We know that this has no direct relation to 2k8, but we'd feel a little remiss if we didn't mention the BIG NEWS TODAY in kidlit!
Jon Scieszka, author of "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" and the "Time Warp Trio" series, will get the imprimatur of the Library of Congress Thursday as the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. "We think it's very important to have an evangelist for reading" said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. The library's Center for the Book has teamed up with the Children's Book Council, a publishing industry trade association, to create the National Ambassador program. Slightly less HUGE as world news, but of great interest to us is this
awesome link over at Haunts of a Children's Writer! And
THIS ONE at Galleycat! Me-OW!We do, in fact, plan to be the "kiddie lit heroes of 2008". It's all right there in our strategic plan, right after "make some kids happy" and "get lots of warm fuzzies". We know it's kind of a weird strategic plan.
Last, but not least, be sure to stop back on Monday for Lisa's virtual release party!
Jon Scieszka (rhymes with n'est-ce pas) has been named the first "national ambassador for young people's literature."
I talked to Jon last summer about boys and reading; hear all about it in our podcast (scroll down).
Author: Jon Scieszka
Illustrator: Lane Smith
Published: 2004 Penguin Young Reader (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0670062693 Chapters.ca Amazon.com
Mother Goose, Longfellow and Edgar Allen Poe get a jolt of unshakable Scieszkan nonsense in this addictive collection of twisted belt-it-out classics.
Other books mentioned:
Check out 7-Imp’s interview with the amazing Jon Scieszka here.
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Digest
/v. dɪˈdʒɛst, daɪ-; n. ˈdaɪ
dʒɛst/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[v. di-jest, dahy-; n. dahy-jest]:
1.to convert (food) in the alimentary canal into absorbable form for assimilation into the system.
2.to condense, abridge, or summarize.
3. to plunk together in a veritable hodgepodge.
4. to give the author of a particular blog the excuse she needs to work the word "hodgepodge" into one of her postings.
Here are some trinkets and tidbits of an especially shiny nature that I've not had time to properly digest this week. Between this and that my brain is not working to its full capacity. Fortunately that means that the brains of others work where mine has ground to a rusty dusty halt.
Less excuses. More postings.
First on the list is Roger Sutton. You all know Roger. Editor of Horn Book. Bearer of the sacred throat vinculum. This week, he
mentioned that the Horn-Book Globe Book Awards committee is beginning their deliberations and you are invited to offer your bets on who the winners might be. So exciting! I side with the commenter that suggested that
A Drowned Maiden's Hair finally get its due. Roger also done went and linked to the article
Circle of Cliches via
The Daily Telegraph. I'll have to speak more on this later this week. It talks about the words or phrases reviewers love far too much. I know that for my part there are certain comfort turns of phrase that I'll reuse more often than I really should. Give the piece a glance alongside
Roger's response.
Thanks to
Children's Illustration we got a glimpse of some remarkable movie posters from back in the day. Blogger Michael Sporn also offered this great bit of info:
Through Aug. 1, the Posteritati Movie Poster Gallery (239 Centre St.) lets New Yorkers escape into the past with a collection of art from fantasy films ranging from 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” to modern-day favorites like “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Incredibles.”
Gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.
If that means I get to see posters like this 1960 Czech image of Dumbo then I'm in.
Those of you in town for Book Expo might want to consider making a side trip.
The Longstockings may have a lock on the Pippi blog name, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't shoot on over to
the excelsior file to read David Elzey's view from an adult perspective of Sweden's hitherto best-known redhead. Great opening sentence too. "Pippi scared me when I was young."
If the webcomic
Questionable Content is unknown to you, watch and learn.
This one goes out to all the librarians out there. I've never heard the term "shush" sounds so very very dirty.
And because of
Mo Willems I now know that Jon Scieszka has a
new website. It's very nice. I'm particularly fond of the map that shows
Population That Wishes They Were Reading Scieszka Books. The one thing I would change? I want that big scary picture of Jon at the top to say "Gleep" unexpectedly and without warning. Is that too much to ask?
Finally, I've been memed. I'll meme it right back tomorrow. Cross my heart.
Skimming the blogs. Minding my own business. Then, suddenly, I stumble on ShelfTalker and see that she has written
the following:
Mark Peter Hughes shared some uber-cool news with the Association of Booksellers for Children's list-serv today, and I am thrilled to be passing that news along!
First let me say that Mark has (as of March 30th) quit his job to write full time. As if that wasn't brave enough, he is currently planning a seven-week road trip with this family to travel across the country visiting bookstores (mostly independents) and promote his most recent novel, Lemonade Mouth, which I've mentioned previously. Here is where we come to the biggest piece of news: National Public Radio has asked Mark to record "audio postcards" during his road trip -- "audio postcards" that will be broadcast to the 12 million regular listeners of All Things Considered!! Wow, wow, wow! How fantastic is that?!
She goes on to explain how one goes about proposing this kind of thing. It's ironic that I heard about this today since I had just learned too about Jon Scieszka's recent
obit for the great Lloyd. Alexander. Apparently noses come into the conversation.
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Congratulations to Jon, it's a great appointment, and I really enjoyed your interview with Jon, Roger. But his last name does not rhyme with n'est-ce pas, it rhymes with Fresca.