to say hi to PS 29 parent and illustrator Sophie Blackall! (Illustration: Skipping Girl © Sophie Blackall.)

FREE Weekend Events!

Brooklyn Museum Children's Bookfair
Saturday, November 17th, 1:00-5:00 PM


See earlier post for more info on the Brooklyn Museum Children's Book Fair, featuring illustrator/PS 29 parent Sophie Blackall, among other prominent author/illustrators, who will read and sign books! Refreshments, too! The event takes place in the Museum's Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion on the first floor. See how to get there. (Pictured above: Cover Illustration by Sophie Blackall for Ivy + Bean and the Ghost that Had to Go.)

MoMA Family Films: Magical Mysteries
Saturday, November 17th, 12 noon-1:00 PM


A special FREE MoMA program for families includes a screening of Where the Wild Things Are (USA/1973), Ben's Dream (USA/1983), and Shipwrecked (Canada/2006). Tickets include Museum and program admission and are given out on a first-come, first-served basis at 10am at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. The program is for individual families of up to two adults and up to three children (5-10 years). Your entire party must be present; tickets are not given to partial parties. Enter through the Fifty-fourth Street entrance. 212.708.9805.

The Strand Family Hour: Vive La France Day with Nicholas
Saturday, November 17th, 3:00-4:00 PM

The "Dennis the Menace" of France is back with more adventures! During the Strand bookstore's Family Hour, explore French culture through the exploits of a young French schoolboy named Nicholas who is always getting into trouble. Listen and laugh along to the stories from the fourth book in the Nicholas series, Nicholas and the Gang, as read by Strand Friend Barbara Gerard. Enjoy chocolate croissants and games! At the Strand's main store on the corner of 12th Street and Broadway.

Tonight at PS 29! PTA Meeting, Book Fair, and Assembly Woman Joan Millman Confers Reading Challenge Awards!

Please attend the PTA Meeting this evening at 7PM! New York State Assemblywoman Joan Millman will make a special visit to confer certificates to children who participated in the Summer Reading Challenge. Please bring your kids if they participated in the Challenge; awards will be presented at the top of the meeting!

Pizza and childcare are available during the meeting and the Scholastic Book Fair is open for business!!

Brooklyn Museum of Art Children's Book Fair on Saturday, November 17th!!

The Brooklyn Museum of Art is hosting a Children's Book Fair from 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m on Saturday, November 17th! Meet your favorite Brooklyn authors and illustrators— including PS 29 parent Sophie Blackall— plus Peter Brown, Lauren Castillo, Keith Duquette, Emily Jenkins, Meghan McCarthy, Lauren Thompson, and others.

Sophie notes, "I'll be signing books with about 20 other more famous authors and illustrators, and they've promised refreshments! And it's FREE! And if you don't come I'll be there for four hours on my own, being nice to strangers and their stranger children. If any of you are even remotely in the vicinity, post soccer game or pre-lunch with Great Aunt, do stop by and say hello... I won't make you buy anything, promise!"

Author readings are from 1:30–4 p.m. in the Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor. (Illustration © Sophie Blackall)

Brooklyn Author/Illustrator Kam Mak @ MoCA this Saturday, 11/10!

Local Carroll Gardens resident and acclaimed author/illustrator Kam Mak takes part in the Museum of Chinese in America's Living Arts series with a reading this Saturday, November 10th at 2:30 PM from his luminous book, My Chinatown: One Year in Poems. The artist shares stories from his Chinatown childhood and shows kids his original art along with objects that inspired his book. FREE with museum admission ($2 adults; free for kids under 12). Advance registration is appreciated. Phone: (212) 619-4785. Ages: 5-12. MoCA is a skip over the bridge. (Pictured: Kam Mak's painting, Lion Dance, from My Chinatown.)

Elmo's World at Carroll Gardens Library Today at 3:30! FREE!

For the pre-k and younger set, the Carroll Gardens branch of the Brooklyn Public Library hosts an Elmo's World showing today at 3:30. The branch shows FREE films for tots every Wednesday!

NEW, FREE 826NYC Writing Workshops Available!!

826NYC, at 5th Avenue and 5th Street in Park Slope, is offering a couple of new FREE kids' writing workshops this fall, including "Become A Superhero" for ages 6-9 and "A Greek Chorus Line, Or How to Produce an Original Greek Tragedy". 826NYC workshops are designed to foster creativity, strengthen writing skills, and provide students with a forum for executing projects they might not otherwise have the support to undertake. Workshops range from the playful to the practical, and all are taught by volunteer writers, artists, educators, and publishing professionals. Register online; workshops fill up quickly!

Pinkalicious: The Musical Is Coming to PS 29!!

SAVE THE DATE!! Vital Theatre's Pinkalicious: The Musical is coming to PS 29 on Friday, December 7th!!! Pinkalicious is based on the popular book by Elizabeth Kann & Victoria Kann. Stay tuned for more rosy news of the show!