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October 28, 2014 by Betsy Bird

Fusenews: Bemoaning, Lamenting, and Generally Carrying On

October 28, 2014 by Betsy Bird   13 comments

  • A stumper to begin the day. I got this message from my aunt and I simply do not know the answer. Librarians of the world, do you know? Just to clarify beforehand, the answer is unfortunately not Are Your My Mother? by P.D. Eastman:

“… seeking info on a children’s book that was [a] favorite at least 30 years ago about a baby bird (with goggles) who is having trouble learning to fly.”

  • Here’s a new one.  Apparently the 2014 Nobel Prize winner for literature is a French author with a children’s book to his name.  And the book?  According to Karen MacPherson it’s Catherine Certitude.  Now THAT is a title, people!
  • Boy howdy.  The New Yorker is just NOT pleased with the state of literature for the young today. If they’re not bemoaning YA literature in some context they’re lamenting Percy Jackson.  And yet they think John Green is charm incarnate.  Go figure.
  • Me Stuff: Pop Goes the Page was very very kind and did a little behind-the-scenes interview with me about good old Giant Dance Party.  Ain’t Dana swell?  Meanwhile my favorite transgender children’s librarian Kyle Lukoff just posted a review of Wild Things on his blog.  I’ve been very impressed by his reviews, by the way.  The critique of A is for Activist is dead on.
  • On the one hand, this may well be the most interesting board book I’ve seen in a long time.  On the other, why can’t I buy it through Ingram or Baker & Taylor?  Gah!
  • Movie news! Specifically Number the Stars movie news. Read on:

Young readers and their families enjoyed an afternoon celebrating the 25th anniversary of Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars  at Symphony Space in New York on October 19th.  Actor Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings) was on hand to read from Lowry’s work,. He and his wife Christine have secured the rights to adapt the book for film.

The event was one of the Thalia Kids’ Book Club series at Symphony Space. The next event is a celebrity-studded tribute to the work of E. B. White on Wednesday, November 19th, with proceeds benefiting First Book Manhattan. (Link: http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/8497/Family-Literature/thalia-kids-book-club-terrific-tails-a-celebration-of-eb-white

Lowry event PHOTOS just posted via Getty Images: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/lois-lowry-and-sean-astin-attends-number-the-stars-25th-news-photo/457520190

  • Aw heck.  Since I’m just reprinting small press releases at this point, I’d be amiss in missing this:

ASK ME ANOTHER WITH MO WILLEMS

  • Date: Wednesday, November 5
  • Time: 6:30 doors, 7:30 show
  • Price: $20 advance, $25 door
  • Location: The Bell House, 149 7th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Aves), Brooklyn, NY 11215
  • Ticket Link: http://www.thebellhouseny.com/event/699477-ask-me-another-brooklyn/
  • Blurb: Join NPR’s Ask Me Another, along with host Ophira Eisenberg and house musician Jonathan Coulton, for a rousing night of brainteasers, comedy, and music. This week’s V.I.P. (that’s puzzle speak for Very Important Puzzler), is acclaimed children’s book author Mo Willems. Willems is known for titles like Knuffle Bunny, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and the Elephant and Piggie series. See how he fares in a trivia game written just for him. For more information and tickets visit www.amatickets.org.

As a children’s materials specialist I have a little file where I keep track of my 80+ library branches and the types of books they want.  One of the topics you’ll find on my list?  Death.  We’re always asked to provide books about the bereavement process.  Now The Guardian has done a nice little round-up of some of the more recent ones.  Note, though, that death books all have on thing in common: They’re all about white families.  Finding a multicultural book about death isn’t impossible but it is harder than it should be, particularly when we’re discussing picture books.  Thanks to Kate for the link.

  • There is a tendency online when a story breaks to write a post that comments on one aspect or another of the situation without saying what the problem was in the first place.  That’s why we’re so grateful to Leila Roy.  If you found yourself hearing vague references to one Kathleen Hale and her article of questionable taste in The Guardian but didn’t know the whole story, Leila makes all clear here.
  • Hm. I like Harry Potter as much as the next guy but the Washington Post article Why the Harry Potter Books Are So Influential All Around the World didn’t quite do it for me.  Much of it hinges on believing that HP is multicultural.  I don’t suppose I’m the only person out there who remembers that in the original printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Dean Thomas was not mentioned as black.  That was added for subsequent editions.  Ah well.  Does it matter?
  • Daily Show Head Writer and fellow-who-is-married-to-a-children’s-librarian Elliott Kalan recently wrote a piece for Slate that seeks to explain how his vision of New York as a child was formed by Muppets Take Manhattan and Ghostbusters.  But only the boring parts.  Yup.
  • Fountas and Pinnell have a message for you: They’re sorry.  Thanks to Colby Sharp for the link.
  • Daily Image:

They’ve finally announced the winner of the whopping great huge Kirkus Prize.  And the final finalist on the children’s side turns out to be . . . Aviary Wonders, Inc.  And here’s an image of the committee that selected the prize with the winner herself.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

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Left to right: E.K. Johnston (author finalist), Vicky Smith (Kirkus Children’s Editor), Claudette McLinn, Kate Samworth, John Peters, and Linda Sue Park.

They mentioned the prize money but they never mentioned that the winner also gets a TROPHY!!  That’s big.  We don’t get many trophies in our business.  Well played.  And thanks to Claudette McLinn for the photo.

Filed under: Fusenews

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book to film adaptationsdeathFrench children's booksFusenewsHarry PotterMe stuffMo Willemsstumpers

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. Even in Australia says

    October 28, 2014 at 10:24 am

    I have no answers but I have another stumper. I remember a children’s book I read as a kid (in the late 70s or early 80s, although of course it could have been published well before then) about a boy who was followed everywhere by a rain cloud. It could be sunny everywhere else but it would rain just on him. I have not been able to figure it out despite posting on “what’s that book” and like sites. Any ideas?!? Thanks!

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      October 28, 2014 at 6:07 pm

      Oog. That sounds familiar. There’s always Loganberry Books for true stumpers, of course.

    • Lucia Dirrig says

      October 29, 2014 at 10:28 am

      I think you are looking for WET ALBERT by Michael and Joanne Cole. I commented below about the book.

  2. Christina Cucci says

    October 28, 2014 at 11:09 am

    is the title Calvin Can’t Fly by Jennifer Berne

  3. Liz Parrott says

    October 28, 2014 at 1:00 pm

    Thanks for posting about Kyle Lukoff. His blog is a great find!

  4. Jean says

    October 28, 2014 at 2:14 pm

    My go-to grief book for any age, any culture is Lucille Clifton’s Everett Anderson’s Goodbye. Elegant, timeless, and hopeful.

  5. Amy says

    October 28, 2014 at 2:27 pm

    Betsy, I got the ISBN from Debbie Reese for “We All Count”–it’s 978155476398 . I’m going to try to get it for OPL. Won’t be easy–it’s not even on Amazon as of now.

  6. Lucia Dirrig says

    October 28, 2014 at 8:40 pm

    Perhaps you are thinking of WET ALBERT by Michael and Joanne Cole. Albert ends up using his cloud to fix droughts. It was published in the 60’s so the timing sounds right. I hope that helps!

  7. Fran Manushkin says

    October 29, 2014 at 12:36 pm

    My book about the death of Katie Woo’s dog in GOODBYE TO GOLDIE features an Asian-American girl and her friends Pedro and Jojo, who are latino and African-American. I don’t know Goldie’s heritage.

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      October 29, 2014 at 2:14 pm

      Ah ha! That’s one! Good call, Fran.

  8. Amy says

    October 29, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    Update on “We All Count: a book of Cree Numbers:” I’ve been communicating with the author, and she got her publisher to list it on Amazon:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554763983

    I’ve also encouraged her to ask the publisher to submit it to at least one of the major distributors–B&T, Ingram, Brodart, or PGW. She’s going to let me know if that happens.

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      October 30, 2014 at 1:49 pm

      Thank you, Amy. Because I’m a large system I can’t go through Amazon. Anything that can be done to get this book into the hands of readers is appreciated.

  9. Cory Eckert says

    November 3, 2014 at 10:54 am

    I’m a big fan of The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic (another French book!) but the kid in it is definitely white.

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