Fusenews: We would also have accepted Little Witch Ramona Potter and Harry in the Green Mountain Game

The 100 Best Children’s Novels Poll results are done at long last and folks are weighing in. Read Eric’s latest encapsulation if you need a quick hit and the Debbie Reese post on all the mentions of American Indians in the poll results.  Then follow that up with the 100 Scope Notes piece where Travis creates a Wordle where he determines that the most successful children’s book of all time would have to be called, Little Harry Potter and the Green Witch Ramona Mountain Game. For my own part I can finally return to my regular blog features with impunity. The Fusenews has been running a little dry lately. Let’s see what the week revealed:

• One of the best children’s literature bloggers out there has just has a baby.  Can you guess which one?

• Good old,  Cynopsis Kids .  Honestly, I haven’t heard this news anywhere else and, in my opinion, it’s kind of huge:

"Cary Granat and Ed Jones’ new Bedrock Studios and Arcady Bay Entertainment are working together to develop a new feature based on author Katherine Paterson‘s ( Bridge to Terabithia , Jacob Have I Loved and many others) upcoming young adult fantasy book The Flint Heart, according to Variety .  Arcady Bay is helmed by Paterson’s son David Paterson, who will also adapt The Flint Heart for the big screen.  Granat, the author and Arcady Bay previously worked together on the movie version of Bridge to Terabithia).  Publisher Candlewick Press plans to release the book in 2011."

• Along similar children’s entertainment lines, over at Cockeyed Caravan, the resident husband examines a Saturday morning cartoon of infinite unspeakable weirdness (and copious tights), and gives a rather good explanation as to why television was so bizarre when I was young.  "Along with ‘Ren and Stimpy’, this represents a transitional period in which very smart people were trying to do bold work within a very hidebound old form. Eventually, with the rise of Adult Swim and other new venues, bizarro animation would find a more stable home, but at this point they just had to keep freaking out little kids (except for the weird kids, who were delighted that someone was finally speaking their language)."    Weird kids of the world, unite!

• Author Jacqueline Wilson was in my library the other day.  That was nice.  Here in America she’s really not a household name.  Overseas?  She’s enormous.  Note her position in the recent Telegraph article that listed Lucinda Everett’s opinion of The 20 greatest children’s books ever.  And in Scotland her books constituted the most stolen titles from libraries in 2009.  A dubious honor, but an honor nonetheless.  Thanks to AL Direct for the second link.

• I’m no longer alone!  It seems strange to me that with as many public children’s librarians as there are in New York City, almost none of them blog about children’s literature.  Recently, however, I discovered one other.  Miss Print is a lovely little blog from a library student working as a clerk in one of the NYPL branches.  Okay, granted she’s not a full-fledged librarian yet, but it’s the closest I’ve gotten so far to finding a fellow NYC public librarian blogger.  So woot to you, miss!

• You may have heard a bit of a brou-ha-ha emanating from Canada in the last week or two.  Jewish groups in that country have been seeking to ban The Shepherd’s Granddaughter by Anne Laurel Carter because of its depiction of Israeli soldiers and settlers.  I was immensely impressed with Marjorie Ingall’s staid and intelligent response to this in her Tablet article Banned in Canada.  Some of the best writing on the subject I’ve yet to encounter.  A must read.

• Author James Preller highlights some of my favorite librarian movies in a post where he also compares me to an image of Bunny Watson.  And not because there are warm-blooded critters in both of our names either.  Ah, SLJ cover controversy.  You live on eternally in our hearts and minds.

• So I’m sitting in my home the other day listening to Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, and they start interviewing two members of The Village People.  Fair enough.  The Village People are playing the game Not My Job, which I think I’d do terribly on (I do much better on the game where you have to tell truth from fiction).  Then Peter asks Carl who The Village People are playing for to which Carl replies, "Peter, they’re playing for Deborah Heiligman of New York, New York."  Say what?  Call me kooky, but how many folks living in New York have the name Deborah Heiligman (who, you will recall, is the author of 2009’s magnificent Charles and Emma ).  Sure as shooting it’s her, and what’s more they win for her!  So Deborah has posted A Writing Challenge on her blog.  What should Carl say on her answering machine?  Go tell her.

• I started my blogging career with a series I called Hot Men of Children’s Literature.  To this day, I think it remains my most popular feature.  Of course I had to end it eventually (not that there aren’t new candidates every year) and that’s been fine.  I’ve not regretted the choice.  However, an author who I think prefers to remain anonymous sent me this link to a blog called, I kid you not, Hot Guys Reading.  Pretty much what it sounds like.  Insofar as I can tell there is no female equivalent.  And what we can draw from that is . . . ?

• I have instant love for anyone who visits my library, takes copious pictures, then blogs about it.  Daniela of Piojo de Libro recently did just that.  The shots of my children’s room in particular are quite lovely.  Gracias, Daniela!  Gracias.

• There are a couple reasons that I love the site 5 Minute Marvels.  I love the idea of a blog where parents draw different fictional characters with their kids, and it’s just fun for everyone.  Heck, I love the idea of drawing with your kids in general.  I don’t like to use the word "bonding" but it certainly would bring folks together.  But what I love the most?  The site has a lot of examples of girls drawing superheroes.  I’ve always been of the opinion that more girls should draw more superheroes professionally (and thereby change the face of comics in the future).  Brilliant. Thanks to Hark, A Vagrant for the link.

• Daily Image:

I call this the world’s coolest storytime hat.  Doing a dragon theme?  Then suit up, my fellows!

They sell it at an online store called Fuzzhats.  The dragon’s nice, but I think my heart belongs to the flamingo.  The yeti would be choice #3.  Thanks to mom for the link. 

Filed under: Fusenews