Video Sunday: And the Reading Rainbow Mash-Ups Just Keep On Coming

There was no question in my mind which video to begin with today.  I cannot help but think that meeting Quentin Blake must be akin to meeting Roald Dahl.  The man is a living legend and this video is a true treasure.  Would that every illustrator were half so thorough when discussing the preservation, creation, and process that goes into their art.  A very big thank you to Jonathan Cape Graphic Novels for the link.

Mind you, Quentin had some stiff competition for the top video of the day.  He only narrowly beat out this Reading Rainbow remix.

I’ve been trying to identify all the books in the video but it is incredibly tough.  I can account for Carl Hiaasen’s Flush, Christopher Paul Curtis’s Elijah of Buxton, and what appears to be a Civil Rights book that I can never quite catch the title of.  Other spotted books are welcome.  Mention them!  And thanks to mom for the link.  Probably the only time you’ll ever see the New Orleans Bounce on this blog, I’d wager.

Benefit books come out occasionally but rarely do they incorporate Broadway stars.  Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project is benefiting breast cancer research.  You’ve got big name vocalists singing songs from big name composers with a book illustrated by big name artists (for the most part).  Here’s the roster:

” . . . the project’s book component also features a distinctive cover illustration by fabled cartoonist/playwright Jules Feiffer, along with a foreword written by stage and screen legend Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton. Among the award-winning illustrators lending their talents are Selina Alko, Lynne Avril, Paulette Bogan, Beowulf Boritt, Lauren Castillo, R. Gregory Christie, Seymour Chwast, Jane Dyer, Richard Egielski, Daniel Glucksman, Julia Gran, Ying-Hwa Hu, Genevieve LeRoy-Walton, Betsy Lewin, Anna Louizos, Victor Mays, Emily Arnold McCully, Wendell Minor, Barry Moser, Jon J Muth, Sean Qualls, Peter H. Reynolds, Marc Simont, Javaka Steptoe, Melissa Sweet, Cornelius Van Wright, Neil Waldman, Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, Tony Walton, Gary Zamchick, and Paul O. Zelinsky.”

I had no idea Jules Feiffer was a fable.  And here I was convinced he was a real person.  In any case, impressive list of names!  A couple I don’t know but most I do. And here, on a related note, is a glimpse at one of the songs.

Thanks to Rich Michelson for the info.

Speaking of Julie Andrews, I’m sure you’ve all seen Stephen Colbert’s interview with her in conjunction with his own picture book release of I Am a Pole, And So Can You (blurbed unwillingly by Maurice Sendak).  I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Andrews but I remain confident that it will happen sometime.  You can run, but YOU CAN’T HIDE, JULIE!  In the meantime, I can’t quite figure out how Colbert got her to sing.

And now, fun with trailers.  My librarians are gaga over this next book, and I have to concede that that color palette is remarkable.  The timing on the trailer itself, though, is most alluring to me.

Thanks to David Maybury for the link.

That’s sort of your traditional trailer.  This next is NOT traditional, and its timing is very good indeed.  You can always tell when folks put work into these things.  And like all good superhero movies, there’s a little bit after the credits.

And finally, there were lots of ideas out there for today’s off-topic.  I gotta go with Gotta Book on this one, though.  Gregory K introduced me to this video where a guy sings all the periodic elements in order.  I told my husband about it and his response was, “Well the ending’s going to be weird.”  He called that one.

Thanks to Gregory K for the link!

Filed under: Videos