By: Sarah Miller,
on 7/25/2010
Been doing a bit of reading on Laura Ingalls Wilder's portrayal of Native Americans in Little House on the Prairie, and if one more historian sees fit to remind me that "Wilder's genre was fiction -- and children's fiction at that," I'm going to blow a gasket.
By: Sarah Miller,
on 7/13/2010
You might recall that not long ago I was raving about Orson Scott Card's Seventh Son. Couldn't wait to read the sequel.
By: Sarah Miller,
on 5/7/2010
Confession #1:
I'd never heard the term disablism until I read my friend diceytillerman's Blogging Against Disablism post over the weekend.
Confession #2:
Although I haven't run into anything cringe-worthy yet, it's pretty darn unnerving to be reading up on this topic now, nearly three years after publishing a novel about two of the most famous disabled people on the planet. But it's also making me think - a lot - about how disability is portrayed in children's literature.
Case in point:
Through a weeklong session of link-clicking, I found my way this morning to one of the best book reviews I've ever read:
By: Sarah Miller,
on 9/2/2009
When the controversy about the initial cover art for Justine Larbalestier's Liar ignited the kidlit blogosphere, the issues all seemed very, heh, black and white. White model on cover of novel narrated by African-American = great big faux pas.
By: Sarah Miller,
on 7/23/2009
Excerpts from a terrific post by author Justine Larbalestier about the brewing controversy over her latest novel's cover:
In the last few weeks as people have started reading the US ARC of Liar they have also started asking why there is such a mismatch between how Micah describes herself and the cover image. Micah is black with nappy hair which she wears natural and short. As you can see that description does not match the US cover.
Liar is a book about a compulsive (possibly pathological) liar who is determined to stop lying but finds it much harder than she supposed. I worked very hard to make sure that the fundamentals of who Micah is were believable: that she’s a girl, that she’s a teenager, that she’s black, that she’s USian. One of the most upsetting impacts of the cover is that it’s led readers to question everything about Micah: If she doesn’t look anything like the girl on the cover maybe nothing she says is true. At which point the entire book, and all my hard work, crumbles.How does this type of detrimental mismatch happen? Conventional marketing wisdom dictates that black covers don't sell well. There are a heap of things that suck about this situation, but here's what gets under my skin -- those folks in marketing? They're not entirely wrong.
By: Sarah Miller,
on 1/16/2009
Part of me says I shouldn't be drawing attention to this episode, but as usual I can't help myself:
By: Sarah Miller,
on 8/12/2008
Pay no attention to me -- go read Editorial Anonymous today instead:
By: Sarah Miller,
on 7/13/2008
My name is Sarah, and I am a Disney fan. I'm also a children's literature maven, which presents something of a contradiction. Any book-nerd worth her salt knows how good old "Uncle" Walt Disney shamelessly ravaged the storybook shelves to find material for his animated features. Loads of purists detest Disney for his habit of slashing and condensing the classics of children's literature into cartoon corruptions. (For a primo example, read Tomie dePaola's 26 Fairmount Avenue. I don't think Tomie's ever going to bring himself to forgive Mr. Disney for what he did to Snow White.) The real kicker, of course, is the way the Disney versions always seem to eclipse the real stories and doom the author to obscurity. Seriously now, everybody knows Bambi and Mary Poppins, but what kid has ever heard of Felix Salten or P.L. Travers? From an author's point of view that stinks, but darn it, I still love my Uncle Walt.
Now, some of my very favorite book people harbor strong anti-Disney tendencies. (Cam, this means you. I'm betting on Linda and Jim, too.) In their honor, and in hopes of putting a tiny chip in the mountain of gratitude I owe them, I'm proposing a Disney Literature Challenge. Let's dig up the uncorrupted originals, and see how these stories looked before Uncle Walt had his way with them, shall we?
For my part, I'm making this a long term, laid back endeavor. No time limits, no minimums, no obligations. Pick the ones you like and quit when you get sick of the whole idea. Wanna skip the bulky ones like Dickens, Hugo and White? Be my guest. If the multimedia approach of comparing the book to the movie appeals to you, go for it. I'm particularly hoping some of the anti-Disney camp might be good sports and take a refresher look at some of the films. Rereads are legal, even encouraged.
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By: Just One More Book!!,
on 12/2/2007
Auction 3 will begin accepting bids on Monday, November 26th, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. with a starting bid of $50 for each snowflake. All bids must be placed before the close of Auction 2 on Friday, Nov. 30 at 5:00 pm.Remember that 100% of the proceeds from this online auction will benefit sarcoma research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and that all but $25 of the winning bid is tax deductible.
Happy Bidding!!
A big Thanks! to Tricia Stohr-Hunt for making this list of links available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.
Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow, Scott Magooncancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow, Scott Magoon
By: Just One More Book!!,
on 11/25/2007
Auction 2 will begin accepting bids on Monday, November 26th, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. with a starting bid of $50 for each snowflake. All bids must be placed before the close of Auction 2 on Friday, Nov. 30 at 5:00 pm.Remember that 100% of the proceeds from this online auction will benefit sarcoma research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and that all but $25 of the winning bid is tax deductible.
Read about all the illustrators who contributed to this auction at the sites linked below. (The order presented is the same as on the auction page.)
Happy Bidding!!
A big Thanks! to Tricia Stohr-Hunt for making this list of links available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.
Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow, Scott Magooncancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow, Scott Magoon
By: Just One More Book!!,
on 11/18/2007
Starting Monday, we’ll all have a chance to purchase the artwork of a favourite children’s book illustrator while helping to fight cancer — by participating in a unique fundraiser for cancer research: Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure. Since 2004, this online auction has raised over $200,000 for The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and, with your help, the holiday tradition will thrive in 2007.
Auction 1 will begin accepting bids on Monday, Novenber 19, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. with a starting bid of $50 for each snowflake. All bids must be placed before the close of Auction 1 on Friday, Nov. 23 at 5:00 pm. Don’t forget that 100 percent of the proceeds from this online auction will benefit sarcoma research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and that all but $25 of the winning bid is tax deductible.
Happy Bidding!!
A big Thanks! to Tricia Stohr-Hunt for making this list of links available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.
By: Just One More Book!!,
on 11/10/2007
Starting November 19th, we’ll all have a chance to purchase the artwork of a favourite children’s book illustrator while helping to fight cancer — by participating in a unique fundraiser for cancer research: Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure. Since 2004, this online auction has raised over $200,000 for The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and, with your help, the holiday tradition will thrive in 2007.In order to raise awareness of and participation in this fabulous fundraiser, we in the kidlitosphere community will be highlighting ~160 of the 200 or so individual illustrators who have created snowflakes for the upcoming ’07 auctions — and giving you a peek at the unique snowflakes they have made.
Here is this final week’s line up of illustrator showcases and snowflake sneak peeks:
Monday, November 12
Tuesday, November 13
Wednesday, November 14
Thursday, November 15
Friday, November 16
Saturday, November 17
Sunday, November 18
Please take time out to visit these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you’re so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert’s Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.
A big Thanks! to Tricia Stohr-Hunt and Jen Robinson for making this linked schedule available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.
Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snowcancer, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow
Posted on 11/6/2007
On this edition of Just One More Book!, Mark speaks with illustrator and Houghton Mifflin Art Director, Scott Magoon about children’s books as a gateway drug, what an Art Director looks for in children’s book illustrations and his 2007 snowflake, Loch Kindness (The monster in this loch gets a “taste” of the holiday spirit).
Scott’s heart-warming snowflake is up for bids December 3-7, 2007.
Books mentioned:
Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure is an online auction of wooden snowflakes painted by participating children’s book illustrators. This annual event, which was started in 2004 by author Grace Lin and her husband Robert Mercer, has raised over $200,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Just One More Book! is one of many online children’s literature resources participating in the promotion of this year’s Robert’s Snow auction. Over the next few weeks we will be publishing interviews with participating illustrators and we’re hoping that you’ll find yourself bidding on the incredible art that’s available to you during this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
You can read more about Robert’s Snow: Art Auction for Cancer’s Cure here.
Tags:auction, Cancer Institute, dana farber, Grace Lin, Roberts Snow, Scott Magoonauction, Cancer Institute, dana farber, Grace Lin, Roberts Snow, Scott Magoon
By: Mark,
on 11/4/2007
On this edition of Just One More Book!, Mark speaks with illustrator Laura Huliska-Beith about the inspiring over-the-top optimism of the 1950s, how a pair of roller blades and an obedience school drop-out influenced her children’s book illustration career and her 2007 snowflake, Three French Hens.
Laura’s feisty, festive snowflake is up for bids December 3-7, 2007.
Books mentioned:
Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure is an online auction of wooden snowflakes painted by participating children’s book illustrators. This annual event, which was started in 2004 by author Grace Lin and her husband Robert Mercer, has raised over $200,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Just One More Book! is one of many online children’s literature resources participating in the promotion of this year’s Robert’s Snow auction. Over the next few weeks we will be publishing interviews with participating illustrators and we’re hoping that you’ll find yourself bidding on the incredible art that’s available to you during this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
You can read more about Robert’s Snow: Art Auction for Cancer’s Cure here.
Tags:auction, Cancer Institute, dana farber, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snowauction, Cancer Institute, dana farber, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow
By: Just One More Book!!,
on 11/4/2007
We will soon have a chance to purchase the artwork of a favourite children’s book illustrator while helping to fight cancer — by participating in a unique fundraiser for cancer research: Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure. Since 2004, this online auction has raised over $200,000 for The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and, with your help, the holiday tradition will thrive in 2007.
In order to raise awareness of and participation in this fabulous fundraiser, we in the kidlitosphere community will be highlighting ~160 of the 200 or so individual illustrators who have created snowflakes for the upcoming ’07 auctions — and giving you a peek at the unique snowflakes they have made.
Here is this week’s line up of illustrator showcases and snowflake sneak peeks:
Monday, November 5
Tuesday, November 6
Wednesday, November 7
Thursday, November 8
Friday, November 9
Saturday, November 10
Sunday, November 11
Please take time out to visit these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you’re so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert’s Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.
A big Thanks! to Tricia Stohr-Hunt and Jen Robinson for making this linked schedule available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.
Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snowcancer, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow
By: Mark,
on 10/28/2007
On this edition of Just One More Book!, Mark speaks with illustrator Diane Greenseid about singing colours, the process of developing a book and the creation of her snowflake, Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall, and a Great Winter, Too!
Diane’s spunky snowflake is up for bids November 26-30, 2007,
Books mentioned:
Check out Diane Greenseid’s blog here.
Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure is an online auction of wooden snowflakes painted by participating children’s book illustrators. This annual event, which was started in 2004 by author Grace Lin and her husband Robert Mercer, has raised over $200,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Just One More Book! is one of many online children’s literature resources participating in the promotion of this year’s Robert’s Snow auction. Over the next few weeks we will be publishing interviews with participating illustrators and we’re hoping that you’ll find yourself bidding on the incredible art that’s available to you during this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
You can read more about Robert’s Snow: Art Auction for Cancer’s Cure here.
Tags:auction, cancer, childrens books, dana farber, Diane Greenseid, Grace Lin, Humpty Dumpty, Robert Mercer, Roberts Snow, snowflakeauction, cancer, childrens books, dana farber, Diane Greenseid, Grace Lin, Humpty Dumpty, Robert Mercer, Roberts Snow, snowflake
By: Just One More Book!!,
on 10/27/2007
You will soon have a chance to purchase the artwork of a favourite children’s book illustrator while helping to fight cancer — by participating in a unique fundraiser for cancer research: Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure. Since 2004, this online auction has raised over $200,000 for The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and, with your help, the holiday tradition will thrive in 2007.
In order to raise awareness of and participation in this fabulous fundraiser, we in the kidlitosphere community will be highlighting ~160 of the 200 or so individual illustrators who have created snowflakes for the upcoming ’07 auctions — and giving you a peek at the unique snowflakes they have made.
Here is this week’s line up of illustrator showcases and snowflake sneak peeks:
Monday, October 29
Tuesday, October 30
Wednesday, October 31
Thursday, November 1
Friday, November 2
Saturday, November 3
Sunday, November 4
Please take time out to visit these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you’re so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert’s Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.
A big Thanks! to Tricia Stohr-Hunt and Jen Robinson for making this linked schedule available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.
Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Roberts Snowcancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Roberts Snow
By: Just One More Book!!,
on 10/21/2007
You will soon have a chance to purchase the artwork of a favourite children’s book illustrator while helping to fight cancer — by participating in a unique fundraiser for cancer research: Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure. Since 2004, this online auction has raised over $200,000 for The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and, with your help, the holiday tradition will thrive in 2007.
In order to raise awareness of and participation in this fabulous fundraiser, we in the kidlitosphere community will be highlighting ~160 of the 200 or so individual illustrators who have created snowflakes for the upcoming ’07 auctions — and giving you a peek at the unique snowflakes they have made.
Here is this week of illustrator showcases and sneak peeks at their snowflakes:
Monday, October 22
Tuesday, October 23
Wednesday, October 24
Thursday, October 25
Friday, October 26
Saturday, October 27
Sunday, October 28
Please take time out to visit these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you’re so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert’s Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.
A big Thanks! to Tricia Stohr-Hunt and Jen Robinson for making this linked schedule available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.
Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Roberts Snowcancer, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Roberts Snow
Posted on 10/20/2007
Author: Grace Lin
Illustrator: Grace Lin
Published: 2007 Albert Whitman & Co. (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0807569224 Chapters.ca Amazon.com
Dramatic, stylized folk art, carefully worded text and a cleverly crafted story-within-a-story format combine to create an engaging story time snapshot that vividly illustrates the unwavering strength of parental devotion — and the quiet power of children’s books.
You can read more about Robert’s Snow: Art Auction for Cancer’s Cure here.
Tags:childrens book, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Podcast, review, Roberts Snow, The Red Threadchildrens book, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Podcast, review, Roberts Snow, The Red Thread
Posted on 10/18/2007
It’s not too late to start saving up for your very own Robert’s Snow Snowflake.
Perhaps you’ll choose A Bundle of Love by Graeme Base. Bidding on Graeme Base’s snowflake, “A Bundle of Love”, takes place November 26-30, 2007.
Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure is a unique fundraiser for cancer research. Between November 19th and December 7th, 2007, you have the chance to bid on 200 wooden snowflakes, hand painted by prominent children’s illustrators, through a series of three online auctions.
For more snow flake peeks and glimpses at the talented and generous people behind them, check out today’s featured flakes:
Please consider purchasing one of these beautiful pieces of art — and supporting this important cause.
Stay tuned to Just One More Book!, for upcoming interviews with Robert’s Snow Snowflake contributors and awesome illustrators:
Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Graeme Base, Roberts Snowcancer, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Graeme Base, Roberts Snow
By: Just One More Book!!,
on 10/13/2007
You will soon have a chance to purchase the artwork of a favourite children’s book illustrator while helping to fight cancer — by participating in a unique fundraiser for cancer research: Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure. Since 2004, this online auction has raised over $200,000 for The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and, with your help, the holiday tradition will thrive in 2007.
In order to raise awareness of and participation in this fabulous fundraiser, we in the kidlitosphere community will be highlighting ~160 of the 200 or so individual illustrators who have created snowflakes for the upcoming ’07 auctions — and giving you a peek at the unique snowflakes they have made.
Here is the first week of illustrator showcases and sneak peeks at their snowflakes:
Monday, October 15
Wednesday, October 17
Thursday, October 18
Friday, October 19
Saturday, October 20
Sunday, October 21
Please take time out to visit these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you’re so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert’s Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.
A big Thanks! to Jen Robinson for making this linked schedule available, and to Jules and Eisha for organizing the Bloggers’ Brigade to promote the Robert’s Snow Online Auction for Cancer’s Cure.
Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Graeme Base, Roberts Snowcancer, dana farber cancer institute, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Graeme Base, Roberts Snow
Lately all I've been spotting is snowflakes (not outside the window, but on the "web") and they're everywhere I look! I really wish I had some money this year to buy a very exciting christmas present because so many of the most exciting children's book illustrators have contributed to "Roberts Snow", a charity auction of hand painted snowflakes, that I'm practically rolling around with glee thinking about them.
Here's the "scoop" from the Roberts snow website (title is linked to the site):
Own a piece of art from your favorite children's book illustrator while helping to fight cancer. Participate in Robert's Snow: for Cancer's Cure, a unique fundraiser for cancer research. Since 2004, this online auction has raised over $200,000 for Dana-Farber, and with your help, we can continue this holiday tradition in 2007.
"Robert's Snow" is a children's story about a mouse not allowed in the snow. Children's book illustrator Grace Lin wrote the book, which was inspired by her husband Robert's battle with Ewing's sarcoma. After the book was published, Grace gathered artists from all over the children's book illustrating community to create special snowflakes to be auctioned off, with the proceeds benefiting sarcoma research at Dana-Farber. These snowflake auctions became known as the event "Robert's Snow."
By: Anna Boll,
on 9/17/2007
1. NESCBWI workshop proposals are due on Oct. 1. Get 'em in! Think big, propose two workshops. Click for guidelines, rubric, and leveling continuum.
2. Robert's Snow auction will be starting in November to benefit cancer research in memory of Grace Linn's husband who recently died. The snowflakes for 2007 are not available for viewing yet, but I got a sneak peak at ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
jacques beautiful artwork at the conference planning meeting yesterday. (I can tell you it has frogs, but if you know Laura, you probably already know that.) If you are a lesser know illustrator, I'd like to post your snowflake link, web link, and short bio here. (ie: not Lynn Munsinger, Kadir Nelson, or Bruce Degen) Leave me a comment and your contact info.
3. To-do: stop blogging, redraw dummy pages, manuscript status and resend, first two chapters of non-fiction.
4. October is the month we'll hear about SCBWI work in progress grant applications. I'm waiting on a non-fiction proposal, anyone else?
By: Just One More Book!!,
on 9/12/2007
You will soon have a chance to purchase the artwork of a favourite children’s book illustrator while helping to fight cancer — by participating in a unique fundraiser for cancer research: Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure. Since 2004, this online auction has raised over $200,000 for The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and, with your help, the holiday tradition will thrive in 2007.
In order to raise awareness of and participation in this fabulous fundraiser, we in the kidlitosphere community will be highlighting the individual illustrators who have created snowflakes for the upcoming ’07 auctions — and giving you a peek at the unique snowflakes they have made.
Here at Just One More Book, we will be showcasing the art of:
Thanks to Jules and Eisha at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast for highlighting this fabulous fundraiser and for organizing the book-bloggers brigade.
More details about the Robert’s Snow Online Illustration Auction can be found here.
Stay tuned…
Tags:cancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Graeme Base, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow, Scott Magooncancer, dana farber cancer institute, Diane Greenseid, fundraiser, Grace Lin, Graeme Base, Laura Huliska Beith, Roberts Snow, Scott Magoon
I never felt like Laura portrayed Native Americans in a deliberately negative light; at times there even seems to be some sympathy for their plight in the face of the political situation created by westward expansion. I also think there is a bit of implicit admiration, or perhaps just curosity as a young girl has her first contact with a people and a culture she has only heard about second hand. No, it's certainly not completely accurate, and you're well aware of all the filters and changes in perspective that are between the real events, the written story, and the reader. But I'm not going to let it diminish my enjoyment of the story, or keep my children from enjoying it as I did. That's not just because it's "historical fiction" or "children's literature", it's because there are really 3 stories worth studying: the actual historical events, Laura's fictional account, and the writing of the book itself. And that might be the ultimate criteria: right, wrong, or indifferent, how does it compare to other accounts published at the same time?