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Holiday Gift Book Roundup: Kid Lit Books are the best gifts for children. Books open up all the doors and windows in the imagination, encourage creativity, curiosity and life-long learning. Besides which, they are super easy to wrap and send. Board books for brilliant babies are new-new from Jenny Adams at Gibbs Smith. My favorites are JANE EYRE: A BABY LIT COUNTING PRIMER and ALICE IN WONDERLAND: A BABY LIT COLORS PRIMER. |
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WHEN YOUR PORCUPINE FEELS PRICKLY is a cool book about saying the right thing to animals who may be having a bad day. LEAVE YOUR SLEEP is a collection of classic children’s poetry (The Land of Nod, Old Mother Hubbard, Calico Pie) with a full-length CD of Natalie Merchant singing the poems in the book. For the wee Egyptologist in your family, HEIROGLYPHS FROM A TO Z, a rhyming book that includes a page of ancient Egyptian stencils for kids. In time for Christmas THE NUTCRACKER—beautifully illustrated (by the late Maurice Sendak who wrote and illustrated the iconic WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE). It is a book to be read aloud to kids and will totally make you smile. For older kids, THE TREEHORN TRILOGY about a young boy with a talent for getting into (and out of…and back into) some very unusual situations—like growing down instead of growing up! The books are illustrated with black-and-white pen drawings by Edward Gorey. Girls will love THE GIRL WHO FELL BENEATH FAIRYLAND AND LED THE REVELS THERE about a lonely little girl who finds friends and adventures in fairyland. THE TEMPLETON TWINS HAVE AN IDEA—12-year-old John and Abigail are the smart, clever and funny children of a brilliant (but sometimes confused) inventor and must use their cleverness to foil dastardly kidnappers. For the young adults on your list...the ones who loved the TWILIGHT series and were sad to have them end…CINDER (a tender mash-up of Cinderella and Cyborg), OUTPOST (a new dystopian novel from the author of ENCLAVE), MONSTROUS BEAUTY (mermaids, vengeful ghosts and a century-old curse) and HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER (a funny scary book that was a finalist for the Debut Novel Award from the American Library Association). |
Focus with Irene Rawlings
On air: Sunday 10:30pm - 11pm
Email Irene
Email Irene
Irene grew up in Detroit listening to Rhythm and Blues, Hip hop, Funk and Pop rock. She went to school in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and moved to Colorado where she worked buying art for billionaire oil man Phil Anschutz' collection of American art. After that, she was editor-in-chief of Country Home magazine, restaurant reviewer at The Denver Post and gayot.com and editor-in-chief of Mountain Living magazine. She has been hosting the early Sunday morning show, "Focus," on KBCO for more than 15 years. In her spare time she reads books, writes books, goes fishing in the mountains, collects vintage scrapbooks and hangs her laundry out on the line because "the towels are so satisfyingly scratchy when you bring them in."
Best career moment: I've tried to think of just one and can't. This has got to be the best job in the world. Anyone I'd ever want to talk to, walks through my door and wants to talk to me--and they are usually on their best behavior!
Most challenging career moment: Interviewing Penn and Teller. I forget which one is which but the tall one with the pony tail talked a lot while the little one who does not talk tried to tie me to my chair with the microphone cord. That was bizarre.
Worst career moment: Interviewing Garrison Kiellor (A Prairie Home Companion) who, just as we were ready to start, looked down and saw gravy stains on his signature red tie. He made us all wait while a fresh tie was sent over from his hotel. I wanted to say, "This is radio, who cares...." but I didn't say anything. While we waited, Garrison sat very still, humming some hymns.
ON DEMAND
Monday, December 10, 2012
