SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

June 6, 2013 by Betsy Bird

Fusenews: “There are no good books which are only for children” – W.H. Auden

June 6, 2013 by Betsy Bird   5 comments

Morning, fellow plebes!  And isn’t the weather just fine and dandy these last few days?  It has been in New York anyway.  Which is to say, it feels like we briefly stole San Francisco’s temperatures for our own use this week.  Giving it back is going to be awful.  To take my mind off that, here are some links and hits that might be of interest to you and yours.

  • First and foremost, were you aware that New York Public Library, my good ,sweet, kind, adorable employer, is going to premier a brand new exhibit on Friday, June 21st and that it’s ALL about children’s literature?  Tis true!  Called The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter, the exhibit is curated by the illustrious Leonard Marcus, “The ABC of It draws on collections across the Library to present the literature for children and teens against a sweeping backdrop of history, the arts, popular culture, and technological change.”  In short, it will feature treasures from the NYPL collection, many of which have never seen the light of day before.  And, naturally, Pooh and friends.  I cannot wait!!
  • While I wouldn’t necessarily agree with all the choices in Flavorwire’s 10 Great Kids Books That Have Never Been Made Into Movies (The Giving Tree?!?!), there are some nice ideas to be found there.  Artemis Fowl not being made before is baffling, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs writes itself, and though Outside Over There was technically already adapted into Labyrinth (check out the credits of you don’t believe me) there’s always room for more.  Thanks to PW Children’s Bookshelf for the link.
  • And now here’s a piece that I haven’t seen on PW Children’s Bookshelf but that would probably fit.  Remember Mara Wilson?  I linked to a piece she wrote last year about why she’s no longer acting.  Mara, as a kid, had a habit of showing up in children’s book adaptations.  Few remember that Mrs. Doubtfire was based on a work of children’s literature, but her star turn in Matilda was clearly from a kid’s book.  Now she’s written a piece called 7 Reasons Child Stars Go Crazy: An Insider’s Perspective.  Witty and urbane it does nothing so much as make me wish she had a blog where I could find such pieces on a regular basis.
  • I can’t help but be a little ashamed to admit that I didn’t know that The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression gives out yearly awards called Muzzles.  These highlight instances where free speech has been restricted.  The awards have been handed out since 1992 and only came to my attention this time around because the 2013 Muzzles feature Amy Timberlake and Adam Rex’s The Dirty Cowboy in the #1 slot.  Very good writing to be found there.  Thanks to AL Direct for the link.
  • Periodically I like to check in on my favorite new blogs.  I’ve mentioned before Views from the Tesseract, the middle grade science fiction and fantasy blog written by fellow NYPLer Stephanie Whelan.  Well a recent post involved this cover image, which sort of made my week:

There are many reasons to love it, but for me it all comes down to the mustache.  That and the hum-dee-hum-dee-hum attitudes of the critters.  Hat tip to Stephanie for the find.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • There’s a character out there that they’re calling “the French Harry Potter” and his name is Oksa?  I’m hooked.  American publication, please!
  • Things I Do Not Know: The number of children’s museums in the country that take the time to feature children’s literature from time to time.  I just don’t know who they are until it’s almost too late.  Take The Walt Disney Family Museum.  I had no idea such a thing existed, until I heard about its current program Maurice Sendak: 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons.  It’s only running from May 23 – July 7, so get in while you can (if you happen to have access to the much-mentioned-today San Francisco, that is).
  • So the upcoming ALA Conference is in two weeks or so (gleep!) and I am having a devil of a time finding an outfit for the Newbery / Caldecott Banquet.  Time is running out and I’m beginning a low ebb of panic.  Maybe it’s all for naught but . . . . gleep.  To take my mind off of my worries I was delighted to discover that inside of ALA this year there is a tiny graphic novel conference called Graphicon.  Check out the roster for it here and be as awed as I.  Ima gonna get me a piece of some of that!  Either that or just enjoy this listing of charming Caldecott celebrations happening hither and thither.
  • So you thought you knew all the children’s book humor awards out there, eh?  Thought they began and ended with the Roald Dahl prize in England and the Sid Fleischman Award here in the States?  Think again!  Clearly you haven’t met the Denise McCoy Legacy Award.  As the site says, “Established in 2005, the Denise McCoy Legacy Award honors the author of the previous year’s most humorous children’s book as selected by the committee.”  The winners are great and the award top notch.  Thanks to past recipient Tom Angleberger for the link.
  • Just when I don’t think I can love Jeff Kinney any more he goes and decides to give his town of 6,000 a new bookstore.  As the PW article points out, he’s hardly the first author to go the bookstore route, but he may be one of the few children’s authors to do so.  Louise Erdrich traipses in both the children’s and adult world of lit, after all.  But pure children’s books?  This is the first in my own recent memory.
  • Daily Image:

The only problem with today’s Daily Image is that now I want to watch this show.  Badly.

Maureen Johnson would like this.  Someone go and tell her about it.  Thanks to Marci for the link!

Filed under: Fusenews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
books to filmsCaldecott Awardcensorship issuesfree speechfunny booksFusenewsHarry Potterhumorindependent bookstores ruleJeff KinneyLaw & OrderLeonard Marcuslibrarian television showsMara WilsonMaurice SendakNew York Public Library

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2019

Fusenews: All the news that's fit to fuse

by Betsy Bird

December 2018

Fuse 8 n' Kate: Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

by Betsy Bird

November 2018

Fusenews: She Has a Name

by Betsy Bird

October 2018

Fusenews: We Would Have Also Accepted "Fast Food Fairies"

by Betsy Bird

September 2018

Fusenews: STEM Girl Fashions, the Death of "Hypothesis", and More

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who? (#184)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day – Trees: Haiku from Roots to Leaves by Sally M. Walker, ill. Angela McKay

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Nat the Cat Takes a Nap

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Here Be Monsters: On Horror, Catharsis, and Uneasy Truces with Yourself, a guest post by author Rebecca Mahoney

by Karen Jensen, MLS

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Three Galactical Adventures for 'Strange World' Fans | Read-Alikes

8 Books For Younger Readers That Feature Animals Celebrating Holidays

13 Hi-Lo Titles, Including Speculative Fiction, Horror, Sports, and Graphic Novels

Remember: 10 Titles to Read for Holocaust Remembrance Day

Women's History Flourishes in Graphic Novels | The Year in SLJ Covers

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. Chelsea C. says

    June 6, 2013 at 1:16 pm

    Your wish has come true: http://marawilsonwritesstuff.com/ I really enjoy her writing, too.

  2. Zoe says

    June 6, 2013 at 3:23 pm

    I was at a talk given by Eoin Colfer next month and he said that there have been attempts to make an Artemis Fowl film for years but for various reasons it has kept running into problems, but he sounded confident that things had now moved on and we will be seeing one on the big screen within a couple of years. His new book WARP is also good film material.

  3. Liz says

    June 6, 2013 at 7:04 pm

    I love the Daily Image, and I seriously disliked my cataloging class in library school, but…what about catalogers. Make it even broader and say Tech Services.

  4. Lisa Yee says

    June 11, 2013 at 9:43 pm

    Pooh!

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      June 11, 2013 at 9:45 pm

      Well spotted! You’re my official Pooh spotter (that came out sounding weirder than I intended).

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023