Wednesday Wanderings - 2/4/09

I wander around the blogosphere and bring you what I find.

There are a lot of good things happening all over the blogs this week.  I've put together an assortment of giveaways, posts, and new blogs that I think you'll enjoy.

Giveaways

Happy Blogiversary to Charlotte's Library!  In honor of this event, she is giving away 3 children's and 1 YA book.   Click here to see which books you could win!

Reviewer X has an awesome giveaway going on in honor of the release of The Dust of 100 Dogs.  All you have to do to enter is purchase the book and let her know by sending a copy or snapshot of your receipt to her via email.  I've got mine coming; will you go out and get yours?

I recently reviewed a Barefoot Book - Listen, Listen, which I enjoyed.  Imagine my excitement when I found this giveaway for pick your favorite Barefoot Book that is going on at Blessed Nest Perch.  This is also a new blog I found thanks to Brimful Curiosities.

Edited to add:  Mabel's Labels is offering a giveaway on The Ark Adventure.  You can win a Custom Neat Freak Combo by donating to The Ark Adventure.  You earn 1 entry for every $1 donated. Click here to go to the giveaway post.

Posts of Interest

Grow Wings needs your help.  In a recent post, Young Readers Online, she wrote about connecting kids with the kidlitosphere.  Do you have any thoughts on the topic that you could share with her?

The Book Chook is a great blog full of all things children's lit.  Susan had a great post this past week: No Time to Read to Kids.  This is a topic near and dear to this early childhood teacher's heart; what do you think?

What's New?

On Sunday, I posted about a new charity program that I am involved in called The Ark Adventure.  If you missed the post, you can read it here.   I am honored to be a part of this group and hope that you will help out when and if you can. 

Many book bloggers have other hobbies.  I know, who has time for something else when you have so many books to read?  It is possible!  Many book bloggers enjoy knitting when they're not reading.  I got involved in a Twitter discussion about it, and then got followed this week by KnittingHelp, which led to me to a new blog, KnittingHelp, where you can learn to knit via free videos.  Maybe I'll take up a new hobby.

I've saved the best for last.  This past week, MotherReader introduced us to Kidlitosphere Central.  Pam, along with Elizabeth Burns, Kelly Harold, Jen Robinson, and Anne Levy, have collaborated on this great new website.  Here are some excerpts from the website:  

What started as individuals blogging independently about children’s and young adult books became a collective of like-minded people. While maintaining our own sites and unique perspectives, shared activities made us a thriving community. Now — with weekly celebrations of poetry and nonfiction, an online literary journal, a shared database of book reviews, discussion groups, contests, social networks, an annual conference, and our own book awards — we’ve become a society.

KidLitosphere Central strives to provide an avenue to good books and useful literary resources; to support authors and publishers by connecting them with readers and book reviewers; and to continue the growth of the society of bloggers in children’s and young adult literature.

Welcome to KidLitosphere Central: The Society of Bloggers in Children’s and Young Adult Literature at www.kidlitosphere.org.

I hope you've enjoyed this week's edition of Wednesday Wanderings.  What did you "wander" upon this week?