“As a parent, I know that reading with your child is an important part of their mental and emotional development,” said Mrs. Blagojevich. “I started this program to encourage parents to read with their children, and I hope our recommended reading list helps parents find books that the whole family can enjoy.”

L is For Lincoln: An Illinois Alphabet
by Kathy-jo Wargin
Illustrator Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

Book Description:

The home of one of America's most revered Presidents is also home to American icons such as the Ferris wheel, Montgomery Ward stores, and John Deere tractors. This latest offering from the award-winning team of author Kathy-jo Wargin and illustrator Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen is sure to be a must-have for every "Illini." Teachers, students and parents will enjoy the clever poems, rich illustrations and revealing text of L is for Lincoln: An Illinois Alphabet.

Author Biography:

Author Kathy-jo Wargin has earned national acclaim with award-winning children's classics such as Michigan's official state children’s book, The Legend of Sleeping Bear, Children's Choice Award winner The Legend of the Loon, The Legend of Mackinac Island (Great Lakes Booksellers Association’s Children’s Book of the Year, 1999), The Edmund Fitzgerald: Song of the Bell, and many others. She has traveled extensively in her research for these titles as well as for M is for Mitten: A Michigan Alphabet (illustrated by Michael G. Monroe) and L is for Lincoln: An Illinois Alphabet (Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen, illustrator). Kathy-jo enjoys writing about nature and its effect on all our lives, and is a frequent guest speaker throughout the country. Born in Tower, Minnesota, Kath-jo studied music composition at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She is a faculty member of the Bear River Writers Workshop, sponsored by the University of Michigan. She lives in Petoskey, Michigan.

Additional Information:

For special recording request please call the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic at (312) 236-8715 or visit www.rfbd.org

L is For Lincoln: An Illinois Alphabet by Kathy-jo Wargin. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission from Sleeping Bear Press, 310 North Main Street, Chelsea, MI 48118.

Criss Cross
by Lynne Rae Perkins

Book Description:

She wished something would happen. Something good. To her. Looking at the bright, fuzzy picture in the magazine, she thought, Something like that. Checking her wish for loopholes, she found one. Hoping it wasn't too late, she thought the word soon .

Author Biography:

Lynne Rae Perkins was awarded the Newbery Medal for Criss Cross. She is the author of one other book for teens—All Alone in the Universe, a companion to Criss Cross. Lynne Rae Perkins has also written and illustrated several picture books, including Snow Music, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book and a Book Sense Top Ten Pick. "Perkins is a genius at capturing the odd details that reveal so much about individuals and families, and how they interact," said Riverbank Review about her picture book The Broken Cat. The author lives with her family in northern Michigan.

Awards:

School Library Journal Best Book
Newbery Medal
ALA Notable Children’s Book
ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults

Additional Information:

The audio version of the book is available from the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, so that all children can join in the fun. www.rfbd.org

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission from HarperCollins Publishers, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.