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• Recently I’ve grown rather fascinated with the academic children’s collections of the world.  The rare book collections in particular.  With that in mind, what do you do if you’re an institution that specializes in archived materials, and yet you still want to engage young readers in some capacity?  Enter Teaching the untouchable, a great article by Dana Sheridan at the Cotsen Collection of Princeton University.  Written for College and Research Libraries News the piece really delves deep into how to best conduct rare book programs with real honest-to-goodness children.  Great stuff.

• I’m also fond of international children’s book festivals.  Monica Edinger just got back from FILIJ: Mexico’s International Children’s Book Festival and is willing to tell all.  Sounds like it was absolutely amazing.

• Whatcha up to tonight?  Got big Tuesday night plans?  No?  Excellent since there’s to be a Twitter chat between Debbie Reese of American Indians in Children’s Literature and brilliant librarian Allie Jane Bruce at 9:00 p.m.  Just go to #SupportWNDB.  Be there or be square.

• So cool.  Over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, Jules got cartooned up.  I would love it if that became a regular thing at her site.  Everyone should cartoonify her when interviewed.

• Jules also tackled a recent re-illustrated title that will have librarians everywhere just shaking their heads, trying desperately to figure out where to put the darn thing in their collections.  If you’re familiar with the 2001 picture book Jim’s Lion by Russell Hoban then you’ll have a hard time looking at its new incarnation without blanching.  It’s one of the most innovative children’s books of the year but a psychological nightmare that would actually pair magnificently with Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls, if nothing else.  Jules has the scoop.  Well played, she.

Wow.  Just, wow.  Kidlit TV is live, people, and boy does it look fancy.  I mean just LOOK at that site!  Someone put their heart and soul into it, that’s for sure.  Makes me feel like a bit of a slacker, if I’m going to be honest.  Boy howdy.

I am always very pleased with folks take public review sites like Amazon or Goodreads and use them to have a bit of fun.  One Hamilton Richardson evidently must have sat through one Mr. Men book too many and the result is a series of thoroughly enjoyable “reviews” that are all distinctive in their own little ways.  Thanks to Steve for the link.

• Sometimes you just don’t know if the name you see on a series is a real person or not.  Take R.A. Montgomery, for example.  Recently he passed away in his Vermont home, and if his moniker is ringing a couple bells that might be because he’s the fellow behind the Choose Your Own Adventure series.  Like any good child of the 80s I devoured my own fair share of CYOA titles back in the day, perfecting the art of sticking all my digits in between the pages so that the moment I chose poorly I could instantly retrace my steps.  There’s a metaphor lurking in that statement somewhere, I’d wager. Thanks to Mom for the link.

• Daily Image:

Christmas is on the horizon and you know what that means?  Time to start trying to figure out what to purchase for the children’s literature-obsessed person in your life.  Want an early idea?  I know it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet but I just discovered that that Children’s Book Council sells their old Children’s Book Week posters in a variety of different forms, dating back to 1921.  Everyone from N.C. Wyeth to the most recent one by Robin Preiss Glasser.  Here are some of my own personal favorites:

As you may have heard, last week author William Sleator passed away.  I met him once during the Midwinter ALA Conference in Philadelphia.  He was part of an Abrams brunch in which librarians munched on food and spoke to various authors.  I was pleased to get Mr. Sleator’s autograph on a book for a friend and remember him as a nice guy.  I also remember another fellow there who spoke to the occasional librarian but was by no means hounded by them.  Since that brunch Jeff Kinney and his Diary of a Wimpy Kid books have gone on to fame and fortune but Mr. Sleator was big in his own way and his last book, The Phantom Limb, will be published this October by Amulet Books.  A page in remembrance of Mr. Sleator is up here.  If you’d like to leave a comment, please do.

• Speaking of ALA Conferences, when I attend one there’s nothing I like better than to slip into an ALA Notables meeting to watch the crew eviscerate the unworthy and laud the laudable.  Now the ALSC blog informs us that “The 2012 Notable Children’s Books Committee invites ALSC members to suggest titles for consideration for our annual list of notable children’s books.”  Awesome!  If there are titles that you think are particularly worthy, please be so good as to visit the blog to find out how to nominate them.  I’ve already a couple of my own favorites in mind . . .

• And if it’s “Best” lists you’re looking for, why not check out a new one compiled by the two most prominent young, male, web-savvy children’s librarians out there.  You can probably already guess who they are, cantcha?  Yes, Mr. Schu and Mr. Jonker have joined forces (when you say their names like that, don’t they sound like Batman villains?) and produced their Top 20 Children’s Books of 2010.  A remarkable list, it pays homage to books I adored (The Night Fairy, Farm, etc.) though there will always inevitably be one or two you love that get missed (Hereville, man, Hereville!).  Well worth checking out.

• Now it is time to brag.  Because while I’m sure your moms are awesome and everything, only one mom won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry for 2011.  Yup.  That would be mine.  Her manuscript, A Mind Like This, will now be published by the University of Nebraska Press.  Because, naturally, she’s one of our greatest living poets.  Just sayin’.

• This one goes out to the librarians in the field.  The Oxford University Press blog has revealed info on 120 years of census data on American librarians.  There’s lots of fun info to be culled.  Personally I like the fact that “Today, the marriage rate among librarians is the highest it has ever been with 62 percent of librarians married in 2009.&
  7 Comments on Fusenews: Horton hears too much. He must be dealt with., last added: 8/9/2011
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  Cheryl said, on 8/8/2011 6:31:00 AM
  

  Tasha Tudor for best Frances Hodgson Burnett illustrator!

  And congrats to your mom!

  Shoshana Flax said, on 8/8/2011 8:26:00 AM
  

  Hereville, man, Hereville! (I agree.)

  Emily said, on 8/8/2011 9:05:00 AM
  

  Not to be Pedantic Twilight Fan, but Bella is only “urged to eat by a man” maybe twice in the whole series, and both of those times she is distracted by other events in her life and just isn’t thinking about food. All her other meals are eaten of her own free will. I don’t expect everyone to love Twilight as much as I do, but I’m tired of people exaggerating or making things up in an attempt to discredit the books.

  Elizabeth Bird said, on 8/8/2011 9:10:00 AM
  

  I remember three instances in the first book myself, but I’ll need to double check that to make sure. Her father once, Edward once or twice. I don’t tend to exaggerate unless I need to. But admittedly I never read the other books so it’s entirely possible that she eats consistently and well after the first book.

  Samantha said, on 8/8/2011 11:11:00 AM
  

  Bravo to your mom. I LOL when I read “while I”m sure your moms are awesome and everything, only one mom won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry.” I love that lead-in. I might have to borrow – with attribution, of course – when I’m trumpeting my mom. Nice shout out for your mom. Congratulations.

  Genevieve said, on 8/8/2011 11:23:00 AM
  

  Thanks for the Africa Access link! I’ve got a relative who can definitely use this to give her son books before they move.

  Quotes « World of author Tim Holtorf said, on 8/9/2011 4:11:00 PM
  

  [...] Neil Gaiman quote on libraries (schoollibraryjournal.com) [...]

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