End-o'-the-Week Kid-Lit Roundup

In this week's roundup, we prepare for the worst, go to the movies, and check in with Marlo Thomas:

What books will best prepare kids for our impending financial ruin? Slate's always-great Erica S. Perl has another info-packed slideshow up, this one called "'Mom, What's a Credit Default Swap?' Books to Read Your Children During a Financial Crisis." As Perl observes, "a review of popular American children's books of the past century reveals a recurring theme in the children's publishing industry: When times are tough, cue the stories about times that were even tougher."

She covers books that you've heard of--like Little House on the Prairie, popular in the midst of the Depression (and again, on TV, in the inflationary '70s)--as well as ones you probably haven't, like Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. Eudora Welty, for the record, was a big fan of that one. In her autobiography, she admitted that "when she discovered the Peppers in 1918, at age 9, she began daydreaming about being poor." (Found via Fuse #8.)

City of Ember finally in theaters! I read Stephen Holden's harsh review in the NYT of this big-screen adaptation, and I figured I'd pass on the movie. I'm a newcomer to this popular kid series and I liked the books so much that I didn't want to be disappointed. But lo and behold, a lot of reviewers thought it was pretty good (aside from the inexplicable giant mole scenes)! Count me in for a matinee. (Thanks to 100 Scope Notes for the review revue and the blow-by-blow.)

Happy birthday, Free to Be You and Me! The Marlo Thomas classic just turned 35(!) and they've decided to celebrate with a "new, expanded edition." I still love the old-school LP cover (and I can still hear "bald as a ping pong ball" like it was yesterday), but including the likes of Tony diTerlizzi and Peter H. Reynolds sounds pretty promising. (Found via Ypulse Books.)

Boston Globe-Horn Book awards. The Boston Globe-Horn Book awards are now available for your viewing pleasure. Or you can just read about the winners. They were these, FYI:

• Nonfiction: The Wall by Peter Sís
  
• Fiction and Poetry: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Ellen Forney
  
• Picture Book: At Night by Jonathan Bean
  
• Special Citation: The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Even better, check out the entertaining ShelfTalker recap, which includes pics of some certain ducklings.

New Notes from the Horn Book. Speaking of the Horn Book, the latest Notes from the Horn Book just came out, and it includes an interview with David Macaulay about The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body.

Three quick links:

• Don't miss Lauren's post on Mary Ann Hoberman, the new U.S. Children's Poet Laureate.
  
• Check out the official site for Coraline, the Focus Films adaptation of Neil Gaiman's book. (As Monica says, "I’m quite the fan of the book and fussy, but so far this is shaping up to look terrific.")
  
• Don't forget: the deadline is this Wednesday to get your nominations in for the Cybils! Wondering why you should be excited about these blogger awards? Gail Gauthier has three good reasons.
  

--Paul