UNRELATED STORIES: SLJ SETS A BAD EXAMPLE, NAMES BEST BOOKS
After upsetting some over last month’s bars ‘n bloggers cover (see the Tweet o’ the Week below for more on that), School Library Journal reminds us all what they do best by posting their best of ‘09 picks. A list not to be missed.
NEW CHILDREN’S LIT AMBASSADOR TO BE NAMED ON JAN. 5; SCIESZKA TO HAND OVER KEYS TO ARMORED LIMO
Jon Scieszka announced via FaceBook that the time for a new National Abassador of Young People’s Literature will soon be upon us. It’ll be sad to see Jon go.
EBOOKS COMING TO NINTENDO DS; AUTHORS RACING TO WRITE MARIOKART: THE BOOK
In the UK, Electronic Arts is bringing ebooks by the likes of Enid Blyton and Eoin Colfer to the handheld Nintendo DS. With all the talk about ebooks lately, it will be interesting to see how this goes over.
Lego Star Wars: the visual dictionary by Simon Beecroft. Currently #3 on the New York Times Picture Book Bestseller list.
Every October, two of the schools where I work host book fairs. This year there was one clear winner in terms of popularity: Lego Star Wars. Both schools promptly sold out of the book – which is something considering the costs: 22 bones. Soon thereafter it popped up on the NYT bestseller list. I’m thinking it will be calling the list home for a while. If you’re looking for high interest titles to add to your collection, you can’t do much higher than this.
New school, familiar story. Teacher wants to use certain books for teaching, higher-ups don’t like said books and try to remove them. It’s too bad. Click the image above to read about the craziness in a Kentucky high school at A Chair, a Fireplace & a Tea Cozy.
Jen Robinson’s Book Page does it. A Fuse #8 Production does too. Abby (the) Librarian also takes part. What is it? The link roundup. I enjoy those posts, so I’m throwing my hat in the ring with Morning Notes. I’m thinking this will be a weekly feature.
NBA WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED TONIGHT; CONFUSED KOBE BRYANT BUYS NEW TUX
The National Book Award Winners will be announced tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 18). Will Stitches continue to make waves by taking home hardware in the Young People’s Literature category? Click here to review the nominees. Click here to follow the National Book Awards as they happen on Twitter.
WINTER BLOG BLAST TOUR CONTINUES
Chasing Ray is hosting a slew of insightful author and illustrator interviews this week. Be sure to stop by.
‘FANTASTIC MR. FOX’ A HIT WITH CRITICS; EMAIL TO BECOME THE PREFERRED METHOD OF MOVIE DIRECTING
While some are claiming Wes Anderson directed The Fantastic Mr. Fox via email, the results have nonetheless been well received. To quote the A.O. Scott of the New York Times:
In some ways his (Anderson) most fully realized and satisfying film. Once you adjust to its stop-and-start rhythms and its scruffy looks, you can appreciate its wit, its beauty and the sly gravity of its emotional undercurrents.
Click here to see what more critics are saying.
Here, I’ll be covering books (both great and not so great) that are currently making moves at the schools where I work, in the kidlitosphere, and on the bestseller lists. I’m starting with a not so great one…
The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book by Glenn Beck. Currently #2 on the NYT Picture Book Bestseller list.
Oh no. I wasn’t aware that Glen Beck had written a children’s book until I checked this week’s bestsellers. Turns out that this is a picture book adaptation of his first novel, also called The Christmas Sweater. Here’s the Publisher’s Weekly take on that book:
“Beck’s lightweight parable cruises on predictability, repetition and sentimentality.&rdq
Wow, a post with an Onion story and that Backstreet headline, and they’re not the same thing…
p.s. From the Backstreet article:
“There aren’t a lot of books on the environment for younger children,” Wen Marcec said.
I’m not well versed in books for very young kids, but somehow I just don’t believe for a minute that that’s true.
I agree wholeheartedly about the video. Superb.