Poetry laurels, multiculturism, a bit of trivia, and of course, Hunger Games news! (Recent news roundup)

Have you missed me? I've been away on vacation in warmer, sunnier climes but I'm back to give you the highlights of news relating to kids, kids books, and other things that I find entertaining...

The big news first! J. Patrick Lewis is the new Children's Poet Laureate, following such other luminaries as Jack Prelutsky and Mary Ann Hoberman. I love his poetry-history picture book, The House, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti, and am looking forward to what he will do with this position.

I have tried to stay away from the constant news updates about the casting and filming of the Hunger Games movie, in the hopes that my expectations will not rocket, and thus plummet, by the time I see it. However, I am apparently weak when it comes to Entertainment Weekly and its exclusive interview with Jennifer Lawrence (who plays Katniss, and yes, they dyed her blond hair brunette. Whew.)

As I discovered through Fuse #8, the blog Delightful Children's Books has compiled a book "tour" of cultures and countries in the book list Read Around the World, including a section on children from all around the world, with DK's Children Just Like Me and Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions From Around the World.

I've only just caught up on my Bitch Magazine blogs, so I'm a bit late in reporting that the ladies at that feminist organization posted their favorite childhood and contemporary picture books in honor of Children's Book Week. It's a fresh take on a common question in book and publishing spheres, (and I do like sending folks over to their website), so take a look! They have also begun a new blog series: a YA Book Club, featuring some contested titles from their unfortunately infamous 100 Young Adults for the Feminist Reader list. Our own store's book club also recently read Margo Lanagan's Tender Morsels; it was interesting comparing our reader's responses and questions to theirs. If you are interested in joining our monthly teen and adult book club, email us at blog@curiousg.com. Because of the city construction, we will have to relocate discussions off-site, but we will continue reading!

In other store news, I bet a few kids and their parents are a bit antsy about our art and writing contest which closed last week - we are fiendishly reading the many submissions we have received and will announce the winners tomorrow! We will not be sending out postcards this year, instead the list of winners will go up on our contest blog, with our Facebook, Twitter, and store blog linking there.

I will close on something just for fun - because who doesn't like silly quizzes? Persephone Magazine has a post of Disney Songs Trivia! The Thursday staff here was a bit stumped on a few, and we are appropriately ashamed.

Children's Book Choice Awards: guest starring Snooki

The Children's Book Council's gala this past Monday announced the winners of the annual Children's Book Choice Awards - the only awards for kids' books chosen by kids themselves. Rick Riordan took Author of the Year for The Lost Hero, with David Wiesner as Illustrator of the Year, for Art & Max. The other awards were divided by grades as follows: kindergarten to second grade choice: Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby; third to fourth grade: Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett Krosoczka; fifth to sixth grade The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan; and the teen choice Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.

Aside from the awards, the most exciting part of the ceremony seems to have been a surprise visit from Jersey Shore star, Snooki! Jon Scieszka surprised the emcee Jarrett Krosoczka, (and probably most everyone in the audience, as well), and then had a sing-along with Levar Burton from Reading Rainbow. My goodness, don't you just love the people of the children's book world? No matter how the industry may change, I think at least our authors and illustrators will still be the same - merrymaking kids at heart.

Shaun Tan: picture book creator, graphic novelist, Academy Award winner!

I've been trying to see the Oscar nominated film shorts ever since I first heard Australian graphic novelist Shaun Tan was nominated for an animated adaptation of The Lost Thing. I'm definitely going to have to get out to Kendall Cinema soon because Shaun Tan won! He's such an incredibly talented storyteller and artist, with such popular and lauded titles as The Arrival and Tales from Outer Suburbia under his belt, I'm very happy for him to have another acknowledgment of his talent. You can see a trailer for The Lost Thing on its official website.



Lost and Found, a collection of three previously published stories, The Lost Thing, The Red Tree, and Rabbits, will be published early this spring.

Another joyous day for Amos McGee! And chickens!

Oh my gracious zookeepers and farm animals! Two of the American Library Association awards books are back in stock: Caldecott winner A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead and Caldecott Honor Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein.

HOORAY for Amos McGee, more like it!

I am ecstatic about the ALA Youth Media Awards this year! Not only did the much deserved, but possible dark horse debut Sick Day for Amos McGee win the Caldecott, another debut author, Clare Vanderpool won the Newbery Medal! It's so very satisfying to see new talent get such respect and attention that the ALA award bestow. Certainly, well established authors and artists should be recognized for their skills, but if the award helps a kid connect with a book she might not otherwise have found, I'm all for the wild card new talent.

The Caldecott Medal: Sick Day for Amos McGee, written by Philip Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead
Caldecott Honors: Dave The Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, written by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier; and Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein.



The Newbery Medal: Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
Newbery Honors: Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm; Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus; Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen; and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.



The Printz Medal: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Printz Honors: Stolen by Lucy Christopher; Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King; Revolver by Marcus Sedgick; and Nothing by Janne Teller.





For a complete list of the awards, the ALA website has a press release.

Congratulations to all the winners and honorees!

Two Louises, a congested zookeeper, and a parade of pigs walk into a bookstore...

I've been catching up on my blog reading this week (the infinitesimal downside to the holiday rush beginning is how behind I get on my book news!), and I saw that the winners of the Roald Dahl Funny Book Prize, were announced! Louise Yates's picture book Dog Loves Books took the cake for the six and under crowd, while Louise Rennison's first of a new (!) series Withering Tights won for the seven to fourteen category. I am so pleased! I love both of these authors, and they certainly do know how to tickle the funny bone (and occasionally make you chuckle maniacally to yourself on the bus. Oh. Georgia Nicholson, how I wish you were real and had been my friend in middle school.) The only sadness is that Withering Tights won't be released in the US until June of next year. Cruel Britons, I say, calling our attention to books we can't even read yet.

However, we can read some author interviews from the UK website Booktrust, and we'll just have to get by on that.


In other news items, the New York Times featured one of my all time favorite books of the year: Philip Stead's Sick Day for Amos McGee! Reading Dogs and Untrained Boys is an article about a difficult-to-quantify aspect of children's books: humor. Not only is Sick Day absolutely gorgeous and my dark horse, long shot, sleeper choice for the Caldecott, NYT is right: it's funny. It's funny in the way kids books do best, by taking something we grown-ups think is preposterous, absurd, or downright silly, (like a zookeeper's animal friends taking care of him), as serious, as possible. I wish more books for "adults" could entertain "preposterous" possibilities and not necessarily be space age science fiction. Then again, that's one of the reasons I read children's books - because adult books aren't enough for me. The article also reviewed Tad Hill's How Rocket Learned to Read (the author/illustrator of Duck & Goose board books), Peter Brown's Children Make Terrible Pets, and Michael Ian Black's A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea. This last title is unfortunately out of stock at the publisher currently, but we hope it will be back on the shelf very soon.

Medals, wands, and ...holiday store hours!

Let's start with the most important news: Part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released TOMORROW. Eeee! My roommate is a brave and lucky soul and is going to the premiere tonight. I hope to see some photos of any Bellatrix Lestrange or Tonks characters. If you haven't finished the book, swing by to pick up a paperback (759 pages for $14.99!) or the new Harry Potter Pop-up, based on the films dramatic scenes. I love the one with the Hungarian Horntail - that dragon is fearsome! (Say it with me now, Accio Firebolt!)


In more serious but still very exciting book news, the National Book Award Winners were announced. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine took the young adult category, with the finalists including: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, Dark Water by Laura McNeal, Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers, and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.


Lastly, it's almost time for our extended holiday hours - there will more hours in a day you can come in, shop around, and talk to your favorite booksellers! We will be closed Thanksgiving Day, and beginning on the 26th, the Friday after Thanksgiving, we'll be open Thursday through Saturday 10am to 8pm, with Sunday through Wednesday continuing at 10am to 7 pm. We hope to see you in soon!

2010 New York Times Best Illustrated

Great news for picture book aficionados (and just in time for my mock Caldecott book club meeting!), the 2010 New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books have been announced! Follow the link to a slide-show of the chosen titles.

They include:

Seasons by Blexbolex
Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown
Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile (this particular title is a graphic novel chapter book blend)
Shadow by Suzy Lee
Busing Brewster by Richard Michelson, illustrated by R.G. Roth
Henry In Love by Peter McCarty
Subway by Christoph Niemann
Big, Red Lollipop by Rukhsana, Khan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Red Nose Studio
and drum roll for my personal dark horse for the Caldecott: A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead

This list differs from the Caldecott since they take into consideration books by authors from around the world. We're happy they included one of our staff favorites, Blexbolex's Seasons, although I wish they had also chosen The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood. If only The Quiet Book's illustrator Renata Liwska lived in the U.S.!

Bookity bookishness: award finalists and radio stardom

It's that time of year, when we start hunkering down with piles and piles of books (err, more so than usual), and start the Big Debate(s) of Kids Books Land: the awards announcements!

The National Book Foundation has announced its finalists for the 2010 National Book Awards. The young readers choices are as follows: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers, Dark Water by Laura McNeal, and Mockingbird by Kathyrn Erskine. I've heard some great reviews of these books, so I'm going to have to bump all these nominees to the top of my reading pile. I haven't felt as strongly about any 2010 books for NBA or Newbery Medals as I did for When You Reach Me last year, so I must expand my reading in the next few months! The Caldecott Medal is another story: I'm rooting for the gorgeous debut A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip and Erin Stead, with honors to David Wiesner's Art and Max and Beaver Is Lost by Elisha Cooper. My book club hasn't had its Mock Caldecott meeting yet, so we'll see if anyone convinces me to change my tune.

The debate about picture book continues on, and Curious George had a chance to contribute the the discussion! Yesterday, Karen Lotz, Publisher of Candlewick Press and Betsy Groban the VP and Publisher of the children's department of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and I had a discussion about the article and how we see picture books on The Emily Rooney Show on WGBH: The End of Picture Books?. I was in awe being alongside such incredibly smart, experienced and well-spoken women. I love that my job puts me in the path of talking to some of the big cheeses in the business - and we're all in agreement that kids books and kids themselves deserve more credit and attention. It was my first time on air (those headphones were too big for my head!), so please forgive my little camera shy moments. Before the fame could go to my head, I came back to the store and supervised a new staffer assembling a Melissa & Doug Deluxe Pirate Ship. All in a day's work at ye old Curious George shop.

Thanks to the kindly folks at WGBH who thought of us at Curious George and made us feel very welcome. It's pretty funny how such a negative article has given picture books so much attention: if not for this article, would so many people be talking about these books and young children's reading? I'm not complaining there.

Our book buyer, Donna, found this illustration in the October 10th New York Times...and put it on the back of our employee door. I still feel the way that last kid looks, when trying to read Finnegan's Wake.

NEIBA book award winner announced!

NEIBA (New England Independent Booksellers' Association) has announced the winners of its annual book awards. To no one's real surprise, the children's book winner is City Dog, Country Frog, written by Mo Willems and illustrated by Jon Muth.

Both Willems (The Pigeon series, Knuffle Bunny, Piggie and Elephant series) and Muth (Zen Shorts, Zen Ties, The Three Questions) are wicked geniusy... so, of course, this collaboration by the two is incredible. Muth's warm watercolor illustrations complement Willems's endearing friendship tale perfectly. (Fun trivia fact: Muth also illustrated part of Neil Gaiman's epic comic series Sandman. I'm going to start a "Six Degrees of Neil Gaiman" game one of these days -- and I'll be the world champion.)

Congratulations to these two fabulous gentlemen!

Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards!

The 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winners were JUST announced, and we're really excited! Here they are...

Winner for Excellence in Children's Fiction
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Honor Books
The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan; illustrated by Peter Sís
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner


Winner for Excellence in Children's Nonfiction
Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't You Grow Weary
by Elizabeth Partridge

Honor Books
Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures by Menno Metslelaar and Ruud van der Rol
Smile by Reina Telgemeier


Winner for Excellence in Picture Books
I Know Here by Laurel Croza; illustrated by Matt James

Honor Books
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
It's a Secret! by John Burningham

You may remember that When You Reach Me won this year's Newbery Medal (the American Library Association's award for children's fiction) and The Lion and the Mouse won the Caldecott (the ALA's illustration award).

But of course, Curious George staffers loved all these books long ago. After the release of When You Reach Me, Taylor said: "When whip-smart, instantly likeable 12-year-old Miranda begins to receive mysterious notes with even more mysterious directives, she is catapulted into a mission—à la her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time—to save someone she loves. You will quickly find yourself embroiled in the mystery along with her."

Natasha picked Smile as a fave early on: "A fun, well-illustrated and funny story of one girl’s lifelong dental drama. First, Raina needs braces, then she displaces her two front teeth, and thus starts middle school with various forms of dental wizardry to straighten and fix up her teeth. You’ll root for Raina as she tells her story with lots of humor!"

There's also been a ton of buzz around the Hut about the ceremony and colloquium the Horn Book's having for the awards the first weekend in October at Simmons College. Many Georgians either currently attend or graduated from the Simmons master's programs in Children's Literature, Writing for Children, Library Science, and Education, so you can expect to see a bunch of us there! If only October weren't so far away...

ALA aftermath and awards!

Well, the attendees of the American Library Association midwinter meeting are packing their bags and heading back to their respective libraries, publishing houses, and writer's garrets -- some making a detour to the George on the way out of town -- and with them goes the gigantic-book-clubby feeling Boston had over the weekend. I attended the exhibit hall on Saturday and felt like Charlie in Wonka's factory; there were delicious books as far as the eye could see, and (if you asked nicely) you could even take some home with you. I now have more supernatural YA advance reader copies than you can shake a stake at!

Even more exciting than new ARCs, yesterday the ALA announced its annual Youth Media Awards, including the best known and most prestigious of their awards, the Caldecott and Newbery. And the winners are (cue suspenseful music)...

Caldecott Medal for Most Distinguished Picture Book
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Caldecott Honors
- All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee and written by Liz Garton Scanlon
- Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski and written by Joyce Sidman

Newbery Medal for Most Distinguished Children's Literature
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Newbery Honors
- Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, written and illustrated by Grace Lin
- The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

Printz Award for Exemplary Young Adult Literature
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Printz Honors
- Tales from the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes
- Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
- Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
- The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

Coretta Scott King Award for African American Author of Outstanding Children's Literature
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, U.S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Coretta Scott King Author Honor
- Mare's War by tanita s. davis

Coretta Scott King Award for African American Illustrator of Outstanding Children's Literature
My People, illustrated by Charles R. Smith and written by Langston Hughes
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor
- The Negro Speaks of Rivers, illustrated by E.B. Lewis and written by Langston Hughes

Giesel Award for Most Distinguished Beginning Reader
Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!, written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes
Giesel Honors
- I Spy Fly Guy!, written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold
- Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day, written by Kate McMullan and illustrated by R.W. Alley
- Little Mouse Gets Ready, written and illustrated by Jeff Smith
- Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends, written and illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee

Sibert Award for Most Distinguished Informational Book
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
Sibert Honors
- The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors, written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Tony Persiani
- Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 13, written and illustrated by Brian Floca
- Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

YALSA Excellence in YA Nonfiction Award
Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

Phew! You can access the full list (yes, there are more) and view highlights of the conference and ceremony at the ALA Award page. Congratulations to all the winners! Now on to commentary...

Book buyer Donna wants me to tell you that we have "lots and lots" of Caldecott winner The Lion and the Mouse. Not just lots, but lots and lots. As in stacks and stacks. I can also confirm that we have lots and lots of Newbery winner When You Reach Me. Don't forget the honor books! Curious George is your one-stop shop for award winning and honored books.

If you haven't already read Nikki Grimes's excellent essay "Speaking Out," about African American illustrators being passed over for the Caldecott, now is the time to do so. This year Jerry Pinkney is the first individual African American artist to win, despite his and many other black illustrators' essential contributions to the picture book canon.

We're especially happy for our friend and alum Grace Lin, who received a Newbery honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Lovely in both story and illustration, this is a book I recommend frequently. I'm so glad to see it -- and wonderful Grace -- recognized! Hooray!

Finally, some savvy staff members knew what was up months ago -- Taylor recommended When You Reach Me in a staff pick:

When whip-smart, instantly likeable 12-year-old Miranda begins to receive mysterious notes with even more mysterious directives, she is catapulted into a mission — à la her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time — to save someone she loves. You will quickly find yourself embroiled in the mystery along with her.

Rachel's been a fan of the Fly Guy series since the first book, Hi, Fly Guy! She wrote in her pick:

Buzz knows Fly Guy is the best pet ever—he can even say Buzz’s name! The judges at the Amazing Pet Show need a little convincing, though…. Be sure to check out the other Fly Guy books, including the latest installment, I Spy Fly Guy!

All this ALA talk is making me antsy to go finish reading Printz Honor The Monstrumologist, so this is your ALA special reporter Katie, signing off!

Lots of news: New Year's resolutions, new titles, a new Ch Lit ambassador, and a new Horn Book!

If the first week of January is any indication, we're in for a year of excitement -- and awesome reads!

To get 2010 started off right, pick up Eileen and Jerry Spinelli's Today I Will: A Year of Quotes, Notes, and Promises to Myself. Unlike any other daily calendar or "year of blah blah" book I've seen, Today I Will draws lessons from children's literature to help make the new year happy. Each day's features a quotation from a well-loved book, a meditation on the meaning of the quotation, and a promise to act -- in a large way or a subtle one -- on the lesson it illustrates. Some quotations correlate to the date, i.e. Anne Frank's "In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart" on her birthday, June 12. All the entries are opportunities to take a moment from our hectic lives and really think about living. Today's is "Marty, don't you ever run away from a problem" from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Shiloh. I have a copy myself, and while I'm (already) behind, I think Today I Will is a unique way to experience the year.

Our new titles shelves brimmeth over with great new arrivals. Staffer Hannah adores Henry in Love, a sweet new picture book about Henry's crush on a classmate who does exquisite cartwheels. Waiting for Winter, with illustrations in a warm orange and brown palette, tells the story of several furry friends eagerly anticipating the first snow. Be sure to pick up my latest favorite, All the World, written by Liz Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Frazee. I want it to win the Caldecott this year, but it's an underdog to the critics' pick, Jerry Pinkney's The Lion and the Mouse. Luckily, with the ALA Midwinter Conference (in Boston!) happening in just over a week, we won't have to wait long to find out the winner! You can attend the ceremony at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center at 7:30 am on Monday, the 18th. If you're not a Boston resident, or not a morning person, never fear: you'll be able to watch it streaming online.

YA authors seem especially busy lately. For the Twilight fan, we've got Captivate, featuring tricksy pixies, along with Hush, Hush and Fallen, both starring fallen angels. (I predict fallen angels will be this year's vampires. Bloodsuckers are so 2009.) Mike Lupica's football drama, Million Year Throw, includes a cameo by the Patriots -- what more could you ask for? Michelle's excited about Carolyn Mackler's new novel Tangled, in which a tropical summer vacation irrevocably changes four friends.

In national children's lit news, Katherine Paterson has just been named the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress. Paterson is the author of chapter books Jacob Have I Loved and Bridge to Terabithia (among many others). She'll serve a two-year term, during which she'll promote world-wide literacy for young people. Paterson is only the second National Ambassador; the first person ever to hold the position was one of our favorite funny guys, Jon Scieszka.

Last but certainly not least, The Horn Book, the children's lit magazine I hold so dear, has just launched with a new format! I'm looking forward to poring over lots of first-time columns and full color pages.

Can you believe all the good stuff happening in 2010? And it's just begun! To quote Neil Gaiman, literary love of my life (as I am wont to do, probably too often):

I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

Bookish Bedlam and Broomsticks

Maybe there won't actually be broomsticks at most of these events, but there will certainly be the best brand of bedlam: we have SO many wonderful events coming up, you may just want to camp out here!

I hope you've heard already, but if not, this Sunday August 23rd, Sir John Hargrave will demonstrate some of his highest order pranks from his Mischief Maker's Manual. Class will start at 1 pm.

All of Harvard Square's bookshops will be participating in the second annual Bookish Ball September 12th, where "travelers" will visit each store's specific book-loving events and get stamps on their "passports to wisdom." Travelers can enter their passports into a contest to win airline tickets or a shopping spree in Harvard Square. Curious George's guests will include local authors such as:

• Matt Tavares, the author and illustrator of baseball books Zachary's Ball and Oliver's Game; and illustrator of the new picture book The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup, Lady Liberty: A Biography by Doreen Rappaport, Jack and the Beanstalk by E. Nesbit
• Jo Knowles, author of Lessons from a Dead Girl and the brand-new Jumping Off Swings
• Steve Kluger, author of My Most Excellent Year and Last Days of Summer, and professed Red Sox fan

We will also have musician Charlie Hope playing two acoustic sets, one to kick off the event and another later in the afternoon. In my humble opinion, her Train Song has the best vocal imitation of a train, hands down.

In addition to great music and these talented authors reading, signing books, and leading activities, we will also have on-going activities led by our own staff. Our book-binder staffer, Anne, will demonstrate the basics of making a book. A few other staff members are deciding on what their special activities will be, so expect some fun surprises!

Later on this fall, we are hosting a Graveyard Book themed Halloween Party! On Friday, October 30th we will extend store hours for a creepy ghosty Gaiman celebration. There will be activities, treats, and a parade. Costumes are encouraged! We'll send in pictures of the event to HarperCollins to win a visit from Neil Gaiman! (Squee! says Katie.)

We are currently planning an event for November, as well, with new-on-the-scene author/illustrator Alex Beard. The date and specifics will be announced shortly.

Thanks to you, we've won Nickelodeon and GoCityKids' Parents' Pick for Best Boston Bookstore! We're so proud and thrilled! Thank you so much! We promise to continue to bring you the best quality books and toys, as well as the up-coming and popular children's book folks you want to see!

All manner of fun!

How well do you know Pigeon? Test out your Mo Willems knowledge on this Pigeon quiz at Mental Floss. Even I couldn't beat the 3 minute clock, for all my pom-pom Pigeon making ways! Though I'd like to think it was due to a lack of an exclamation point rather than a lack of knowledge of Willems' oeuvre. Has this quiz whetted your thirst for Pigeon fun? Head over to Pigeon Presents! to get to know mo' 'bout Mo or play games like Elephant and Piggie Dance or Hot Dog Dress Up (you can put COOKIES on your 'dog!).

Speaking of oeuvres of funny men, another Roald Dahl classic, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, is slated to become a film, adapted by Wes Anderson, no less! You may remember his works for grown-ups: Darjeeling Limited, Royal Tenebaums, and The Life Aquatic, among others. Now imagine that same group of actors (Anjelica Houston, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and George Clooney as Mr. Fox himself) doing the voices for stop motion animation. This could be interesting! What will those wacky movie folks adapt next? Staffer Anne hypothesizes that Michel Gondry, of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, could be - or should be - the next indie director to take on a children's classic. Your thoughts?

In other news, the World Fantasy Convention Award Nominees have been announced, and quite a few children's and YA crossover titles are listed! Staff favorites The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan, and Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link are among the choices. While I do think at times that there an absurd amount of awards in the world, I hope that they can at least bring more deserved attention, and thus a wider readership, to great books.

And of course, no wrap up of news and internet tidbits would be complete without a Twilight story. In case you haven't heard, S Meyer may be getting sued for alleged plagiarism from an obscure vampire romance.

Until next time, in the far, far distant future perhaps, that I find something amusing...

As promised -- here is your Horn Book arrival notification.

The "all awards, all the time" edition of The Horn Book Magazine came in this week! As you may have noticed, I'm most excited about Neil Gaiman's Newbery acceptance speech and the accompanying bio by his editor Elise Howard. But there's just so much ALA award goodness jam-packed into this issue, starting with the cover featuring new art by Caldecott-winning illustrator Beth Krommes, it's hard to stop reading.

Naturally, there are acceptance speeches by Gaiman, Krommes, Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal winner Ashley Bryan, Coretta Scott King Author Award winner (and CG beloved illustrator) Kadir Nelson, and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner Floyd Cooper. (Psst... check out this poem about Neil and Ashley: "Storytellers."

There are also articles on the awards, their strengths, and their weaknesses: Boston Globe-Horn Book Award judge Jonathan Hunt provides a "Printz Retrospective" and author Nikki Grimes "Speak[s] Out." Grimes argues that deserving African American illustrators are reguarly passed over for the prestigious Caldecott, especially when there's buzz that they may win the African American-specific Coretta Scott King award. She writes, "Wouldn't it be wonderful for our first black president to be able to invite the first black Caldecott medalist to the White House?" I'm continuing to root for Kadir Nelson -- his spectacular Obama celebration Change Has Come would be an especially fitting first African American Caldecott winner. Given the current maelstrom of race relations, it's a crucial time to consider how race plays out in children's books and the awards they win (and more importantly, don't win).

There's silliness, as well ; the "Mind the Gap" awards honor overlooked books (and categories) from "best use of fewest colors" to "best use of lots of colors" and "scariest ghost" to "scariest goat." You'll have to read it yourself to find out who won what, though! (Check out this issue on the web or come into CG and buy it from your neighborhood geeky Horn Book fan -- your choice.)

And, as always, there are thoughtful reviews of the best new books for kids and YAs. I'm off to read it myself!

O Frabjous Day! Calloo! Callay!

It's certainly been a jungle over here lately! Thanks for bearing with our somewhat infrequent posts while we undergo some store changes. We're still committed to telling you about all the awesome books, authors, and events in and around the store, we should back up to speed very soon. In the meantime, I have some great news to share today...


The über restaurant guide Zagat really liked our "Curious George Never Dines Without Consulting His Zagat" window: we won first place in their promotional contest and they're treating our whole staff to a delicious evening meal! Now, the only trouble is deciding on which illustrious establishment to have said delicious evening meal. If you see a large, rowdy crowd of your favorite booksellers out in Cambridge in the next few weeks, come say hello!

I sneaked a peek at the Nickelodeon Parents' Picks... thanks to you, so far we're leading as Best Boston Book Store. There's still 28 days left to vote, so get over there if you haven't yet! We love you, you love us, we love you even more!

I think I've used up my allowance of exclamation points for the day, so take care, until next time.

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award hoopla!

We didn't have to wait long for the announcement of these illustrious awards! Good thing, too, as the last few days have gone something like this...

SUNDAY
BGHB judges: We've just been deliberating about the awards!
me: Tell me tell me!
judges: No.
me: Just a little hint?
judges: No.
me: What if I ask questions and you say yes or no?
judges: Nope. Keep checking the website, though.

MONDAY
me: [feverishly reloading Horn Book website] Arg.

TUESDAY
me: [opens email] WHAHOO!

The 2009 winners and honorees are (cue fanfare and ticker tape, please):

Picture book
Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Polly Dunbar
Old Bear by Kevin Henkes (honor book)
Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli (honor book)

Fiction
Nation by Terry Pratchett
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (honor book)
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Vol. II: The Kingdom on the Waves by M.T. Anderson (honor book)

Nonfiction
The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming
The Way We Work by David Macaulay (honor book)
Almost Astronauts: Thirteen Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone (honor book)

Many of these titles are already CG staff favorites -- what up, Kevin Henkes? Congratulations, Leslie Patricelli! The ceremony in October should be a blast, between endearing Margaret Mahy, engaging David Macaulay, hilarious Terry Pratchett, and charming M.T. Anderson (known to inspire women to attend his readings minus their wedding rings!). I'm already scheming about how to get in. I need to start psyching myself up now, though, because you know with both Neil Gaiman and the Rog in attendance my head might explode from an overload of amazing.

This post is only half about Neil Gaiman, I promise.

We've had a day of exciting visits! First there was the reading/signing with authors Sonya Sones and Bennett Tramer, who were here to present their brand-new picture book, Violet and Winston. Their reading of the quirky friendship book (in the tradition of George and Martha, Houndsley and Catina, and Frog and Toad) was as warm and funny as the book itself.

Then this year's three judges of the Boston Globe-Horn Book awards stopped in! Horn Book Guide editor Elissa Gershowitz, library media expert/author/critic Jonathan Hunt, and author/children's librarian Ruth Nadelman Lynn unfortunately wouldn't give us even a little hint about what books they're considering for the awards -- but they did suggest that we keep checking the Horn Book website for updates.

Speaking of awards, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book won not one, but two Audie Awards this weekend: for best Audio Book for Children 8-12, and for Audio Book of the Year!
As an avid audio book listener (and, of course, a rabid Gaiman fan), I can tell you that the awards are very well-deserved. When I finally get around to my planned "Best of the Audio Books" post, you can be sure this one will be at the top. When you come in to get your own (if you're still not swayed by my fangirling, this gizmo which plays the first chapter should convince you!), don't miss the new Gaiman-McKean collaboration, Crazy Hair. Through the type of amusingly disturbing (dismusing? amurbing?) images and verses only these two can create, Crazy Hair is an odyssey through the narrator's tresses, which have many lives of their own. Disgusting? Well, yes, a little. Delightful? Definitely.

Children's Book Week

It's the middle of Children's Book Week, and the Children's Choice Book Awards were announced at last night's Gala! Stephenie Meyer took Author of the Year and Teen Choice for Breaking Dawn (shocker) and Jon Muth the Illustrator of the Year award, for Zen Ties. Mo Willems's Pigeon Wants a Puppy snagged the K-2 grade book of the year, Dinah Williams's Spooky Cemeteries the 3-4 category, and Thirteen by Lauren Myracle the 5-6 category.

For the rest of the week's events, check out the Children's Book Council website. The week concludes in Boston's own Copley Square at the Boston Public Library and neighboring branches. You can see such authors as Kate Feiffer (Which Puppy?), Sara Pennypacker (Clementine), Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Punk Farm), and Megan McDonald (Judy Moody). After the event, come on over and check out more books by these talented folks!