Readers of kids’ books: mark your calendars for AUGUST 22. Meet great middle-grade and picture book authors at the first ever Mississippi Book Festival, held downtown at the State Capitol. Before meeting the authors, read their books!
Featured this week are Kimberly Willis Holt and Susan Eaddy, who will be on the Young Readers Panel and Children’s Illustrated Books Panel, respectively.
Dear Hank Williams by Kimberly Willis Holt (Macmillan, 2015)
Holt will be presenting her newest novel for kids, Dear Hank Williams, on the Young Readers panel. Dear Hank Williams is set in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, in the 1950s. When Tate’s teacher asks her students to choose a pen-pal, Tate knows just the person.
“That minute I knew exactly who my pen pal was going to be. Guess who, Hank Williams? I’ve picked you! Since you sing on the Louisiana Hayride and I’m going to sing at the Rippling Creek May Festival Talent Contest, we already have something in common.”
Tate writes letters so funny you will laugh out loud. After being sent to clean the kitchen after asking her Aunt Patty Cake too many questions about her past love life, Tate says,“Frog (Tate’s brother) is smart. He never is the least bit interested in the Christmas-tree-ornament stories. Curious people seem to have more chores.”
She’s “practicing to perfection” for the talent-show in order to beat golden-haired Verbia Calhoon. She spills her innermost secrets to the voice she hears on the radio, including tales of how she gets a dog for Christmas, whom she names Lovie. Aunt Patty Cake questions if Hank Williams even reads Tate’s letters, but Tate knows he does — so far he’s sent her three autographed photographs of himself.
Tate’s true story about her parents, her family, and the truth about herself unfolds in her letters to the country singer, and her voice is funny, Southern, fresh, and will even make you cry.
For readers ages 8-12.
Poppy’s Best Paper by Susan Eaddy, illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet (Charlesbridge: 2015)
Eaddy will be on the Children’s Illustrated Books Panel with her new picture book, Poppy’s Best Paper. Poppy is a little white rabbit with long, floppy ears who wants to be a very famous writer. When her teacher, Mrs. Rose, tells them she will read one student’s paper in front of the class, Poppy gets to work. “At home, Poppy told Mr. Fuzz Dog, ‘I am going to write the BEST paper ever!’ ” She KNOWS that her teacher will pick her paper to read aloud to the class. Poppy plays adventure “treasure ahead!” She plays with Mr. Fuzz Dog, and she takes break after break. In fact, Poppy does everything EXCEPT write her paper!
Surprise, surprise, Mrs. Rose does not pick Poppy’s paper to read aloud. Poppy, disheartened, tries again, but keeps taking more breaks and not finishing the paper. Finally, she writes a paper Mrs. Rose reads to the class titled, “How to Get in Trouble.”
Poppy is similar to most students, and kids will identify with the struggle to finish homework. The illustrations by Bonnet are adorable, and Poppy is just one bunny amongst a group of other animal children. This book is perfect for kids going back to school and facing homework.
For readers ages 3-7.
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