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July 12, 2009 by Betsy Bird

ALA 2009: Shots from the Convention Floor

July 12, 2009 by Betsy Bird   8 comments

Well, my darlings, I owe you an apology.  Here I am at ALA and the Gods of Wireless have decided to spit upon my miserable carcass.  The only place I have unfettered access is the third floor, conveniently right outside the door of the ALA Notables discussion.  So while I sit here typing I can listen in on their discussions of whether or not there’s a plot in The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate or who the audience is for The Rock and the River.

On the down side, the third part of my video series refuses to post.  I suspect it would work in a different wireless setting.  However my SISTER’s internet (where I am staying) has also split town and left no forwarding address (the internet, not my sister).

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So!  Let’s look at some pretty pretty pictures instead.  Live from Chicago!  It’s ALA! Here’s what it’s like to walk the floor . . .

One lovely thing about the convention is that many a children’s publisher booth features this image of Kate and Kathy, as created by Brian Selznick. The yellow roses too. They’re for remembrance, yes?



Of course, Scholastic had the original painting in their booth:



This is what 500 Neil Gaiman Fans look like at an ALA Convention.



I passed them at 2:00 yesterday then circled back an hour and a half later. Seeing an equally long line I thought to myself, "Who’s signing NOW, for crying out loud?" Answer? Gaiman. He’s like a little autographing machine, that one. Wind up his arm and just watch him patiently, endlessly, relentlessly go go go! The nice thing is that he is now impervious to people walking up and sticking electronic recording devices in his face. It’s kind of fun. You can bypass the line, walk right up to him, foist a camera in his general direction, and he just takes it. At least I didn’t use flash.



This one’s for you, mom. Croc quilting.



And the winner of the Best Last Minute Banner Because The Real One Didn’t Get Delivered Award goes to . . . . Charlesbridge!!!



No book selling event is ever complete without Stormtroopers. Or so I am led to believe.



You may ask, "Were there any galleys of Catching Fire available?" Answer: No. Longer Answer: No, and check out the tape job on this single sole remaining copy of the ARC:



We can do this. I’ll need a team of men, a demolitions expert, a fake ID . . .


M&Ms celebrate Balzer and Bray. Or so I am led to believe. One look at the chocolate goodness and I was lost to the world.



Hey! It’s Uri Shulevitz!



And yes. The rumors are true. Mo Willems has a new pop-up book.



One of these days he’s going to write and illustrate a bad book and then THEN we will know that he is human.  Doggone Mo.


Walter Dean Myers & Son.



And now, if you will excuse me, I’m off to watch some Book Cart Drill Team action.  Yowzah!

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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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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.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rasco from RIF says

    July 12, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    Thanks for all these great shots! And who are these ALA Notables discussing the two topics you mention? Will there be a transcript?

  2. Abby says

    July 12, 2009 at 5:17 pm

    Ack, sorry I missed seeing Mo’s pop-up book! And I am happy to report that there were ARCs of Catching Fire available Saturday morning at least. And I thought they said they were giving more out on Sunday, but I dunno…

  3. Jennifer says

    July 12, 2009 at 5:32 pm

    What? How come I didn’t get to see the new pop-up? They hid it before I came by! No faiiiir!

  4. Tasha says

    July 13, 2009 at 4:07 am

    Actually there were Catching Fire ARCs, but they gave them away at specific times. The lines rivaled Gaiman’s. OK, not quite.

  5. Fuse #8 says

    July 13, 2009 at 11:01 am

    ALA Notables determines the most notable children’s books of a given year. They differ from other committees in that anyone can just wander in and listen. There is no transcript available, unfortunately.

  6. Jennifer Schultz says

    July 13, 2009 at 5:22 pm

    No transcript, but you can keep track of what’s on their list. Do a Google search for the committee, and you’ll find it. You can do the same for BBYA and other committees (I think Popular Paperbacks, etc).

  7. Gerard says

    July 13, 2009 at 8:34 pm

    Holy crap! How the hell did I miss Boba Fett!? Was he therre Saturday? I took some video that day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNR66iJ8wjI

  8. mhg says

    July 14, 2009 at 3:37 pm

    I think it’s a wonderful tribute to Kate and Kathy who once took me for lunch before my program at the Perrot Library. They were two greats ladies.

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