#13: Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (1948) 86 points (12 votes, #1, #1, #1, #10, #4, #7, #4, #9, #4, #9, #1, #8) I’d like to see any illustrator today take up the challenge of producing a book with art created entirely out of blue ink, and still have it be as visually compelling [...]

This started off as a little Fusenews item, then morphed into its own post.  Sometimes they do that. I’ve been out of the loop for a while here.  Trying to get back into the swing of things.  And then I see that Roger Sutton has linked to this interesting piece on book bloggers and the [...]

#14: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (1989) by Jon Scieszka, ill. Lane Smith 83 points (15 votes, #5, #3, #4, #4, #4, #10, #6, #5, #6, #4, #9, #9, #2, #3, #8) The book that opened the door to the wonderful world of fractured fairy tales.  Pitch perfect from beginning to end, [...]

Re: The tardiness of this announcement, better late than never. The new Children’s Center at 42 nd Street is pleased to announce our May event:   Saturday, May 2 nd , 2009   @ 2:00 PM   Lurking in the darkest corners of New York are secrets you’ve never thought to discover.   Imagine fairies [...]

The weird thing about the publishers of New York City?  I think that they are trying to kill me.  I don’t have sufficient evidence to back up that claim quite yet, but examine what has occurred so far: – Little, Brown and Company has a Fall 2009/Winter 2010 librarian preview. – Not one week later, [...]

#15: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes (1996) 78 points (12 votes, #8, #6, #3, #6, #1, #9, #4, #5, #1, #3, #6, #2) There is nothing in the world that brings me more joy than smart, naughty children. And who doesn’t want to be as cool as Mr. Slinger?! – tdjaimes Published when [...]

By my reckoning in a week or so I’ll be hitting the Top 10 of the Top 100 Picture Books that you dear, sweet, adorable, CUTE readers voted on.  You probably have a good idea of who’s gonna be in the Top 10.  Heck, maybe, just maybe, some of you would be able to predict [...]

Houndsley and Catina: Plink and Plunk By James Howe Illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay Candlewick Press $15.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-3385-1 Ages 4-8 On shelves now I first heard about Houndsley and Catina in the best possible way. The way that’s even better than librarian recommendations, blog reviews, or advanced reader galleys. A year or so ago I [...]

I first heard about Houndsley and Catina in the best possible way. The way that’s even better than librarian recommendations, blog reviews, or advanced reader galleys. A year or so ago I was sitting at my reference desk, minding my own business, when a child that couldn’t have been much more than six years of [...]

#16: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr (1987) 70 points (9 votes, #5, #3, #2, #1, #1, #1, #6, #6, #4) Dreamy, lovely, lyrical. – Karen Ruelle To my mind, this is the most beautiful and poetic book ever, pictures or not.  Every time I read it to a class, the whispers [...]

In conjunction with Book Expo, School Library Journal has created a little something called Day of Dialog.  The description calls it: "a free, day-long program where librarians, editors, authors, and vendors meet to discuss the changing world of books, reading, and libraries. This year we’ll investigate whether blogs are changing our reading and buying habits, [...]

#17: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (1947) 68 points (15 votes, #5, #6, #7, #6, #8, #2, #8, #8, #9, #10, #6, #2, #9, #7, #4) Another one I love to read with kids. What kid doesn’t make a great monkey? – rockinlibrarian Appears to be truly timeless.  Should have dated itself by now, [...]