"We Too Were Children, Mr. Barrie." That's the name of a great new blog devoted to kids' books--for the most part obscure and out of print--by the likes of Graham Greene, John Updike, and Virginia Woolf. WTWCMB hopes "to make more widely known these much-coveted literary rarities (and perhaps stir up enough interest to bring them back into print)." Hear, hear! The most recent rarity was this gem by Graham Greene:
"The WondLaful Tony DiTerlizzi." School Library Journal just interviewed Tony DiTerlizzi and talked about his new book The Search for WondLa, which "combines a traditional novel with a graphic novel and the interactivity of a computer." (DiTerlizzi on the book's illustration-intensive format: "I have always wondered why there is an unwritten rule about bookmaking that says, 'the older the audience the less art there should be.' Yet, if you go back a century and examine titles from The Golden Age of Children's Books, they abound with mature and sophisticated tales matched with mature and sophisticated visuals.... The art is exquisite and hardly juvenile--and that was when books were not competing with the highly visual mediums of television, films, and video games for a child's attention.")
New "Notes from the Horn Book." The August installment of the Horn Book's monthly newsletter is out. Highlights include a Q&A with Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, along with recommendations for preschool picture books, new books for middle schoolers, and kids' nonfiction.
Baby Bookworm update! Jen Robinson is back after her Baby-Bookworm-having hiatus, and--appropriately--she's sharing some of her favorite newborn titles, like Humpty Who?: Crib Sheets for the Nursery for Clueless Moms and Dads. ("It's a little book containing the text of 80 nursery rhymes and songs for kids, along with (in many cases) derivations and suggestions for performing the piece. There's also a CD with sing-along version of 35 of the rhymes. I'm finding it valuable because I have all these scraps of songs in my head, and I want to know the rest.")
"Artemis Rocks!" Eoin Colfer is taking the show on the road next month, with a live "Artemis Rocks!" show in multiple U.S. cities, including music, videos, and an actor who plays Artemis Fowl. You can see the faux Fowl, find city listings (from NYC to San Francisco), and see more videos on the Artemis Fowl site. (Just click on the animated drum kit.) (via Cynopsis Kids)
Tower of Treasure review. Travis at 100 Scope Notes compares Scott Chantler's Tower of Treasure to a memorable grilled cheese. This graphic novel (for kids age nine to twelve) "will appeal to both boys and girls."
Jen Robinson on August 24, 2010 at 01:57 PM
Thanks so much for this welcome back, Paul. It brightened my day immensely! I've really missed posting.
Paul on August 25, 2010 at 09:12 AM
So glad that you're back! Have fun with the wee one.