Video Sunday: A Bountiful Harvest
First off, this is an immensely cool revision technique that is coming to us today via children’s author Sarah Miller. It’s a revision trick that found its start with one Darcy Pattison and is called The Shrunken Manuscript. Anything that involves sparkles is fine by me. Writers take note:
Thanks to Sarah for the link!
While I am quite certain that the Inkheart puritans amongst you will be properly horrified by the new trailer that just came out, I have to admit that I’m pretty excited. I always felt that Inkheart deserved to be a little more interesting than it was on the page (ironically). Or maybe I’m just blinded by the fact that Paul Bettany’s in it. May you all be so lucky as to write a book that gets turned into a movie with delicious Paul Bettany. That is my blessing to you. Thanks to Educating Alice for the link.
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Monica also reminded me of this animated version of The Three Robbers by Tomi Ungerer. This video is as enjoyable as it is in large part because of Gene Deitch’s vocal touches. Great stuff.
With all the work I do with book trailers, I’m not entirely certainly how the site ExpandedBooks.com escaped my notice. Philip Lee brought it to my attention and boy is it worth it! There’s a whole section dedicated entirely to children’s books. For a taste, check out this trailer for Don Wood’s amazing Into the Volcano.
Thanks for the tipoff, Philip!
In addition to The Shrunken Manuscript, Ms. Sarah Miller also wrote me this: "And it’s a tad late for Banned Books Week, but there’s this creeping little horror if you want to outrage some folks." Y’all are always up for a little outrage, aren’t you? Enjoy then.
Makes me feel seven kinds of dirty. Poor King and King. It’s not the best written book around, but it doesn’t deserve that. Found via Little Willow at Slayground. Thanks to Sarah for the link.
In a way, that last video was like an unironic version of this next one. When I saw that Colbert had finally tackled that red lending menace better known as "libraries" I knew I had to link it. There’s a tongue in his mouth planted so firmly in his cheek that I don’t think we’ll ever get it out. Not that we’d want to.
And for our random link of the day, we have 7-Imp to thank for this magnificent video. I have two words for you. One of those words is "ukuleles". The other word is "Shaft".
I love the part where the camera locates the sole black man in the entire audience and does a close up of him. Thanks to Seven Impossible Things for this holiest of holies.
Filed under: Videos

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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Sure, Paul Bettany, but Brendan Fraser = blech. imho
OK, should have watched the “Proposition 8” clip first, that really put Brendan Fraser into perspective. Zoinks!
Plus Funke has said that she wrote the character with Fraser in mind. This is true.
Love the videos, Betsy! What a great collection. My favorite is The Shrunken Manuscript–but I like finally seeing that horrid, homophobic, book-twisting commercial.