Fusenews: When the Other Bloggers Do Do That Voodoo That They Do So Well

• Monica alerted me to a new blog that fills a need. Has anyone else found the absence of British children’s literary blogs a bit odd? A bit out of the ordinary? There’s good old Achockablog, which I’ve always enjoyed. And I bet that there are a bunch of YA lit Brits out there, but in the realm of the child it’s mostly children’s author or illustrators who blog about. So I was very happy to be told about Bookwitch. Her fans include such notable names as Adele Geras and Meg Rosoff and her reviews are a pip. When reviewing Gennifer Choldenko’s If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period (called If a Tree Falls at Lunch Break in the U.K.) she writes, "I wouldn’t mind trying some of Gennifer’s other books, because the titles are temptingly amusing. Maybe Bloomsbury could provide a glossary and explanations of the US school system for us born on the wrong side of the Atlantic." Definitely one to watch.

"The idea is that I will list seven new picture books for busy parents as often as I can pull it off. … And here’s my challenge: I’ll have to be brief. ¡Aye Carumba! Can I do that? Yes, I’m up for the challenge. In my typical picture book round-ups (which I vow to continue as well), I do one paragraphs, but these will have to be even shorter, methinks, for those terrifically busy parents. And they will have to be picture books that are currently available for purchase or already in libraries. None of that ‘this advance copy of this picture book I got is filthy cool. But you’ll have to wait three more months for it to come out.’ But I still want them to be new. And I’ll have to try to reign in the children’s-lit-geek talk and remember that these are busy parents who perhaps don’t live, breathe, and die children’s lit like we do and like our typical reader does."

That’s a pretty good idea. For my part, I get so excited about things coming out in, oh say, June that I have a hard time being practical. Let 7-Imp become your practical source for parental needs, then.

• There is other fabulous blogger/parental news out there. Looks like Jen Robinson of Jen Robinson’s Book Page is getting a pretty fabulous gig. Can you say, hello national syndication? She has a guest position on the PBS Parents website. Go on over to her new space and give her kudos, kisses, and love. Doesn’t she look so natural there? Perhaps they shall consider making it a little more permanent if she gets swamped with undying attention, non?

• And while I’m on Jen’s page, I’ll just direct your attention to her posting on the recently announced Sydney Taylor Book Awards. In brief, "Sarah Gershman and Kristina Swarner, author and illustrator of The Bedtime Sh’ma: A Good Night Book, Sid Fleischman, author of The Entertainer and the Dybbuk, and Sonia Levitin, author of Strange Relations, are the 2008 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award." For my own part, I’ve only read The Entertainer and the Dybbuk. It was very nice, but I’ve been wondering about some choices made regarding the cover of the ARC. I’ll say no more for now. But if you have an ARC in hand, give it a nice loooong look. Notice something kinda funny about it?