My inner, normally-hidden teenage self is showing: 4 a.m. is way too early in the morning to be awake.

On the brighter side, I’ve accomplished a great deal in the last two and a half hours–laundry, spending my year-old iTunes gift card from the bosses (why did I take so long to do that?! Ah, yes, no iPod)–….

And the silence outside is delicious.

I’m going to be whiny for just a few minutes here, so please bear with me.

I’m tired of waiting for December 1st (move-in day). And then the 3rd (submission deadline for Cellar Roots). And then December 12th (last day of class). And then for February. And then for March 4th (book release and gallery opening for Cellar Roots). And then for April (last month of classes for Winter semester). And so on and so forth.

How do we start to live in the moment, to live for the now and not for what will be or will come?

I turned 23 on Nov. 15. I’m now officially old. Or at least getting there. And I don’t mind getting old at all. I just hope the wisdom stuff comes with it soon.

Great Children’s Literature Resources

The one thing I have found is a plethora of children’s literature (fiction and nonfiction) resources, and many of them have been fantastic. Here are a few of my favorites (and they’re making it into my lit review):

Bamford, Rosemary A., and Janice V. Kristo. “Choosing Quality Nonfiction Literature: Examining Aspects of Accuracy and Organization.” Making Facts Come Alive: Choosing Quality Nonfiction Literature K–8. Ed. Rosemary A. Bamford and Janice V. Kristo. Norwood, Mass.: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., 1998. 19–38.

Fredericks, Anthony D. “Evaluating and Using Nonfiction Literature in the Science Curriculum.” Making Facts Come Alive: Choosing Quality Nonfiction Literature K–8. Ed. Rosemary A. Bamford and Janice V. Kristo. Norwood, Mass.: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., 1998. 109–121.

Kerper, Richard M. “Choosing Quality Nonfiction Literature: Features for Accessing and Visualizing Information.” Making Facts Come Alive: Choosing Quality Nonfiction Literature K–8. Ed. Rosemary A. Bamford and Janice V. Kristo. Norwood, Mass.: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., 1998. 55–74.

McClure, Amy A. “Choosing Quality Nonfiction Literature: Examining Aspects of Writing Style.” Making Facts Come Alive: Choosing Quality Nonfiction Literature K–8. Ed. Rosemary A. Bamford and Janice V. Kristo. Norwood, Mass.: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., 1998. 39–54.

Palmer, Rosemary G., and Roger A. Stewart. “Nonfiction trade book use in primary grades.” The Reading Teacher 57.1 (Sept 2003): 38(11). Academic OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 1 Oct.. 2007
<http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.emich.edu/itx/start.do?prodId=AONE>.

Seuling, Barbara. How to Write a Children’s Book and Get It Published. 2^nd ed. New York: MacMillan General Reference, 1991.

Lit Review Hell

I just completed the first draft of my literature review, and it was strenuous at best. I’m not sure why this part of the process is so grueling for me. Maybe it’s because I have no sources that directly discuss my topic: children’s nonfiction editing.

Or perhaps I’m getting senioritis. Crappy time to be getting it considering I just signed on for another year of grad school in order to complete another Master’s. Yup, I’ll be doing all this again in a year, but this time, it’s going to be a thesis. This blog is going to be getting a serious work-out then.