Fusenews: High Flying Adored
Every plant has its day. Particularly when that "day" involves a little Mary Jay. Yup, Kelly at Big A little a managed to score a link to a picture book entirely about that pernicious weed . It’s called It’s Just a Plant , and The Flux Blog did a lovely pairing of this text alongside the atrocious opposite end in the spectrum of bad children’s picture books.
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This concept was so bizarre that it just might work in certain spheres. Via the Guardian blog, it’s The new library fad: borrow a person.
"The idea, which comes from Scandinavia, is simple: instead of books, readers can come to the library and borrow a person for a 30-minute chat. The human “books” on offer vary from event to event but always include a healthy cross-section of stereotypes. Last weekend, the small but richly diverse list included Police Officer, Vegan, Male Nanny and Lifelong Activist as well as Person with Mental Health Difficulties and Young Person Excluded from School. I was there as Gay Man."
Huh. Interesting. In New York you’d have to start off a pilot program somewhere with a high readership. Maybe Greenwich Village with a big sign advertising the idea. Then you could branch off elsewhere. The hip Mulberry Street branch in Soho would be a logical extension. Definitely the new Bronx Library Center. The mind boggles. Thanks to Finding Wonderland for the link.
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Drawing upon a Chasing Ray piece and one from Editorial Ass , author Gail Gauthier discusses the notion of authorial/blogger closeness and how it affects reviewing. "it becomes very difficult to approach bloggers to review your books, as Colleen at Chasing Ray suggests, because you know everybody . It’s too much like asking the guy down the street or the woman in the cubicle next to you at work to put in a good word with you somewhere." I guess that that’s true to a certain extent. I’ve never had a problem saying no to someone, though. There are so many other wonderful blogs out there that I figure my lack of a review won’t crush anybody’s little tender heart.
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So. Mr. Schwartzman gives New York Public Library lots of money. New York Public Library decides to put his name on the Humanities Library facade (the one with the lions). Five times . My oh my. [And then the employee of the institution zippaed-zee-lips].
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Authors of historical fiction looking to earn themselves a cool $10,000 (yum!) might be interested in the James Madison Book Award . Basically, if you wrote a non-fiction work for children in 2007, you are eligible. I already submitted four of my favorites ( Nothing But Trouble , Strong Man , Black and White Airmen , and The Long Gone Lonesome History of Country Music ) but feel free to check it out and send in your own suggestions as well.
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I love the Carnegie Medal and Kate Greenaway Medals for numerous reasons. Today’s new reason: The 2008 Kate Greenaway Medal’s shortlist begins with the song lyric, "Yes, we have no bananas." Sublime. Here are the shortlisted titles for each medal:
Carnegie Medal:
KEVIN CROSSLEY-HOLLAND Gatty’s Tale
Orion (Age range: 10+)
ISBN: 9781842552735
LINZI GLASS Ruby Red
Penguin (Age range: 12+)
ISBN: 9780141382807
ELIZABETH LAIRD Crusade
Macmillan (Age range: 10+)
ISBN: 9780330443111
TANYA LANDMAN Apache
Walker (Age range: 12+)
ISBN: 9781406303315
PHILIP REEVE Here Lies Arthur
Scholastic (Age range: 12+)
ISBN: 9780439955331
MEG ROSOFF What I Was
Penguin (Age range: 12+)
ISBN: 9780141383439JENNY VALENTINE Finding Violet Park
HarperCollins (Age range: 12+)
ISBN: 9780007214457
Kate Greenaway Medal:
ANTHONY BROWNE Silly Billy
Walker Books (Age range: 5+)
ISBN: 9780744570175
POLLY DUNBAR Penguin
Walker Books (Age range: 3+)
ISBN: 9781844280650
EMILY GRAVETT Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears
Macmillan (Age range: 6+)
ISBN: 9781405089487
EMILY GRAVETT Monkey and Me
Macmillan (Age range: 0+)
ISBN: 9781405089494
JANE RAY (Text by Carol Ann Duffy) The Lost Happy Endings
Bloomsbury (Age range: 9+)
ISBN: 9780747579229
CHRIS RIDDELL Ottoline and the Yellow Cat
Macmillan (Age range: 7+)
ISBN: 9781405050579
ED VERE Banana!
Puffin (Age range: 0+)
ISBN: 9780141500591
Filed under: Fusenews
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.
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Shameless Editorial Bookmongering alert: GATTY’S TALE by Kevin Crossley-Holland will be published here in the fall under the title CROSSING TO PARADISE. And it’s lovely.
I like the Evita reference in the heading, Fuse. Good one!
You are just a little bit confused about the James Madison Award. (My book was a contender for the first award and I also believed — for a few heart-attack minutes — that I was the winner — until I looked at the winning title again and realized it was that other Wright Brothers book that won, not mine.)…….. Here goes: This is not an award for Historical Fiction. The award goes to the best nonfiction children’s book of the previous year (as judged by a panel of parents and educators) that covers American History. The money was donated by the Vice-President’s wife, Lynne Cheney, from the monies she is making on her best-selling books. The award is announced July 1st of the next year and a ceremony is held in Washington, DC with the winner…… p.s. have a great time in Seattle.
–WendieO