Year in Review Post #1: NetGalley

This week, instead of taking a holiday break, I'm taking a look back at 2011, my first year as a blogger, to review some of the things that have made the year such a success that I want to continue blogging in 2012. Today's post is all about one of my favorite websites, NetGalley.

It wasn't long after I started blogging that I first discovered NetGalley, and I have to say, it has become one of my most frequently visited websites throughout this year. Librarians, booksellers, bloggers, and other folks who work with books can sign up for an account, request advanced copies of books they like, and submit their reviews using NetGalley's interface. Not only is it easy to use, but there are a fair number of titles on the site, and I learned about books I never would have otherwise heard about just from browsing the catalog. NetGalley is also on Twitter, and they send out a really useful and informative email whenever a new publisher joins the site, or when something new is happening.

I feel very fortunate to have read and reviewed 30 titles from NetGalley this year.Here they are, in what I think is pretty close to the order in which I read them. Click an image to view the book's Goodreads page. Click the title to read my review.

	Just Grace and the Double Surprise by Charise Mericle Harper (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
	Pearl Verses the World by Sally Murphy (Candlewick Press)
	Shine by Lauren Myracle (Abrams Books)
	Blueberry Queen by Marci Peschke (Capstone)
	Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins (HarperCollins)
	Nerd Girls by Alan Lawrence Sitomer (Disney-Hyperion)
	Mallory's Guide to Boys, Brothers, Dads and Dogs by Laurie Friedman (Lerner Publishing Group)
	The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson (HarperCollins)
	Mission (Un)Popular by Anna Humphrey (Disney-Hyperion)
	The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch (Hachette Book Group)
	My Misadventures as a Teenage Rock Star by Joyce Raskin (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
	Turkey Monster Thanksgiving by Anne Warren Smith (Albert Whitman & Company)
	Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker (Disney-Hyperion)
	Alexis and the Lake Tahoe Tumult by Erica Rodgers (Barbour Publishing, Inc.)
	Elizabeth's Amarillo Adventure by Renae Brumbaugh (Barbour Publishing, Inc.)
	Sydney's Outer Banks Blast by Jean Fischer (Barbour Publishing, Inc.)
	Alexis and the Arizona Escapade by Erica Rodgers (Barbour Publishing, Inc.)
	Fetching by Kiera Stewart (Disney-Hyperion)
	Faith and the Camp Snob by Jen Jones (Capstone)
	Fashion Kitty and the B.O.Y.S. by Charise Mericle Harper (Disney-Hyperion)
	The Mystery of the Blue Ring by Patricia Reilly Giff (Open Road Media)
	Ditched by Robin Mellom (Disney-Hyperion)
	The Summer I Lost It by Natalie Kath (Capstone)
	Mallory's Super Sleepover by Laurie Friedman (Lerner Publishing Group)
	Zombie Cows Michael Broad (Lerner Publishing Group)
	Reel Life Starring Us Lisa Greenwald (ABRAMS)
	The Darlings In Love by Melissa Kantor (Disney-Hyperion)
	Willa Bean's Cloud Dreams by Cecilia Galante (Random House)

Visit NetGalley to learn more! Tomorrow: Reading Challenges-Round Up.

7 Christmas Picture Books

	The Christmas Day Kitten by James Herriot A country veterinarian remembers a Christmas gift given by a cat.
	The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg A boy travels to the North Pole and receives the first gift of Christmas.
	The Christmas Tree That Grew by Phyllis Kravilovski A Christmas tree grows out of one family's apartment into the next. (Out of print.)
	Guess who's Coming to Santa's For Dinner? by Tomie DePaola Santa has a lot of guests around his Christmas dinner table!
	I'm Not Santa! by Jonathan Allen A cute little chick insists that wearing a Santa hat does not make him Santa Claus.
	Shall I Knit You a Hat? by Kate Klise Mother Rabbits knits a hat for Little Rabbit, who then insists upon giving hats to all his friends.
	The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg Peek inside the Christmas correspondence of all your favorite fairy tale characters!

Gettin' Crafty Holiday Post #2

Two more holiday-themed crafts to share today.

1. Paper Ornaments

Supplies:

• Construction paper
• Stencils created from thick paper
• Yarn
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Stickers 
• Crayons and markers

Last year, I prepared for this activity and then no one showed up for the program, so I actually had almost everything premade. I cut out the various ornament shapes we used - gingerbread men, trees, stars, and plain Christmas balls - and also cut apart sheets of stickers to make them into smaller sheets so it would be easier for the kids to share. I punched the holes ahead of time as well, so all the kids had to was design their ornament and attach the string.  

2. Santa Claus Beards

Supplies:

• Cotton balls
• Glue
• Santa Claus coloring sheet

I wasn't actually at the library to see how this one turned out, but the basic idea was to color Santa, then glue cotton balls for his beard.


Need more ideas? Also check out Gettin' Crafty Holiday Post #1.

Regular Gettin' Crafty posts will return in January. Happy holidays!

(Not a) Flannel Friday: Rudolph, Rudolph

This little Rudolph lives in my story room closet most of the year, just hanging out. I actually forgot about him and didn't use him for my baby/toddler story time yesterday morning, but then found him - and a set of colored noses made out of felt that I made last year and never used - and decided to incorporate him into my afternoon story time instead. This rhyme wound up being too basic for my mostly-kindergarten audience, but it would have been great with threes and fours. (Also, as Anne pointed out last week, it makes an excellent flannel board!)

Rudolph! Rudolph!
What will you do?
You can't guide Santa
If your nose is blue!

Rudolph! Rudolph!
Santa gave a wink.
But what will he think
If your nose is pink?


Rudolph! Rudolph!
Your way cannot be seen
Through the wintry weather
If your nose is green!


Rudolph! Rudolph!
You're such a silly fellow
Who will know it's you
If your nose is yellow!


Rudolph! Rudolph!
It's time to fly at night.
But you're quite a sight
'Cause your nose is white

Rudolph! Rudolph!
The children are in bed.
And now I know you're ready
because your nose is red!

This rhyme, which I adapted slightly to suit the felt colors I had on hand, originally came to me from this page on the Orange County Public Schools website.

This week's Flannel Friday host is Linda at Notes from the Story Room.  Visit the Flannel Friday archives at So Tomorrow, and find us on Pinterest.