Fusenews: Amuck Amuck Amuck!

• Walter Minkel has a piece up on his blog The Monkey Speaks that ties in a recent New York Times article about latchkey kids with the unaccompanied children we children’s librarians see so often in our rooms.  It is interesting how many parents see libraries as "safe" places and the librarians as kind of de facto nannies.  As Walter points out, for many lower-income families it’s either the library or shut the kids up in the abode until a parent comes home.  Those people I can understand.  And I really feel for them on the snow days when they’re suddenly encumbered with children and yet they have to still get to work on time.  No, it’s the ones that just leave their children and go off to enjoy themselves or do some shopping that bother me.  Fun story: One day I was sitting on the reference desk when I heard a kind of low-decibel crying that didn’t sound like it was being hushed or comforted in any way.  A little exploration and we found a three-year-old girl who had wedged herself beneath her five (at most) year-old brother as he played on the computer.  He didn’t really seem to care about the noise she was making so we asked where their mom was.  Taking his sister’s hand he walked to the other side of the room and we figured that was that.  Soon, though, one of our sainted security guards came to us with the kids saying that they’d somehow gotten to the first floor and were wandering around looking for their mom.  We kept them under very strict supervision (did I mention that our guards are saints?) until the mom came back.  Apparently she had decided to do some shopping on 5th Avenue and thought it would be a good idea to leave her very very very small children in the library alone, in the middle of New York City, until she came back.  Rest assured that our security guards gave that woman one HECK of a talking to about that little plan.  I bet you other librarians out there have similar stories you could relate.
  

• Alison at ShelfTalker reveals a cover that may well win this year’s coveted Most Misleading Book Jacket Award.

• Tea Cozy reprints the ALA press release for the upcoming I Love My Librarian Award.  It’s open to public, school, and academic librarians, which is rather nice.  By the way, if anyone can recommend a good inexpensive NYC hotel to Liz (I wouldn’t know, I just live here) don’t hesitate to drop her a note.  I’d recommend The Library Hotel but talk about a pricey joint.

• This is fandom at its finest.  A fellow is raising money to buy Mr. G a RoboPanda.  Be sure to cast your eyes on this adorable site and look at how much has been already raised for the man.  That is fanlove in its finest flower.  Also, if you would like to enter a sweepstakes to get sent to Portland, Oregon to see the premier of Coraline go here.

• How exciting!  According to Sam Riddleburger, his pal David Lasky has just been signed to write a graphic novel biography of the Carter family.  Much with the awesome that.  And according to Omnivoracious, "Lasky’s earned serious teen cred by teaching at the nonprofit kids’ writing center 826 Seattle, where he helped budding teen comic artists create and publish three 826 Seattle Comic Books: All Systems Go!, Family Portraits, and Happiness?."  Here’s a quick pic then to whet your whistle:

• Two authors contacted me at the same time about possibly mentioning some book contests they have in conjunction with their upcoming titles.  I know it’s all publicity, but I like pairing these two together since they run the gamut of online book giveaways.  On the one hand you have Jenny Meyerhoff giving away a full package of book goodies to participating classrooms each month in conjunction with her book Third Grade Baby.  Then on the other hand you have the more YA Micol Ostow and her cyber-launch party for her book Popular Vote wherein she will be conducting Q&As with various authors and giving away books, bookmarks, and other delights.  You have been duly informed.

• Daily Image:

Author Cheryl Rainfield found this poster for the upcoming Little House on the Prairie musical and I thought it sufficiently cool to include it here today.