Some me stuff to start us off. NYPL turned its handy dandy little 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2014 list into an interactive bit of gorgeousness. So as to help it along, I wrote a blog post on the library’s website (I have two blogs, if you want to get technical about it, but only one of them has my heart) with the following clickbait title: They Put THAT Into a Book for Kids?! Forgive me, oh blogging gods. I couldn’t help it. It was too much fun to write. Oh, and while we’re on the NYPL blogs, I really enjoyed Andrea Lipinski’s post about our old (and I mean OLD) Books for the Teen Age lists. How can you resist this cover, after all?
- Recently I was alerted to two older but really fascinating links regarding ARCs (Advanced Readers Galleys) and their procurement and use in the book world. Over at Stacked Books one post discussed the current state of handing out galleys at large national conferences like ALA. The other one took the time to poll people on how they use their ARCs and what they do with them. Both make for magnificent reading. Thanks to Charlotte Taylor for the links.
- It’s sort of nice when our reference librarians, both past and present, get a little acknowledgment for the super difficult questions they have to field. Boing Boing recently related a piece on some of the crazier questions the adult reference librarians have to field. Children’s librarians get some out there ones as well, but nothing quite compares to these.
- Ah. It’s the end of an era, everyone. In case you hadn’t heard the ccbc-net listserv has closed its doors (so to speak) for the last time. Now if you’re looking for children’s literary listservs you’ve PUB-YAC and child_lit. Not much else to read these days, I’m afraid. Except bloggers, I suppose. *irony laden shudder*
- I was over at Monica Edinger’s apartment the other day when she showed me this little beauty:
She’d already blogged a quickie review of it, so when the news came in that it won a UK Costa Award I had the odd sensation of being, if only momentarily, inside the British book loop. And if you looked at that cover and thought to yourself, “Gee, that sure looks like a WWI sequel to E. Nesbit’s Five Children and It” you’re sort of right on the money.
- So I’m prepping my branches for some hardcore Día programs (El día de los niños/El día de los libros or Children’s Day/Book Day) by buying them lots of Día books. I go on the Día website to order off of the book lists they have there, and what do I find? Some of the coolest most up-to-date STEM/STEAM booklists I have EVER had the pleasure to see. They’re so good, in fact, that I had to alert you to them. If you’re looking for STEM/STEAM fare, search no further.
Pretty much off-topic but while strolling through Bryant Park behind the main library for NYPL, my boss and I came across the fountain back there. Apparently when the temperatures plunge they figure it’s better to keep it running rather than risk bursting the pipes. Whatever the reason, it now looks like this:
The kidlitosphere was hopping this weekend with news, reviews, and commentary. Here are some of the gems we uncovered while reading through our blogroll:
- Lee Wind at I’m Here, I’m Queer. What the Hell Do I Read? went to the SCBWI Conference in Los Angeles and shared some of his favorite quotes. I loved this one from Donna Jo Napoli: “Any civilization is built on empathy. If dreadful things happen to you, you learn empathy. …And for the protected child …the safest way for them to develop empathy is through a book.” Yes.
- Oh, Roger. We adore you. Thanks so much for sharing your criticisms thoughts on the strike-through trend.
- Sarah’s YA Movie News posts on her blog GreenBeanTeenQueen are some of my favorites! She mentions the Hunger Games movie stills many of us have seen – I’m not a fan, I have to admit. Katniss and Peeta are fighting for their lives so why do they look so pretty and stagnant? And what do you make of the upcoming Snow White movies?
- Chicken Spaghetti shares a great list of picture books about New York. I’d also love to add SUBWAY by Christoph Niemann, which is one of my recent favorites that captures the energy and vitality of New York’s iconic subway system.
- Kiersten White’s blog is one of my favorite things – she is just completely charming and hilarious and silly. Sure, her book PARANORMALCY just got a director…but what Kiersten is really excited about is Saved by the Bell’s Mr. Belding tweeting about it! I would be too. I mean, it’s Saved by the Bell!
- It’s been all over the web but, just in case you haven’t seen it, these minimalist posters of children’s stories from Flavorwire are a must-see. Do you have a favorite? This is mine:
Come to the Children's Literary Cafe!
I'm doing a cut and paste from Fuse #8's post/ press release:
We've a simply magnificent gathering here at the library in November, and it's all about The Cybils. Join if you can!
The Children’s Literary Café at the new Children’s Center at 42nd Street is pleased to announce our event on Saturday, November 7th at 2:00 p.m.:
Cybils Kick-Off: Blogging in Style
Pam Coughlan of the sublime MotherReader children's literary blog (www.motherreader.com) headlines a panel of representatives from the greater Kidlitosphere. Each year the online children's literary community bestows child and teen novels their own awards: The Cybils. Pam and other bloggers will discuss the state of children's literature online today including ethics, publisher/blogger relations, transparency, influence (or lack thereof) over published titles, and what it means to represent an online community of children’s literary enthusiasts.
Elizabeth Burns in the Youth Services Consultant for the New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center. She blogs at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy (yzocaet.blogspot.com). She is the co-author of Pop Goes the Library: Using Pop Culture to Connect with your Whole Community. She blogs about children's and young adult books, television, and movies.
Susan Thomsen writes about children's books at her blog, Chicken Spaghetti (http://www.chickenspaghetti.typepad.com). A freelance writer and onetime editor, she is the mother of a fifth-grader.
Anne Boles Levy is the co-founder and director of the Cybils Awards. Her day job is as a news writer on the National Desk for Metro Networks, a radio newswire based in Scottsdale , AZ. She's married to another starving journalist and they're raising two bookworms.
The Children’s Literary Café is a monthly gathering of adults who are fans of children’s literature. Professionals, librarians, authors, illustrators, publishers, booksellers, teachers, and anyone else interested in the field are welcome to attend our meetings. The Literary Café provides free Advanced Readers galleys, a rotating series of talks with professionals in the field, and great conversation. This program is for adults only.
New York Public Library
Children's Center at 42nd Street
Room 84
42nd Street and 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10018
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I'm looking forward to November 7th!
Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.
© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Susan's (Chicken Spaghetti) post about Corduroy had me thinking off and on all day about my favorite childhood bear. Corduroy really was my number one--the book I loved most of all. I remember finding it in my third grade classroom, long after I had given up picture books and feeling like I found an old friend.
Susan links to an article written by Karen MacPherson about Corduroy's 40th birthday. In the article, MacPherson talks about the magic of Corduroy and why children still fall for his world:
- "'Corduroy' taps into a persistent childhood fantasy," says Anita Silvey, children's-book expert and author of '100 Best Books for Children.' "Children know that when they leave the room, their toys have all kinds of adventures; this fantasy underlies 'Toy Story,' 'The Lonely Doll' and 'Corduroy.'"
While I agree with
MacPherson and Silvey here that toys coming to life is a persistent childhood fantasy, I am wondering if I'm alone when I contend that this was
not the fantasy that drew me to
Corduroy. As a child, I didn't wish dolls and toys had a life of their own when we left the room, I believed it with all my heart. My sister and I used to lay traps for our toys--traps that were always tripped, by the way. What drew me to
Corduroy was another fantasy altogether: being in a magical world ordinarily forbidden to you. In this case, the department store after hours. I followed Corduroy up the escalator, to the furniture section where he topples a lamp, wondered about where else he could go in this secret world.
So, forty years on--what draws you to
Corduroy?
--------------------------------
Asides:
I also loved Lisa as Freeman renders her. She's warm,
resourceful, and, I thought, she looked more like me than most picture book heroines of the era.
The Lonely Doll is also a book I was
intrigued by as a child. And it's a subject for another post.
The Lonely Doll taps into fantasy in entirely different, hopefully latent, way.
Take a look at – and listen to – this delightful e-card from Barefoot Books: author Amy Tan narrates the poem from the recently-published Motherbridge of Love. Once you’ve heard the poem and been given a 
glimpse of the lovely illustrations by Jose Masse, you’ll understand why this would be a perfect book to read as a bedtime story, especially but certainly not only if you have adopted children of your own. There’s a special story behind it too, since the author of the poem is unknown: but it highlights the questions an adopted child might have about where they come from and who they are. I was fortunate to be able to catch up with Xinran, founder of the Mothers’ Bridge of Love charity, to whom the poem was sent and to which the royalties for the book will go – you can read the interview here; and here’s a photo of Xinran with Amy Tan, taken when they met recently during Xinran’s whistle-stop tour of the States.
Another recently-published picture-book featuring adoption is Grace Lin’s gorgeous The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale. 
It has all the traits of an enduring fairy tale – and love as the overriding principle. It creatively incorporates the “ancient Chinese belief that an invisible, unbreakable thread connects all those who are destined to be together.” This is something that many adoptive parents of children from China become aware of during their sometimes long, emotional journey through the adoption process. Grace has indeed turned it into the stuff of fairytales. She talked about the book in her charming interview with 7-Imps back in May; and Just One More Book featured it a few weeks ago.
Both these books are valuable additions to the slowly increasing number of picture-books which focus on adoption; and each in its own way has those qualities which will keep them special for years to come.
For more books featuring adoption, check out Rose Kent’s great Personal View on the PaperTigers main website: “Three Cheers For Adoption Books – And Why We All Should Read ‘Em”, with her recommendations for children of all ages. Chicken Spaghetti has put together a list of books for National Adoption month, as has Andrea Ross in her revealing podcast Thicker than Water: True Family Ties for Swimming in Literary Soup.
…And don’t forget, the auction of Snowflakes for Robert’s Snow: For Cancer’s Cure is still going on - Auction 2 starts tomorrow! Grace Lin’s own snowflake is featured in the PaperTigers Gallery along with others by artists from around the Pacific Rim…
Holy cow! Has it been three weeks since I last posted? I've been so busy writing press releases and brochures, and finishing my activity guide to go with my picture book that I guess I just haven't had time to stop by.
More reviews are starting to pop up for Shante, and these feel good. Take a look at:
Book Buds by Anne Boles Levy reviewed the book with 3 Stars. Sounds good to me!
Chicken Spaghetti had an interview with Shante's illustrator, Marion Eldridge, about Robert's Snow. Good stuff!
I'll be signing books at the National Association for the Education of Young Children on Thursday at Chicago's McCormick Place, 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm. I know working a booth at a conference can be dreadfully slow, so if there's anyone out there in cyberspace reading and you'll be at the conference, please stop by!
======================
And to you,
Anne, for your job as editor of the children's pages at PoetryFoundation.org.
I'm busy this morning editing the March edition of The Edge of the Forest, but don't miss the newest 7-Imp interview with Susan Thomsen of Chicken Spaghetti.
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One strong attraction for me was the idea that there was someone out there who would love you unconditionally and always come back for you-- in this case, the little girl who saves up to buy Corduroy. Very reassuring.
Charlotte: That's a good point. I think this is why Corduroy works so well: There are multiple levels of fantasy in the book.
Kelly, I don't know if I read Corduroy when I was a kid or not.When I read it to Jr. the first time, it was awfully familiar. For some reason, though, your comments got me to thinking of The Velveteen Rabbit and how wrong it is that the toy gets taken away from the child. So what if it becomes a real rabbit--it already was real to the child. In fact, that's one of a couple of places Dougal the Garbage Dump Bear goes astray; no kid would permit a favorite, even if old, toy to be thrown out without a fight.
I like/liked Corderoy because he can be both apprehensive and plucky at the same time. I like that in a person.
I have never read Corduroy and plan to read it immediately. But as a kid I didn't generally read books about dolls or stuffed animals because I had Ellsworth. Ellsworth and I were complete. We still are.
Candice
I still kinda believe that my stuffed animals come to life when I'm gone. Maybe that's why Tulane hit me so hard.
Corduroy was one of those books that made that feel real to me as a child, but Rageddy Ann and Pooh really did it for me.