Tag: Children’s Books

This Week in Literary News

We lost Supreme Court Justice and badass women’s rights advocate Ruth Bader Ginsburg this week, after an over two-decade fight with multiple types of cancer. Here’s 8 books about RBG from the New York Times and 6 recommendations from USA Today, and the (ridiculously) eloquent 13-year-old RBG speaking on prejudice. Complement these with this beautiful, wrecking elegy from Lynn Steger Strong and a throwback to RBG’s 2016 advice on living. We also said goodbye to the beloved Guess How Much I Love You children’s book author Sam McBratney this week.

The National Book Foundation’s 5 under 35 were just announced (look at that lineup!), as was the 2020 National Book Award longlist.

The biggest celebrity book news of the week: former U.S. President Barack Obama has penned a memoir! The memoir will be published in two volumes, the first of which will be released after the elections this November and covers the President’s early political career up through the 2011 death of Osama Bin Laden. It’s going to be huge for the industry (and the reader – buckle up, folks, the first volume is 768 pages long). The Bodega Boys wrote a book, Lady Gaga is releasing a collection of short personal stories by young people, and JK Rowling is in trouble again. John Boehner has an… interesting? sensual?… new book cover, and Lil Nas X wrote the “best kids’ book of all time.” A Downton Abbey cookbook is coming out in October. Continue reading “This Week in Literary News”

Q&A with Niki Daly

This Q&A was done 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. You can find other author Q&As here.

This month, we have not one but two marvelous releases from award-winning author Niki Daly: Here Comes Lolo and Hooray for Lolo. The Lolo series introduces us to Lolo, a generous and artistic South African girl. Lolo always finds adventures, even in the most mundane situations. With her mother and grandmother by her side, Lolo is ready to take on anything. Children will love these stories as Booklist mentions in their review, “With a simply written, graceful text and gray-scale pictures on nearly every page, these appealing stories are just right for children moving from beginning readers to chapter books.”

Niki Daly is not only the author, but also the illustrator of these two books. Daly is a South African, author-illustrator, well-known throughout the world with a great number of children’s books written, and several awards won. Some of these books include Not So Fast Songololo, with awards in South Africa and the U.S., and Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky.

In this author Q&A, we talked to Niki about his inspirations when creating Lolo, how his childhood influenced his writing, and his advice for future writers.

Continue reading “Q&A with Niki Daly”

This Week in Literary News, Week of April 5

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

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.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Read a Book from Catalyst Press)

2020 is just around the corner (which, is simply unbelievable. Wasn’t it just summer?!), so we wanted to give you a preview about some of the great books we’ve got planned for the new year. This post will cover, roughly, the first half of 2020 (with one book that’s set for release in late 2019), and part two, covering the rest of the year, is coming soon.

Many of these books are ready for pre-order right now, so if someone (you) were looking to add a few books to the to-be-read pile, someone (you) would be in luck. All right, onward! Continue reading “What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Read a Book from Catalyst Press)”

The Lolo Series

Meet Lolo. She’s kind-hearted, creative, full of fun, and she’s sure to become your best friend! This series for new readers follows Lolo as she navigates her way from adventure to adventure. Lolo skips through life, leaving a trail of laughter and a few frowns in these books, each featuring four easy-to-read stories.

All four Lolo books have been chosen as Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections.

Books in the series:
Here Comes Lolo
Hooray for Lolo
You’re a Star, Lolo 
Fly High, Lolo

See a preview of the Lolo series here!
Hear author Niki Daly read a story from Here Comes Lolo
Download a Lolo activity sheet (PDF)
Download Lolo Teaching Guides Here Comes Lolo | Hooray for Lolo

Reviews

“With a simply written, graceful text and gray-scale pictures on nearly every page, these appealing stories are just right for children moving from beginning readers to chapter books.” —Booklist

“Bright and cheerful Lolo is the star of the show in this new chapter-book series from South Africa. […} Young readers will find much to enjoy in this tale of a winning little girl and her family—hooray indeed!” Kirkus Reviews

“Daly’s lessons are relatable and resonant, sowing seeds of compassion and connection between the reader and Lolo. […] The expressive black-and-white digital illustrations, which resemble classic line art à la Amelia Bedelia, lovingly depict Lolo and her community. An endearing protagonist and clear thematic messages make this first in a series a winsome pick for early readers.” —Publishers Weekly (Review of Here Comes Lolo)

“[T]he books in the series thus far are charming, touching, and captivating. I loved reading these books, and I cannot wait to pass both titles on to my 8 year old niece. I hope that she enjoys this window into a South African girl’s life, and sees herself in Lolo’s own experiences.” — Klem-Marí Cajigas, Global Literature in Libraries

“The outstanding feature of this series of books is that very few books for children of this age (say 5 to 8 years) combine a highly readable tone and a feisty young character of colour.” — International Board on Books for Young People, UK

“Lolo is thoughtful and caring and she is very good at considering the feelings of others. Each book would be wonderful picks for a learning setting, encouraging conversations about emotions and friendships. The books would be great for young readers 5 and upwards, who are becoming more independent at reading and would like to make the transition from picture books to chapter books. Great reads.” — Mamma Filz Book Blog

“Lolo is a fun-loving, likeable character, whose experiences and dilemmas are typical of children her age. She considers the impact her actions have on others, making this a great book to promote discussion about emotions, empathy, kindness and friendship. Ideal for newly independent readers to increase their confidence, each page is illustrated with characterful black-and-white illustrations that bring the stories to life.” — Book Trust (UK)

“Sparkly stories all, with lots of gentle humour that will win Lolo lots of friends among young readers who are sure to enjoy making the acquaintance of this enormously engaging girl.”—Red Reading Hub

The Author

Niki Daly’s groundbreaking Not So Fast Songololo, winner of a US Parent’s Choice Award, paved the way for post-apartheid South African children’s books. Among his many books, Niki Daly’s Jamela’s Dress was chosen by the ALA as a Notable Children’s Book and by Booklist as one of the Top 10 African American Picture Books of 2000. It also won both the Children’s Literature Choice Award and the Parents’ Choice Silver Award. Niki lives with his wife, the author and illustrator Jude Daly, in South Africa.