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Have you ever imagined the characters from the Wizard of Oz movie as superheroes? A YouTuber known as Darren Wallace has created a mash-up parody video inspired by The Avengers: Age of Ultron and The Wizard of Oz.

The video embedded above features Ultron played by the heartless Tin Man, Thor played by the cowardly Lion, and Captain America played by the brainless Scarecrow. Thus far, it has drawn more than 1 million views on YouTube. (via Mashable.com)

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Here come the Wizard of Oz jokes...

And that's the first thing you need to know about being a Kansan. You and your home state are often the butt of jokes--stale, tired jokes which are told with impunity.

"Where's Toto?"

"Where's Auntie Em?"

"Where's [insert any Oz character name here]?

When I worked at a grocery store in high school, one "import" family would shop wearing matching "We're not in Kansas anymore" t-shirts. True story. They'd come in on a weeknight around 9 PM, an hour before close, and wander the aisles in those shirts.

It goes beyond Oz. I've known folks from more populous states/the coasts who really, truly seem to believe we still use Conestoga wagons for transport. Ha ha. Our state is flat as a pancake... a few years ago, one mathematician "proved" Kansas, relatively, was flatter than a pancake. And it's not as if our state government helps us much. We've suffered embarrassing State Board of Education fights over evolution and passed legislation requiring voter ID, because, as you know, massive amounts of illegal immigrants flock to Kansas so they can vote illegally. I hear they're bused in, in fact. "It's all those damn Democrats' doin'!" wails the old man with belly-length beard next to the spittoon.

I say "we," but I never voted for such a thing. Maybe our collective unconscious remembers a time when "illegal" voters did arrive in our fair state (before it was a state). But that, dear friends, was before the American Civil War... back when Kansas meant something progressive and on the edge. Bleeding Kansas. In the years leading to the most deadly conflict in United States history, the first shots were fired here. Legendary terrorists like John Brown murdered in the name of abolition and William Quantrill burned my adopted city, Lawrence, to the ground.


Our state motto, Ad Astra Per Aspera, reflects on the struggle to join the Union.

To the Stars Through Difficulty.

That's good stuff. That's why I'm proud to be a Kansan despite the jokes and hayseed assumptions. I'm proud to be a Kansan despite our own failings and weaknesses. This is a place where people understand suffering and sacrifice. This is a place of good, hearty people who tell the truth. Honesty is valued here and hard work, too.

Maybe it's because of our position as butt of so many national jokes that Kansans have become so patient. There's intolerance here--unfortunately more than I want to believe at times--but when you meet a Kansan one-on-one, the facades of bigotry often melt away. Not always, but often enough to know something good lies within. We know we have warts. We know we have scars. But, from my experience, we own them. Maybe not every individual... but a collective "we." One cannot have suffered repeated offenses without developing a degree of humility.

A Kansan knows it isn't very humble to speak of one's humility.  We know we are broken as much as anyone else, but we are also aware of our humanity. We want good, honest stories more than we need grand lectures from any pulpit--even a secular one.

I work as a guidance counselor in a small, Northeast Kansas high school. Every year, we receive at least one new student from some other portion of the country--California, Florida, Michigan in the last few years--and are charged with the care of this adolescent. We joke that we're supposed to "save" them because we are used to being the brunt of jokes."Send the boy to Kansas. They'll learn him right. And if not... there's nothing to do out there, anyway."

We take this "orphan" in an make him our own. We care for her and teach her how to be good to other people and that she matters. We build relationships. We listen. We try again when we fail because we know--thanks to lessons from our rough climate won by generations of farmers and ranchers--failure is coming.

But so is triumph, little victories of the most mundane, everyday variety.

Go on. Make fun of us. Ask about Toto (the dog not the band). Try and win us with golden tongues and well-formed words. Just be honest. Genuine. Flawed and human. If you are, you just might belong here:

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Morning, folks!  I do believe my comments feature is busted at the moment, so please don’t be alarmed if you can’t get anything to go through.  It’s frustrating for me as well.  Feels like an echo chamber in here.  Hm.

• Well, as you may have heard, A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy will not be continuing here on the SLJ blog network.  Liz Burns posted her final post just this past Friday.  But fear not!  This is not the end of Tea Cozy as we know it.  Liz has a new site so update those bookmarks and RSS feeds and get thee over there.  Her post on the We Need Diverse Books Campaign should start you out right.

• Speaking of fellow SLJ blogs, I admit that I don’t often read the excellent Adult Books 4 Teens since the topic isn’t really in my wheelhouse.  Still, recently Mark Flowers had a great post up on The Problem with Stories About Amnesia Solved by Robert Glancy and Jason Bourne.  He gave a nice shout out to my husband’s blog Cockeyed Caravan in the post saying, “Anyone who cares about narrative, movies, or both should be reading Matt Bird’s Cockeyed Caravan blog. He spends most of his time there deconstructing the narrative structure of Hollywood movies and explaining how and why movies do (and don’t) work. But while he only discusses movies (and usually big-budget Hollywood ones at that), his insights are invaluable for anyone interested in the way narrative works in any kind of fiction. I’ve cited his ideas many times over on my personal blog and in conversations with other book lovers.”  Love you, Mark!  Thanks!

• And since I’m just on a bloggers-discussing-bloggers kick, I was so pleased to hear that Sue Bartle, Mary Ann Cappiello, Marc Aronson, Kathleen Odean, and Myra Zarnowski are restarting the excellent Common Corps blog Uncommon Corps.  In an era where so many people are desperate for CCSS info, we’re all desperate for intelligent conversation on the topic.  This blog provides that, as well as amazing curricular tie-ins you might not have otherwise known about.  Read Compare & Contrast for a taste of what I mean.

• Awww.  The Moomin characters are now regular dining companions of lonely Japanese restaurant attendees.  I’d be game for eating with one.  Just don’t seat me with Little My.  I don’t trust that gal.  Thanks to mom for the link.

• Hm. Maybe it’s a good thing I’ll be missing out on this year’s Book Expo.  Granted, it’s exhausting even in the best of times, but I still get a bit of a kick out of it.  Of course, this year there’s been a bit of a brouhaha with BookCon (which I have never even been aware of before).  One of the problems with the internet is the fact that when controversies arise, few are willing to recap the troubles.  Fortunately the Melville House post Wear shades to BookCon, it’ll be blindingly white in there tells you everything you need to know.  And more!

• “When white writers come to me and ask if it’s OK for them to write about people of color, it seems as if they’re asking for my blessing. I can’t give them my blessing because I don’t speak for other people of color. I only speak for myself, and I have personal stakes in specific kinds of narratives.”  Since author Malinda Lo co-founded Diversity in YA she’s been getting a lot of these questions over the years.  Her piece Should white people write about people of color? is your required reading of the day.  Many thanks to Phil Nel for pointing it out to me.

• By the way, in the course of looking at Malinda’s work I discovered the blog Disability in Kidlit which, somehow, I’d never run across before.  Since it’s been around since June 2013 it’s hardly new, but I’m still going to call a New Blog Alert on it, since I’ve only just discovered it myself.  It’s a blog about “Reviews, guest posts, and discussions about the portrayal of disabilities in MG/YA fiction.”  There are a couple books out this year that I’d love their opinion of.

• Oh!  This happened.  So I’ll admit that I’m more of a podcast listener than a radio listener.  And when NYPL’s lovely PR department asked if I’d be interested in talking on the Leonard Lopate show, I confess I didn’t quite know who he was.  Fortunately I learned pretty quickly, and even was lucky enough to meet his replacement Andy Borowitz instead (whom I had heard of since he moderated the National Book Awards the year I got to go).  Our talk is up and it’s called Our Favorite Children’s Stories.  Mostly a lot of talk about classics, but I was able to work in some shout-outs for three more recent books.  The comments section is where the recommendations and memories are really hopping, though.  Good stuff is to be found there.

Take a gander at this article on WWI librarian uniforms and one thing becomes infinitely clear: Librarians during The Great War has it DOWN in terms of clothing, man.  Look at that style. That look!  That form!  Oh, what the heck.  Let’s bring them back!  At the very least I’d love an ALA-issued arm patch.  Thanks to AL Direct for the link.

Actually, this pairs rather well with that last piece.  Sayeth Bookriot, Enough With the “Sexy Library” Thing Already.  Amen.

That they are seriously considering making a film out of A Monster Calls is amazing enough to me as it is.  That it may potentially star Felicity Jones and Liam Neeson?  Having a harder time wrapping my head around that one.  Thanks to PW Children’s Bookshelf for the link!

In case you missed it the Américas Award for Children’s & Young Adult Literature was announced recently.  The winners?  Parrots Over Puerto Rico illustrated by Susan Roth and co-authored by Susan Roth and Cindy Trumbore won the award proper while Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People by Susan Goldman Rubin and Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh took home the honors.  Lots of great Honorable Mentions too, so check it out.

Whoo boy.  The term “mansplaining” just seems loaded to the gills.  That said, this piece from Inside Higher Ed tackles the definition itself with a look at the film version of The Wizard of Oz.  I always liked the Scarecrow best too, and assumed that when Dorothy grew up she’d end up with Hunk.  Feel free to pick apart the various ramifications behind that bit of childhood matchmaking, if you will.

I don’t usually quote from the Cynopsis Kids newsletters, and technically neither of these have much to do with children’s books, but there were two recent pieces that concerned children’s entertainment that I thought you might like to know about as much as I did.

Get ready for Hulu‘s first original kids series. Debuting this Friday is Doozers, the Fraggle Rock spinoff produced by the Jim Henson Co. that packs a full 52 episodes and will be available advertiser-free on both Hulu and Hulu Plus. The preschool series revolved around an animated gaggle of kids called The Pod Squad– Spike, Molly Bolt, Flex and Daisy Wheel–who learn to design and build different objects. Other Hulu Kids content includes Fraggle Rock, Pokemon and SpongeBob.

In a move more in line with kids’ bedtimes, beginning Tuesday, April 29, new eps of Syfy‘s original series Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge will air at 9p vs. their current 10p Tuesday slot. The competition series features 10 aspiring creature creators competing to out-imagine one another in challenges where they will build everything from mechanical characters to whimsical beasts. The stakes are high. Winner walks with $100,000 and a contract working at the world-renowned Creature Shop.

• Daily Image:

I think my brother-in-law Steve sent me this one.  Don’t know where it’s from but I sort of adore it. Wouldn’t mind one of my own.

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Overcast but perfect temperature!

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“Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.”

That would be an old line from a TV column in the Marin Independent Journal by one Rick Polito describing the film The Wizard of Oz.  My brother-in-law Steve brought it up this past Thanksgiving and I’ve been savoring it ever since.  What better way to kick off this lovely Friday morning then, eh?  The birds are singing.  The fish are grumbling.  Let’s get to it then!

• Let’s get the me stuff out of the way first.  Lemme see, lemme see.  First off, over at the blog For the Future: What Today’s Youth Services Librarians Want the Next Generation to Know I answer some questions about the state of librarianship today, what to know, what to do, etc.  Then SLJ did a very nice write-up of a recent panel I moderated with the Women’s National Book Association.  It was a talk with industry professionals that examined how one goes about making a YA bestseller.  The article is good, but you will have to forgive my mugging in the accompanying photograph.  As god is my witness, I thought the angle the photographer took meant that I wasn’t going to be in the frame.  So I hedged my bets and posed, but in such a way where I look like I’m hosting a reality show and these are my ill-fated contestants.  Forgive me, Hannah.  I meant not to block you like that.

• Speaking of advice to folks about the fine state of librarianship, if you have not read Kelly Jensen’s corrective You’re Going to Piss People Off do so.  Something to chew on for you newbies out there.  Heck, something to chew on for us oldbies as well.  Cause we do, man.  We do.

• Oh, man.  Three words for you: Ed Emberly fabric.  Go wild, tootsies.  You know you wanna.

• The gift giving season approacheth.  The pocketbook expandeth.  And the gift giving ideas dryeth up like a tiny puddleth.  That’s why it’s important to have resources on hand.  Resources like MotherReader’s recent 150 Ways to Give a Book.  Gift giving advice.  It’s the gift that keeps on . . . er . . .

• I’m feeling old.  I have lived long enough to see books for kids appear and disappear only to potentially reemerge years later with the force of a petition behind them.  Hand me my cane, I am done, but not before I let you know about this rather fascinating attempt to garner online support.  Any of you remember the Wright & Wong series from a couple years ago?  Well before the current flush of books with kids with Asperger’s it was the rare pre-London Eye Mystery mystery series starring a kid with AS.  Now with so many folks clamoring for books of this sort to appear, an online petition has been created and the authors are putting out the word that they need support for it to come back.  To be honest, I’ve never seen this sort of thing before.  Let’s watch and see what happens.

• Should you happen to read the interview with Daniel Handler in The New York Times you will no doubt curse as I did at those horrid little words, “INTERVIEW HAS BEEN CONDENSED AND EDITED” found at the end.  Pfui.

• I read with great interest the opinion piece What Should Children Read? which discusses the Common Core and reactions to it.  I should like to sit on it and process it for a while, though.  Seems to me one of the more interesting discussions on the topic.  I am torn.  A tip of the hat to PW Children’s Bookshelf for aiding in this confusion.

• Several months ago the great and legendary editor Patti Lee Gauch spoke in my library with a talk entitled The Picture Books as an Act of Mischief.  Now that very talk has been typed up and put online over at Horn Book.  Huzzah, sayeth I.  And also hooray.

• Daily Image:

You could be forgiven for wondering if artist and cartoonist Saul Steinberg ever made a children’s book.  To the best of my knowledge he did not, but many was the child like myself that grew up seeing his New Yorker covers hither and thither.  The discovery of this Saul Steinberg mask series pleases me to no end.  Some examples:

Thanks to Lisa Brown (see you this Saturday, yes?) for the link.

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As many an artist know, creating art can be a bit of a draining process.  The mental strain, time constraints, being one’s own worst critic… all of these weigh upon me yet I still love to create and show my work.  Must mean I was born to be an artist, so create I must and create I do, so I am here to give you a bit of a preview of what is to come, both in art and blog posts.

 

 

First up I am teaming up with the talented Paoling Che of KOKOCANDLES to design artwork for a line of candles with a Zodiac theme.

 

Aries are the cutest of all, if I do say so myself.

 

 

 

Second up is a bit of new artwork I am in the process of creating for my Alice in Wonderland collection, the White Knight and his mighty steed.

 

 

Along those lines, I saw the trailer for the new Sam Raimi movie, “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” which got me thinking that I do need to do a collection for the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Possibly with a steampunk flair, but as always with the dark but cute style that I so love.  But as many artist know, when using established work that is in public domain, one must check to make sure certain interpretations of said material are not copyright protected (hint: those damn ruby slippers).  But that is a post for a later date.

Lastly is a small poem, written by Shawn Givens, for one of my more popular drawings Zombie Girl.

 

There was a girl with a Glasglow smile,

who walked for what was many a mile.

A rose in hand to lay on the grave bed,

of her boyfriend who is quite undead.

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The Wizard of Oz is one of my top 10 favorite movies. I love the songs, the story, & the characters... The Wicked Witch is my favorite! Where can I get a flying monkey? Today I share with you some of my Emerald City Pins from Piterest. Enjoy! Do you love The Wizard of Oz too? Who is your favorite character?

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Via Glory in the Highest

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2 Comments on I'll Get You, My Pretty & Your Pinterest Board Too!, last added: 3/3/2012 Display Comments Ms. O said, on 3/2/2012 3:17:00 PM This week? The last one. Good find. Anonymous said, on 3/3/2012 8:59:00 AM I love the one that said "I'm melting!" -Julia Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 8. Fusenews: She could be Fuse #8.1 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Betsy Bird, on 10/11/2011 Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  biopics, Printz puns, Cthulhu (you'd be surprised how often he comes up), librarian doppelgangers, squirrel stalkers, Trend Alert, Uncategorized, Dr. Seuss, Diana Wynne Jones, Wizard of Oz, New Blog Alert, chosen ones, Fusenews, Add a tag Okey-doke. So today we begin with an addendum.  I believe that it was not long ago that with the announcement of the new Printz Award blog Someday My Printz Will Come I mentioned its existence without acknowledging that there may have been another and previously existing Printz Award blog out there.  Well slap my sides and call me sally, my fellow co-author on an upcoming Candlewick book Peter Sieruta (who’s post delves deep into that moment when as an adult reader you discover that you are older than the parents in a children’s book) points out that there was already a Printz blog out there of venerable character and infinite wit called Printz Picks.  I can only claim ignorance, not being particularly familiar with the world of YA . . . but I think we all know that’s a bit of a cop out on my part.  Mea culpa, Peter.  I shall now read every entry on that blog to make suitable amends. I do know enough about YA to concede that this news is big news, though.  Also, how amazing is it that her editor told her to rewrite it from scratch?  Now THAT is editing, my friends!  Well played, Kathy Dawson.  Well played, indeed. Trend Alert: Well, it had to happen eventually.  I’ve been rendered obsolete.  Back in the day when I started visiting publisher previews and blogging about them I admit that I felt pretty clever about the whole thing.  No one else was blogging them, after all.  Here we had a brand new untapped resource for interesting blog fodder.  And from 2006 until today I was still one of the very few bloggers to do this.  It took roughly five years before a publisher thought to themselves, “Hey . . . Betsy’s not the only blogger in town, is she?”  No she is not.  So it is that Simon & Schuster has taken what I am regarding as the logical next step.  They’ve engaged the group Buzzing Bloggers (seen here:  http://twitter.com/#!/buzzingbloggers) to round up a group of NYC parental, toy, and gift bloggers for their very own preview, sans librarians.  I was invited to both the blogger preview (complete with childcare services) and the librarian preview (not so much) this season.  I am unable to go to either of them, sadly.  That’s okay, though.  I suspect that this is one preview that will be getting plenty o’ coverage.  Don’t be surprised if other publishers begin to follow suit. Speaking of which, I attended a Penguin preview the other day that I need to write up.  Until then, some of you may be interested to know that there will be a new edition of that old Tam Lin takeoff Fire & Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones on the horizon. As editor Sharyn November tweets, “Yes — Spring 2012, along w/ A TALE OF TIME CITY and DOGSBODY, all w/ stellar introductions. These will be the definitive editions.”  You heard it here. Does the term “chosen one” give you a case of the hives every time you hear it?  You’re not alone.  A fellow named Rob guest blogs over at Jonathan Auxier’s site about 0 Comments on Fusenews: She could be Fuse #8.1 as of 10/11/2011 10:23:00 PM Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 9. Mutants in Judy Garland Block 3 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Kevin Levell, on 6/30/2011 Blog: Kev Lev's Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Judge Dredd, 2000AD, Scarecrow, Strontium Dog, Judy Garland, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, L Frank Baum, Johnny Alpha, Wizard of Oz, Add a tag I've been working on a commission for another member of the 2000ad forum. Ian Leonard asked if he could have a Johnny Alpha and Judge Dredd team-up, where those two bad boys were surrounded by mutants and zombies etc, but also including characters from the Wizard of Oz! These are the cleaned up inks ready to colour. The raw scan shows through where I've printed out a 'blue-line' version of my digital 'pencils'. Here's a few stages of development, including the proposed dialogue on the first. I feel like Johnny and Dredd should be saying something smart arse too, but inspiration is lacking on that front. 3 Comments on Mutants in Judy Garland Block, last added: 6/30/2011 Display Comments Craig Collins said, on 6/30/2011 4:19:00 AM Top class Kev, wonderful work. Mr Toodle said, on 6/30/2011 5:29:00 AM It's looking amazing! I love all the characters, looking forward to seeing the colours. Strontium71 said, on 6/30/2011 12:33:00 PM How about Alpha saying ' Well , Dredd - any ideas?' Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 10. she's off to see the wizard... 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: nicole, on 6/23/2011 Blog: the enchanted easel (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  dorothy, yellow brick road, the enchanted easel, emerald city, dog, fairy tale, wizard of oz, poppies, Add a tag next up...dorothy from the land of oz. i sketched this out a couple of weeks ago but was working on an illustration for sfcm. now that that is done, i can do some work on cute little dorothy here. i wanted to do a series of these little fairy tale characters and sell them as originals in my etsy shop at www.enchantedeasel.etsy.com already there is sweet little alice...from wonderland, of course;) 0 Comments on she's off to see the wizard... as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 11. Blooming Tuesday: Poppy Dish 18 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Laurel Gaylord, on 4/12/2011 Blog: studio lolo (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  wizard of oz, etsy, studio lolo, paper clay, red poppies, Add a tag No, I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth or from blogging! I'm trying to put in a certain amount of hours per day making art for the various shops I'm in. I have to equate this with showing up for work, and all things considered I like doing it. And I'm the boss of me!! This is another little paper clay trinket dish I listed on Etsy. When it was dry the shape reminded me of a poppy the way they flatten out. That's how I determine what to paint inside these little guys. I didn't add any gold leaf to this one so it took a little less time. And if you have never seen this version of the Wizard of Oz, you must get your hands on a copy! Lisbeth Zwerger is one of my favorite illustrators. Happy Tuesday! xo Lo♥ 18 Comments on Blooming Tuesday: Poppy Dish, last added: 4/14/2011 Display Comments Anne Huskey-Lockard said, on 4/12/2011 9:49:00 AM I ♥LUV♥ this dish!!! And no, I've never seen that copy of Oz, but the cover illustration is absolutely exceptional.... Happy art!!! XXOO~~ Anne marianne said, on 4/12/2011 10:10:00 AM OMG I LOVE this as well! Your dishes are amazing, mesmerizing! I want to buy all your work. ♥♥♥ >M< Lynn said, on 4/12/2011 11:00:00 AM Really Pretty Lo! Your stores are lucky to have your work in them. Love red poppies and reminds me of an endless field of them I sat in once on a hill in Israel when I was being courted by my first husband there. Jeannine said, on 4/12/2011 2:04:00 PM Oh how I love a poppy (the state flower of California you know. Paperclay is so versatile - you've done something so pretty with it here. Make sure your boss gives you a generous lunch break, with cookies, ok? :) secret agent woman said, on 4/12/2011 2:23:00 PM Cool poppy dish. I haven't seen that version of the book either - I'll have to look for it. Teri C said, on 4/12/2011 3:17:00 PM Oh, sweet. Love that little dish!! HBT Robin said, on 4/12/2011 3:19:00 PM A beautiful Poppy dish! I am particular to the red poppies...so lush and exotic.... a fantastic creation! I, too, haven't seen that version of Oz....it looks wonderful! Love, ♥ Robin ♥ Cris, Artist in Oregon said, on 4/12/2011 4:38:00 PM Beautiful.. makes me think of Tuscany. No never heard of that version of OZ either. kj said, on 4/12/2011 9:57:00 PM i would put my favorite pairs of earrings in this little bowl, and i would be thankful and think of you at the same time ♥ Caroline said, on 4/13/2011 2:53:00 AM Love Poppies, as you know! What a sweet little dish - you really are so creative Laurel! That book looks super - I would love to check it out! Mim said, on 4/13/2011 3:12:00 AM Lovely little dish - i'll have to look into that WoO book. I adore the illustrations in the original books - my favorites when i was a kid (an now) yoborobo said, on 4/13/2011 5:11:00 AM Beautiful dish! And I haven't seen this version, either. It looks really interesting (love those poppies!). Be sure and discuss vacation time with your new boss. :)) Xox sukipoet said, on 4/13/2011 5:18:00 AM beautiful poppy dish and illustrations. I have a number of old Wizard books from my Dad's childhood unfortunately in rather ragged shape. Mom planted red poppies in her garden and i look forward to them every year. Lori ann said, on 4/13/2011 8:07:00 AM beautiful!! what a gorgeous little work of art. I am going to look for that book, children's books are my favorite. Lori ann said, on 4/13/2011 8:08:00 AM i meant the dish was a work of art lo :) erin said, on 4/13/2011 1:01:00 PM very, very nice. we always used to say (and I still do) "puppies will make them sleep" instead of "poppies" Beaudor said, on 4/14/2011 3:46:00 AM Coqueliqots just love them,hope to find them in France soon.... Been busy especially in my head ((;walked a lot with my furriend but I didn't forgot you.. xxxMar Lisa at Greenbow said, on 4/14/2011 12:07:00 PM THis is a beautiful dish Lolo. I am glad you are having a good time "working". Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 12. Ypulse Essentials: Memphis Teen Pregnancy Epidemic Overblown, The Amelia Bloomer Project, Tech Skills Vs. Life Skills Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Anastasia Goodstein, on 1/20/2011 Blog: Ypulse (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  amelia bloomer project, mortal instruments, Ypulse Essentials, alex pettyfer, propaganda films, newbery, wizard of oz, teen pregnancy, Add a tag Alex Pettyfer in 'The Mortal Instruments' (Taking one step closer to Robert Pattinson/Taylor Lautner territory, the "I Am Number Four" star has been offered the lead in another hit YA-franchise heading to theaters. Meanwhile, "Pride and Prejudice... Read the rest of this post Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 13. Ypulse Essentials: FDA To Ban Caffeinated Alcoholic Drinks, Gwyneth Does 'Glee,' Google Launches Boutiques.com Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Anastasia Goodstein, on 11/17/2010 Blog: Ypulse (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  jane pratt, teen shopping, wizard of oz, google, twitter, kfc, glee, fda, Ypulse Essentials, Vans, sassy, alcohol advertising, tavi gevinson, Add a tag FDA set to ban caffeinated alcoholic drinks (in a response to widespread criticism and college campus bans of the "adult" energy concoctions on the grounds that they're dangerous, while the makers of Four Loko have announced they'll remove the... Read the rest of this post Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 14. Behind the Wizard of Oz 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Bridget Whelan, on 9/16/2010 Blog: TWENTY TEN Bridget Whelan (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Books. fairy tales, Banned books, Wizard of Oz, Add a tag Fascinating comment from Dr Stuart Bramhall, author and child psychiatrist in New Zealand, about my post on banned books. She sees all the Oz books (I think there was 13 in all but Braum was a prolific writer and wrote many books for children) as having a strong socialist message.  The whole Emerald City set up could be seen as a critique on capitalism - that it is an elaborate confidence trick which requires everyone to view it through, not rose tinted glasses, but green - a colour with a strong association with money in America (greenback = dollar).  And when thinking of that image the phrase sub prime mortgages comes to mind. Other commentators have read other political philosophies into Baum's work. But one of the things that's striking to me about the book is that the lead character is female. Dorothy is the one who does things, who refuses to accept and has the insight to really see and not just look. I read that one of the author's aims was to write in the same tradition as Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm but without the violence. If nothing else, The Wizard of OZ shows the enduring power of fairy tale and its ability to force us to reflect.  Anyone seen Wicked, the musical or read the book it's based on? Does that have the same resonance? It must have something - it's been a runaway success - and there may be a lesson there for writers lost for a plot:think about a new take on an old fairy tale. 0 Comments on Behind the Wizard of Oz as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 15. No Place Like Home 4 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Jennifer DeDonato, on 9/9/2010 Blog: Colorfly Studio (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  wizard of oz, jennifer dedonato, colorfly studio, ruby slippers, Add a tag 8x10 paper, dye ink, acrylic Here is a custom piece Ive been working on...this quote still rings true after 70 years! Total Fact Randomness... The ruby slippers were actually silver in  the book and there were four witches. 4 Comments on No Place Like Home, last added: 9/10/2010 Display Comments rachel awes said, on 9/9/2010 7:58:00 AM jennifer, i love this a CRAZY amount! i am giving the whole creation a big hug! click click red sweet home ~ a big beautiful heart clearly lives here. starry love, xoxox. Bev said, on 9/9/2010 11:19:00 AM sooooo love this! drollgirl said, on 9/9/2010 1:37:00 PM they were SILVER?!?! can you believe that?!? Linda Woods said, on 9/10/2010 12:29:00 PM This is so awesome! love it! Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 16. Tornado Alley Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stacy A. Nyikos, on 5/13/2010 Blog: Stacy A. Nyikos (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Wizard of Oz, Oklahoma, Houston, storm, tornado, high winds, Add a tag I foolishly put off blogging on Wednesday because I was finishing a manuscript and all I could think about was said manuscript. Hopefully, I'll think of something to blog about by tomorrow, I hoped. I think I hoped too hard. Tomorrow has come and with it, a majorly intense blog theme--high winds and tornadoes! The sirens went off at 5 a.m. this morning just as we lost power. For the first time in our lives, we grabbed the kids and headed for the storm shelter we had dug under our garage floor about seven years ago. That is an almost unreal feeling, huddling together, listening to the winds howl just outside the garage door (which suddenly seemed very flimsy), feeling the kids shake, hearing the dog pant, and seeing nothing but pitch blackness. Fortunately, we came out unscathed and the house is still standing, but in a direct line with our house, only a street away, three huge, 150 year old trees were ripped out of the ground and laid crosswise across the road and front lawns of our neighbors. They missed the houses, by inches, but still, they missed. And these were, theoretically, only high winds. I have a feeling someone at the weather station missed a rotation, but who knows. I'm just glad we're all still standing. I have experienced a tornado once before in my life--right behind my car as I was driving home. I wouldn't suggest trying this at home. I had just returned from Houston and had spent the better part of an hour in a holding pattern over Tulsa until the storm moved out. The landing was super bumpy, but okay. I hopped in my car to head home. Minutes from my house, the storm, which had abated, revved back up. Hail pummeled down. The sky was pitch black. And behind me I heard the sound of a jet engine. I have never been so scared in all of my life. I was right next to the river, where tornadoes like to strike in this area. I could barely see anything, the rain was falling so hard. By the time I got home, I was shaking. I think I know how Dorothy felt now.   If you're looking for a little weather excitement, look no further. Oklahoma is the place to be. Me? I'd settle for calm and sunny right now. I've had about all the excitement I'd can handle for a while, but oh the story ideas! Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 17. Random Review from the Vault of pre-written reviews... 1 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Jennie, on 9/24/2009 Blog: Biblio File (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Elisa Primavera, Fiction, Juvenile, Wizard of Oz, Add a tag a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060569484?ie=UTF8&tag=bibliofile-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0060569484">The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls Elise Primavera Ivy has just moved to town, hoping that after she broke that mirror 7 years ago, her run of bad luck is finally over. On Gumm street, she meets three girls whom all hate each other, and the delightful piano teacher Mr. Staccato. When he disappears in the middle of a hurricane, he leaves Ivy a treasure--the silver slippers. The real ones. The ones that fell off Dorothy's feet when she left Oz. Then Cha Cha Staccato shows up, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a wicked witch, demanding her shoes back. The girls have to band together as they find themselves exiled to Spoz, the land under Oz. Zany and weird, this is full of references to Oz and I would have really liked this in late elementary school. For some reason though, it just didn't click with me as an adult. 1 Comments on Random Review from the Vault of pre-written reviews..., last added: 9/28/2009 Display Comments Leila said, on 9/24/2009 4:10:00 PM Yeah, I actually didn't ever get through it. I didn't deliberately stop reading, I just put it down one night and forgot about it. Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 18. Dorothy: Then A Strange Thing Happened... 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Brian Bowes, on 9/8/2009 Blog: Studio Bowes Art (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  children's books, fantasy, Process, Painting, Watercolor, Wizard of Oz, color study, Add a tag "Then a strange thing happened. The house whirled around two or three times and rose slowly through the air. Dorothy felt as if she were going up in a balloon. The north and south wind met where the house stood, and made it the exact center of the cyclone. In the middle of a cyclone the air is generally still, but the great pressure of the wind on every side of the house raised it up higher and higher, until it was at the very top of the cyclone; and there it remained and was carried miles and miles away as easily as you could carry a feather. It was very dark and the wind howled horribly around her, but Dorothy fond she was riding quite easily. After the first few whirls around, and one other time when the house tipped badly, she felt as if she were being rocked gently, like a baby in a cradle. Toto did not like it. He ran about the room, now here, now there barking loudly, but Dorothy sat quite still on the floor and waited to see what would happen. Once Toto got too near the open trap door, and fell in; and at first the little girl thought she had lost him. But soon she saw one of his ears sticking up through the hole, for the strong pressure of the air was keeping him up so that he could not fall. She crept to the hole, caught Toto by the ear, and dragged him into the room again, afterward closing the trap door so that no more accidents could happen." It was from this text in the Wizard of Oz, that the initial spark of inspiration flew for this piece. I was particularly struck by a few things here. One, that there is so much emphasis placed on the 'centered-ness' of not only the cyclone but Dorothy as well. Here her reaction is quite relaxed, what a Taoist might call the Wu Wei, or going with the flow. Secondly, there's the strangeness of the floating dog in the center of the room, that just sounded fun. I owe a great big Thanks to everyone who helped me through out the completion of this piece; Zelda Devon, Rebecca Guay, Randy Chavez, Paris Raupach, and to my friends and family who helped keep my spirits up, thank you. The amount of learning that happened during the course of this illustration would be hard to quantify, certainly at each turn there was someone there to lend a helping hand. Process wise, this piece was done in an effort to create a well composed, dramatic image, with a strong underling value structure. Consequently, it has seen numerous revisions along the way. This idea was germinated from the assignment options for the Illustration Master Class held earlier this year, due to personal reasons I was unable to attend and from there I realized that there was no need to hurry this piece along. In hindsight, that certainly allowed time and space for many small details to mature. There will be another post later on reviewing some of the process tips I picked up and the journey from blank page to painting, but for now I hope you enjoy the image. 0 Comments on Dorothy: Then A Strange Thing Happened... as of 9/8/2009 2:40:00 AM Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 19. Dorothy, as she is 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Brian Bowes, on 8/23/2009 Blog: Studio Bowes Art (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  children's books, fantasy, Process, Painting, Watercolor, Wizard of Oz, Add a tag Well, the painting has been coming along, not quite fast enough for my liking, but it is still in progress. I wanted to just post up some images to show where she's at before heading off for some much needed vacation {I am wound tighter than a Tin Man's ticker} Watch for the thrilling conclusion in about two weeks after my return.  0 Comments on Dorothy, as she is as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 20. A Great Loss? Radio and Children's Books - Lucy Coats 7 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Lucy Coats, on 4/7/2009 Blog: An Awfully Big Blog Adventure (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Liz Kessler, Wizard of Oz, Roald Dahl, Emil and the Detectives, Lucy Coats, Julia Donaldson, BBC Radio 4, Mark Damazer, Joan Aiken, Barney Harwood, Go4It, Add a tag Next month marks the demise of Go4It, BBC Radio 4's specialist children's book review programme. Barney Harwood, the presenter, does a brilliant job, there are some great stories being read (currently Liz Kessler's The Tail of Emily Windsnap and Julia Donaldson's The Giants and the Joneses feature), some newsworthy topics being discussed (the Arctic and global warming). So why is it being axed? We are told that the audience is made up of the over-50's, and that therefore the 'target market' is not being reached. There are simply not enough listeners 'of the right sort'. If it doesn't work, and, for the present, leaving aside the fact that a) there are now many mothers who, having had babies in their 40's, are now well into their half-century and b) that the people who actually buy children's books for the 'target market' are generally adults, surely the BBC should be thinking about how to make it work. Books are an important part of the government's literacy strategy, and as a publicly funded body, the BBC should therefore be helping to promote books and providing their licence payers and their future licence payers with information on the subject. But there is a problem. The weekly audience of 4-14 year olds on BBC Radio 7 is only 25,000--a small minority in the grand audio scheme of things. Children's radio programming will continue there--in the CBeebies 5-7am slot, which could be seen as a boon for early risers or, more negatively a graveyard, and books will continue to be featured on Big Toe. Radio 4 will feature Joan Aiken's Black Hearts in Battersea, Roald Dahl's Matilda, Erich Kästner's Emil and the Detectives and The Wizard of Oz at Christmas. But is it enough? Are the BBC thinking about what children really want, and more importantly how to provide it in a form they want? For someone such as myself, brought up on a diet of Listen with Mother, listening to the radio is easy and natural. But today's children have so much going on that to sit down for a whole half hour and listen to a programme is, quite simply, an alien concept. A snatch of music here, five minutes on an i-pod there, gaming, downloads--the technology today's children are familiar with is all about fast and furious action. If books on the radio are ever going to work, they must be presented as cool and relevant. In the case of the Radio 4 choices, the books mentioned above are all wonderful classics. But why not introduce younger listeners to some modern classics in the making--by living authors who could be interviewed, could blog, could podcast--all things which kids can understand. Tapping into the 'celebrity culture' will be abhorrent to some readers here--and I'm not too keen on it myself--but if presenting books in this way hooks in more readers then why not? If the BBC wants books to work for those under 16, they must create a buzz about them--find different ways to use the technology which is out there. Don't tell me that there aren't the readers who are hungry for the next big reads, let alone the next good reads--Harry Potter and the current Twilight craze prove that there are. The radio is already linked to the computer--we just need some creative thinking to convince young listeners that books are right up there with the latest pop download. Answers on a postcard to Mark Damazer at the BBC, please. 7 Comments on A Great Loss? Radio and Children's Books - Lucy Coats, last added: 4/10/2009 Display Comments Rackstraw Press said, on 4/8/2009 3:04:00 AM Sorry, but I can't bear Go4it. It's become a switch off moment. It tried to be Blue Peter with it's magazine format, but it's twee and cozy and patronising and you rather gave the game away when you ended by talking about the market for Rowling and Meyer, because if you then skim back to the list of stories that you list being read, you'll notice that they are for very much younger children. Once upon a time on a Sunday Radio 4 had a slot for reading a children's book for half an hour. It mostly featured books for pre and early teens, and I loved it. Go4it, has been a teeth gritting experience. ps I've just been to Liz Kessler's web site. The link to her books (as opposed to her blog, quizzes, wallpaper etc) is tucked away on the right hand side on the mere two books balanced precariously on the window-ledge. Farah Mary Hoffman said, on 4/8/2009 3:59:00 AM Sorry, Lucy, but I loathe Go4it too and lunge for the remote the minute the Sunday evening edition of The Archers is over! And I am an obsessive, radio 4 listening 50+. Only You and Yours and Gardener's Question Time have my off button finger twitching so compulsively. I particularly dislike the presenter with his relentless boom-boom delivery - the very worst of children's presenters' stereotypes. So I don't mourn its departure. Perhaps children could learn to listen to the radio while they "do" something else? That's what most adults do. Nick Green said, on 4/8/2009 4:57:00 AM I will be sad to see it go, if only because it represents the closest I got to fame, when I featured on it shortly after THE CAT KIN was published. Barney came across as really nice in person, and was brilliant at putting the kids there at their ease. But most of all it was just great fun, for me, to go to Broadcasting House and be treated like someone important :0) Always nice. Anne Rooney said, on 4/8/2009 5:02:00 AM I'm afraid I hate it, too - always have done. I predicted its demise as soon as it started and I'm amazed it's lasted this long. My pseudo-step-daughter used to co-present a books prog on Big Toe (she was about 13 at the time) and interviewed people such as Philips Pullman and Ardagh. I didn't much like that either, to be honest, but at least it wasn't patronising. Kids don't really listen to the radio - or only in the car when they've forgotten their iPod. Maybe they would if there was something worth listening to - or if it was illegal ;-) Katherine Langrish said, on 4/8/2009 5:38:00 AM Actually, Farah, Liz K's website does have more than one link to her books. The three books on the windowsill with the seaside view are her mermaid books, while on the other side, the windowsill with the rainbow is the way in to discover about her fairy books. I think for young readers it's fine and fun to explore the page and find out more things - for example, clicking on the globe brings up foreign editions, important for Liz who has a lot of European readers who might be put off by a website with lots of the English language on the opening page. Elen Caldecott said, on 4/8/2009 12:20:00 PM I'm afraid I'm also in the Go4it-bashing camp. Fella-me-lad is just about OK with me having The Archers on, but has an almost anaphylactic reaction if Go4it follows... Nicky said, on 4/8/2009 5:01:00 PM I hated it as did my kids. I am a compulsive R4 listener but at the first bar of the intro I was groping for the 'off' button. Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 21. Timeless stories 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Samantha Clark, on 3/13/2009 Blog: Day By Day Writer (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  books, Dr. Seuss, Cat in the Hat, Writing, Peter Pan, Wizard of Oz, Where the Wild Things Are, Allyn Johnston, classic children's books, Elizabeth Law, Madeline, Alexandra Penfold, SCBWI Houst Editor's Day, Alida Allison, Amy Lennex, Diane Muldrow, Narnia books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Add a tag A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the SCBWI Houston Editor’s Day, where five editors — Simon & Schuster’s Alexandra Penfold, Beach Lane Books’ Allyn Johnston, Golden Books/Random House’s Diane Muldrow, Egmont USA’s Elizabeth Law and Sleeping Bear Press’ Amy Lennex — talked about what they look for when they’re considering a book to publish, and the theme that came out of the day was books that resonate. Everyone seems to want books that kids will want to read over and over again, even when they become adults. So what are these books that resonate? CNN yesterday posted an article offering some excellent examples: Children’s books: Classic reading for fans. The article talks about The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat, the Madeline books and Where the Wild Things Are. The interesting thing is, the article says that often these books weren’t shoe-ins to publication. Dr. Seuss, perhaps one of the most famous picture book writer, was rejected 25 times before his first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was picked up. And Where the Wild Things Are, although a Caldecott Medal winner, was controversial for its artwork. For all of you who have gotten rejections, remember, DON’T GIVE UP. If you have a story that you love with all your heart, even if it’s a little unorthodox for the genre — within reason, of course, in the case of children’s books — don’t let rejections get you down. Keep sending it out. One day, you’ll find the right editor and/or agent who will be the book’s champion, just like these books did. Another interesting point of the CNN article is a quote by Alida Allison of the San Diego State University, who says all these classic books describe stories that follow a pattern of “home, away, home.” hmm Here are some other classic books that follow that pattern: Peter Pan; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (in fact all the Narnia books); and Wizard of Oz. Maybe there’s something in that. In the CNN article, Allison says: “If you think of all those stories, there’s a loving parent … allowing a transgressive kid a leash to investigate the world and come back.” And through the child’s eyes, parents find their sense of wonder renewed, she adds. When I was a kid — and still now, I have to admit — any book is exactly that: an opportunity to investigate the world, any world, and come back. What are your favorite classic children’s books? Write On! 0 Comments on Timeless stories as of 1/1/1900 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 22. Movie Quote 3 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Josh (musarter), on 2/18/2009 Blog: Monday Artday (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Pen and Ink, vector, wizard of oz, retro, Josh Billings, screen-printing, movie quote, Add a tag What a coe-inka-dink. This is one of three designs I submitted for "The Black Keys"s Dan Auerbach who just came out with a great new album. If you want to way on your favorite t-shirt designs visit my blog.  Subscribe in a reader 3 Comments on Movie Quote, last added: 3/3/2009 Display Comments MaryAnn said, on 2/19/2009 8:07:00 AM Nice! I'd say it's 60s retro. One of the Black Keys' artists, huh? Too cool! M... FrankenBarry said, on 2/24/2009 2:39:00 PM Cool design... great color theory! hock said, on 3/2/2009 11:34:00 PM Professinal web flash templates, logo designs at itemplatez.com . Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 23. The Wizard's Hair 2 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: studio lolo, on 6/30/2008 Blog: Monday Artday (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  hair, wizard of oz, magical, sorcery, mystical, Add a tag A wizard wouldn't be a wizard without a full head of white hair and matching beard, now would he? To see the entire painting and story, click here.  Subscribe in a reader 2 Comments on The Wizard's Hair, last added: 7/1/2008 Display Comments linda sarah said, on 6/30/2008 3:48:00 PM This illustration is incredibly beautiful - and the story too - just wonderful and magical. Sending best creative wishes to you and your nephew too. linda Ces said, on 7/1/2008 8:34:00 PM SL this is great. You should have posted the whole painting. The animals are incredible. A lovely story too. Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 24. Sarah, Our Proud Thief... 0 Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: The Class of 2k8, on 1/14/2008 Blog: 2k8: Class Notes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  harry potter, wizard of oz, glinda, sarah prineas, stealing and loving every minute of it, magic thief, Add a tag (You've just got to know who to steal from...) It comes as no surprise that the lovely Sarah Prineas, author of a middle grade novel (and soon-to-be international hit, as it has already sold in NINE countries!!!) is a dirty stinkin' thief. Not when her main character is a thief, and her book is actually *called* the Magic Thief. She's basically a booster for Thieves R Us. So we found her response to this issue of stealing a fitting one. Sarah says: You want stealing? I got stealing! In the second Magic Thief book the main character, Conn, is marked by a sorcerer... so that this bad magic can find him. Now I have not read the Harry Potter books (pause for gasps of surprise) but even *I* know that Harry has a lightning bolt mark on his forehead. So I put a silvery runemark on Conn's temple. Then my husband told me that was too much like Harry Potter. So I asked my editor. Me: Is Conn's runemark too Harry Potterish? Editor: Marks on foreheads were an established convention before HP. Glinda's silver kiss on Dorothy's forehead, for example. Wherever you mark him, you're going to run into comparisons. Me: Okay. Hmmm. Yes! I know, this will be perfect. I'll put the mark on his hand! Editor: Well, then you have to contend with Eragon... Me: Doooooohhh!!!!! Well, we worked that out. Editor had a wonderful suggestion and I... stole it. Then there's the Tolkien issue. I love Tolkien's work, especially his gift for language. Yes, I can say Frodo's greeting to the elves, and with the correct pronunciation. In Middle-earth, the magic is based on language. So when I was looking for ways to make the magic spells in my book sound magical, I whipped out my copy of Ruth Noel's The Languages of Middle Earth and brushed up on my Sindarin and Quenya. After getting the rhythms and sounds of those languages in my head, I created my book's magic spells. One spell is a direct ripoff of Tolkien. The spell for "Light" in my book is "Lothfalas." The name of Arwen's horse in The Fellowship of the Ring is "Asfaloth." In the other spells are bits and pieces of Elvish words, because they just sound magical. We think Sarah is awesome, and we love her unique blend of shameless stealing and absolute honesty. Just don't let her near your pearls. *Or* your boyfriend! 0 Comments on Sarah, Our Proud Thief... as of 1/1/1990 Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 25. So What Did We Think Of Tin Man? 5 Comments | Previous | Top | By: Gail Gauthier, on 12/5/2007 Blog: Original Content (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Alice, Wizard of Oz, Add a tag I haven't noticed a great groundswell of interest for Tin Man in the portion of the kidlitosphere in which I travel, even though it is a variation on the kid classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The mini-series ran on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings on the Sci Fi Channel. Fuse did wonder what I thought of it, though, and, hey, I never have to be asked that kind of thing twice. I definitely enjoyed picking up the references to and riffs on the movie version of The Wizard of Oz, which is the only Oz, I know. I liked how they entwined this new story around the old one. I thought the main character, DG, was a little polarized. She appeared to be feisty, riding a motorcycle and picking up a stick to head into any fight she encountered. But she also looked totally stunned by what she was experiencing, pretty much all the time. I didn't think the two aspects of the character came together very well. I really liked the neo-scarecrow. He was both a play on the movie scarecrow and very new. The lion was okay, but I didn't realize he was supposed to be cowardly until late in the plot. I found the tin man to be a problem. We definitely got more of a back story on him than on the scarecrow or the lion, but I didn't find him so pivotal to the story that it justified naming the program for him. Plus, his character was pretty much a stereotypical tortured, maybe noir, lawman. I think that could have been neat in Oz, but it didn't really work for me. One thing that interested me a great deal about Tin Man is how similar the initial portion of the plot is to that of The Looking Glass Wars, which is also a variation on a classic, Alice in Wonderland. In both stories, you have an evil sister who overthrows the legitimate royal ruler of a kingdom. In both stories you have a young female royal family member who is hidden away in the real world for her own safety. She isn't aware of who she really is. (DG really doesn't know. Alyss has become so isolated from her own reality that she finally accepts the one she finds here.) Both young women have to go back to their fantasy worlds to save their kingdoms. I don't know what that's about. Perhaps evil sisters and princesses in disguise are staples of fantasy and everyone uses them. So there you have it, my response to Tin Man. In a nutshell, I'd say it was interesting, worth watching if you're at all interested in Oz, but with weak spots. Speaking of The Looking Glass Wars, today bookshelves of doom reviews Seeing Redd, the second book in The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy. It was published in August. The first book got lots of buzz, but I'd heard nothing about the second one until I read Leila's review today. 5 Comments on So What Did We Think Of Tin Man?, last added: 12/7/2007 Display Comments Sheila said, on 12/5/2007 7:50:00 PM Thanks for posting this! I also had been wondering what you thought of it. You make some interesting points and I like the parallel to The Looking Glass Wars. I hadn't thought of that, but you're right that there are some similarities. I enjoyed it for the most part, although I was hoping to see more references to the book, and most of the references seemed to be movie references (although the slippers were silver when they made a cameo appearance). Do you think that the mark that the hovering robot put on her hand was a reference to the kiss of the Witch of the North? I did like the dark, dystopian vision of Oz, and while I see your point about the Tin Man, I actually liked his character a lot. The Queen came across as a pretty weak and bland character, and pretty ineffectual even before she gave up her powers. (Did she really not notice that something was different about her older daughter?) Overall, though, I enjoyed it. It also reminded me a little of the mini-series The Tenth Kingdom, which I also enjoyed. Eugenia said, on 12/5/2007 10:40:00 PM I blogged about Tin Man here. IMO, it sucked big time. gail said, on 12/6/2007 10:08:00 AM Sheila--I've never read any of the Oz books, and I don't recall a Witch of the North from the movie. I never gave a thought to whether or not the mark on the hand was a reference to something. Yes, I found the queen weak and bland, too. At several points when we see her pre-imprisonment I wondered if she ever did anything. Though in her (and the scriptwriter's) defense, in those scenes I think we're seeing her as DG recalls her, and as a child she would only know her as a mother, not as a CEO. I did think, though, that the queen didn't make a very good move in giving all her magic away in order to hide the whereabouts of the incredibly important emerald within the child DG. She knew an evil sorceress was active in the area, after all. You'd think she could have put her magic to better use fighting her herself. But, then, isn't a human figure as some kind of object, or holder of knowledge, a common element in fantasy? Thus making DG a holder of knowledge would presumably make sense? Eugenia--Your response to Tin Man was interesting because you seem interested in the visual aspects which are, of course, extremely important in TV, while I'm more interested in the written aspects. I was so busy looking for references to text, I didn't pay that much attention to the looks of the series. You've reminded me that I never saw the last episode of Taken. Sheila said, on 12/6/2007 7:17:00 PM Oh, sorry. The Witch of the North was in the book. I mistakenly assumed that you'd read the book. I wonder if J.L. Bell watched it. I'm curious to know what he thought about it, but he hasn't blogged about it. Good point about DG seeing the Queen as mother, not as Queen, but even so, she seemed completely ineffectual as both mother and Queen. And yes, giving away her power at that point seemed pretty stupid. While it did make DG receptacle of knowledge about the Emerald, you gotta ask, what was the point? Which in turn weakened the whole series, since it was kind of the fundamental point that everything else turned on. I thought that the series was weakest when it strayed closer to Grimm's fairy tales than Oz, and strongest when it stayed closer to the Ozian source. I liked the dystopian Oz, the characters, their interactions and their quests, but I didn't care so much for the evil witch possessing the sister. And what was the point of creating eternal darkness by freezing the eclipse, anyway? Seemed like a pretty meaningless life goal. gail said, on 12/7/2007 4:07:00 AM " And what was the point of creating eternal darkness by freezing the eclipse, anyway?" I wondered about that, too. Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag View Next 3 Posts © 2017 Jacketflap.com                         About Us   FAQ   Advertise on JacketFlap   About our Widgets program for Publishers   Privacy   Terms