I remember the first time I found out about Madeline. My mama and daddy went to London to visit my aunt and uncle and they came home with Madeline in London for me. Being a red-headed little girl, I was over the moon to have a book about another red-headed girl. I had a major complex about being red-headed because I was the only one in my class. So along with Pippi, Madeline was added to my list of “reasons it is okay to be red-headed.”

Every so often mama would come home with a new Madeline book from OZ books. A big treat was when she came home with a Madeline doll for me! I still have that doll and she is still just as special to me at 25 as she was at 9-years-old.

John Bemelmans Marciano was here on Friday, February 18th at 4:30 to sign his new book and his other Madeline stories.

What do you think of when you think of the children’s book character Madeline? Is it how you had to have it read to you every night before bed, or how you grew so tired of reading it every night before bed. Does she remind you of yourself? Maybe your precocious child? Or do her books remind you of a golden age in children’s literature, the way a picture book is supposed to be?

In some way, many of us here at the book store have some memory of Madeline’s books, either from growing up hearing them or reading them to growing children. The author and illustrator of the original Madeline books was Ludwig Bemelmans. In his lifetime, he published six Madeline stories. A seventh story was found after his death and his grandson edited it for publication.

Ludwig Bemelmans died of cancer in 1962, but Madeline continued to live on in the hearts of many families, including the Bemelmans. John Bemelmans Marciano is Ludwig’s grandson and grew up hearing stories of Madeline from his grandmother, Madeleine, or Mimi, Ludwig’s wife. He has carried Madeline into a new century with his new books Madeline and the Cats of Rome and his newest book, Madeline At the White House. In one interview with The Star Ledger, Marciano says that in writing these new stories he wanted “to keep it in the spirit of the original.”

And Marciano, a self taught illustrator, has done just that. The new Madeline books are still stories of our favorite Madeline without feeling forced or commercialized. Ludwig Bemelmans himself wanted to write Madeline At the White House and corresponded with Jacqueline Kennedy about the project. Marciano’s book takes place in the spring and Miss Clavel takes all twelve children to the White House to meet the fictional first daughter Candle. They have fun touring the city and even Easter egg hunting on the White House grounds.  When everyone except Madeline gets a tummy ache, Madeline spends her night whispering with Candle over candle light. This book is just as adorable as the original Madeline books and definitely worth adding to your collection.

To top it all off, John Bemelmans Marciano will be here on Friday, February 18th at 4:30 to sign his new book and his other Madeline stories. After the signing we will have a reading and have a jolly old time. Fans old and young, one and all will not want to miss this magical evening.

She’s an illustrator and an author. She has written picture books, books for early readers, books for late elementary kids, and keepsake books. She won a Newbery Honor in 2010 for her book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and a Geisel Honor (an award named for Theodore Seuss Geisel) in 2011 for her book Ling and Ting. She tours schools, encourages creativity, and, as you can already see, is an amazing dynamo of talent. And, she will be here at Lemuria this Thursday!

As I write this blog, we are on the cusp of the new Chinese New Year, the year of the rabbit. One of my favorite books of Lin’s is Bringing in the New Year. I remember a child, celebrating Chinese New Year in school, but the traditions we acknowledged were more like our American new year than a real Chinese new year. In this picture book, Grace Lin sheds light on customs the Chinese practice at the start of a new year.

If you’re looking for a book that’s for an older child, or a book to read from every night, look no further than Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Beautifully written and illustrated, this is the story of a girl who goes on an adventure to change her family’s fortune, only to find she doesn’t need to change it. Grace weaves Chinese folklore throughout this novel to create a unique and touching story. This is the kind of book that not only catches a child (or parent’s) attention with its full color illustrations and holds it with the engaging story. Several people, myself included, have been reading it in preparation of meeting Grace and I have heard nothing but exclamations of happiness about this book.

And for those kids just learning to read Ling and Ting is such a perfect fit. Much like Dicamillo and McGhee’s Bink and Gollie, this book is a little smaller than a picture book in height and has three stories much like chapters. Ling and Ting are identical twins, but they are not the same. Each story shows a way their personalities are different. With Lin’s same bright illustrations, this book is sure to become a classic early reader book.

Come meet this amazing children’s writer and illustrator on the first day of the Year of the Rabbit, Thursday, February 3rd at 5:00. We can’t wait to see you there!

It is such a delight to find an author you love. To read a book that so completely resonates with what you believe that certain kind of books should feel like. That one book was pleasure enough, but to find that they have published another book–well, let’s just all go run around in a circle with joy.

I have praised Il Sung Na’s stories and accompanying art before, but his new book, Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit, is not only timely, but just a beautiful as his other books.

Meet Rabbit, ready for winter with his white fur, as he finds out what the other animals of world do to get ready for winter. So fly south, some hibernate, so swim to warmer waters, and some burrow under ground. But as spring comes and the world begins to un-thaw, all the animals know that spring is here, including the rabbit who is no longer white, but has changed colors to tan.

With his mixed media illustrations and simple stories, not only is this a great read aloud picture book, but also a great way to introduce the changing of the seasons.

See all of Il Sung Na’s books here.

Ever since I became the “Oz lady” a year and a half ago, one of my goals has been to have Lemuria book clubs for kids. This time last year, I was all pumped up about a book club for 5th graders, wrote a blog about it and everything, and no one ever contacted me. I figured that it just wasn’t meant to be and had given up on it for the time being when a few parents came to me requesting that we host a book club. Of course I answered “Yes!” and began planning right away. I was still a little leery that my boy and girls book clubs wouldn’t stick, so we just met every month with 4 or 5 kids in each group. However, it’s now January and we are still meeting!

With the girls we have read our way through Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder,  The Pharaoh’s Secret by Marissa Moss, Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild,and Bird’s Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin. The boys have been busy reading too with books like Nine Pound Hammer by John Claude Bemis, Whales on Stilts by M. T. Anderson, and Alabama Moon by Watt Key.

Since our book clubs have weathered the initial storm, I would like to open these book clubs to any 5th or 6th grade boys or girls who are interested.

Our 5th/6th grade boys book club meets the second Friday of every month from 3:30-4:45. This month that means we will be meeting this Friday. We will be discussing The Jaguar Stones #1 Middleworld by J&P Voelkel. Jon and Pamela were here last year for the paperback release of this book and they were such a hoot. They will be back this March to sign the next book in The Jaguar Stones series, The End of the World Club.

Our 5th/6th grade girls book club meets the last Friday of every month from 3:00-4:15. This month, that means that we will be meeting Friday, January 28th. We will be discussing Up and Down the Scratchy Mountain by Laurel Snyder. Laurel was here this fall to sign her newest book (and Lemuria’s absolute favorite) Penny Dreadful. We began this book club with Laurel’s book Any Which Wall, and we are excited to be doing another of her adorable books.

And starting in February, we will host the first ever meeting of our 7th/8th grade girl’s book club. The first meeting of this book club will be Saturday, February 19th from 1:00-2:00. We will be discussing Matched by Ally Condie, the start of a dystopian trilogy that is one of my favorite books right now. This book has a great range of characters, references to poetry, and is perfect for Hunger Games fans. I am so excited that we will be starting this book club with this book!

And as an added bonus, you get a 10% discount on any book that you buy from us specifically for one of our book clubs. Each of these book clubs meets just right outside the front of Lemuria and is led by me. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at emily@lemuriabooks.com, call the store (601.366.7619) and talk to me, or just stop on by. I hope we will have some new members in the upcoming months. Keep reading and thanks to all of you who make this possible.