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Sweet little Friday is upon us.  Let us celebrate the rapid approach of the weekend with ridiculousness.  And that particular item I have in spades.

First off, I’m so pleased and proud and delighted to inform you that my husband of the Cockeyed Caravan blog has written a book.  And what a book!  Published by Writer’s Digest, it’s called The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers.  I like to call it Save the Cat meets Joseph Campbell.  Best of all, we’re going to have a lovely release party for it on Friday, November 4th at 6:30 at the Bookends and Beginnings bookstore in Evanston, IL and YOU ARE ALL INVITED!!  I’ll even bake something.  Not sure what.  Something.  All information can be found here.

Now that’s a good title.  From Publisher’s Weekly: Trenton Lee Stewart Accidentally Starts a Mystery on Goodreads.  Don’t you hate it when that happens?  But this is actually a very sweet tale (and not a bad idea for someone to think up).  Check it out.

Horn Book has a new parenting blog, did you see?  Called Family Reading, they’ve so far had posts on newborns who hate to read, reading on the spectrum (Ferdinand the Bull as on the spectrum makes quite a bit of sense, when you think about it), and crafts inspired by picture books.  Beware that last link, though.  Its author’s kinda crazy.

The site Atlas Obscura has a new book out, but that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped updating their site or anything.  As proof, you simply have to read their recent post, A Guide to the Real-Life Homes of the Heroes of Children’s Literature.  It’s cool.  I was worried from the description that it would be all-white-kids, all-the-time, and that’s definitely the bulk of it.  But Kindred, Tar Beach, The House on Mango Street, and a couple others make it on there.  It also gets a bit loosey goosey with the term “children’s literature”.  Holden Caulfield?  Maybe not so much.  Thanks to Matt for the link.

The Good News: Folio Magazine nominated this blog for an Eddie Digital Award.  Woohoo!  Yay, team!

The Weird News: I’m nominated in the “Column / Blog – Government / Public Sector / Education” category (not too weird) alongside fellow nominees Everyday EMS of EMS1.com, PoliceOne.com – Be Advised…  of PoliceOne.com, and strategy+business specifically the piece “Why China’s Stock Market Crisis Spread” of PwC Strategy& LLC (significantly peculiar).

Hey, folks.  Today the film The Great Gilly Hopkins will open in select theaters and on demand.  Don’t know if there’s a theater showing it near you?  Then here’s a handy dandy chart where you can see if it’s anywhere near you.  Behold:

Good stuff.

Daily Image:

Neat! Travis Jonker discovered this site where you can Brickify (turn into LEGOs) any image. He had a fun post where you could guess his brickified covers. I decided to do my own books out of curiosity.  The results:

Is it bad to say that I kinda like some of these more?  Thanks to 100 Scope Notes for the link.

Woot!  I’ve scraped and saved and slavered and after a couple weeks have culled together enough videos to constitute a truly lovely Video Sunday.  And since Halloween is near upon us (a holiday I will, strangely enough, be spending at an outside wedding in Maine) why not begin with the king of frightening children’s literature himself, Stephen Gammell.  Mental Floss recently released a post called 14 Terrifying Facts About Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.  Fine and good but the link to the documentary caught my particular eye . . .

Scary Stories (Official Trailer) from Cody Meirick on Vimeo.

As did the video they linked to showing how illustrator Stephen Gammell does his art.  Pretty amazing to see in process.

This next one’s a hoot. Author Steve Sheinkin, when he isn’t creating a comic styled interview series or writing National Book Award short list nominees is, apparently, doing some killer LEGO book trailers as well. Check this out. And since it features Nixon, yes indeed there is some slightly salty language.

Another book trailer, and this time for a book that I certainly hope will be getting some awards soon. The Martin Scorsese blurb is a nice touch.

That tune just slays me.

This next one is timed nicely with the Alice in Wonderland 150th anniversary.  It discusses Alice Hargreaves (the real Alice)’s trip to Columbia University in the 30s and has some very nice interviews with some of today’s Alice experts. It mentions things like a picture of Alice that was published in Punch before the book was officially published.  Be sure to get to the part where you can hear the real Alice’s voice.

For more information, just go here.

Writing parodies come.  Writing parodies go.  But writing parodies where the singer is thoroughly easy on the ears and parodies one of my favorite songs?  That’s just gravy.  As such . . .

Thanks to Watch. Connect. Read. for the link.

Super Jumper Iron Man. #lego #toyfair #marvel

A video posted by @comixace on Feb 14, 2015 at 4:59am PST

Lego now has superhero minifigs that leap into the air and fall apart, wiaiting for mom to step on and did to clean up. This spring-action play factor is only available with the suerhero line. There’s a also a super jumper Batman but we didn’t get that in action. . All of this and more was shown off at Toy Fair this morning, as bleary eyed toy reporters convened in the frigid cold. More pics in a bit!

Lego has made a Helicarrier. Repeat, LEGO HAS MADE A HELICARRIER. OVER DO YOU COPY? And it comes with Black Widow AND Maria Hill! Oh and HAwkeye, Nick Fury and Captain America. And 3 Quinjets, and and and…It’s not the one from Avengers: Age of Ultron (if there is one) but who cares. It come with:

• Includes 5 minifigures: Nick Fury, Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye and Maria Hill, plus an iconic SHIELD eagle stand to display them on
• Features 3 microscale Quinjets, 3 fighter jets, a gasoline truck, 2 forklift trucks, 2 runways, 4 road blockades, armored exterior with translucent elements, detailed interior, plus 12 microfigures (Nick Fury, Hawkeye, Captain America, Iron Man and 8 SHIELD agents)
• Also includes a detailed runway
• Weapons include Hawkeye’s bow, Black Widow’s gun and Captain America’s shield
• SHIELD Agent Maria Hill minifigure is new for spring 2015!
• Includes a plaque with facts about The SHIELD Helicarrier
• Add lights and spinning rotors to the Helicarrier with the 88000, 8883 and 8870 LEGO® Power Functions sets (sold separately)
• Rotors can also be turned manually
• Includes a display stand
• Helicarrier measures over 11” (29cm) high, 31” (80cm) long and 17” (45cm) wide
• Each Quinjet measures over 1” (3cm) high, 2” (7cm) long and 2” (7cm) wide
• Minifigure stand measures over 4” (12cm) high, and 2” (6cm deep) and 6” (16cm wide)

With nearly 3000 pieces, this is not a cheap set. No It will set you back US $349.99 ($399.99 in Canada) but…it’s still pretty awesome.Here’s some pictures for you to dream over.

Lego has made a Helicarrier. Repeat, LEGO HAS MADE A HELICARRIER. OVER DO YOU COPY? And it comes with Black Widow AND Maria Hill! Oh and HAwkeye, Nick Fury and Captain America. And 3 Quinjets, and and and…It’s not the one from Avengers: Age of Ultron (if there is one) but who cares. It come with:

• Includes 5 minifigures: Nick Fury, Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye and Maria Hill, plus an iconic SHIELD eagle stand to display them on
• Features 3 microscale Quinjets, 3 fighter jets, a gasoline truck, 2 forklift trucks, 2 runways, 4 road blockades, armored exterior with translucent elements, detailed interior, plus 12 microfigures (Nick Fury, Hawkeye, Captain America, Iron Man and 8 SHIELD agents)
• Also includes a detailed runway
• Weapons include Hawkeye’s bow, Black Widow’s gun and Captain America’s shield
• SHIELD Agent Maria Hill minifigure is new for spring 2015!
• Includes a plaque with facts about The SHIELD Helicarrier
• Add lights and spinning rotors to the Helicarrier with the 88000, 8883 and 8870 LEGO® Power Functions sets (sold separately)
• Rotors can also be turned manually
• Includes a display stand
• Helicarrier measures over 11” (29cm) high, 31” (80cm) long and 17” (45cm) wide
• Each Quinjet measures over 1” (3cm) high, 2” (7cm) long and 2” (7cm) wide
• Minifigure stand measures over 4” (12cm) high, and 2” (6cm deep) and 6” (16cm wide)

With nearly 3000 pieces, this is not a cheap set. No It will set you back US $349.99 ($399.99 in Canada) but…it’s still pretty awesome.Here’s some pictures for you to dream over.

This sunday’s episode of the Simpsons will be lego style and here’s a trailer. This is so amazing that my head hurts.

I have a sister.  Did you know that?  Tis true.  She’s not a librarian and her interest in children’s literature pretty much begins and ends with me, which is probably why she hasn’t come up before.  One thing she is?  Crafty.  Crafty as all get out.  And the kicker is that she’s just started this new blog called The How To, How Hard, and How Much to Your Creative Products.  Here’s how she describes it:

What if there was a blog out there that took Pinterest ideas and showed people how to do it, how much time it took, how much money was spent, and had a level of expertise (1-5). Maybe even sell the final product. Is this something people would read? Has it already been done? How could I rope guys into doing it (other than if it involved mustaches and bacon)? I’ve never blogged before but I feel like it might be helpful, especially since the holiday season is quickly approaching. People could even send me recommendations and I could do those as well.

And make it she has.  Amongst other things she has a wide range of Halloween ideas including spider cookies, 5 minute ideas, and my personal favorite, the cleaver cupcakes.  In fact, if you could just repin those cupcakes onto your Pinterest boards she’d be mighty grateful (there’s a contest she’s entering them into).  But of special interest to the blog (aside from outright nepotism) was her recent posting on literary jewelry where she turned a book of mine into a bracelet.  Nicely done, l’il sis.

• I attended the Society of Illustrators event the other day (did you know the place is free on Tuesdays?!) and the New York Times Best Illustrated results are on the cusp of an announcement soon.  Both lists are chosen by artists as well as librarian types, and so one could consider them the form with which artists are allowed to voice their opinions about the best of the year (just as the National Book Awards are how authors talk about writing).  Still, there are those that have disliked the Caldecott from the outset because it is decided not by artists but librarians.  Robin Smith recently dug up a 1999 interview with Barry Moser voicing just such a concern.  A hot little discussion then emerged in the Horn Book comments.  Go!  See!

• Brian Biggs + Jon Scieszka + 6 way auction = interesting.

• I think a fair number of us have seen Business Insider’s Most Famous Book Set in Every State map by this point, but I’d just like to mention that what pleases me the most about it is the fact that they included children’s books as well as adult.  Six children’s and one YA novel by my count.

• Let’s Talk About Dav Pilkey, Captain Underpants, and Misogyny.  So says author Lynn Messina.  Interesting title, no?

• And since we’re on an interesting title kick, let’s throw out another one.  True or False? Multicultural Books Don’t Sell.  We’ve all heard that argument before.  Now an actual honest-to-god bookseller tackles the question.  You may normally know Elizabeth Bluemle from the ShelfTalker blog at PW, but here she’s guest talking at Lee & Low.  Cleverly, she specifies whether or not we are talking about how they don’t sell to kids or how they don’t sell to adults.  Without giving anything away, let me just say that her experiences mirror my own in the library.

In other press release news, I am shocked and appalled that I wasn’t aware of this until now.  I mean, I knew that Kate Beaton, the genius behind Hark, A Vagrant, was working on children’s books.  What I did not know was how close to fruition my dream of shelving her in my children’s sections truly was.  The Wired blog Underwire, of all places, was the one with the scoop when they interviewed Ms. Beaton.  She discusses the book, which contains her most famous creation (the fat pony) and a princess.  Says she about princesses in general, “. . . for little girls historically [princesses] are the only people like them who had any power at all. It’s not just oh, princes and dresses. It’s also, here’s a person with agency. Is she just someone who wants a pretty dress and prince? Or is she a warrior living in a battle kingdom? I think it just depends on how you depict what a princess is.”  I think we know the direction Ms. Beaton will go in.  And I waaaant it.  Thanks to Seth Fishman for the link.

• As slogans go, this might be one of my favorites: “Kill time. Make history”.  How do you mean?  Well, NYPL is looking for a few good bored folks. Say they, “The New York Public Library is training computers how to recognize building shapes and other information from old city maps. Help us clean up the data so that it can be used in research, teaching and civic hacking.”  Sometimes I just love my workplace.

• Me stuff time.  Or rather, stuff I’m doing around and about the world that you might like to attend.  You see, on November 6th I’ll be interviewing legendary graphic novelist Paul Pope at 4pm at the Mulberry Street library branch here in NYC.  If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Pope’s name, all you really need to know is that he’s a three time Eisner Award winning artist who wrote the recent GN Battling Boy and whose work is currently on display at the Society of Illustrators on their second floor (which just means I get to tell you again that you can get in for free on Tuesdays).  This event will also be free.  If you’ve ever wondered what the “Mick Jagger of graphic novels” would look like, you’ll find out soon enough.

• Also going on in NYC, they have transferred Allegra Kent’s Ballerina Swan to the stage for kids.  Makes perfect sense when you put it that way.

• This is utterly delightful.  Recently Picture Book Month’s Education Consultant Marcie Colleen contacted me with this awesome PDF entitled Picture Book Month Teacher’s Guide: Why Picture Books Belong in Our Classrooms.  It was so useful, in fact, that I tapped her for an upcoming Children’s Literary Salon about the Core Curriculum.  More about that later, though . . .

• My reaction to finding out that Henry Selick was going to direct Adam Gidwitz’s A Tale Dark and Grimm was simple.  The best possible person is doing the best possible thing and is making everyone happy in the process.  My sole concern?  Selick’s going live action on this.  What was the last live action film he directed?  Monkeybone, you say?  Ruh-roh.  Thanks to PW Children’s Bookshelf for the link.

Cool Creations in 35 Pieces is Sean Kenney's FIFTH (sixth if you count his LEGO-ABC-board book) book meant to inspire kids (and adults) to create with LEGOs and think outside the box - the box that the predetermined Lego kit that most consumers buy comes in. I love LEGOs, but I am also part of the generation that grew up with the red, blue, yellow and white bricks that built whatever you

Oh, you think the award season is done, old bean?  Why we have only but BEGUN to hand out the 2011 awards!  The Newberys, Caldecotts, and other ALA Media Awards are just the tip of the old iceberg.  There are so many others to explore.  For example, did you get a chance to really examine the 2012 Notable Children’s Books list from ALSC that was recently released?  Absolutely fascinating stuff.  Some books delight, some baffle, and some I’ve not even heard of.  To the library!  Don’t forget that the Sydney Taylor Awards were given out recently too.  Offered to books that “authentically portray the Jewish experience” there were twenty-eight for 2011 alone.  Woot!  The Scott O’Dell Award went to a book that’s a bit better known since this past Monday.  Fun Fact: That award hasn’t gone to a Newbery Award winner since 1998’s Out of the Dust.  Then on the mystery side of the things the Edgar Award nominations were released.  I adore that they distinguish between “Juvenile” and “Young Adult” books.  Icefall is a particularly clever inclusion (I hadn’t categorized it as a “mystery” but I suppose that it is in the old-fashioned sense of the term).  Heck, I’m surprised they didn’t include Dead End in Norvelt as well.  And if I’m not mistaken, at some point here the American Indian Youth Literature Awards for 2012 should be released.  Anyone know roundabout when that might be?

• Meanwhile, other blogs have been doing their post-ALA Award round-ups as well.  There are many to pick and choose from, but I think I’ll highlight the Seven Impossible Things post that shows some prototypes from A Ball for Daisy and Travis at 100 Scope Notes who gives everything a once over.

• Who told me about this on Twitter?  Was it you, Rocco?  Or you, Mr. Schu?  Whoever it was I’m still puzzling it over.  Basically it boils down to five words: Sweet. Valley. High. Television. Musical. Throw in Diablo Cody and the guys behind Next to Normal and . . . words, for once, fail me.

• Now here’s a post that would catch anyone’s eye: AICL Coverage of Arizona Law that resulted in shut down of Mexican American Studies Program and Banning of Books.  Debbie Reese of American Indians in Children’s Literature has an in-depth and
  4 Comments on Fusenews: Goodbye Goodbye, Columbus, last added: 1/27/2012
  Display Comments
  Margot Magowan said, on 1/26/2012 7:44:00 AM
  

  Hi,

  I discovered your blog because you did a link to mine (Reel Girl) about a post on Lego for girls and the letter from the 14 yr old girl to Lego. I am so happy to discover it your blog! I love it. Can you recommend great blogs that focus on MG books, especially ones centered on girls? I’ve written quite about about politics and culture, but recently published short fiction for adults and am currently writing an MG book. On Reel Girl, I review and rate kids media and products for girl empowerment. I have three daughters ages 2 – 8.

  Thanks so much,
  Margot

  Elizabeth Bird said, on 1/26/2012 4:24:00 PM
  

  Thanks for the kind words, Margot. As for blogs that focus on MG novels for girls, none come immediately to mind though many (including myself) will cover such things. But if anyone else knows of any, just mention it here.

  Laurie Schneider said, on 1/26/2012 4:43:00 PM
  

  We don’t focus exclusively on girls, Margot, but I invite you to visit http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com. We cover all things middle grade.

  Great post, as usual, Ms. Bird!

  Margot Magowan said, on 1/27/2012 1:13:00 PM
  

  Thank you! I linked both of your blogs to Reel Girl. Will be following your posts.

  MM

  Add a Comment

I have wanted the Lego version of the Death Star for a very long time. I love Legos, Star Wars and audaciously sized things, so it's a perfect fit, but the price has always been quite daunting. $400, regardless of the awesomeness it brings, is a lot of galactic credits. So finally, after paying down some bills, I convinced my gorgeous and brilliant wife to let me buy it. So I recruited some tiny

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You know what the best thing about having interns is? You can get them to do your work for you have the privilege of teaching them what you know, and watching them grow professionally. This week, we bring you a special Linked Up, written by publicity interns extraordinaire, Alexandra McGinn and Hanna Oldsman. Be sure to check back next week for my (awesome/hilarious) Q & A with them.

I think I may want to move to Japan and make pizza. [Reuters]

The Good News: Thanksgiving isn’t a reason to break up. The Bad News: Christmas comes shortly after Thanksgiving. [Popfi]

I’m more of a Garamond type of girl myself. [Not Cot]

If you’re still in a candy coma from Halloween it’s time to let the goods go.

The Shining’s not so scary in Lego form. [Flickr]

Obama the Grinch Steals Christmas In Tea Party Picture Book [Gawker]

Commute via holograph? Yes please! [Wired]

C the difference? [Virtual Linguist]

Van Gogh would have bought an iPad. [BBC]

Which literary character is a Facebook addict? [Salon]

I've spent most of the day cleaning the house and napping. Days off are the best. Now I plan to sculpt something, watch a movie and read. A couple of days ago, I won an award, and as part of the deal, you're supposed to pass that on to fifteen equally enjoyable and deserving blogs that you've recently discovered. As it turns out, with the exception of those I started following because of her

Is your dad or hubby into projects? Would he be considered a Geek? If you answered yes to these questions (or even if you didn't) I have the perfect Father's Day gift.

I’m Matt Grecco, Software Engineer at Lockheed Martin.  I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s Degree in Statistical Sciences from George Mason University.

One of the best things about working as an engineer is the wide range of projects you can work on.  I’ve done everything from troubleshooting a computer problem on the train platform at Grand Central Station in New York City, to giving a live demonstration of our equipment to a battalion of German soldiers in southern Germany.

Another thing I really enjoy about being an engineer is the sense of accomplishment you gain when you get a breakthrough after spending days on a problem you just can’t seem to figure out.  That feeling you get when the “light bulb” goes off in your head is truly unique.  It gives you the satisfaction that coming up empty so many times really pays off in the end.

I’ve always been a problem solver and have always liked methodically putting things together.  I grew up loving ™, which is usually the start every engineer gets. The same basic engineering principles involved in building fun Lego trucks and structures, are used daily in my work as an engineer allowing me to continue solving difficult problems.

I'll do architectural things today.

First up, this year's Pritzker Prize has been awarded to Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. You can read the article about it here in the Times.
Congratulations Mr. Zumthor! I'm sure (and hope) we'll be seeing you on Charlie Rose in the near future.

This is his art museum in Breganz, Austria.
© The Times and Mr. Zumthor

What a cool building! If you read the article, be sure to click on the "more pictures" or mulitmedia feature to see more samples of his work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In less serious, but still sort of architectural news, a chuch in Sweden has unveiled its sculpture of Jesus, constructed entirely of Legos.

I saw this over at Julie's blog and had to link. My son has been obsessed with Legos since the time he was born. He can put a couple-thousand piece set together in a few hours. They don't make sets big enough for him anymore (unless you want to spend a fortune.)

I'm thrilled by the creative 3-D way his mind works... wonder if they give out a Lego scholarship... Read the rest of this post

The the 2007 Notable Computer Software and Online Subscription Services for Children, as determined by ALSC, has just been posted for your reading pleasure. The list, "identifies high-quality computer programs and online subscription services for children 14 years of age and younger." However, if you find that you feel too tired to click all the way over to the official list, I shall duplicate it for you here:

Bookworm Adventures. PopCap Games. www.popcap.com. All ages.

Bookworm Deluxe. PopCap Games. www.popcap.com. All ages.

Dr. Peggy Healy Stearns’ Stationery Studio. FableVision. www.fablevision.com/stationerystudio. Ages 5 and up.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional 9. Nuance Communications. www.nuance.com. Elementary and up.

Gary Gadget: Building Cars. Viva Media. www.viva-media.com. All ages.

Giggles Computer Funtime for Baby – My Animal Friends. Leveractive. www.giggles.net. 6-24 months.

Grolier Online. Scholastic Library Publishing. http://go.grolier.com. All ages.

I Spy Mystery. Scholastic, Inc. www.scholastic.com. Elementary.

Instant Immersion American Sign Language v.2.0. Topics Entertainment. http://topics-ent.com. Elementary – Adult.

Key Skills Phonics Mastery K-1. Sunburst Technology. www.sunburst.com. Elementary.

LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. LucasArts. www.lucasarts.com. Ages 10 and up.

Letter Olympics. Tool Factory, Inc./SEMERC. www.toolfactory.com. Elementary.

Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2007. Microsoft. www.microsoft.com/student. Middle/High School.

Music Ace Maestro: Music Educator’s Professional Edition 4.0. Harmonic Vision. www.harmonicvision.com. Elementary/Middle.

Pirate Poppers. Brighter Minds Media. www.brightermindsmedia.com. Elementary.

The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript. Tri Synergy/Nobilis. www.trisynergy.com. Ages 10 and up.

Tool Factory Keyboarding Adventure. Tool Factory, Inc. www.toolfactory.com. Elementary.