Fusenews: You Ain’t Nuthin’ But a Hound/Owl, Watching Passions All the Time

End of the year round-ups come.  End of the year round-ups go.  And then, sometimes, end of the year round-ups leave you panting on the floor, wondering what the heck just hit you.  That’s sort of the response one might have to the Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast Seven-Hundred and Seventy-Seven Skerjillion Questions over Breakfast With… Or: A 2008 7-Imp Retrospective.  If your eyes don’t pop out of your head, they will at the very least tear up.

• With all the talk of Mock Caldecotts and Mock Newberys, why is it that no one ever predicts a Mock Coretta Scott King Award or two?  Well at least one blog is, and it’s in the post 2009 Coretta Scott King Awards – Another Year of Mock Silence.  I definitely agree about the 2009 Mock John Steptoe New Talent Award is going to Bird by Zetta Elliott.  And I agree that We Are the Ship and Stichin’ and Pullin’ by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by Cozbi Cabrera are shoo-ins.  But where on earth is the Sean Qualls lovin’?  Shouldn’t that man be getting an award or two for Before John Was a Jazz Giant or, at the very least, Phillis’s Big Test?  Check out Kyra’s full list, and the rather surprising news about the number of women who have won the aforementioned John Steptoe Award for illustration.  Thanks to Children’s Illustration for the link.

• Fandom can be a funny thing.  What pleases you might baffle me.  Take as today’s example the American Girl Magazine‘s paper dolls.  As one fansite has described them, "Each Issue features a real live girl who has researched her family tree and sent in photos of herself and various female ancestors. The clothes are in vibrant colors and excellent historical and ethnic costumes. The sense of accomplishment for any of these girls is evident, and the artists that take the photos and recreate these real life American Girls as paper dolls are to be commended for their beautiful work."  This particular site has collected quite a few of them for your perusal.  Looks as though the practice existed between 1993 and 2000 or so.  I admit that it’s a pretty nice range, and they’re very nice and multicultural.  It gets me to thinking.  You know, technically American Girl Magazine would count as "children’s literature", though no blogger I know of has ever really explored the periodical side of the children’s literary world.  If you’re thinking of starting a blog of your own, there’s your niche, friend.  Thanks to mom for the link.

• Under normal circumstances I love everything the world’s best children’s literary podcast Just One More Book does. However, recently they went about interviewing a very shifty character.  Look at those beady little eyes.  That malicious little nose.  Would you trust her with your children’s reading recommendations?  I shouldn’t think so.

• It’s been a while, but we finally have another installment in our regular series of Animals That Should Really Have Their Own Picture Books .  This week: Beryl and Wol.  A basset hound and an owl that watch the telly together.  Granted, as a story it’s short on drama.  Maybe someone should steal their TV or something and then write a book about them.  It’s a thought.  Thanks to Shaken and Stirred for the link.

• Over at Pinot and Prose everyone’s favorite Queens librarian blogger Laura Lutz has been doing a little end of the year round-up or two for kicks.  Let’s see here.  You have your Most Improved Cover from its hardcover jacket to its paperback improvement.  And then you have her round-up of favorite covers here and here and also here.  I just love that kind of stuff.

• From Cynopsis Kids :

Actors Hugh Jackman , Hugo Weaving (The Matrix and Lord of the Rings) and Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) will lend their voices to characters in the new Warner Bros. 3D animated feature Guardians of Ga’Hoole , according to Australia’s The Daily Telegraph . Directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Sydney based production company Animal Logic (Happy Feet), Guardians of Ga’Hoole is based on the kid’s books by Kathryn Lasky and slated for release July 30, 2010.

• No no no no no.  Stop it, people.  Stop it right now.  This has gotten far too silly, far too fast and I REFUSE to accept the word wovel (or "web novel", oop ack).  I do not care if it IS on NPR.  Cut. It. Out.  Thanks to Bookninja for the link.

• Editorial Anonymous vows to become more evil in the coming year.  Thatta girl!  Only now I’m feeling kind of wimpy with the "Eat more cupcakes" vow on my own end.  Perhaps I’ll amend it to "Eat more evil cupcakes" instead.

• The results of PW Comics Week’s Third Annual Critic’s Poll have been released and youngster fare didn’t really make a show this year.  A mere two votes went to Cyril Pedrosa’s Three Shadows and Mariko and Jillian Tamaki’s Skim.  But at least a vote did go to Magic Trixie.  Still, Jellaby didn’t make the cut.  Sad sad.  Maybe they have something against webcomics.  Thanks to PW Comics Week for the link.

• Daily Image:

I hate falling for clever promotions.  Hate/Love it, let’s say.  Because right now if you participate in all kinds of Coraline craziness you have a chance to win these shoes:

They’re Nikes with buttons.  Buttons, I say!  You know, between that Benjamin Button movie and Coraline, 2009 is turning out to be a pretty buttontastic year (and yes, I nearly wrote that as butt-tastic but stopped myself in time).

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