Fusenews: Pro-Selly-Tize
Clutches and mobiles and earrings, oh my! Alison Morris has done us the ultimate favor in collecting the best possible book-related Etsy offerings. If you’re getting in on some last minute shopping or have been brain dead until now, consider her your savior. I was a fan of the bracelet that uses your favorite words from the dictionary. Though I think that they could be more imaginative in their sample image, don’t you? Wouldn’t you love a bracelet that said things like "sloth", "turgid", "moot", and so on? Of course you’d have to know someone pretty well to assume their favorite words . . .
- I like it when people explain things to me. So to have J.L. Bell at Oz and Ends discussing the greater implication and ramifications of the recent Borders/Harper Collins agreement is a boon beyond measure. The Wall Street Journal announced it in these terms: "Borders Group Inc. has agreed to accept books from HarperStudio on a nonreturnable basis, departing from a decades-old publishing tradition." Bell’s thoughts siphon off the cream.
- On the one hand the Washington Post released their Best Kids Books list just the other day (not the best of 2008 since they have a 2007 title on there). On the other hand they *yawn* just rewrote the Anita Silvey article on the Newbery. Blah de blah de blah. I love how reading for pleasure can only mean one thing in the world of these writers. For example, I know lots of kids who use Good Masters, Sweet Ladies as audition fare and enjoy reading certain monologues over and over so that they can get the cadences just right. Articles like this one are just so doggone limited in their definitions. Non-fiction readers? Your needs might be met but if your taste is not that of the masses then your opinion doesn’t apparently count. Thanks to Shaken and Stirredfor the links.
- If the discombobulation of various authors and illustrators suits you, you may be interested in Peter’s post over at Collecting Children’s Books. It contains such memorable nuggets as Lloyd Alexander getting questioned as a scruffy individual and Jean Craighead George offering guests dog food.
- In spite of the fact that Hollywood seems to take a particular liking to destroying Ursula LeGuin’s books in the most painful ways possible, according to Galleycat (who got it from Publishers Marketplace) she has, "sold the film rights to The Left Hand of Darkness." Well, gee. They couldn’t possibly screw this one up as well, could they? Could they?
- Everyone’s favorite literature consultant Judy Freeman was on NPR’s Morning Edition this past weekend. The piece was called A Holiday Reading Tradition for the Whole Family and in it Judy gets to proselytize the advantages of reading aloud. Sounds good on my end. It also includes her annotated booklist of Children’s Books For The Holidays. Coo.
- New York City graphic and web designers take note. My buddy-o Don has created a new social networking site with you folks specifically in mind. Called NYC Designers it’s just getting off the ground, but if you are so inclined you might want to join. FYI.
- Daily Image:
Too much fun. Self button eye-i-fication is possible in the Other Mother Workshop as per the upcoming Coraline movie. I admit I may have tried a little too hard for creepiness:
Can you blame me? Thanks to Educating Alice for the link.
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 Kirkus, 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 BlueSky at: @fuse8.bsky.social
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GAH!!!! i’m totally going to have nightmares about you.
I hope non returnable books will become the norm. An old fashioned practice that I feel is abusive, especially towards picture book people. A book can be read and returned, then it reflects on a that book, on that illustrator, that author who must take the brunt of the blame that their book did not sell well enough to get that next contract. It might also stop the illogical notion that the pb people need the celebrity books in order to support the “regular” pb folks (which doubles the abuse on to the real pb people). These corporate thoughts and logic in an artistic business makes no sense. But that’s corporate thinking in general. Look at our economy and you can tell that theives and well dressed sharks became heroes while everything around them crumbles as they count their money (soon to be while in jail where they belong). Why give a child this legacy of abuse towards the ones who truly feed them knowledge and not the corporate rhetoric. Shame, shame publishers for falling for it in the first place. Time to make changes that support your real talent. For without them you have no jobs.
Great comment about the Post article. Yawn, indeed. The children’s litosphere was raving about it a month ago and we’ve *so* moved on. Amazing how slow the rest of the world is on this sort of thing. Been there, done that.