SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

November 8, 2007 by Betsy Bird

Reporting: Little, Brown Spring/Summer 2008 (Part Two)

November 8, 2007 by Betsy Bird   3 comments

(CONTINUED FROM PART ONE)

At one point we were asked to come up with famous penguin characters in children’s literature.  I love me my Opus, but that’s more of a comic strip character (and I am an early Bloom County fan, not the later Outlander stuff).  There’s Tacky the Penguin, of course, but not much of anyone else.  Enter Sergio.  In Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez we’ve a three color picture book title that’s channeling old-timey classics.  The creator did such books as Oye, Celia, which was an entirely different kind of book and style.  I’ve tentative hopes for this title, so we’ll see how it does.  And in checking out Mr. Rodriguez’s blog I happened to stumble on a picture of myself.  Odd.  Look at a picture of his literary agents.  Hello, me!

Tony Abbott is back with another novel after Firegirl.  Called The Postcard it was sold as "Chasing Vermeer meets Holes meets Hiassen by way of Big Fish".  Huh.  It’s a mystery (good) with clues found in an old linen postcard.  Abbott apparently collects them from the 40s and 50s and he’s also working in 3 intertwining stories and a hard-boiled crime novel feel.  Let’s see how she flies.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

I was very very exited to learn that Jimmy Liao who created The Sound of Colors has another book coming out soon.  The Blue Stone has, what they call in the biz, "graduation possibilities".  The books people give to graduating seniors about life and change and all that jazz.  There was an interesting debate that arose when we saw the term "all ages" on our Powerpoint sheets.  GraceAnne is not a fan of that particular designation citing it as an unhelpful.  It’s an interesting debate.  I hate limiting ages in my own reviews since I know that some parents and librarians take them very seriously and won’t give a great book for ages 4-8 to a mature 3-year-old even if they’re ready for it.  Then again, some books are simply not for "all ages" so whatchagonnado?

Nobody discussed the sequel to Atherton: The House of Power, which is named Atherton: Rivers of Fire.  They were giving out free copies, though, so I snatched one up right quick.  And I seem to be the only person I know who didn’t read The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart this year.  Now the sequel, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, is due on bookstore shelves on May 1st.  Fans of the original will be pleased to learn that "the bucket is back, but improved."  I don’t know what that means.  Oh.  And it’s even longer than the first book.  Be warned.

There is also a book coming out that is literally Muppet Babies meets The Wind in the Willows.  Lots of beanies and sailor suits.  I’ll . . . I’ll just leave it at that.

The Mighty Twelve is an interesting book to look at since it takes the graphic novel talents of GN superstar P. Craig Russell and has him illustrate a book talking about twelve "superheroes of Greek myth".  It’s not a graphic novel persay, but it does have a comic font and separate text boxes. 

And SPEAKING of graphic novels . . . Okay.  So here’s the book that just … wow.  I can’t even say it.  Remember Michael Hague?  He basically illustrated every single classic story I read as a child.  Everything from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to The Reluctant Dragon.  I always kind of wondered what happened to him.  Well, he’s still around and he just made his first original graphic novel.  Wow.  It’s called In the Small and the premise is that humanity has been shrunk small in the wake of Nature’s disapproval with what we’ve done to the Earth.  Sounds a little like The Dark Ground meets Mouse Guard.  Hague apparently loves him his Prince Valiant, and the whole thing will be in full-color.  I hope the book suggests that Nature has done this to humanity before.  That would be a fun twist on the tale.

(CONTINUED IN PART THREE)

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2023

Announcing the Stinetinglers Winner! The Kettle's Dark Secret by Clara J.

by Betsy Bird

March 2023

Bologna Presentations: IBBY Doing the Good Work That Needs to Be Done, Worldwide

by Betsy Bird

February 2023

Sydney Taylor Book Blog Award Tour Interview: Featuring Mari Lowe of Aviva Vs. the Dybbuk!

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

The Top Ten Most Disappointing Edibles and Potables of Children's Literature

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Announcing the 2023 Newbery/Caldecott/YMA Pre-Game Show!

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

U.S. Gov: ‘All Books Must Have Round Corners’

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day – Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories by Jarvis

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Swim Team

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Write What You Know. Read What You Don’t, a guest post by Lauren Thoman

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey Try Something New

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

10 Collective Biographies for Women's History Month

8 Books For Younger Readers That Feature Animals Celebrating Holidays

Top 10 Music of 2022

Making a Mark on Musical History: Flack, Franklin, and Beach | Biography Spotlight

13 Hi-Lo Titles, Including Speculative Fiction, Horror, Sports, and Graphic Novels

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura Crossett says

    November 8, 2007 at 1:38 pm

    How funny–I also sort of thought Michael Hague had just disappeared. I have a unicorn calendar of his from the early ’80s that I reused when the time came some years back. Glad to hear he’s still out there–I’ll look for the book.

  2. Michael Hague says

    December 19, 2007 at 10:00 pm

    Thank you for remembering me…Im still around…and I appreciate your “wow”

  3. Fuse #8 says

    December 20, 2007 at 6:11 am

    Double “Wow!” then for the comment. I kid you not when I say that I was raised primarily on a diet of Hague and Tasha Tudor. It makes for a good healthy childhood, I think. Looking forward to reading your book.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023