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“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read with a child.”
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss. I’ve always felt him to be a personal friend. Green Eggs and Ham was the first book I ever read, well recite. I probably could recite it before I could read it.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go when you read! March 2, 2015 is NEA’s Read Across America Day and this year, the book is the Seuss classic, Oh, The Places You’ll Go.
NEA’s Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.
A Look At Our Friend Dr. Seuss
Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped millions of children learn to read.
Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Seuss Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904. After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1925, he went to Oxford University, intending to acquire a doctorate in literature. At Oxford, Geisel met Helen Palmer, whom he wed in 1927. Upon his return to America later that year, Geisel published cartoons and humorous articles for Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time. His cartoons also appeared in major magazines such as Life, Vanity Fair, and Liberty. Geisel gained national exposure when he won an advertising contract for an insecticide called Flit. He coined the phrase, “Quick, Henry, the Flit!” which became a popular expression.
Geisel developed the idea for his first children’s book in 1936 while on a vacation cruise. The rhythm of the ship’s engine drove the cadence to And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.
During World War II, Geisel joined the Army and was sent to Hollywood where he wrote documentaries for the military. During this time, he also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which won him an Oscar.
The Cat in the Hat Is Born
In May of 1954, Life published a report on illiteracy among schoolchildren, suggesting that children were having trouble reading because their books were boring. This problem inspired Geisel’s publisher, prompting him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important for children to learn. The publisher asked Geisel to cut the list to 250 words and use them to write an entertaining children’s book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 225 of the words given to him, published The Cat in the Hat, which brought instant success.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Geisel authored and illustrated 44 children’s books. His enchanting stories are available as audio cassettes, animated television specials, and videos.
While Theodor Geisel died on September 24, 1991, Dr. Seuss lives on, inspiring generations of children of all ages to explore the joys of reading.
(Courtesy of Random House)
Oh,The Places We’ve Been
We do a whole lot of global reading around here as well as take some incredible reading adventures. To celebrate one of our favorite authors today we’re reading around the world and sharing all the places we’ve been. Here are some of our most popular book reviews and book jumps that have taken us all over the world.
China
Thailand
Scotland
Wales
Africa
Native American lands
Australia
Kenya
France
So read loud, read strong but mostly Read together Across America!!! Or a very special place of your choosing. Happy Read Across America Day
READY GO! #readyourworld #readacrossamerica
Take the pledge http://www.nea.org/grants/ReadAcrossAmericaPledge.html
More info from NEA about Read Across America http://www.nea.org/grants/886.htm
Read Aloud.org launches their big campaign too this month Join us! http://www.readaloud.org/
The post Happy Read Across America Day! Oh The Place’s We’ve Gone appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
By:
Betsy Bird,
on 5/21/2014
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Giving birth! All the kids are doing it these days. And you know what giving birth means, right? It means having a little extra time to blog and get my non-work related projects done. Though, naturally, I wrote 50% of this post a day ago and then must have failed to save the darn thing. *sigh* C’est la vie, kids.
- I was called upon recently to speak with a writer from the National Endowment for the Arts. The topic? Why Children’s Books Matter. Done in conjunction with Leonard Marcus’s exhibit at the main branch of NYPL I answer all sorts of questions. Mind you, it was a oral interview so I wasn’t able to parse my own speech. Read it and you’ll get a real sense of what it sounds like to talk to me (weirdo grammar and all).
- Let’s talk exhibits again. This time, those in Chicago. Particularly those in Chicago involving Edward Gorey. You lucky midwesterners. Thanks to Mr. Schu for the link.
- And going back to the topic of NYPL, I recently interviewed middle grade author Claire LeGrand. Claire is the organizing genius behind the upcoming Kids Authors Carnival happening this month on the 31st. Talking with me, she answered some of my questions about the carnival, the authors who will be there, and where the idea came from in the first place.
- Summer Reading is coming up. Want a reading list for your kids? ALSC came up with this one and it’s rather nice.
- Hat tip to Travis Jonker for the hat tip to my book (co-written with Jules Danielson and Peter Sieruta). It’s coming out in August fer sure, fer sure, and Travis included it in his 10 to Note Summer Preview 2014. Thank you, man!!
- Oh, I rather love this. 25 Movie Cameos by the Authors of the Original Books. Because there are children’s book adaptations included that I never knew about. Michael Morpurgo? Louis Sachar? They forgot Wendy Orr in Nim’s Island, Brian Selznick in Hugo, and David Levithan and Rachel Cohn in Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist but no one’s perfect. Love the snarky comment about Stephenie Meyer, by the way. Thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith for the link.
- Woo-hoo! The next Kidlitosphere Conference (the greatest, biggest, best conference of children’s & YA literature bloggers) is nigh. Nigh, I sez, nigh! The focus is on diversity, the location is Sacramento and the guests include everyone from Shannon Hale to Mitali Perkins. Don’t miss it.
- New Podcast Alert: Little, Brown & Company’s School & Library division has their own podcast channel? Well, who the heck knew? Not I, said the fly. And then there’s the podcast Dear Book Nerd which appears to have some connection to the great and grand Brooklyn children’s librarian Rita Meade. I am so out of it.
- Kids aren’t reading! No way, no how, not happening. Unless of course they are. Common Sense Media recently decided that kids weren’t reading anymore and they went and made a huge deal about it. Two alternate takes on the study are worth noting. The first is from Forbes. The second, from Liz Burns. And quite frankly, I probably don’t have to tell you that it’s Liz’s take that I prefer.
Nothing I love more than a new children’s book prize. Particularly when I get to help to narrow down the contenders. The New York Historical Society was looking for great books of American history, either fiction or nonfiction for kids. The winner? The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine. She gets a $10,000 prize and is the inaugural winner. Check out the other finalists here and an interview with Kristin about the book here.
The big news last week, aside from the birth of my baby Bird, was the Rush Limbaugh win at the Children’s Book Choice Awards. It wasn’t a surprise but it did make for some good think pieces. And Travis Jonker, bless his soul, rounded them up for you. Amusingly, I had to miss the banquet because of back pain. Had I attended I not only would have gotten to see that particular person give a speech but there was a fire scare that made everyone go outside. Methinks this was not the worst year to miss.
Wait just a minute there . . . there’s a children’s literature conference in Hawaii and I’m only NOW hearing about it? Man! Now there’s a place I’d love to speak. Pity I’d have to win a Newbery Honor to do it.
It was St. Martin’s Press that advertised this one originally. I don’t know where they got it, but it’s such a brilliant display that I just had to share it with you. Libraries and other bookstores take note (and copy at will!).
By: Brian Minter,
on 2/11/2013
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Chandler Arnold, First Book’s executive vice-president, with a student from Belmont Runyon Elementary school in Newark, NJ, at a ‘Read Across America’ event last year.
Read Across America Day is fast approaching; on March 1, children across the country will celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday by reading ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and other childhood favorites.
But, as much as we love Dr. Seuss, the READING part is the important bit. At First Book, we will always line up for cake and ice cream, but books and reading come first. Because kids who read at home become stronger, more capable readers, and that’s the critical ingredient in become successful — in school and in life.
‘Read Across America’ is an annual event sponsored by our friends at the National Education Association (NEA). First Book is proud to do our part for such a critical issue.
Here’s what you can do:
And most importantly of all, take the time to read to a child in your life. You’ll both be glad you did.
This week, another look at the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Dr. Nancy N. Boyles in the Educational Leadership article, Closing in on Close Reading, Vol. 7 No. 4, states,
We can’t wait until middle school to teach students to read closely. Three practices bring close reading to the lower grades. . . 1) use short texts, 2) aim for independence, 3) focus on observing and analyzing.
When I read Dr. Boyle’s article, I realized that close reading wasn’t new, but a re-newel of analytic reading, “Close reading means reading to uncover layers of meaning that lead to deep comprehension,” this uncovering of layers allows the reader to examine the meaning of the parts and relate the reading selection to other texts.
Close, analytic reading stresses engaging with a text of sufficient complexity directly and examining meaning thoroughly and methodically, encouraging students to read and reread deliberately. (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, 2011, p. 7)
Some believe that reading instruction for the past ten years has focused too heavily on strategies rather than the text. Here are Dr. Boyle’s three recommendations to engage elementary students in close reading.
- Use Short Texts–not to abandon longer texts, but studying shorts texts is helpful if we want to enable students with a wide range of reading levels to practice closely reading demanding texts. Traditional literature lends itself to close reading, such as folktales, legends,, myths, fables, short stories, poetry, and scenes from plays. Children’s listening comprehension outpaces their reading comprehension in the early grades, so being read to as well as independent reading can build knowledge.
- Aim for Independence–go beyond ho-hum questions and ask a sequence of questions that will lead students more deeply into a text. Teach students to ask the questions so that students can take what they learn from the study of one text and apply it to the next text they read.
- Focus on Observing and Analyzing–see whether students have noticed the details of a passage and can recount those details. If students can’t paraphrase the basic content of a passage, how can they dig for its deeper meaning?
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By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 3/1/2012
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Tomorrow, March 2, is Read Across America day (and this year’s featured book is “The Lorax” — he reads for the trees! The cast of the upcoming film recorded a PSA for the event, and Zac Efron will be on hand for the national... Read the rest of this post
By: Maryann Yin,
on 10/21/2011
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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.”
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.
Today is Read Across America Day
– the birthday of Dr. Seuss. We love Dr. Seuss, and we know you all love him too. (In fact, we can
prove it scientifically.)
Here are some other ways you can celebrate:
- First Book was proud to work with the NEA to get books into the hands of teachers and program administrators in time to help their kids celebrate Read Across America Day. Visit their website to learn more.
- Our friends at Reading Rockets put together a Green Eggs & Ham literacy bag – a printable resource designed to encourage hands-on fun and learning centered around paired fiction and nonfiction books. There’s other fun stuff on their website, including video and e-cards.
- Random House has a great page on their ‘Seussville’ website with reading guides for students and families, a list of national events, and more
Let us know what you’re doing to celebrate Read Across America Day!
Today’s guest blogger is Anita Merina, the National Coordinator for ‘Read Across America’, a National Education Association initiative.
Every year on March 2nd educators, parents, grandparents, athletes, actors, politicians, and kids join together for Read Across America Day to celebrate reading. Now, if you’re thinking, “March 2nd . . . isn’t that someone’s birthday, too?” – you’re right. It’s also, not so coincidentally, the birthday of the beloved Dr. Seuss!
This year the National Education Association and First Book want to make sure your shelves are stocked with all of Dr. Seuss’ biggest hits for this spectacular day of reading. And to make getting ready easier than ever, we’ve provided four simple steps. All you have to do is follow them and you’ll be on your way to your best day of reading yet.
- Register your school or program with First Book at www.firstbook.org/register. (If you are already registered, go to step two.)
- Browse the First Book Marketplace at www.fbmarketplace.org. The Cat in the Hat? Green Eggs and Ham? Hop on Pop? The First Book Marketplace as all these books and more for around $3.00 a book.
- Order by February 8th to make sure your books arrive in time for Read Across America day.
- Read, rhyme and smile with your students as they dive into the pages of those classic Dr. Seuss books!
That’s it! See, it’s as easy as getting your straight A students to turn in their homework on time, and a little more fun too.
March 1 found my fellow Teaching Author Jeanne Marie Ford Grunwell’s daughter Kate Ford, only 4 11/12, writing across America.
March 2 found her, dressed Seusssationally, reading across America.
Today, March 3, Kate can celebrate literacy all around the world by reading aloud her Once Upon A Time story.
Happy World Read Aloud Day!
Not to worry if you know neither the day nor LitWorld, its sponsoring organization.
Both were unknown to me until I heard Pam Allyn passionately address the Anderson’s Bookshop’s 8th Annual Children’s Literature Breakfast two Saturdays ago in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, sharing her life’s work and recent teacher literacy training sessions in Africa.
Pam serves as the Executive Director of LitWorld, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing quality education to the world’s most vulnerable children, as well as of LitLife, a nationally-recognized organization that specializes in transformative school improvement through literacy education. She also recently authored What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child (Penguin/Avery, 2009).
Pam invited the 750 Breakfast-gathered authors, teachers, librarians and young readers to celebrate World Read Aloud Day today - to join the global literacy movement that works to ensure that every child, in every part of the world, is given the right to read stories, hear stories and write the stories of their lives.
I graciously extend that invitation to you.
Visit the
LitWorld website to discover a variety of suggested activities and opportunities – for teachers, parents, family members, librarians, children.
Or simply read aloud – to your children, students, grandchildren, friends, at a school or library, in your home or Senior Citizen facility.
Choose your favorite book, your favorite poem, a book you’ve just discovered, a favorite blogger’s post.
Even read aloud, for your ears only, your latest revision of your work-in-progress!
Writers are readers.
But how many of us became readers because someone in our lives read aloud to us?
At the Anderson’s Children’s Literature Breakfast, two guest authors described their teachers’ reading of E.B. White's
Charlotte’s Web as life-changing.
I still hold a visual of the blue braided oval reading rug in my beloved teacher Miss Patton’s Kindergarten room. I still recall the day she read us
The Ugly Duckling.
I read aloud to every fifth grade class I taught, every day, for fifteen minutes. Several of my students, now grown and parents, to my surprise recalled each and every title.
My writing class read alouds include picture books and novels.
What read-aloud books do
you recall?
And who were the readers who lovingly read them?
Who helped
you read and hear stories? Who helped
you write the story of your life?
Maybe find a moment to write one of those readers a Thank You note.
(Today would be perfect.)
Then, read that note aloud.
Happy World Read Aloud Day!
Esther Hershenhorn
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photo by mape_s www.flickr.com
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders, fantasy
*Young boy as main character
*Rating: Dr. Seuss is at his best in If I Ran the Zoo–from made-up creatures to fantastical places to those ever-clever rhymes.
Short, short summary: Gerald McGrew says that his local zoo is a “pretty good zoo.” But it just has the normal, old animals that all zoos have. So, if Gerald ran it. . .he would do things a little differently. For example, he would travel up past the North Pole in his Skeegle-mobile and bring back a family of “What-do-you-know!” He would hunt in the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tant and even brave the blistering sands of the Desert of Zind. People from all over, of course, will want to see these amazing animals at the McGrew Zoo. And as he points out at the end, Gerald would just make a few changes to the zoo. (BTW, did you know that Dr. Seuss’s father actually ran a zoo in Springfield, Massachusetts for thirty years? Write what you know, everyone. )
So, what do I do with this book?
1. If I Ran the Zoo is full of Dr. Seuss’s wonderful illustrations. You can do two activities with illustrations. You can read the descriptions of a creature to your students and ask them to draw what they imagine. You can also ask them to create an animal for McGrew’s Zoo, name it, and even write a description–depending on their age and ability levels.
2. Students can write their own versions of If I Ran the Zoo by writing about what they would do with a zoo, or they can also change the place: If I Ran the School or If I Ran a Pizza Parlor. If you have young students, you can do this as a shared writing activity with the repeating sentence: “If I ran the zoo, I would have a ____________________.” If you have older students, they can create their stories themselves.
3. Some of the places such as the North Pole, Africa, and North Dakota are real (of course). Other places, it is clear that Dr. Seuss made them up. Ask your students to give you a thumbs-up if the place you are reading about is a real place (with made-up creatures) or a made-up place. You can also make a list of both on chart paper in a T-table. This can also lead to a discussion of what makes If I Ran the Zoo a fantasy even though parts of it are real.
A co-worker called me on Friday en route to Target. I was jealous (I unabashedly adore Target) until he told me the purpose of his trip -- to get materials for his kindergartener's "Dr. Seuss book costume." Being a practical parent, he was going the simple route -- posterboard to make green eggs and ham.
Of course all the teachers among us know that tomorrow marks Dr. Seuss' birthday and the NEA's annual Read Across America Day. How many parents have been scrambling for materials to make extravagant tributes to Dr. Seuss?
As a kid, I was never (sacrilege, I know) a huge Seuss fan. Neither are my own children, though "Dibble dibble dop" is one of our very favorite nonsensical things to say. However, Green Eggs and Ham was the basis of one of the most moving television scenes ever, IMO -- on St. Elsewhere -- so I am probably the only person I know who thinks of Dr. Seuss and instantly wants to cry.
My daughter, at age 4 and 11/12, just last night read a whole REAL book at bedtime for the first time. Oh, the excitement in our household! Of course no one was more excited than she. (Once upon a time, she worried that learning to read would mean that she would no longer be READ TO. I think she has finally overcome this fear.)
Kate goes to a Montessori school, and one of the precepts of the curriculum, I recently discovered, is that kids typically learn to write before they learn to read. Perhaps some of you early childhood educators could shed some light on this concept. At any rate, Kate has been using a "moveable alphabet" to sound out words since she was three. Her spelling is atrocious, but her sense of phonics is pretty impressive. Just this week she brought home her first story:
Translation:
Then, the fire-breathing dragon put her in a cage. Later, the princess saw a police. Finally, the police put the princess out of the cage.
I'm so proud of my little author!
My mother had to point out the anachronism of police and fire-breathing dragons co-existing, but she didn't seem to have a problem with the amusement park. :)
I will tell you what I love about Kate's school. I love that her teachers don't correct her spelling. I love that they encourage creativity and allow her to think for herself. And I really, really love this exercise. It teaches beginning, middle, end. First, next, last. Story structure!
The rule of threes! It gives encouragement and prompts, but it leaves the bulk of the imagining to the child. Between fire-breathing dragons and princesses, what four-year-old boy or girl would not be engaged in the topic? The next day, Kate had to c
by Amy M. O’Quinn
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
~Dr. Seuss
Mark your calendar for March 2nd! Why, you may ask? Well, at our home we will celebrate my daughter’s tenth birthday on that day. But other children across America will also be celebrating the birthday of beloved author, Dr. Seuss, as well as participating in ‘Read Across America’, sponsored by the National Education Association.
What is Read Across America?
In 1997, a small task force at NEA came up with the big idea to set aside one day to really celebrate reading and motivate children across the country to pick up a book and read. They wanted the whole event to be exciting and inspiring—and to promote a love of reading. The task force also decided that March 2nd, the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) would be the perfect date. Thus, ‘Read Across America’ was born, and the first annual celebration was held on March 2, 1998.
According the NEA website, “Motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong successful readers. Research has shown that children who are motivated and spend more time reading do better in school.”
How does it work?
Although the NEA created and sponsors ‘Read Across America,’ teachers, parents, librarians, bookstore personnel, and other community volunteers at the local level organize and implement all kinds of exciting events to celebrate reading and get children involved in special literacy activities. There are many great ideas on the NEA/RAA website, as well as state educational association websites. The possibilities are endless.
Dr. Seuss (1904-1991)
What child doesn’t love a Dr. Seuss book? The rhythm and rhyme are delightful, and everyone has a favorite. My children enjoyed all the Dr. Seuss books, but they especially liked Green Eggs and Ham, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? and The Cat in the Hat. In fact, they can all recite most of Green Eggs and Ham from memory. Would you? Could you?
When we first began homeschooling, I quickly discovered that Dr. Seuss books were perfect for oral reading practice to enhance fluency. The children loved the nonsensical language, yet they were able to experience reading success because of the simple words, repetition and familiarity of ‘old friends’ they’d known for years. Beginning readers need to feel successful; it motivates them to keep learning. Plus, the stories written by Dr. Seuss are just plain fun, and everyone needs a good giggle or chuckle from time to time.
How Can You Be Involved in Read Across America?
There are events and activities scheduled all over the country—in large cities and small communities. Chances are, the local school system, your child’s teacher, or your neighborhood librarians have already planned some special things for March 2nd. Visit the NEA website or your state educational association to find some fabulous fun near you. Perhaps you may even decide to volunteer or help organize some events.
If you have preschool children or are a homeschooling parent, you can also plan some activities to do with your child at home. Although we advocate reading ALL year long, it is still fun to have a special day to do something just a little bit different.
A Few Simple Ideas:
-Read Green Eggs and Ham—then MAKE green eggs and ham. Add a
By: Jessica Stockton,
on 1/11/2009
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'Cause that's what we do around here.
* In the New York Times, an interesting article on how small-scale and niche manufacturing in Brooklyn is prospering even as larger concerns suffer in the economic downturn:
Many business owners interviewed said they were staying strong in this market by employing few workers and keeping their products specialized. “They tend to be very nimble, even in the downtimes,” said Mr. Kimball. “They can make it through a difficult stretch easier than the bigger players.”
Manufacturing isn't retail, but I can't be the only one to see a parallel to the indie store which can make adjustments and cater to local clients as corporate sellers can't. We ARE all making those adjustments, right?...
* Also in the
Times, an article that evokes the great urbanist Jane Jacobs in discussing how internet forums and social networking, especially in New York City neighborhoods,
can strengthen local bonds, not increase isolation:
The Web was first seen as a radical alternative to the bricks-and-mortar world, but the truth, it turns out, can be more complicated.
“The original idea of the Internet was to get away from physical geography,” Steven Johnson, a 40-year-old Brooklynite and the author of several tech-related books, said as he sat in the Dumbo loft that serves as the office to Outside.in, a Web site he helped to found two years ago. “The dream was that everybody would be able to telecommute from Wyoming.”
Yet, the Internet has also had the opposite effect by helping to connect people more closely to their physical and political surroundings. And for New Yorkers, whose surroundings are more complex than most, this effect can be particularly powerful, enabling them to take on the long-anonymous, too-big-to-fight city.
There's also an acknowledgement of the gentrification wars that seem to flare up on every neighborhood blog (whose side are
you on?!?) -- but this is a good way to think about how a local bookstore can be a part of their online neighborhood as well as their physical one.
* Sometimes, it takes a Nobel-prize winning author to stem the spread of panic and illogic in a publishing corporation. Thanks to a letter from Gunter Grass, Umberto Eco, Amos Oz, Wislawa Szymborska, Jose Saramago and others, beloved and competent editor Drenka Willen
has been re-hired at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, after being fired last month. Score one for literature over the suits. (Thanks to
Levi for
the link.)
* I'm still thinking about the question inherent in Jason Lutes'
Berlin graphic novels about how and whether artists and writers should be engaged with politics. Pankaj Mishra
has one answer: if writers are there in the shit and they write about it, listen to them. Arundhati Roy and David Grossman are certainly examples of writers whose political ideas and expressions we would be mistaken to ignore.
* The good news about the following kerfuffle is that the backlash happened so fast. To quote Sarah Retger at the ABA Omnibus:
Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse wrote a stunningly dumb article for the WSJ in which she argued that the only way for publishers to survive is by throwing lots of advance money at projects they hope will be bestsellers. Happily, people more eloquent than me have done the necessary debunking, criticizing, and introducing of logic.
My own two cents: there's nothing wrong with hoping for a blockbuster. But shelling out multi-million dollar advances (at the expense of publicity efforts for the rest of the list) ain't gonna get you one. One of the strengths of books as a medium is that they're viable on such a small scale; we're lucky for the books with print runs of 500 as well as those with 50,000, and it would be great to see publishers begin to think critically about how to work those strengths for a diverse, vibrant, long-lived list.
* Ooh, here's a nice one: the National Endowment for the Arts survey, usually a staple of doom and gloom about the state of American literacy, this year shows
a substantial increase in the numbers and percentages of readers. I have yet to read through the complete findings, and it will be interesting to hear theories on why the shift occurred, but it does strike a bright note.
* This kind of counts as good news:
I'll be speaking at the Brooklyn Business Library's PowerUp! awards ceremony on Wednesday night, in my capacity as past winner. An interesting opportunity to review the past year in the bookstore process. Free eats, also.
What have YOU got going on that's good?
Dear Elizabeth,
First, Congratulations on your the birth of your little boy! I have a little boy who is now 11. (Remember how you helped me find the Three Investigator series?) I wish you so much happiness!!! Second, thanks for all the great sites to check out today! And, I love that display! Too funny!
I have to make it to that Jefferson Market event! It looks amazing!
Congrats on the new baby Bird by the way!
The fantastic photo of “It’s Blue” is from the Amazing Houston Indie Booksellers at Blue Willow Bookshop. As a former employee and current librarian I’ve answered that question many a time!!
The photo of the Blue display that went viral is from Blue Willow Bookshop here in Houston. They are fantastic! http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/. And congrats again on the newest Bird to your little flock!
Well that just makes perfect sense. Thank you Tara and Diandra for the clarification!
I saw that Lions of Little Rock had gotten the NY Historical Society award and was thrilled. I really liked that book and like the new cover a lot.