Happy Mother’s Day! It was Monica Edinger who alerted me to the fact that fresh on the heels of the Matilda musical is an upcoming British production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She has the details and directed me to this truly unfair let’s-not-give-anything-away teaser trailer. This introduction is a bit better. You know [...]
Video Sunday: The Happy Mother’s Day Edition (Warning: Contains no mom-related material)
May 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Sneaky Peek: A Glimpse of Platypuses Packing Heat/Boomerangs
March 26, 2013 By 4 Comments
There are certain words and phrases that are instantly hilarious. Kalamazoo is one of them. Platypus is another. All the more reason to combine the two. That’s my logic. When I heard that Jarrett Krosoczka (he of the Lunch Lady GN series as well as a stunner of a TED talk, amongst other accomplishments), had [...]
Fusenews: Dark fiddlers and ponymen
January 17, 2013 By 5 Comments
Looks like the National Book Awards are taking a page out of the Oscars’ handbook. Which is to say, if people like nominees for awards so much, why not give them MORE nominees? Says PW, “In an effort to broaden the reach and impact of the National Book Awards, the National Book Foundation will select [...]
Video Sunday: Always comes too late, but Friday never hesitates
November 18, 2012 By 2 Comments
The chance to see M.T. Anderson speak at length on any topic should be celebrated in and of itself. But to see him speak on the topic Wardrobes and Rabbit Holes: A Dark History of Children’s Literature (just this past November 7th) is the icing on the cake. As you may remember I’ve a book [...]
Video Sunday: That cake’s my most bestest creation
October 7, 2012 By 4 Comments
Who says you need to be Ed Emerley to make fingerprints dance? A canny bit of book promotion, this title is out this year but I certainly hadn’t heard of it until now (Laurence King Publishers, anyone?). Now I’ll need to see it for myself. It’s Let’s Make Some Great Fingerprint Art by Marion Deuchars. [...]
Fusenews: Though to be fair, who ever heard of harmFUL spitballing?
September 13, 2012 By 4 Comments
Howdy-do, folks. Today I am off to the Yonkers Library to participate in a Charles Dickens panel with some experts in the field. Why me? I don’t precisely know but I’m honored to be asked. Plus the train ride will allow me to read my new Lemony Snicket book (this would be the children’s literature [...]
Name This Boy Band
July 28, 2012 By 15 Comments
At approximately 9:22 EST on Friday, July 27th I sent the following Tweet to the interwebs: These are the kinds of serious thoughts that course through my brain on a given morning. I might hear a One Direction song (yes, I’m a 34-year-old mother, what of it?) and think “That song could be a lot [...]
The Children’s Book Choice Awards Gala 2012: The Only Place Where Jeff Kinney Can Be the Underdog
May 10, 2012 By 5 Comments
As fancy pants award ceremonies for works of children’s literature go, I’m certain that there are plenty to choose from. Two in particular stand out time and time again. On the one hand you have the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet. Longstanding, stately, a respectable tribute to the greatest picture books and texts written for children, the ceremony [...]
Re-Seussification Project: The Results
March 1, 2012 By 35 Comments
It was kind of a kooky idea, I admit it. I’ve seen plenty of sites where artists will reinterpret someone like Maurice Sendak in their own styles. What I wanted was something a little different. I wanted to see what would happen if great children’s book illustrators illustrated one another. If a Lobel illustrated a [...]
Fusenews: It’s a board book, Jim, but not as we know it
November 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
That author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka. He’s a good egg. It’s not everyone who founds their own youth scholarship, y’know. For the second time Jarrett will be hosting the 2nd annual auction for the Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka Memorial Youth Scholarships. The auction is already live as of this past Monday morning and it’s benefiting [...]
Fusenews: “A sort of child’s Jane Eyre.”
November 2, 2011 By 6 Comments
“Jarrett Krosoczka is one of 25 hottest children’s authors in the nation.” So said Henderson City Mayor Andy Hafen when presenting Mr. Krosoczka with the key to the city. I’ll just say that again. The mayor of a city mentioned Jarrett being part of my old The Hot Men of Children’s Literature series when presenting [...]
Video Sunday: A hat on top of a hat on top of a dot
October 9, 2011 By 2 Comments
Good old Black Cauldron. So glad to see the Boogie Woogie Kids trying their hand at synthesizing it into its most essential parts. By the way, is it just me or do other people always hear Gurgi’s voice as that of Grover from Sesame Street? Big time thanks to Aaron Zenz for this link. Oh, [...]
Video Sunday: More Glitter
October 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Somewhere along the way I completely missed this Percy Jackson video in which everyone from Brian Selznick to a moustachioed Eoin Colfer (when did that happen?) chat it up. Video #2 contains a bit of advice that John Rocco actually had to contend with when he made the jacket for The Lightening Thief: “Green covers [...]
Video Sunday: The Swankiest Bathmat in Town
July 31, 2011 By 5 Comments
It’s hard to have a favorite part of the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet to look forward to, but definitely up there is the red carpet interview portion. Each year Jim Averbeck whips out the camera and questions and has the luminaries of the field give their thoughts and opinions on a variety of schtoofs. 2011 was no [...]
Video Sunday: The Thrilla in Vermilion
June 5, 2011 By 5 Comments
I was pleased to see that CNN provided a quick look at 826Valencia (the first of the 826 tutoring centers around the country), quick though it might be. I do wish it offered some more practical advice on finding tutoring for kids, which is not an easy thing to do. Still, it’s a good start. [...]
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