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The U.S. and U.K. divisions of Penguin Random House will publish a newly uncovered Beatrix Potter book entitled The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots. Potter wrote this story more than a century ago.

Quentin Blake, a world renowned illustrator, has signed on to create the artwork for this project. The release date has been scheduled for Sept. 6.

Here’s more from the press release: “The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots, a manuscript by Beatrix Potter, was rediscovered two years ago when Jo Hanks, publisher at PRH Children’s in the U.K., stumbled across an out-of-print literary history about Beatrix Potter from the early 1970s. Hanks found in the book both a reference to a letter that Potter had sent her publisher in 1914, which referred to a story about ‘a well-behaved prime black Kitty cat, who leads rather a double life,’ and an unedited manuscript of the tale. A trip to the V&A archive, where many of Potter’s items are kept, revealed three manuscripts, handwritten in children’s school notebooks, one rough colour sketch of Kitty-in-Boots, a dummy book with some of the typeset manuscript laid out and a pencil rough of arch-villain Mr. Tod.”

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Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes

illustrated by Quentin Blake

 

Young kids are somehow or other charmed by the appeal of the yucky. In fact, the yuckier the better. Witness the appeal associated with JK Rowling’s candies that appeared in the Harry Potter series. Remember the ones that surprised “muggles” and wizards alike with their taste when you popped them in your mouth? They were called Bertie’s Botts Every Flavor Bean. Some were, shall we say, revolting. Beans with flavor recalling something emanating from one’s nose was one you could inadvertently come across in the choices, and that is but one with the ick factor that comes to mind. For the sake of delicacy, I shall not go further.

Playful, with just a smattering of the icky might well describe this recipe filled book for hungry kids, taken from titles of foods named in Roald Dahl’s books. I’m willing to bet that readers were just itching to taste some of the deliciously deviant things named in Dahl’s reads.

How about Eatable Marshmallow Pillows and Lickable Wallpaper from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, Stink Bugs’ Eggs, and Mosquitoes’ Toes and Wimpish Roes Most Delicately Fried from “James and the Giant Peach?” And my all time favorite might be The Enormous Crocodile, who, when finished, could well serve as a party centerpiece! Beware the coat hangar inserted to keep him whole!

Bruce Bogtrotter’s Cake from “Matilda” looked yummy and Boggis’s Chicken taken from “Fantastic Mr. Fox” actually looked quite tempting.

When you pair these tempting treats with Quentin Blake’s recognizably iconic Dahl book art style, you may find yourself pulling out the pots and pans with the kids to give these recipes a go.

With more leisure time for fun things ahead this summer, I think it might be a great pairing of the actual shared reading of Roald Dahl’s wondrously witty books, right along with these tempting treats his books evoke.

Don’t be a bit surprised if the first treat the kids ask to make is Stickjaw for Talkative Parents, credited to Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

Yum! Always wanted to learn how to make meringues!

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I guess it’s true of most readers. We have these embarrassing gaps in our reading lives, all those books we didn’t get to, the awful holes we hope to one day fill. It’s an impossible task, a job (and a joy) that can never be completed.

To that end, I’m currently reading Roald Dahl’s Danny the Champion of the World.

I haven’t finished it yet, and I’m disinclined to offer up a review. But I wanted to share a few thoughts, beginning with this incredible illustration by Quentin Blake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I keep returning to that page, staring at that picture. Just a few simple lines that capture such depth of feeling. There it all is, being a kid, looking up at a parent with love and wonder while snuggled up warm in bed. Two dots for eyes — two dots! — and yet they seem to express the essence of that relationship. The father registers only as a looming presence without detail, like a great tree in a forest. He is, simply, there. A force of nature and comfort. It’s amazing, I’m stunned by it, in awe of it. So that sums up an important part of today’s blog.

Wow: Quentin Blake.

Then there’s the storytelling of Mr. Dahl, which is a gift I’ll never have. The man tells stories. Whoppers. But here, today, I want to focus on Dahl’s writing style. I admire the clarity and directness. I’m also charmed by the Englishness — the strangeness to my American ears, the weird things they happily eat, the peculiar names of things — where every detail seems just a little other-worldly, even in a fairly straight-ahead, naturalistic novel such as this one. This is the distance of time and place. A different world, yet still familiar.

Here’s the paragraph that went before the illustration above. I keep reading it over and over again. Now I get to type it, feeling like a weekend musician at home with a guitar banging out a Beatles tune, channeling that great artistic beauty through my fingertips (I love typing out great passages from books):

I really loved living in that gypsy caravan. I loved it especially in the evenings when I was tucked up in my bunk and my father was telling stories. The kerosene lamp was turned low, and I could see lumps of wood glowing red-hot in the old stove, and wonderful it was to be lying there snug and warm in my bunk in that little room. Most wonderful of all was the feeling that when I went to sleep, my father would still be there, very close to me, sitting in his chair by the fire, or lying in the bunk above my own.

That paragraph, to me, is absolutely perfect. The writing is direct, specific, concrete (not abstract), interesting (lumps of wood) and for the most part, quite plain. I really loved living in that gypsy caravan. Few would claim that as an example of great writing — except for the obvious fact that, wow, that’s great writing. The absence of flash. An arrow doing its swift work, slicing to the next sentence.

The only tricky moment in this paragraph, where the language uplifts and surprises us, giving the reader temporary pause, occurs in that more elaborate third sentence, which was perfectly set-up by the direct predicate-verb structure of the previous two sentences. I really loved, and, I loved. Which leads to this: The kerosene lamp was turned low, and I could see lumps of wood glowing red-hot in the old stove, and wonderful it was to by lying there snug and warm in my bunk in that little room.

You heard that, right?

And wonderful it was.

Again, all I’ve got is wow. There’s so much there, the essence of being loved, of feeling secure, of being a child safe from harm, snug and warm. Can writing really do that? It feels like a small miracle. Is this why I love books?

And it all happens on page 7.

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Famed artist Quentin Blake has opened the “House of Illustration” in London.

The gallery’s inaugural art show, “Inside Stories,” showcases Blake’s work. Many of the pieces on display can be found in books written by beloved children’s books writer Roald Dahl.

According to the gallery website, “the exhibition brings together first roughs and storyboards, many never shown before, with finished art work to demonstrate how ideas evolved, often in close collaboration with the authors.” Follow this link to view a photo album. (via The Independent)

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50 Book Pledge | Book #25: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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Illustrator Quentin Blake, perhaps most well known for his collaborations with Roald Dahl, celebrates his 80th birthday today.

One of THE most important and inspiring artists in the industry, ever, Blake continues to work on new projects to this day. He has over 300 books to his name as well as numerous other projects over the years, many for charitable causes. His art has been a driving force for several of the most brilliant and creative children’s books ever written – and he’s also written one or two himself.

Known for his work on children’s fiction, Blake was named the first British Children’s Laureate in 1999, and was a regular presenter on Jackanory when I was a nipper. He’s also worked as a writer, penning some 35 books of his own. His work with Dahl is perhaps his most famous, however, with his work bringing all manner of bizarre twisted celebrations to life. Dahl was a great writer, but Blake’s iconic work with characters such as The BFG, The Witches, and The Twits were a crucial element to the stories.

The British press have, rightfully, showered Blake with praise over the last few days:

The Independent: In the Studio with Quentin Blake

The BBC: Video – How Quentin Blake draws

The Guardian: Quentin Blake at 80

 

And his most recent art exhibition has been receiving rave reviews from critics - Blake is not a man to rest on his laurels.

So, Happy Birthday, Quentin Blake! Britain would be all the poorer without your work. Here’s to it continuing for many years to come.

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5 Stars Santa’s Last Present Marie Aude-Murail & Elvire Murail Quentin Blake Pages: 32       Ages: 6+ Inside Jacket: Julian is almost too old to believe in Santa Claus. But since his parents talk about Santa constantly, Julian decides to write the big guy in red one more time . . . just in case. This [...]

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Finding videos of the Voldemort vs. Mary Poppins nuttiness online was surprisingly difficult.  Finally I found a sort of recap of the Olympic 2012 opening ceremonies with reference to the rise of the great children’s literature villains (The Queen of Hearts, a Disney-esque Cruella de Ville, Captain Hook, and Voldemort) and their destruction at the hands of 30 Mary Poppins.  “A sweeping rambling narrative” is as accurate an interpretation of what happened as any I could come up with.  You’ll see the references at 1:00 in this video.

And since we’re already on the topic of Harry Potter (admittedly we are almost always on that topic) I sure hope you guys had a chance to see the first installment of Harry Potter and the Ten Years Later.  I thought it was rather well done.  Sort of makes me want to see the whole series now.

Thanks to Boing Boing for the link.

And now for a bloody effective book trailer.  If the point of such trailers is to cause the reader an immediate and almost impossible to resist urge to pick up the book and read it, Leave Your Sleep as edited by Natalie Merchant (yes, that Natalie Merchant) now has that hold on me.  It does not hurt that the songs featured here, paired with Barbara McClintock’s illustrations, are a delight.  A sheer, as they say, delight.

Resist it if you can.  And, might I say, this is one of the more logical uses of a celebrity getting involved in children’s literature that I’ve seen.  I was seated next to Ms. Merchant at a BEA lunch and to my delight she turned out to be a huge Barbara McClintock fan long before this book.  She said this, so I decided to quiz her by asking what she knew.  Without missing a beat she rattled off everything from The Gingerbread Man to Adele and Simon to the Aesop’s Fables Ms. McClintock did years ago.  Woman knows her stuff.

Okay, gear switch.  Obviously if I’m showing a Louis CK video then this is not going to be workplace friendly, though honestly aside from one off-white phrase this is downright pure for Louis.  When I read in a recent Entertainment Weekly article that he hated Clifford the Big Red Dog with a passion that eclipses the white hot sun I knew I had to find video proof.  Proof I found, and I love how he pairs Clifford with Narnia.  If Louis put out a CD that was just children’s book rants . . . okay, that’s a ridiculous dream.  But a dream I now have!

And now Louise Yates interviews Quentin Blake.  Because I can.

Thanks to Watch. Connect. Read. for the link!

And for the final off-topic video, awwwwww.  Baby goats.  Manic, remorseless baby goats.  Sadly adorable.

Thanks to mom for the link.

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There was no question in my mind which video to begin with today.  I cannot help but think that meeting Quentin Blake must be akin to meeting Roald Dahl.  The man is a living legend and this video is a true treasure.  Would that every illustrator were half so thorough when discussing the preservation, creation, and process that goes into their art.  A very big thank you to Jonathan Cape Graphic Novels for the link.

Mind you, Quentin had some stiff competition for the top video of the day.  He only narrowly beat out this Reading Rainbow remix.

I’ve been trying to identify all the books in the video but it is incredibly tough.  I can account for Carl Hiaasen’s Flush, Christopher Paul Curtis’s Elijah of Buxton, and what appears to be a Civil Rights book that I can never quite catch the title of.  Other spotted books are welcome.  Mention them!  And thanks to mom for the link.  Probably the only time you’ll ever see the New Orleans Bounce on this blog, I’d wager.

Benefit books come out occasionally but rarely do they incorporate Broadway stars.  Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project is benefiting breast cancer research.  You’ve got big name vocalists singing songs from big name composers with a book illustrated by big name artists (for the most part).  Here’s the roster:

” . . . the project’s book component also features a distinctive cover illustration by fabled cartoonist/playwright Jules Feiffer, along with a foreword written by stage and screen legend Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton. Among the award-winning illustrators lending their talents are Selina Alko, Lynne Avril, Paulette Bogan, Beowulf Boritt, Lauren Castillo, R. Gregory Christie, Seymour Chwast, Jane Dyer, Richard Egielski, Daniel Glucksman, Julia Gran, Ying-Hwa Hu, Genevieve LeRoy-Walton, Betsy Lewin, Anna Louizos, Victor Mays, Emily Arnold McCully, Wendell Minor, Barry Moser, Jon J Muth, Sean Qualls, Peter H. Reynolds, Marc Simont, Javaka Steptoe, Melissa Sweet, Cornelius Van Wright, Neil Waldman, Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, Tony Walton, Gary Zamchick, and Paul O. Zelinsky.”

I had no idea Jules Feiffer was a fable.  And here I was convinced he was a real person.  In any case, impressive list of names!  A couple I don’t know but most I do. And here, on a related note, is a glimpse at one of the songs.

Thanks to Rich Michelson for the info.

Speaking of Julie Andrews, I’m sure you’ve all seen Stephen Colbert’s interview with her in conjunction with his own picture book release of

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Here’s Quentin Blake demonstrating, step by step, how he makes the illustrations for his books.

It’s from this great page on his website, How I Draw, in which he describes the process a little more:

In the attempt to combine planning with an air of spontaneity I’ve employed various techniques of which the one I have found most successful, and have used for the last thirty years, makes use of a light box.

…

What happens next is not tracing; in fact it’s important that I can’t see the rough drawing underneath too clearly, because when I draw I try to draw as if for the first time.

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Fox Directory’s blog and ebook website is now available for job seekers to explore technology news and views. Fox Directory has built on its expertise to become an auspicious web directory player in the game-changing technology that is teaching significantly more internet users the value of website based job searches.

Book publisher and Self Publishing Information provided by S&D book publishers and christian book publishers as a courtesy.

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The UK-based Roald Dahl Museum & Story Centre has opened a new display: Roald Dahl‘s Writing Hut. According to Bucks Free Press, the hut reproduces the space that Dahl used to write.

Here’s more about the exhibit: “The centrepiece of our brand new displays in Solo Gallery is Roald Dahl’s Writing Hut, complete with all its original contents and furnishings. Visitors can see the ‘little nest’ as Roald Dahl called it, exactly as he had it set up, with all the extraordinary and fascinating objects he kept at hand for contemplation and inspiration.”

The museum added several new interactive exhibits surrounding the Writing Hut including a World War II airplane cockpit, a writing and drawing activity (where players get to pretend they are Dahl and illustrator Quentin Blake) and an ‘Ideas Avery.”

continued…

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By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: March 8, 2012

A Delicious Way to Bring your Favorite Stories to Life

When I was a child, I fell in love with a cookbook called Wild Foods. Just the idea of foraging the woods for berries and creating a delicious soup filled me with wonder. Years later, when my daughter was small, we discovered a lovely cookbook for dolls called Mudpies and Other Recipes. We lovingly prepared Wood Chip Dip, Dandelion Soufflé, and Rainspout Tea for her dolls. Cooking with children is such a wonderful way to spend time together. Within these superb cookbooks, you’ll recall your favorite stories and feast on mouth-watering dishes.

Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes and Roald Dahl’s Even More Revolting Recipes

By Roald and Felicity Dahl and Josie Fison; illustrated by Quentin Blake with photographs by Jan Baldwin

Your children will scream with delight when they read and recognize the many treats from Roald Dahl’s memorable books. Bunce’s Doughnuts! Bruce Bogtrotter’s Cake! Frobscottle! Both of these cookbooks are a great tribute to his nutty genius and were largely compiled by his widow Felicity after Dahl’s death. For adults, I recommend Memories with Food at Gipsy House and also Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights by Roald’s granddaughter Sophie. She has a new cookbook Very Fond of Food available from Random House in April. (Ages 8-11. Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) and Puffin)

The Secret Garden Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden

By Amy Cotler; illustrations by Prudence See

This exquisite cookbook reminds us of the beauty of Burnett’s classic The Secret Garden and the magic of making things come to life. Mary’s rambling walks along the moors in the countryside with Dickon and their hard work in the garden stirs a great appetite for porridge, little sausage cakes, and jam roly

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Royal Mail unveils Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake stamps!

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Oh, Holy Undies, how could I have missed my own 5th Anniversary?  So a quick scan of the records showed that five years and nine days ago I embarked on this journey to read, write, and review books for children and young adults. What began as an exploration to better educate myself eventually led to an MFA at Vermont College and what is clearly becoming my great second act in life. I would

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I had heard so much that was so good about A Monster Calls, the Patrick Ness novel inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd, that last night, when my arms were too achy to type a single letter more, I downloaded the book onto my iPad2.

Had I known that this book was so beautifully illustrated, I would have gone out to the store and bought myself a copy instead, so that I could, from time to time, look at these extraordinarily interesting, wildly textured Jim Kay drawings.  A Monster Calls would be a very different book without these images, just as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, the Ransom Riggs books enlivened by surreal old photographs, would not be the book it is had not a publishing house decided that teens, too (and the adults who inevitably read teen books) need, every now and then, to stop and see the world not through words but through images.  Maile Meloy's new historical YA book, The Apothecary, is due out soon—a book that (if the preview pages on Amazon are accurate) features some very beautiful illustrations by Ian Schoenherr.  And let's not forget The Boneshaker by Kate Milford, with its beautiful Andrea Offermann images. (And, of course, there are so many, many more.)

A Monster Calls reminds me, in so many ways, of the great Roald Dahl story The BFG.  Dahl's books, illustrated by Quentin Blake, sit beside The Phantom Tollbooth (Norton Juster, illustrated by Jules Feiffer) on my shelf—books that take me back to some of my favorite mother-son reading days.  We loved the stories.  We loved the illustrations, too.  We loved the entire package.

Maybe we have Brian Selznick to thank for this return to the visual—to ageless picture books.  Maybe it was just plain time.  I only (with absolute surety) know this:  I recently completed a young adult novel amplified by (in my eyes) gorgeous illustrations. I can't wait to see where that project goes, and on what kind of journey it takes me.

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Quentin Blake. Photograph: Eamonn McCabe

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A lot of people stop by this site because they’re curious to learn what it takes to not only write a children’s book, but to write a successful one. Some authors appear at workshops where they charge hundreds of dollars to dispense such insider tips. Not me. Today, I’m giving the good stuff out for free. I only ask that you thank me in your acknowledgements and cut me in on any foreign rights. It’s a fair trade for this invaluable wisdom. Let’s get down to it.

First off, the old advice is often the best advice. Write what you know. Do you know a puppy that’s a bit poky? How about some teenagers who hunt each other for sport? Connecting with children is about connecting with the world around you. A few monkeys don’t hurt either. That’s right. Forget wizards, vampires and zombies. Monkeys are what distinguish great children’s books. Try to imagine The Secret Garden without Jose Fuzzbuttons, the wisecracking capuchin whose indelible catchphrase “Aye-yaye-yaye, Mami, hands off the yucca!” is still bandied about schoolyards today? I don’t think you can.

Of course, the magic that is artistic inspiration must find its way in there. So how do you grab hold of it? Christopher Paolini swears by peyote-fueled pilgrimages to the Atacama Desert. I’m more of a traditionalist. A pint of gin and a round of Russian Roulette with Maurice Sendak always gets my creative juices flowing. Have fun. Experiment. Handguns and hallucinogens need not be involved. Though I see no reason to rule them out. Find what works for you.

Now, you’ll inevitably face a little writer’s block. There are two words that cure this problem and cure it quick. Public Domain. Dust off some literary dud and add spice to it. Kids dig this stuff. For instance, you could take some Edith Wharton and inject it with flatulence. The Age of Innocence and Farts.  Done. Easy. Bestseller.

I give this last bit of advice with a caveat. Resist the temptation to write unauthorized sequels to beloved classics. I speak from experience. My manuscripts for You Heard What I Said Dog, Get Your Arse Outta Here! and God? Margaret Again…I’m Late have seen the bottom of more editors’ trash cans than I care to mention. Newbery bait? Sure. Immune to the unwritten rules of the biz? Hardly.

Okay, let’s jump forward. So now you’ve got your masterpiece, but how the heck are you going to sell the thing? Truth be told, you’re going to need an advanced degree first. As anyone will inform you, kid lit authors without PhDs or MFAs are rarely taken seriously. If you can’t work Derrida or Foucault into a pitch letter, then you certainly can’t survive a 30-minute writing workshop with Mrs. Sumner’s 5th period reading class. So invest 60-100K and 3-6 years of your life. Then let the bidding war begin.

In the off chance that your book isn’t going to sell for six figures, try blackmail. Sounds harsh, but the children’s book industry runs almost exclusively on hush money and broken kneecaps. I mean, Beverly Cleary doesn’t even own a car. So why is she always carrying a tire iron?

Money is now under the mattress and the editorial process begins. Don’t worry at all about this. Editors won’t even read your book. They’ll simply call in Quentin Blake for some illustrations and then run the whole thing through a binding machine they keep in the back of the o

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Cartoonist Aaron Renier, author of the recent The Unsinkable Walker Bean

, created this comic based on Roald Dahl’s Matilda. It’s a lovingly crafted tribute to both Quentin Blake’s illustrations and to the beauty and magic of reading printed books. Growing up having read every Roald Dahl book I could find at my local library, this is pitch perfect — click through for the full thing.

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As much as a treat for myself as a way of sharing my love of books, at Jenna’s prompting, I’ve now started work on a quilt for J’s 3rd birthday, made out of some of the fabric from the new Liberty’s range designed by children’s illustrators.

It was really hard choosing just a few fabric designs (and be quick if you want to order any as they have already sold out of some lines), but in the end I went for Carolyn Jane, Charlie’s Paisley and Kate Ada by Quentin Blake and Olivia Strange and Reuben Kelly by David McKee, the creator of Elmer, King Rollo and Mr Benn. Lots of colour and pattern, which I’ll be breaking up with a lime green fabric so hopefully it will remain playful without being too hectic!

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I’m still wrestling with this new blog format.  I worry that a lot of you are checking the old links or the old RSS feeds and are simply under the impression that I’m not updating anymore.  Aside from Facebook, Twitter, and various Group updates (social networking has never been so useful) I’m not sure how to let folks know about my new location.  I sort of feel like I’m whistling into the wind.  But we’ll figure it all out.  No migration goes perfectly the first few weeks, right?  The kinks with out kinkify themselves.  In the meantime, have a bit o’ Fusenews.

• I was rather taken with this recent profile of children’s author and adult satirical cartoonist (amongst other things) Jules Feiffer at CNN.  It has never really occurred to me, but it makes sense that he would have influenced Doonesbury in some way.  Never really thought it through, though.  The comments about his thoughts on Charles Schulz are also fascinating.  Good reading!

• Some days, you just feel like screaming.  Other days, you scream and it ends up in blog posts called Why Is Fuse #8 Screaming? I’ll explain more about the reason for the less than impressive shriek (there are reasons I never became an actress) in an upcoming Lerner Librarian Preview, but for now I thought the blog post’s title funny enough to link to.

• Here’s how I look at it.  You’ve always meant to own some original Quentin Blake art anyway, right?  Of course you have.  You’re only human.  And now, if you participate in this auction for an original Blake piece, you’ll also be helping out the charity organization PACT — Parents & Abducted Children Together.  So, to sum up: Buy awesome original Blake art.  Help good cause.  That was easy!  Thanks to Children’s Illustration for the info.

• Oh man.  I almost made this a Daily Image before I figured it wouldn’t be fair to Leila.  Have you seen some of the awesome library posters from the late ’60s/early ’70s she’s been putting up?  Honest-to-Murgatroyd, they are amazing.  You can see most of them here, and an additional bit of magnificence here.
10 Comments on Fusenews: De-kinkifying the Kinks, last added: 6/28/2010
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Shelf-employed said, on 6/3/2010 8:32:00 AM


My feed found you just fine! Glad you’re back in business.

Carter Hasegawa said, on 6/3/2010 8:41:00 AM


one wish for the new website: I used to be able to type in http://www.slj.com/fuse8 to get here, but now it doesn’t work. any chance this will work again? it’s nice to only have to remember that bit when i’m not at my home computer.

also, a few of your links on the side bar are out of date. I.e. Read Roger.

See you at ALA!

Elizabeth Bird said, on 6/3/2010 9:02:00 AM


My hope is that eventually we get to the point where the old site at that address automatically redirects you to this nice new one. As it stands, it’s difficult to find my old posts right now. Not impossible. But definitely difficult.

Yeah, Read Roger’s out of date. I can’t change my sidebar myself. And something tells me my IT folks might not appreciate it if I bring up the idea of a new sidebar right now. Put it in the old To Do pile…

Miriam at Lee & Low said, on 6/3/2010 2:39:00 PM


I found you fine, but didn’t realize until someone pointed it out just now that the move meant our blogroll link to you had stopped working. Oops.

Karen Gray Ruelle said, on 6/3/2010 3:52:00 PM


There you are, Betsy! I missed you for those few days there.

Cammie Backus said, on 6/3/2010 4:37:00 PM


Dunno if this is related to the switch to the new platform, but all the images from this post seem to be gone now: http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2010/05/26/librarian-preview-simon-schuster-fall-2010/

Tricia Springstubb said, on 6/3/2010 6:31:00 PM


Found you found you, that’s enough for tonight…

Elizabeth Bird said, on 6/3/2010 6:55:00 PM


My hope is that the images from past posts will reappear in the near future. In the event that they do not . . . oog. Problematic.

Jon Bard said, on 6/7/2010 3:05:00 PM


aw, man. I thought this post was really gonna be about the Kinks. I was ready to geek out about Waterloo Sunset and Sunny Afternoon and You Really Got Me.

Cool links and all, but you really can’t tease me like that!

Elizabeth Bird said, on 6/7/2010 3:55:00 PM


Yeah, I know. If it’s any comfort, the resident husband and I are huge Kinks fans. Just figured I’d throw them in there for the heckuvit.

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Matilda first published in London in 1988, is one of my favorite children’s books for middle-grade readers even though I read it for the first time as an adult in college. (Although, that seems to be happening more and more lately–children’s and young adult’s books are becoming my favorites as an adult!) Anyway, this Roald Dahl classic has been made into a movie (1996) and sold in Scholastic Book Fairs everywhere. So, I must not be the only one who thinks it’s special. And it’s still popular today–twenty-two years later. You know what that means. . .it’s a Timeless Thursday pick for sure.

A quick note about the plot: Five-year-old Matilda is a child prodigy even though her parents couldn’t care less and are frankly quite neglectful. The irony here is obvious especially when Matilda loves reading, and her mother loves watching TV. The librarian befriends Matilda and allows her to read every children’s book in the library. When her parents send her to school, her teacher, Ms. Honey, realizes her brilliance, but still her parents don’t value education or learning. And then as if there could be anyone worse than Matilda’s parents, Dahl introduces us to mean, old, ugly headmistress Agatha Trunchbull. The novel can get a little wild–but we expect nothing less from Dahl–when Matilda discovers that she has psychokinetic powers.

I usually like to talk about how much children can learn from a novel or how teachers and parents can use it for all sorts of lessons and curriculum objectives. But in this case, I just want to talk about how fun Matilda is, how much or a page-turner it is, and how I wish I would have written this book. You can, of course, talk with children about how important reading is, discuss some of the books Matilda read, talk about the problems and solutions in the book, use Roald Dahl’s wonderful writing style to teach about the 6 + 1 traits of writing, and so much more. However, you can also give this book to a child who is a reluctant reader and see if he or she falls in love with this book. You can use it as an read aloud to spark the imaginations of your students and get them interested enough to read more Roald Dahl on their own. Parents can read it with their children as a bedtime story. However you decide to read this book and use it–that’s fine! Just do it. If your students or children aren’t familiar with this wonderful author, then hopefully they will be soon enough!

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**I’ve a giveaway on at the moment –
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Quentin Blake, his exuberant, funny illustrations and childhood go pretty much hand in hand I think. I know my own first 10 years were full of his drawings (for example in many of Roald Dahl’s books), and now he is one of the illustrators most frequently found on the bookcases which M and J have taken over. However, I didn’t know until recently he was also a poet!

ALL JOIN IN (both written and illustrated by Quentin Black) is short collection of poems fantastic for reading out loud (and by out loud I really mean LOUDLY) with children. First of all there is the joyous, eponymous All Join In which opens:

When Sandra plays the trumpet
it makes a lovely sound

And Mervyn on his drum-kit
can be hear for
miles around

Stephanie is brilliant
when she plays her violin

But the very best of all is when
we ALL JOIN IN

Then there is a very mischievous peom, The Hooter Song, about well-meaning children (let’s give them the benefit of the doubt, shall we?) who like to use their (very) noisy instruments to cheer up or otherwise help anyone they perceive to be in need. Nice weather for ducks and Sliding capture quintessential joys of childhood, but my personal favourite is Sorting Out the Kitchen Pans, which opens:

We’re sorting out the Kitchen Pans
DING DONG BANG

Sorting out the Kitchen Pans
BING BONG CLANG

Sorting out the Kitchen Pans
TING BANG DONG

Soritng out the Kitchen Pans
CLANG DING BONG

Although not the most nuanced of poems, I think it is easy to imagine how this is great fun to read loudly and energetically with your kids, who you’ll find are all too keen to ALL JOIN IN!

So the poems are great fun, and then of course there are the illustrations – each page bursting with Blake’s colourful ,quirky and humourous illustrations which celebrate living life to the full. Altogether it adds up to a pretty near perfect book, and one I would wholeheartedly recommend you track down.

Ever since we discovered this book (for £1 in a charity shop!) the girls have been desperate to “sort out the kitchen pans” ie to empty all my kitchen drawers and bang all the saucepans, bread tins, cake tins, lids and anything else they find. Eventually I realised resistance was futile, and caved in (or rather I thought, “Here’s an opportunity for a bit of a spring clean with the help of the girls!” ). They were of course delighted to be given permission to raid the drawers:

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