Al Roker, weather guy for NBC’s “Today” Show, can sum up the secret to his success in a sentence, “Don’t be a jerk!” Roker has his own show “Wake Up with Al” on The Weather Channel, owns his own production company “Al Roker Entertainment,” has co-authored three mystery novels, written a couple of cookbooks, and a has penned a couple of New York Times Bestsellers.

So how did America’s favorite weather guy go from being a flannel shirt and overall wearing college student to media kingpin? Al said his first big break came from being in the right place at the right time when someone said the wrong thing at the wrong time.

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The National Education Association (NEA) has teamed up with the NEA Foundation to host “The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse Charity Auction.”

The proceeds derived from the Internet auction will benefit the NEA Foundation’s “Art Inspires Learning, Learning Inspires Art” initiative. This project funds arts education grants for teachers. Follow this link to check out the artwork.

Here’s more from the release: “This initiative was inspired by Eric Carle‘s picture book The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, which celebrates imagination and artistic freedom. Each donated piece of art will feature that artist’s interpretation of a horse and celebrates imagination and the many and varied ways that each artist sees the world around him/her. The auction will include three waves of art: Group 1 will take place October 17th-27th. Group 2 will take place October 31st-November 10th. Group 3 will take place November 14th-24th.”

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What are the best book clubs for kids?

A Reddit user posed this great question this week: “My son is only 5 months old but we still read to him frequently. I would like to start getting a book collection going for him as he grows. Books like as Dr. Seuss and such. Does anyone know of any affordable book programs for children that I could get signed up for?”

This GalleyCat editor started collecting some book club suggestions and resources for kids. We’ve embedded a link to Al Roker‘s book club above–add your ideas in the comments section.

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Changing things up this year, the Quills have announced their awards a solid month and a half before the actual ceremony, which will take place on October 22 at Jazz @ Lincoln Center and hosted by Ann Curry and Al Roker. For the first time in its three-year history, The Quills will make a limited number of tickets to the awards ceremony and gala reception available for purchase to the public. “We’re delighted with the outstanding works represented in the group of Quills 2007 winners. Now the reading public has an opportunity to vote and we look forward to announcing their selection for 2007 Quills Book of the year on October 22nd,” remarked Gerry Byrne, Chairman of The Quill Awards. Consumers can cast their votes via www.quillsvote.com for “The Book of the Year,” selecting from among the 19 Quill Award winners.

The Quill Debut Author of the Year Award will be presented to Diane Setterfield for THE THIRTEENTH TALE, published by Atria. In the General Fiction category, the Quill Award will be given to Cormac McCarthy for THE ROAD, published by Knopf. For the second year in a row, Al Gore will receive the History/Current Events/Politics Quill, this time for THE ASSAULT ON REASON, published by The Penguin Press. Quill Awards will also be given to Amy Sedaris, Nora Roberts, Laura Lippman, Robert I. Sutton, Jerome Groopman, Brian Selznick, and Walter Isaacson, among others.

If there was a theme to last night’s packed Edgar Awards ceremony, it would have to be the element of surprise. Like Jason Goodwin‘s Best Novel win, so surprising editor Sarah Crichton that in her acceptance speech, she admitted she discouraged Goodwin from coming over from England to attend (though she did attempt to reach him immediately afterwards by cell phone.) Alex Berenson‘s first novel win was deemed so unexpected that the book’s editor, Mark Tavani, expressed some degree of surprise afterwards. Stephen King’s speech was sharp and eloquent and almost happened prematurely, when, after a funny intro by fellow Rock Bottom Remainders Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry, King got up to speak (with standing ovation to boot) and was recalled – because Donald Westlake was supposed to speak first. Still, I rather doubt anyone in the room really minded the accidental standing O to one of the genre’s greats.

More scattershot highlights here, and Al Roker generally did a good job as emcee – and kept the ceremony moving so swiftly its 9:45 end time was likely a modern-day record…

Because there can never be enough book clubs, the TODAY SHOW is launching a brand new one on April 27. “Al’s Book Club for Kids,” which will be hosted by weatherman Al Roker, will begin with the first of four books that kids can read throughout the summer. The book club coincides with the Scholastic Summer Reading BUZZ!(TM) Campaign to help get kids reading “Four or More” books to combat the summer slide.

“With so many amazing books out there for kids, and with so many of our viewers being parents, we are thrilled to offer a fun, interactive way to read with the kids in our audience all summer long,” said Jaclyn Levin, Senior Publishing Producer, NBC News.