Category: Children’s Books | Page 5

This Week in Literary News, Week of April 12

Our weekly round-up of literary news here at Catalyst and beyond, is brought to you by our intern Naomi Valenzuela. Naomi is from Phoenix, Arizona and El Paso, Texas, and is majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in English & American Literature at the University of Texas, El Paso, with plans of working in the publishing business after graduation

It has been an exciting week of news for Catalyst Press!

We start off with an excerpt from Peter Church’s Crackerjack, the first book in the Dark Web Trilogy. Read it on The Johannesburg Review of Books.

We have reviews for not one, but two, of our books over at Publishers Weekly! There’s a starred review for Ameera Patel’s Outside The Lines, as well as a review for Bitter Pill by Peter Church. Both books are out in June.

Check out this essay by Yewande Omotoso, author of Bom Boy, over on The Sunday Times (South Africa) where she writes about COVID-19 and how it has shined a light upon the problems of the world.

We have also created a list of our educational resources. Take a look at some of our published books, sorted by age level, to find activities and resources to fit your needs!

And in other literary news:

The New York Times has an article about how some librarians continue to work through the pandemic after many of the nation’s libraries remain closed.

Need to find some new tasks for your free time? Book Riot has made a to-do list and guide to spring clean your books— from your shelves to your digital collections.

Yes! Magazine has an essay from Myriam Gurba and how the controversy around American Dirt inspired a movement for Latinx writers.

Teaching Guides & Activities for Catalyst Books

Book-lovers are pretty great, aren’t they? But to create the next generation of readers, we have to start early. That’s why we’re so proud of our books for kids, young adults, and our crossover titles. We hope that one of these stories is just the spark to create a reader for life.

During these challenging times, we know that a lot of parents are now finding themselves in the role of teacher, and you may be using one of our books to supplement your curriculum. If that’s the case, first of all, thank you, and please let us know how you’re using our books. We’d love to hear from you!

If you’re interested in incorporating African history and stories into your child’s reading, we’re pleased to offer the following resources/activities. Please check back as we add new resources and roll out a dedicated page where you can access these, and future activities. We realize that education as we’ve known it has changed quite a bit in the last few weeks, and we not only want to be responsive to that, we want to provide as many resources as possible to guide us, not just through this moment, but in the future. Continue reading “Teaching Guides & Activities for Catalyst Books”

This Week in Literary News, Week of April 5

The Guardian has a continuously updating list for bookworms of all ages to enjoy diverse activities from home, from author live streams to online book lending.

As mentioned last week, our authors and editors are going digital, too, with a remote reading series. This week we have David Muirhead reading from one of our recent releases Cat Among the Pigeons. Check out the video here.

There’s a new children’s book, made by a collaborative effort of more than 50 organizations, that’s aiming to help children understand the current pandemic. Read more about it at the World Health Organization.

The editors at Brightly have compiled lists of books and activities for children of all ages, from babies to teenagers, to keep them learning and engaged.

Publishers Weekly also has a list of digital resources by authors and publishers for children to keep their minds active, which includes our own resources— three coloring pages and author read-alouds from Niki Daly and Bridget Krone.

Electric Lit has another reading list for us, this week seven books with surreal stories for these surreal times.

As many people look toward books with diversity, Book Riot has an article examining whether the high popularity of white male authors among readers still prevails.

Due to the pandemic, celebrations for National Poetry Month, such as workshops, open mics, and readings, have taken the technological route. The New York Times gives the many different online events going on this month.

An article on LitHub explores how current events will affect the literature to come, and when it will become the appropriate time for these novels.

The Remote Reading Series: Niki Daly

Since many literary events have been cancelled recently, and since sharing art is always important, we here at Catalyst HQ have decided to put on a remote reading series. Over the next days/weeks, we’ll be releasing videos of our authors/editors. These are tough times, and we hope that our books (and all arts) are playing a part in helping you through them. See the other installments here.

Next up: Niki Daly! Niki is the award-winning author/illustrator of several books for children. We are so excited to be able to bring his Lolo series to US readers. The Lolo series— Here Comes Lolo and Hooray for Lolo— each feature four easy-to-read stories for the beginning reader. In this installment of our Remote Reading Series, Niki reads his story “A Gold Star and a Kiss for Lolo” from Here Comes Lolo. Both books are out in May, and pre-orders are available now.

An Update from Catalyst Publisher/Founder Jessica Powers

Dear friends of Catalyst Press,

In just a few short weeks, it feels like the world as we have known it has collapsed. We’re all trying to keep in touch as best we can, and those of us who can work from home are doing so, but we know that a lot of people have lost or will lose their jobs; we know that people will have trouble paying rent or feeding their families. And meanwhile, all of us have to deal with the fear and uncertainty of an illness that can be deadly, and may affect us or our loved ones.

The economic shutdown of the USA has affected book publishers in myriad ways. Amazon is making shipping of books a low priority. Independent booksellers have changed the way they work with customers, and are working to ship online orders as well as provide curbside pickups. But booksellers and publishers alike are going to be dramatically affected by the quarantines and shelter-in-place orders, primarily through loss of sales, but also through loss of marketing opportunities to get the word out about our books through reviews and other outlets that are also not operating under optimal conditions (or at all.)

Catalyst Press is committed to weathering this storm but, as a new small press we are especially vulnerable to a tank in sales. This is true for all small presses, not least for us. For those of you who really want to support us during this time, here are a few ways:

If you’re in North America, you can order new and older books directly from our website or from independent bookstores at this link.
South Africa is in a severe lockdown right now, and deliveries of books aren’t happening. In the meantime, you can order ebooks at Amazon. We always want to support independent bookstores but in this particular case, please do buy ebooks on Amazon! But if you want to buy physical books and you can wait for them to be delivered, you can order copies from LAPA, our distributor in South Africa, and they will resume deliveries when they can.
We are also able to accept one-time or recurring tax-deductible donation through Fractured Atlas, a 501 (c) (3) arts organization that has offered us fiscal sponsorship. This is an option we’d love for you to consider anytime, of course!
Even if ordering books or offering donations is not possible for you at this time, we love hearing from our supporters on social media, this blog, or via email, so please feel free to drop us a kind note anytime. We’d love to hear about past books we published that you loved, future books you’re looking forward to, or suggestions for future books.

Thanks guys. Keep in touch and stay well!

Jessica, Publisher & Founder, Catalyst Press (with imprints Story Press Africa & Powers Squared)

Stay in and Color!

As we’re all practicing social distancing right now, things can get a little, let’s say, monotonous, at home. We’re all looking for fun activities to keep us entertained. We here at Catalyst want to help you, and so we’re pleased to offer coloring pages from our books Shaka Rising and King Shaka by author/illustrator Luke W. Molver. Download the pages: Shaka Rising, King Shaka

Karen Vermeulen, the artist who has designed a number of our covers, also has a coloring page available for download, with others available to her Patreon subscribers. Download her page here. You can learn more about Karen and her work, including her online workshops, at her website www.karenvermeulen.com

This Week in Literary News: Week of March 22

In Catalyst Press news, Catalyst founder/publisher, Jessica Powers was on the Intralingo Podcast! Watch or listen as Jessica discusses her new book (Under Water, published by Cinco Puntos Press), her connections to Africa, and other topics.

On Ozy, meet Fawzia Gilani-Williams, a teacher and author who is rewriting fairytales for Muslim children after she noticed the U.K.’s lack of diversity in children’s books.

Children’s publishers have reported a large rise in sales due to the shut-down of schools during this pandemic. Read more over at The New York Times,

The Washington Post gives readers a guide on different ways to participate in the literature scene, including live-streams, online book clubs, and where to find and buy books.

In these difficult times, Read It Forward has a short essay by Emily M.D. Scott about how libraries continue to affirm our humanity.

In more Catalyst news, King Shaka: Zulu Legend by Luke Molver is a finalist for Pop Culture Classroom‘s Best in Young Adult Graphic Literature! Part of Pop Culture Classroom’s mission is to celebrate diversity through the tools of popular culture and the power of self-expression.

Writer Lilly Dancyger gives us a perspective on the anxieties of publishing a book while struggling to cope with these recent changes to the world over on Electric Lit.

Over on LitHub, publicists discuss their change to online events and their thoughts about these technological adaptions.

The Remote Reading Series: Bridget Krone

Today’s reading comes from Bridget Krone (who has even dressed as one of her characters!). Bridget is the author of the middle-grade novel Small Mercies, a heartwarming book about family, love, and standing up for what’s right— even when it’s hard. Small Mercies has earned Bridget a starred review from Kirkus, and we couldn’t be prouder to be her publisher! Small Mercies is out now! Want to get a sneak peek? Check out this excerpt from the novel! And if you want to learn more about Bridget and her novel, be sure to read this Q&A with her.

The Remote Reading Series: JL Powers Reads from Under Water

Our first video comes from Catalyst founder Jessica Powers, who introduces the series and reads from her YA novel Under Water, published by our friends Cinco Puntos Press. You can pick up Jessica’s novel at your favorite bookseller, but independent bookstores are having a tough time right now, so, if you can, please support your local one by purchasing through Indiebound, Bookshop, or their websites.

Stay tuned for more videos from more of our authors!

Q&A with Bridget Krone

This Q&A comes to us from SarahBelle Selig. SarahBelle is our representative for all things Catalyst/Story Press Africa in South Africa. If you’re following us on any of our social media accounts, look for the hashtag #CatalystSA, for news about our books in South Africa.

We are so thrilled to announce our February release, Small Mercies, a middle-grade novel by South African author Bridget Krone! Dubbed by Kirkus Reviews in a starred review as “sensitive, funny, and tender,” Small Mercies, which also features illustrations by Karen Vermeulen, tells the story of a Mercy, a shy girl from Pietermaritzburg with two eccentric foster aunts, a chicken named Lemon, and one big problem. When Mercy is faced with snooty school bullies and ruthless real estate developers, she learns that telling the truth – no matter how messy it is – may be the perfect remedy for life’s tricky situations. As put by New York Times bestseller Kathi Appelt, “You will not leave the pages of this book without feeling somehow smarter and wiser and kinder.”

A former English teacher, Bridget Krone has written many English language textbooks and short novels for use in South African schools. Bridget has spent most of her life in and near Pietermaritzburg, a town whose quirky residents and complicated history make it a microcosm of life in South Africa. We caught up with Bridget to chat all things Small Mercies – from bees, to bullying, to Gandhi. Check out an excerpt below, and read the rest at our site. And don’t forget to grab your copy online on IndieBound or in your favorite local bookstore! Continue reading “Q&A with Bridget Krone”