A lot to say and so little time to say it. Let’s get started!
Today, if you are at all feeling blue, I suggest you read The Toast piece Jaya Catches Up: A Little Princess which is a killer breakdown of what is inarguably a problematic book. The Marie Antoinette portions are particularly choice.
Next, the 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Award Winners were announced. What does that mean for you? It means you should be boning up on your international children’s book knowledge, of course. Commit the names “Rotraut Susanne Berner of Germany” (who won for Illustration) and Cao Wenxuan of China (who won for Writing)” to memory. For more info on the books and the winners, go here.
If you were speaking to the man on the street (or woman, or child, or what have you) and they said, “Boy, those children’s books took the hardest left turn a series ever took”, what series would you assume the person was speaking about? Here is your answer and it’s a heckuva amusing post to boot.
Seven Impossible Things features Gareth Hinds. And all is right with the universe.
Oh. In a weird way this makes sense. They’re turning The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll, the biography of Dare Wright, creator of the Lonely Doll book series, in to a film with Naomi Watts and Jessica Lange. You know what that means, don’t you? Lonely Doll fever is poised to sweep the nation. Be wary. Be warned. And buy stock in frilly underwear.
Remember when J.K Rowling said she had this “political fairytale” that was going to be her next non-Harry Potter children’s book? Looks like it’s kaputski. Which is to say, about 30 years after Ms. Rowling’s death someone will pull it out of that drawer and publish it anyway. So it goes.
This next one’s roundabout three years old but I only just found it. The mom from the Cat in the Hat finally speaks. Quite frankly, I always found that polka-dotted dress of hers rather fetching (to say nothing of her keen shoes) but that may just be me.
If you had the great good fortune to see the NYPL exhibit The ABC of It then you would have noticed one section was dedicated to a fascinating array of Soviet children’s art. I remember helping curator Leonard Marcus locate these books (of which NYPL owns a goodly number) and he picked and chose the best amongst them. But where did they originate? Having recently finished M.T. Anderson’s Symphony for the City of the Dead, I took the little bit of context I’d acquired and applied it to this fabulous piece on tygertale called Revolutionary Russian Children’s Books. Now I’m just beginning to understand. Thanks to Phil Nel (I’m pretty sure) for the link.
Growing up my mom had a machine in the attic that could type out braille. I don’t know why we owned it but I liked it a lot. Braille children’s books available in a mass market context have always been difficult to obtain, though. With this in mind, I’m very pleased to see DK is now releasing a braille board book series. Wow. Way to go, DK!
All right. My four-year-old is upstairs asleep and in her room are all my Harry Potter books. Otherwise I would check this myself. You see, they just released the first look of the new Jim Kay illustrated Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. And I am staring and staring at this cover and I need your help. Look at the cover right here:
Am I crazy or is that car chock full of Weaselys? And doesn’t Harry drive to Hogwarts with just Ron? At least that’s what the old British cover told me:
So . . . huh? [Note: Interestingly the Buzzfeed article has plenty of comments but no one is pointing this out so I may just be completely and utterly wrong about everything]
In other news, the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy longlist was just released. Frances Hardinge made the cut!!! Wooty woot woot woot!!
Seriously Wicked, Tina Connolly (Tor Teen)
Court of Fives, Kate Elliott (Little, Brown)
Cuckoo Song, Frances Hardinge (Macmillan UK 5/14; Amulet)
Archivist Wasp, Nicole Kornher-Stace (Big Mouth House)
Zeroboxer, Fonda Lee (Flux)
Shadowshaper, Daniel José Older (Levine)
Bone Gap, Laura Ruby (Balzer + Bray)
Nimona, Noelle Stevenson (HarperTeen)
Updraft, Fran Wilde (Tor)
Oh, I absolutely love this. Children’s art. Not art for children, mind you, but art by children and its ramifications when studying history. Again, I think I have Phil Nel to thank for this one. He finds all the good stuff.
Daily Image:
The Make Way for Ducklings statues are nothing new (nor are they the only ducklings as my old post on all the public children’s literature statues in America attests). Nor is it new to put hats on them. That said, this recent yarnbombing goes above and beyond the call of duty. That’s some seriously good knitting!
Read more about them here.
Here in New York we’re getting very excited. The 90-Second Film Festival is coming!! And soon too! Here’s a PW interview with James Kennedy about the festival and for those of you in the NYC area you can see it at NYPL on Saturday, March 7th at 3:00 p.m. In fact, now that I think about it, you could begin your day at NYPL at 2:00 p.m. at my Children’s Literary Salon Blurred Lines?: Accuracy and Illustration in Nonfiction. We’ll be hosting Mara Rockliff (author), Brian Floca (author/illustrator), Nicole Raymond (editor), and Sophie Blackall (illustrator/author) as they discuss the responsibility of an illustrator when working on a piece of historical nonfiction for kids and whether or not words garner closer scrutiny than pictures. Should be a fabulous day.
- We all know on some level that when a book is adapted into a movie the likelihood of the strong female characters staying strong is negligible. There are always exceptions to the rule, but by and large it’s depressing not to be more shocked by the recent Cracked piece 6 Insulting Movie Adaptations of Strong Female Characters. I was very pleased to see the inclusion of Violet from A Series of Unfortunate Events too. Folks tend to forget about her.
- At the beginning of February I had the infinite pleasure of hosting a Children’s Literary Salon at NYPL on Collaborating Couples. I invited in Ted & Betsy Lewin, Andrea and Brian Pinkney, and Sean Qualls and Selina Alko. You can read the PW round-up of the talk here, but before we hit the stage I had to ask Sean about this incident that occurred involving his book with Selina, The Case for Loving and W. Kamau Bell’s treatment at Berkeley’s Elmwood Café. We didn’t touch on it during our talk since it wasn’t pertinent to this particular discussion, but if you haven’t read the article I suggest you give it a look.
- If I’m going to be honest about it, this perfectly encapsulates what I’ve always personally felt about the Elephant and Piggie books. This is because growing up I was the child that wanted everyone and everything in the universe to pair up. Sesame Street fed this desire to a certain degree but the only time Mr. Rogers got close was during the opera episodes. And don’t even get me STARTED on Reading Rainbow (no sexual tension = no interest for 4-year-old Betsy). Hence my perverse desire to see Gerald and Piggie become a couple. I know, I know. Clearly I need help.
- Moomins! Ballet! Moomins in ballet! Sorry, do you need more than that? Thanks to Marci for the link.
- It’s fun to read this look at the Mary Poppins Hidden Relationships Fan Theory, but I’ve a bone to pick with it. Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the book of Mary Poppins make it very clear that yes indeed Mary Poppins WAS Bert’s nanny back in the day? Or am I just making stuff up? I thought this was cannon. That other stuff about Bert’s relationships is particularly peculiar as well.
Perhaps you feel, as I do, that you’ve read every possible Harry Potter related list out there devised by the human brain. Still and all, while I had seen a bunch of these, there are still some lovely surprises in the BuzzFeed list 21 Times “Harry Potter” Was the Cleverest Book Series Ever.
Speaking of Harry Potter and BuzzFeed, new term alert: Racebent. Didn’t know it, but this piece has actually convinced me that it is entirely possible that Hermione Granger isn’t the white-skinned schoolgirl she’s often considered to be. Recall if you will that it was only ever made explicit that Dean Thomas had dark skin when the Harry Potter books were brought over to America (a fact that is not usually mentioned in these stories).
- Oh, what the heck. May as well get as Harry Potterish as possible today. Look! Cover animations!
- For years I’ve yearned to go to TLA (the meeting of the Texas Library Association). State library meetings are always fun, but Texas takes their own to another level. So far I haven’t had an excuse, but I was reminded of this desire recently when I read the rather delightful piece on how an abandoned Texan Walmart got turned into the ultimate public library. McAllen? You’re good people.
- Let It Be Known: That every author and illustrator out there that makes school visits on a regular basis should take a very close look at Nathan Hale’s School Visit Instructions and replicate PRECISELY what he has done on their own websites. Obviously you cannot all draw so in terms of visuals he has you beat. However, this information is perfect and you could certainly write it down in some form yourself. Let it also be known that his upcoming book about Harriet Tubman, The Underground Abductor, is AMAZING. Here’s the cover:
- David Wiesner created an app? Yep, pretty much. It’s called Spot and it is now on my To Buy list.
I’ve been meaning to get back to work on updating my post of the Complete Listing of All Children’s Literature Statues in the United States for a while here. There are definitely some sections that need work. However, one image I will not be adding is this statue of what might be the world’s creepiest Cat in the Hat. Not because I don’t like him (oh, I do, I do) but because it’s on school rather than public property. That doesn’t mean I can’t share him with you anyway, though.
Many thanks to Paula Wiley for bringing him to my attention. Wowzah.
Like the wind! Faster than lightning! Lots of news and no time to tell it. In brief . . .
Oh, how cool! This is not to be missed. For those of you with an interest in children’s literature around the globe, the blog Playing by the Book offers this fantastic view of children’s literary destinations in Denmark. That Little Mermaid statue is worth the price of the flight alone.
Travis Jonker of 100 Scope Notes was kind enough to stop by my library the other week to say howdy. He recounts his time near the library lions in the post Fuse Live! Cheers, mate!
I was pleased to see James Kennedy post a new entry for the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival that will be held at New York Public Library this November. Of course we need more, people. MORE! If you know any creative kids who would be interested in distilling a Newbery winning book down to 90 seconds, please do not hesitate to read the rules here and have them submit. We must have more!
- A similar article pointed out that the number of characters with disabilities as portrayed in Newbery books is not equal to the number of children in the real world who “attend special education classes”. The report appears to look at the whole of Newebery winners from the past to today. It does acknowledge that things have gotten better, though, so I’m a bit confused about the point of it all. If books today do a much better job than books in the past, isn’t that the point?
- In other news, the picture book is not dead. Nor is it about to be supplanted by apps or anything with spangles and whizzbangs. Allyn Johnston and Marla Frazee explain more.
- The Detroit Public Library recently came under fire for its new renovation. The concern is how much was spent on a single library wing ($2.3 million) while neighborhood branches close. More info here. Thanks to Aunt Judy for the link.
Author of the Year: Rick Riordan for The Lost Hero
Illustrator of the Year: David Wiesner for Art & Max
K-2nd Grade Book of the Year: Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby
3-4th Grade Book of the Year: Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
5-6th Grade Book of the Year: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Teen Choice Book of
As far as I’m concerned, every good blog post should begin with fiction starring Gregory Peck. What we have here is one of the luscious finds boasted by Greg Hatcher over at the site Comic Book Resources. I’m a big fan of Hatcher because when he does round ups like this one he always takes care to mention a lot of collectible children’s literature. In this post alone you’ll see what the going price is for a good old hardcover Oz or Narnia title, as well as his discovery of Millions of Cats. I remember that when I conducted by Top 100 Picture Books Poll that Millions of Cats was the surprise Top Ten winner. Folks continually forget to give it its due.
- Collecting Children’s Books has the usual plethora of wonderfulness up and running for your consideration. First Peter discovers and prints out the complete shortlists of Newbery contenders between the years of 1973-75 (something I wish they still did) and then in a different post considers the state of recent children’s books and whether any of them have been made into Broadway musicals. None that I can think of, since A Year With Frog and Toad isn’t exactly contemporary. Coraline did sort of make it to Broadway a year or so ago (or was that considered off-Broadway?), but that’s the only one I can think of.
- Hey hey! While we were all sleeping the candidates nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award were announced. You can see the full list of candidates from countries all over the country here. If I had the time and ability I would familiarize myself with all those names that are unknown to me. On the American side of things, however, here are the USA representatives: Ashley Bryan, Eric Carle, Julius Lester, Grace Lin, Walter Dean Myers, Anne Pellowski, Jerry Pinkney, Reading is Fundamental, and Allen Say. Good luck, guys (and well played Grace for being the youngest). Here’s hoping some of you make it to the final consideration. After all, the Lindgren is the largest monetary award a children’s writer or illustrator can win.
- It was a good week for finalists of all sorts, actually. The National Book Award finalists were released last week and included Paolo Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker, Kathryn Erskine’s Mockingbird, Laura McNeal’s Dark Water, Walter Dean Myers’ Lockdown, and Rita Williams-Garcia’s One Crazy Summer. How interesting it is to me that non-fiction didn’t make even a sin
Yeah, this week is party week, baby! First I recap a Robert Forbes party alongside Cynthia von Buhler’s event of the year. Now I turn my attention to a party beneath a bridge. The 59th Street Bridge, if you’re going to be technical about it. Picture, if you will, a glassed enclosure nestled sweetly beneath one of the city’s smaller bridges. The place was Guastavino’s and the event The Eric Carle Honors of 2010.
You see, each year my favorite Museum (The Eric Carle Museum) honors folks in the children’s literary community that have made a contribution in some manner. These honors are split into four parts. You have your “Bridge”, your “Mentor”, your “Angel” and your “Artist”. More on those later.
On this particular day I was flying in from Chicago, desperately hoping to get an early flight so that I’d make it to the Honors on time. In point of fact I did finagle a flight and even managed to get home, dress up, and run hell-for-leather in the direction of the subway with enough time. That doesn’t mean I didn’t walk limping and dripping sweat into the restaurant. But I was a limping, sweaty, ON TIME individual and really, isn’t that what truly matters?
The party was hopping by the time I arrived anyway. Lots of tiny food and, as readers all know, tiny food = excellent party. Particularly when that tiny food involves prosciutto in some way. Prosciutto is the cupcake of the meat world. It’s like salty meat-flavored gum. Delicious.
Each Carle Honor event tends to auction off original art by the luminaries in the children’s literary field. I do not usually participate since auctions suggest disposable income and children’s librarianship suggests nothing of the sort. Still, it’s a lot of fun to look and see what other folks are bidding on. As I circled (and stared with great longing at my personal favorite, an Art Spiegelman work shown here) I thought about original art and where it belongs. It has occurred to me that if I were an artist, a big time children’s illustrator of some sort, and I wanted to donate my life’s work to someone, I would probably want to give it to an organization like The Carle. Giving my work to a big library or museum is all well and good, but I’d prefer to hand it over to a group that cares entirely about children’s art for the good of the whole and not as a side venture.
These thoughts swam in my head in part because I learned tha
Today, if you are at all feeling blue, I suggest you read The Toast piece Jaya Catches Up: A Little Princess which is a killer breakdown of what is inarguably a problematic book. The Marie Antoinette portions are particularly choice.
Oh. In a weird way this makes sense. They’re turning The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll, the biography of Dare Wright, creator of the Lonely Doll book series, in to a film with Naomi Watts and Jessica Lange. You know what that means, don’t you? Lonely Doll fever is poised to sweep the nation. Be wary. Be warned. And buy stock in frilly underwear.
I think the scene on the front of the Potter cover is after Fred, George and Ron rescue Harry from Privit Drive. And now I need the book.
Yep, that’s the Burrow down there. The bigger problem is that it’s a Ford Anglia and Harry’s in the driver’s seat.
Maybe he’s in the backseat?
Oh, you’re completely correct. That’s the Burrow and not Hogwarts. Looking even closer, I think Harry’s in the backseat (it’s an oddly placed shot). Can’t speak to the Ford Anglia though.
A MOVIE of THE LONELY DOLL??? Are they going to reenact the spanking scene? https://booksatmiddlemayfarm.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/020.jpg
Or how about the one where she’s tied to a tree? https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/bd/40/90/bd40903c7bb7dc8742df7e6925c1019a.jpg
Looking forward to any movie of The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll. I read the book, and what I remember most was that she would make all her dates “meet” the Lonely Doll before taking her out, and that if I remember she had an odd relationship with her brother as well as her mother. Beverly Cleary she was not!
Oh it’s a movie about the AUTHOR. Now I get it!
Yeah, but it’s not any less disturbing, I suspect.
When I worked at The Children’s Center at 42nd Street in the main branch of NYPL we had a killer set of old autograph books. Over the decades the children’s librarians would have authors and illustrators sign the books when they attended events at the library. I was paging through one of them one day, not paying much attention, when the tiny signature of “Dare Wright” struck me. To this day I still cannot figure out why she was at NYPL. I doubt very much the library carried her books when she was alive. Utterly baffling but it was like an electric shock to hold a book she’d once held and signed.
Those Lonely Doll books scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid. Maybe I had watched the Talking Tina episode of Twilight Zone too many times… but maybe not.
Maybe you didn’t watch the Talking Tina episode enough times!
I wish Dare Wright was alive to reap the benefits of her works. She died alone and in poverty –something to think about when book artists are left to swing in the wind without a safety net or any union and our industry leaders tell us to spouse up with someone with insurance — wth?