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.

• 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.

• 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. 

• 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].

• 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.

• 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: 9780141383439

JENNY 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

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