Fusenews: Super Tuesday Edition

Nah.  No politics here.  I get enough of that everywhere else I go.  Getting out of subway stations with your hands pamphlet free is mighty difficult these days, I can tell you.  This morning I am trekking off to a Bronx library branch called Throg’s Neck (why yes, it is my favorite name out of all the NYPL branches, how did you know?) to do a storytime.  While I attempt to make it back, enjoy the following:

• The Telegraph just published Michael Morpurgo’s list of the 100 books every child should read.  Granted, this is England making the list and they have titles on the brain that we do not.  But when I saw that the very first book in the Early Reader section was The Twits by Roald Dahl my reaction was, "Really?  Really really?"  Thanks to bookshelves of doom for the link.

• Jon J. Muth was all famousy famous in the graphic novel world, but he didn’t get much recognition in children’s rooms until he started cranking out books like Zen Shorts and the like (the like = the sequel Zen Ties).  Now Abrams is bringing back a nice bound volume of Muth’s adaptation of M, that old Fritz Lang classic (I’ve a poster of it above my computer as I write this).  Publishers Weekly has the story.

• Old news can still be good news.  The 2008 Capitol Choices list is out, courtesy of those peppy D.C. librarians. If you’re suffering from book list withdrawl, now is the time to ease your pain.  Thanks to Jennifer Schultz for the link.

• Facts you may not know about author Jane Yolen:

– Bob Dylan tried to pick her up after one of his gigs back in the 60s.
– She was asked to (but didn’t) try out for the female singing role in the group that became Peter Paul & Mary.
– Her father owned and ran a small indie movie company for a while (Yolen, Ross, and Salzman) and one of their few movies produced was "Mr.Universe" starring Vince Edwards, Jack Carson, Robert Alda, Bert Lahr. "Edwards, who with dyed blonde hair, had the title role came to our house for a visit and I–probably ten at the time–flung myself into his arms screaming ‘Mr. Universe!’ It only now occurs to me that my father may have put me up to it."

Back up a bit . . .  Bob Dylan?  Shoot, that dude’s still hot.  In a Vincent Price kind of way, sure, but still . . . .

• Babble Books takes a gander at kidlit once in a while, which makes it a more legitimate parenting site than its competitors, in my humble opinions.  Say they, "Recently one of our editors sat down with children’s book author, Eric Carle to discuss his work in animal lit. Gwynne followed that up by taking a tour of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, complete with illustrations."

• Homeschooling meets virtual classes.  Seems like I should have figured out that this would be happening soon, but it never occurred to me.  Co-worker Rebecca passed on to me this New York Times article Online Schooling Grows, Setting Off a Debate.  I was particularly fascinated by the sentence, "School authorities in Traverse City, Mich., hope to use online courses provided by the Michigan Virtual School next fall to educate several hundred students in their homes, alleviating a classroom shortage."

• I got a chance to speak to author Lois Lowry a week or two ago and in the course of our conversation she happened to mention that she’d been blogging about a boy who contacted her in 2004 about a library he wanted to open in his town.  The kid was just eleven, so a person would be forgiven for being surprised at how dedicated he was in his plan.  Today he’s fourteen and Rollinsford, NH now has a library.  School Library interviewed Mr. R.J. Bolian recently about his good work.  I don’t usually link to heartwarming stories, but ya gotta admire this kid’s pluck.

• Like children’s books?  Like purses?  Like recycling?  Then consider the handy dandy children’s book pursescreated out of remaindered children’s books.  Dunno if I’d want to be toting about this particular book:

*shudder*  But at least the small purses are cute.  Thanks to Sun Pours Down Like Honey for the link.

• Speaking of shuddering, PBS is computer animating Animalia by Graeme Base into a television show.  Here’s a pic:

Ten’ll get you one that the reptile standing on the two kids’ shoulders is "wisecracking".  *sigh*

• New Blogety Blog Round-Up: 

One More Story
I.N.K. (Interesting Non-Fiction for Kids)

Filed under: Fusenews