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February 23, 2015 by Betsy Bird

Fusenews: Starring the World’s Creepiest Cat in the Hat!

February 23, 2015 by Betsy Bird   9 comments

  • Here in New York we’re getting very excited.  The 90-Second Film Festival is coming!!  And soon too!  Here’s a PW interview with James Kennedy about the festival and for those of you in the NYC area you can see it at NYPL on Saturday, March 7th at 3:00 p.m. In fact, now that I think about it, you could begin your day at NYPL at 2:00 p.m. at my Children’s Literary Salon Blurred Lines?: Accuracy and Illustration in Nonfiction.  We’ll be hosting Mara Rockliff (author), Brian Floca (author/illustrator), Nicole Raymond (editor), and Sophie Blackall (illustrator/author) as they discuss the responsibility of an illustrator when working on a piece of historical nonfiction for kids and whether or not words garner closer scrutiny than pictures.  Should be a fabulous day.
  • We all know on some level that when a book is adapted into a movie the likelihood of the strong female characters staying strong is negligible.  There are always exceptions to the rule, but by and large it’s depressing not to be more shocked by the recent Cracked piece 6 Insulting Movie Adaptations of Strong Female Characters.  I was very pleased to see the inclusion of Violet from A Series of Unfortunate Events too.  Folks tend to forget about her.
  • At the beginning of February I had the infinite pleasure of hosting a Children’s Literary Salon at NYPL on Collaborating Couples.  I invited in Ted & Betsy Lewin, Andrea and Brian Pinkney, and Sean Qualls and Selina Alko.  You can read the PW round-up of the talk here, but before we hit the stage I had to ask Sean about this incident that occurred involving his book with Selina, The Case for Loving and W. Kamau Bell’s treatment at Berkeley’s Elmwood Café.  We didn’t touch on it during our talk since it wasn’t pertinent to this particular discussion, but if you haven’t read the article I suggest you give it a look.
  • If I’m going to be honest about it, this perfectly encapsulates what I’ve always personally felt about the Elephant and Piggie books.  This is because growing up I was the child that wanted everyone and everything in the universe to pair up.  Sesame Street fed this desire to a certain degree but the only time Mr. Rogers got close was during the opera episodes.  And don’t even get me STARTED on Reading Rainbow (no sexual tension = no interest for 4-year-old Betsy).  Hence my perverse desire to see Gerald and Piggie become a couple.  I know, I know.  Clearly I need help.
  • Moomins!  Ballet!  Moomins in ballet!  Sorry, do you need more than that?  Thanks to Marci for the link.
  • It’s fun to read this look at the Mary Poppins Hidden Relationships Fan Theory, but I’ve a bone to pick with it.  Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the book of Mary Poppins make it very clear that yes indeed Mary Poppins WAS Bert’s nanny back in the day?  Or am I just making stuff up?  I thought this was cannon.  That other stuff about Bert’s relationships is particularly peculiar as well.

Perhaps you feel, as I do, that you’ve read every possible Harry Potter related list out there devised by the human brain.  Still and all, while I had seen a bunch of these, there are still some lovely surprises in the BuzzFeed list 21 Times “Harry Potter” Was the Cleverest Book Series Ever.

Speaking of Harry Potter and BuzzFeed, new term alert: Racebent.  Didn’t know it, but this piece has actually convinced me that it is entirely possible that Hermione Granger isn’t the white-skinned schoolgirl she’s often considered to be.  Recall if you will that it was only ever made explicit that Dean Thomas had dark skin when the Harry Potter books were brought over to America (a fact that is not usually mentioned in these stories).

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  • Oh, what the heck.  May as well get as Harry Potterish as possible today.  Look!  Cover animations!
  • For years I’ve yearned to go to TLA (the meeting of the Texas Library Association).  State library meetings are always fun, but Texas takes their own to another level.  So far I haven’t had an excuse, but I was reminded of this desire recently when I read the rather delightful piece on how an abandoned Texan Walmart got turned into the ultimate public library.  McAllen?  You’re good people.
  • Let It Be Known: That every author and illustrator out there that makes school visits on a regular basis should take a very close look at Nathan Hale’s School Visit Instructions and replicate PRECISELY what he has done on their own websites.  Obviously you cannot all draw so in terms of visuals he has you beat.  However, this information is perfect and you could certainly write it down in some form yourself.  Let it also be known that his upcoming book about Harriet Tubman, The Underground Abductor, is AMAZING.  Here’s the cover:

  • David Wiesner created an app?  Yep, pretty much.  It’s called Spot and it is now on my To Buy list.
  • Oh!  I don’t know if any of you folks actually know about this.  Were you aware that there is a major children’s book award out there for math-related titles?  Yep, there is.  It’s called the Mathical Award and it’s a project that has come out of a collaboration between The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC).  Those of you producing such books should look into it.  Could be very very useful to you.
  • Daily Image:

I’ve been meaning to get back to work on updating my post of the Complete Listing of All Children’s Literature Statues in the United States for a while here.  There are definitely some sections that need work.  However, one image I will not be adding is this statue of what might be the world’s creepiest Cat in the Hat.  Not because I don’t like him (oh, I do, I do) but because it’s on school rather than public property.  That doesn’t mean I can’t share him with you anyway, though.

Many thanks to Paula Wiley for bringing him to my attention.  Wowzah.

 

Filed under: Fusenews

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90 Second NewberyappsChildren's Literary Salonchildren's literature statuesDavid WiesnerElephant & PiggieHarry PotterlibrariesMary PoppinsmathMoominNathan HaleRacebentschool visitsThe Cat in the Hat

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. :Donna says

    February 23, 2015 at 11:20 am

    I really wish I lived in NYC for stuff like this. I attended a Salon a few years ago and it was fantastic! I just can’t do the tolls and parking all that often. I HATE missing this great stuff. You mentioned the Feb. one with the Lewins and Pinkneys, now this great panel on April 11th. Salivating! lol

  2. kim baker says

    February 23, 2015 at 11:41 am

    I got to see the McAllen Library last month while I was there for some school visits. It’s completely awesome. And going by the librarians I met on my trip, TLA must be ridiculously fun and inspiring. Can’t wait to go someday,

  3. Nathan Hale says

    February 23, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    Thanks for the plugs! My author visit comic is a month old and it already needs an update. After working with my publicist, and hearing complaints from more than one school that they “didn’t have iPad connector dongle or a 20 foot cord” I realized these instructions were still confusing. Revised clarifications incoming.

  4. Carl in Charlotte says

    February 23, 2015 at 4:45 pm

    You got a disruptive child in your classroom? You want to make him/her behave? Sit that child in that chair next to that Cat for half an hour with those eyes staring at him or her. That child will be an angel the rest of the year! (would probably work for adults too!)

  5. Genevieve says

    February 24, 2015 at 9:28 am

    I don’t think the Mary Poppins books allude to Mary having been Bert’s nanny. I read them all as a kid, and re-read them, and that does not ring a bell.

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      February 24, 2015 at 9:59 am

      Right-o. Apparently my brain was aligned with this particular fan theory, then.

  6. Mara says

    February 24, 2015 at 9:56 am

    I always thought the Cat in the Hat was pretty terrifying, actually.

    So excited to see the 90-Second Newberys after our panel! And James Kennedy! And Ame Dyckman!

  7. Kirsten says

    February 24, 2015 at 11:59 am

    Thank you very much for sharing the incident that happened in Berkeley with W. Kamau Bell.

    And for these always enlightening, entertaining posts. I don’t miss one!
    Kirsten

  8. Sondy says

    February 26, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    A math book award! A math book award! I wonder how I would go about getting on that panel… Though perhaps instead I should work on writing a book that would be eligible….

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