Eureka! We've Struck Gold!

It all started with a submission to the California Reading Association's Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Book Awards for 2013. And on Wednesday, November 6, we were notified of our cookbook's gold success! We knew we had gold when we decided to publish this stunning children's cookbook, but it's nice to have a little affirmation now and again.

Cool World Cooking: Fun and Tasty Recipes for Kids! by Lisa Wagner hit shelves in early July 2013, and is already into it's second printing! This durable cookbook gives up-and-coming chefs a chance to explore the foods of the world. This international cookbook has over 50 recipes from six different cultures and introduces readers to world geography, math, science, and authentic, easy-to-make recipes that taste great. Young chefs will learn about African, French, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Japanese and Chinese cooking.

978-1-938063-12-1 (tp)
978-1-938063-13-8 (ebook)

This is the CRA's fourth annual year hosting the Eureka! awards program, and we're excited to have been a part of it. We can't wait for the years to come either, because we have a fantastic selection of nonfiction activity books for kids of all ages (and adults too!).

Help us celebrate this fantastic selection by purchasing your own copy of Cool World Cooking or by displaying this award-winning book in your store. Need we mention that this award is just in time for the holiday season!? It makes a great holiday gift... give it early and see what delicious creations come from the kitchen!

To see the other five gold winners and a list of honorees, check out the CRA's sterling list of books.

ALA 2013: Chicago Bound

GOOOOOD Morning, Campers!

I've always wanted a PA system to shout that over, but I suppose a blog will have to do.

We're getting very excited around the office: ALA 2013 is just two days away!

This year, we're traveling to Chicago to exhibit our books and company at the American Library Association conference. And we hope to see you there!

Will you be in attendance?

Here are just a few of the exciting activities we've lined up for our readers:

-Book Signing on Saturday with BETSY'S DAY AT THE GAME author Greg Bancroft.  I heard that the first 20 people in line will receive a free tote?  Who doesn't love a little book swag?

-Galleys of THE BEST SATURDAY EVER and MONSTER NEEDS A COSTUME will be available to both look at and snatch up.

-We're handing out Crunchy Almond Cookies from COOL WORLD COOKING! Designer Alex has perfected the recipe and we're excited to share these tasty treats available from our delightful new cook book for junior readers! (Publishing July 9th, 2013)

-Need a bookmark? We've hand-crafted plenty to hand out to you! Our upcycling craft collection, TRASH TO TREASURE, will be available this forthcoming November.

Desiree, Mike, Nancy, and Myself will be in and out of the booth all weekend long. We're excited to chat, network, and hear your stories: do us a favor and stop by booth #2537 and hang with the Scarletta Crew.

Get Set for Screen-Free Week!

Monday marks the beginning of Screen-Free Week, a time to unplug, experience something new, and take time to be present with friends and family. In anticipation, we’ve put together a list of activities to do with your kids that are inspired by some of our favorite new and classic children’s books.  If you have other ideas, share them with us, and let's make sure our screen-free days are filled with fun and imagination!

 So here we go!


 Monday 4/29

Invent a Hugo Cabret Flip Book


If you haven't seen this beautiful--and quite large--book by Brian Selznick, you're really missing out. Though the size of the book makes it look daunting on the shelf, it pages are filled with mostly illustrations that are both accompaniments to the text, and in parts can stand in place of the text. The resulting hybrid is hard to categorize, and reminds us of a combination picture book, collection of film stills, and flip book. We love the creativity of the story, and so to kick off our Screen-Free Week activities, we thought it would be fun to try making a flip book. It might not be as elaborate or large as Hugo Cabret, but what a great way be crafty and give illustrating a shot.

Tuesday 4/30

Cool Cooking

We're putting out our first kid's cookbook this summer, and it happens to be full of easy, delicious recipes from around the world. You won't be able to make the recipes from the book yet (though we did post a rather yummy dessert recipe from it in a past blog post), but that doesn't mean you can't find other great recipes to experiment with during Screen-Free Week. Look for something new and exciting, go get the ingredients, and spend a day in the kitchen with your kids. At the end of the day, you can all sit down and have a meal together. Family time and delicious food, what could be better?

A Christmas Recipe: Very Berry Clafoutis

Christmas is fast approaching (that is, if we survive the apocalypse tomorrow), and we're in the mood for sharing. So in that theme, today seemed like a perfect day to share a delicious recipe from our upcoming kids' cookbook, Cool World Cooking by Lisa Wagner.

This sweet and creamy French dessert will surely delight your guests, and since it is part of our kids cookbook, it's simple enough for even the novice baker. And so we present to you, the Very Berry Clafoutis! Bon Appetit!

VERY BERRY CLAFOUTIS