Fusenews: Is it Hoarding Chocolate Hannukah Coins?

• This one goes out to all the people working in low-income school that would love to get a good author or illustrator to come in for a visit.  Can’t handle paying their fee?  Happens all the time.  Author/illustrators can’t afford to give away their services for nothing and schools want to give their kids a thrill but don’t have the funds to do so.  Credit Grace Lin then for telling us about The Foundation of Children’s Books.  As she so eloquently puts it, "The Foundation funds school visit programs for low-income schools. So, schools that usually can’t afford an author to visit, get one and the author doesn’t have to suffer financially either."  Wow.  So if you’re in a public school library, maybe it’s worth checking out.

• Are you an author struggling to work on that manuscript, but you just can’t quite make yourself get off the couch?  Do you suffer from wanting to read good book rather than do anything productive with your day?  Then congrats!  According to Laini Taylor and Stephanie Perkins, you can now be a proud member of L.A.M.E. or the League of Authors Misapplying Energy. Act now and you might also be able to get a membership to B.O.R.E.D. or Bloggers and Ordinary Readers Easily Diverted.  Caveat: L.A.M.E. has a much better logo.

• 2009 Books I Want to Read: The Storm in the Barn, a graphic novel from Matt Phelan.  Thanks to Matt Phelan himself for the news.

• If you can swallow any more thoughts, I was rather charmed by Sam Riddleburger’s My Take on the Newbe(r)ry.  He’s not going to forgive us for not giving Lizard Music so much as an Honor, though.  Oh.  And I like the name of one of his upcoming books.  Origami Yoda.  Already interested.

• The 2009 Charlotte Zolotow Awards have been announced.  The winner?  Bob Graham’s How to Heal a Broken Wing. Nice choice.

• Coo.  Thanks to Swiss Miss I just found The Book Cover Archive.  It’s not strictly for children’s books, but there is a Youth category, with a title or two.  So far they seem to prefer the annotated classics.  Something to keep an eye on.

• I have noticed a trend.  I am very happy to notice this trend since I sometimes feel like this blog simply consists of me regurgitating the wit of others rather than producing anything new of my own.  But I have spotted a trend that, as far as I know, no one else has noticed.  It involves authors and their books.  If I don’t miss my guess, publishers have been very nice, sending their authors hardbound special leather copies of their own novels.  I first noticed it on Laurel Snyder’s blog, when she got a lovely edition from Random House of Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains.  Then I noticed it on Susan Pfeffer’s blog as well, only this time for Life as We Knew It from Harcourt.  So this seems to be a trend that stretches across publishing houses.  Have other people received such gifts lately as well?

• Daily Image:

Absolutely nothing came to my attention today.  Drastic times call for drastic measures.  I have only one option left and that is . . .

When it doubt go for the tasty fantasy critter.  Particularly if it has a multi-sided die in its claw.  Thanks to BoingBoing for the link.

Filed under: Fusenews