Joan Holub author of books for children

Zero the Hero animated book trailer premiers!

2012-01-19T11:55:00.001-05:00

Look! Up in the internetosphere.
It’s a donut.

It’s a bagel.

No--it’s a Zero the Hero animated book trailer, premiering today.

Enjoy!

Zero the Hero
Henry Holt / Macmillan
By Joan Holub
Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
Zooming into bookstores February 28, 2012.

A Kiss For You! lift-the-flap board book with magnet giveaway

2012-01-12T23:00:00.011-05:00

Many thanks to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Martha's Bookshelf for hosting the

Are You Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop January 13-18, 2012.

I began this board book (with lift-the-flap magnetic hand) four years ago as a way to empower young children by showing the many important, loving things that little hands can do. In fact, the original title was What Can A Little Hand Do? My editor loved the idea of blowing a kiss, which I had on one of the inside pages. So the title became A Little Hand Can Blow A Kiss, and then further evolved into the shortened, final title: A Kiss For You!

I made numerous dummies of the book to figure out the best way for the hand to move as a lift-the-flap. The hand folds over on each page in turn, and Scholastic had the idea of adding a magnet so the hand would stay in place easily, until lifted.

Caroline Jayne Church's adorable illustrations added just the right touch that brought the story alive. I hope you and your child enjoy this book, which so many loving hands and minds came together to create.

From Publishers Weekly: "Readers can engage with this sunny board book by maneuvering a hand-shaped flap attached to the back cover, in seven scenes. Gently lifting the hand up and down makes a blonde girl softly pat a puppy. Elsewhere, a boy blows a kiss with the hand, and a brunette girl can play "peek-a-boo, I see you!" with readers...a fun, engaging gimmick. Ages 2–4. (Sept.)"

MY GIVEAWAY IN THE HOP IS:

AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF A KISS FOR YOU!

PLUS BOOKMARKS FROM MY OTHER BOOKS SUCH AS

THE GODDESS GIRLS SERIES

AND GROUNDHOG WEATHER SCHOOL.

To Enter:

Please drop a comment on this post in the comments section.

I'd also appreciate it if you follow this blog and/or my FB page.

Either include your email address or be sure to check back to see if you are the winner.

Winner will be randomly chosen on January 19th.

Winner must contact me within 10 days, or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by.

~ Joan

A Kiss For You!
ages 2-5
Author: Joan Holub, readertotz co-founder
Caroline Jayne Church, fabulous illustrator
Scholastic, Cartwheel Books
September 2011

Groundhog Weather School in Scholastic Book Club

2012-01-10T02:08:00.001-05:00

A friend who teaches 2nd grade just let me know that Groundhog Weather School

is in Scholastic's Lucky Book Club this month!

http://clubs.scholastic.com/clubs/lucky/

Goddess Girls: Aphrodite the Diva + red heart ring in the Scholastic flyer

2012-01-08T14:49:00.000-05:00

Look what's in the Scholastic Arrow Book Club January flyer--

Aphrodite the Diva (Goddess Girls 6)

with a sparkly red heart-shaped ring!

http://clubs.scholastic.com/clubs/pdfs/core/2012/january/arrow0112_news.pdf

Who Was Babe Ruth? releases today!

2012-01-05T00:01:00.004-05:00

I'm a huge biography fan, so I really enjoy writing for Grosset & Dunlap's "Who Was" series. Also known as the "big head" biography series. Here's the scoop on Who Was Babe Ruth?, which releases today!

Babe Ruth came from a poor Baltimore family and, as a kid, he was a handful. It was at a reform school that he discovered his talent for baseball, and by the age of nineteen, he was on his way to becoming a sports legend. Babe was often out of shape and even more often out on the town, but he had a big heart and an even bigger swing! Kids will learn all about the Home Run King in this rags-to-riches sports biography. With black-and-white illustrations throughout.

This is my 4th title in the series for ages 7-11:
Who Was Johnny Appleseed?
Who Was Marco Polo?
Who Was Jim Henson?
Who Was Babe Ruth?

Drop a comment here for a chance to win an autographed copy! Winner will be announced here on my blog in the comments under this post on or about January 19th. Please either leave a contact email or be sure to check back to see if you're the winner.

Here's hoping that Who Was Babe Ruth? is a home run!

~ Joan

Hot off the press: New Goddess Girls Bookmarks!

2011-12-31T12:34:00.000-05:00

Squeee!

New Goddess Girls bookmarks arrived this week,

hot off the press

with all 9 book covers--

5 on the front and 4 on the back!

Goddess Girls #7: Artemis the Loyal - Best of 2011 Giveaway Hop

2011-12-26T18:00:00.001-05:00

Hi all! Thanks for coming by my giveaway in the Best of 2011 Giveaway Hop December 27-31. Many thanks to I Am A Reader. Not a Writer for hosting this hop.

Prize:

An autographed copy of

Goddess Girls 7: Artemis the Loyal

(December 2011 release)

+ bookmark.

The Goddess Girls series, which I co-author with pal Suzanne Williams,

takes place at Mount Olympus Academy,

and puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths!

Aladdin paperbacks
ages 8 ~ 12.

• To enter, please comment on this blog with a contact email.

• I'd appreciate it if you also follow me on Facebook and/or follow this blog. Thank you!

1st prize: One winner will be randomly chosen and announced in the comments section of this post.
2nd prize: Two winners will receive autographed bookmarks featuring all 9 Goddess Girls books!
Winners have 10 days to contact me with a mailing address or another winner will be chosen. USA & CAN only.

About Artemis the Loyal:

It's time for the annual Olympic Games, and the four goddessgirls are not happy--especially Artemis. Even though she's better at sports than most of the godboys, she can't compete because rules say the Games are boys-only. No fair! Led by Artemis, Athena, Persephone and Aphrodite, the ladies of Mount Olympus hatch a plan to get Zeus to open up the games to everyone. Will they succeed--or end up watching from the sidelines again?

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist

"Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging." ~Publisher's Weekly

“…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Library Journal

Series scoop:
Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!

Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.

Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.

Artemis the Brave She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.
Athena the Wise Zeus says Heracles has to do twelve tasks or he'll get kicked out of MOA! Although she's not sure it's wise, Athena agrees to help out.

Aphrodite the Diva Isis claims she's the goddess of love? Ha! But to keep the title all to herself, Aphrodite has to find the perfect match for Pygmalion, the most annoying boy ever.

NEW! Artemis the Loyal It’s time for the annual Olympic Games, and Artemis and her friends are not happy. It’s boys only. Not fair! (Dec.6, 2011)

Medusa the Mean When Medusa discovers an ad for a necklace that promises immortality, this looks like her best shot at becoming popular and having her supercrush, Poseidon, finally notice her. Can this "meanie" get what she wants and also prove that there's more to her that meets the eye? (Apr. 2012)
The Girl Games (Goddess Girls Super Special) July 2012

To continue on in the blog hop, click this link.

Good luck and happy holidays!

Artemis the Loyal giveaway at in the hammock ends January 1st!

2011-12-24T20:21:00.000-05:00

Goddess Girls #7: Artemis the Loyal released this month. Woo hoo!

About the book:

It's time for the annual Olympic Games, and the four goddessgirls are not happy--especially Artemis. Even though she's better at sports than most of the godboys, she can't compete because rules say the Games are boys-only. No fair!

Led by Artemis, Athena, Persephone and Aphrodite, the ladies of Mount Olympus hatch a plan to get Zeus to open up the games to everyone. Will they succeed--or end up watching from the sidelines again?

Click to enter at these blogs during specified dates:

Ends January 1st: inthehammock (Review, book+bookmark giveaway)
Monday, Dec. 5: Lost for Words (book and swag giveaway & Artemis interview!)

Tuesday, Dec. 6: I Am a Reader, Not a Writer (Review, swag giveaway)

Wednesday, Dec. 7: Kari at A Good Addiction (Word Associations, swag giveaway)

Thursday, Dec. 8: Proud Book Nerd (Review, swag giveaway)

Friday, Dec. 9: Reading Tween (Author Interview, swag giveaway)

Friday, Dec. 9 – Jan. 6: Children’s Book Review (book giveaway)
Now through Dec. 16: Smack Dab in the Middle (book giveaway)

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist

"Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging." ~Publisher's Weekly

“…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Library Journal

Series scoop:
Join the class at Mount Olympus Academy with Goddess Girls, a new series that puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths! Aladdin paperbacks, ages 8 ~ 12.

Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!

Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.

Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.

Aphrodite the Diva Isis claims she's the goddess of love? Ha! But to keep the title all to herself, Aphrodite has to find the perfect match for Pygmalion, the most annoying boy ever.

NEW! Artemis the Loyal It’s time for the annual Olympic Games, and Artemis and her friends are not happy. It’s boys only. Not fair! (Dec.6, 2011)

Be sure to 'follow' because we'll be adding more giveaways to celebrate each new GG book and posting all the latest Goddess Girls news. We look forward to seeing you! xox

~ Joan and Suzanne

Joan Holub www.joanholub.com

Suzanne Williams www.suzanne-williams.com

Mini blog tour celebration: Goddess Girls 7 Artemis the Loyal release week!

2011-12-07T10:23:00.004-05:00

Goddess Girls #7: Artemis the Loyal released this week. Woo hoo!

Follow our blog tour and you may just win a giveaway. (See below to enter to win.)