Fusenews: Juggling pocket kittens

• Full credit to my co-writer Jules at Seven Impossible Things for bringing my attention to this rather awesome new site.  Uncovered Cover Art calls itself a sketchbook of “reimagined children’s books”.  What that means is that artists are encouraged to submit their own interpretations of children’s book jackets.  The hope is that industry insiders would then see said art and commission the artists for original picture books.  Can’t hurt to try, that’s what I say.  The site’s creator, editor Heidi Kellenberger, goes on to say, “To celebrate the launch of Uncovered Cover Art, the three most popular artists will receive a copy of Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration. Voting starts today and ends August 30th.”  To submit your own art, see the details here.  I like a lot of what I’ve seen here (it reminds me of the art found at Terrible Yellow Eyes) but my favorite may be this simple image of The Three Bears reimagined with pandas by Billy Nuñez.  Pandas!  Brilliant!  Why has this never been done before (or has it?).

• We begin with a happy post so that we might soften the blow of the sad.  I’m no fan of bookstore chains.  They pretty much cast out all the great independent bookstores of Kalamazoo, my hometown, and I remain bitter to this day.  That said, it would take a heart colder than mine to find joy in the closing of Borders and its remaining 399 stores.  11,000 people are now out of a job and, in some towns, there will be no more bookstore.  Never a good thing.

• I don’t usually pay much attention to YA.  But that cover of Marissa Meyer’s Cinder?  Entrancing.

• Hm.  Today let us put all the Potter posts together in one spot for easy convenience shall we?  First off, I love me a good maze.  A Potter maze would just be icing on the cake.  Next, let’s face facts.  Harry was a swell guy but the real power behind the throne?  Hermione. I thought about putting Alan Rickman’s World Cup acceptance speech on behalf of Severus Snape in a Video Sunday, but.. ah.  What the heck.  It’s fine here.  One of the funniest links I came across was this piece in Slate where two muggles who have never read a page of J.K. Rowling watch Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  Sample dialogue: “JS: I think Dumbledore is gay. JG: I’m glad we both remembered that factoid surely pivotal to the plot of this 8th and final movie.”  Finally, there’s a great list up of The Least Successful ‘Potter’ Imitators.  Just because a movie stars kids that doesn’t make it an “imitator”.  However the list is fascinating because you can see how big the flops really were.

• “What can a children’s picture book writer do to help their submission stand out from the rest?” They don’t throw softballs at agent Jennifer Laughran.  She answers that query with a great deal of info over at Jennifer Represents.  For those of you who were curious.

• Got a question for you: How many films based on The Wizard of Oz are currently in production.  Go on.  Guess.  One?  Four?  Nine?  Would you believe . . . ELEVEN!!!!???? Because if you don’t, you may yet keep your sanity.  Here’s my favorite of the multiple movie posters coming:

Doesn’t mean the movie will be any good.  I’m just amused by the tagline.  If I ever write an Oz takeoff I’m gonna call it And What About Scarecrow’s Brain?

• I love me a bit of satire.  And library satire is best served with a chilled white wine.  Preferably Chardonnay.  With that in mind be sure you enjoy The Library is Dead, Long Live the Library.  Thanks to Screwy Decimal (who received the best summer reading sign-up sheet of all time the other day) for the link.

• It’s a great title: The Giving Tree: A Picture Book Without a Hero.  The illustrious Jonathan Auxier tackles the first branch in the Triumvirate of Mediocrity.  And while I’m thinking of it, the fantastic Miss Julie recently recounted an encounter (encounter recounting!) between James Kennedy and Mr. Auxier.  To my delight, she wrote it in the style of Mr. Kennedy himself.  No small feat.

• Huh. That’s interesting.  Something about Dead End in Norvelt is different these days.  Check it out:

Mighty interesting indeed.

• In other news, Penguin covers would make great band-aids.  And your kid would be the envy of their little friends.  Who wouldn’t want to show up at school with a Marquis de Sade token on their wrist?

• This is the kind of thing that makes my little heart go pitter-pat.  The discover of the Croation Association of Researchers in Children’s Literature.  I love discovering children’s literary groups from other countries.  In this case, the CARICL has established its first literary magazine.  *sigh*  Delightful.  Thanks to Playing By the Book for the link.

• Daily Image:

Though I wouldn’t swear to it, I don’t believe I’ve ever shown you this on the blog before:

Curious?  It’s the entrance to the Children’s Section at the Cerritos Millennium Library in Cerritos, California.  Also known as a place I just gotta get to someday.  Thanks to Aunt Judy for the link!

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