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In Brief: December 17
This week, a famous pianist (and children's author) meets President Obama, and a group of Australian authors welcome the summer in Sydney.
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It's a Story, It's a Cartoon, It's a... Moving Picture Book
Picture books have come a long way, baby. Forget bound sheets of paper or even digital-text e-books. The latest reincarnation of traditional kid lit is so-called "moving picture books." Animators from a company appropriately called Moving Picture Books are turning the kids and animals in famous (and not-so-famous) short stories into cartoon-like characters. The three- to five-minute narrated videos are available for digital download on computers, iPhones, iPods, and iPod Touches...
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Putnam Books for Young Readers' Paulsen Gets Own Imprint
Putnam Books for Young Readers president and publisher Nancy Paulsen is launching an eponymous imprint, Nancy Paulsen Books, with the first titles landing in 2011. Paulsen, who has led the division for 15 years, plans to publish 12 to 15 picture books, middle grade and young adult novels annually. She will continue at the helm of Putnam Books for Young Readers until the company finds a successor—a process that has already begun.
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Dubai Children’s Book Fair Postponed
The first Dubai International Children’s Book Fair, set for February 3-10, 2010, has been postponed indefinitely, according to a brief statement issued by the organizer, the Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation. No official reason was given for the cancellation, although financial problems there are believed to have played a role. It was also unclear how many publishers had signed up to attend the event...
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Consumer Product Safety Commission Recalls 'Monday the Bullfrog'
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled some 140,000 Monday the Bullfrog plush books because a plastic eye on the frog of the children’s books can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. Simon & Schuster, which publishes the book, has received reports of three eyes detaching after use, and one book that was packaged with a detached eye. There have been no reports of injuries.
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Hoping for “the Next Stephenie Meyer”
That a publisher is championing the notion it's landed the next Stephenie Meyer isn't very surprising, but Dutton certainly seems to be speaking in more than hyperbole when it compares its newest author to the bestselling author from Utah. Last week the Penguin Young Readers Group imprint laid down a seven-figure advance for three books from Ally Condie, in a heated auction featuring seven other houses.
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‘Amazon Breakthrough Novel’ Contest Goes YA
For the third year in a row, Amazon and Penguin have teamed up for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, an international writing competition that offers new writers a chance at publication. Earlier this week, it was announced that there would be two prizes for this year's competition, one of which will be for the best young adult novel. Also new this year: the competition is open to novels that have been previously self-published. Up to 10,000 manuscripts will be accepted for the contest...
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In Brief: December 10
This week, Grace Lin appears on the "Today Show," dancers take to the stage to celebrate "Beautiful Ballerina," pop-up whiz David A. Carter hits the road, and Carl the Rottweiler visits a local bookstore.
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Q & A with Hilary McKay
Q: Do you have strong childhood memories of reading A Little Princess?
A: Oh, yes. As a child, I read the novel so many times. In fact I read it and reread it until my copy almost fell to pieces. My sister and I knew the novel so well that we could actually recite it. It became almost like theater to us. -
‘The Polar Express’ Celebrates a Quarter Century
In 1985, Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express first invited children to climb aboard a magical train for a Christmas Eve journey to the North Pole. To commemorate the book's 25th year, Houghton Mifflin recently released an anniversary edition with a 250,000-copy first print run. The volume includes a CD of Liam Neeson reading the story, a metal ornament featuring an image of the Polar Express conductor, and a new author's note assuring readers, "There is a seat on the train for you..."
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British Comedian David Walliams Makes Book Debut
A fashion-loving boy goes to school disguised as a girl in David Walliams’s first novel, The Boy in the Dress, illustrated by Quentin Blake, which Razorbill released today. Originally published by HarperCollins U.K. in 2008, the book marks a new career path for Walliams, well known in England as co-creator and costar of the award-winning TV sketch comedy show, Little Britain...
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The Power of the Pen
On Monday evening, the PEN Children's and Young Adult Book Authors Committee presented a panel discussion, called "Who Will Speak for the Child: An Evening of Literature and Law." The panel, which included authors Walter Dean Myers and Deborah Ellis, discussed not only the importance of human rights and the impact of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but also why the United States has been so reluctant to ratify the treaty that it helped to write...
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'Sesame Street 'Launches E-Book Line
On Tuesday, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization that produces Sesame Street, launched its first e-book collection for young readers. There are currently five Sesame Street e-books are available to read online for free; the company will add more titles next month. Titles are available as flip e-books, audio e-books, and interactive e-book formats, with activities to enhance reading and learning skills.
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Elf on the Shelf's Sales Policy Works for B&N, But Not for All Independents
A self-published children’s holiday book has become a bestseller at a major online retailer—but some independent booksellers are having trouble even getting their hands on copies. First published five years ago and sold through Junior Leagues, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition is currently B&N.com’s number-one selling book.
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‘Hunger Games 3’ to Pub Next August
Hunger Games fans have just eight more months to wait: the as yet untitled third and final book in Suzanne Collins's dystopian fantasy trilogy will be released in English worldwide on August 24, 2010. An audio version from Scholastic Audio will be released simultaneously. In other news, the trade paperback edition of the first book in the trilogy, The Hunger Games, will be released on July 6, 2010.
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InsideStory: Making Words Memorable
InsideStory Flashcards, the Seattle-based company founded in 2006 by mother/daughter team Kande Underwood and Shauna Simon, is creatively changing the way children learn and remember words. Simon, a teacher and tutor, says that the flashcards were "inspired by necessity. There was nothing else like them on the market with this level of vocabulary. If kids are told stories, they’re much more likely to remember words because they become more meaningful."
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Lerner Gets Advice from Target Readership
Most publishers realize that if you want to know what draws teen readers to certain books and not to others, you'd better ask a teenager. Thus, about 20 YA publishers have been seeking feedback from teen readers by participating in the ALA's YALSA YA Galley Project. Publishers send galleys to teen book discussion groups around the country, and receive honest and throrough feedback. In what might be a first, Lerner Publishing is taking the discussion a step further...
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New Children's Ambassador to Be Announced Jan. 5
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington will announce the next National Ambassador for Young People's Literature on January 5, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The two-year post was created in conjunction with the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader to raise national awareness of the importance of young people's literature. The new appointee will succeed Jon Scieszka, the country's first children's ambassador, who began his term in January 2008...
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Galley Talk: 'Wishing for Tomorrow'
Liz Murphy, owner of The Learned Owl Book Shop in Hudson, Ohio, chats about Hilary McKay's sequel to A Little Princess.
Finishing a quick re-read of A Little Princess, I wiped away tears as Sara and Becky and the Indian Gentleman drove off. But picking up Wishing for Tomorrow, I was delighted to read McKay's note that explained her feeling that the rest of the girls left behind at Miss Minchin's school needed to have their voices heard. -
In Brief: December 3
This week, Saks Fifth Avenue's windows display the art in a picture book, Alex Rider author Anthony Horowitz tours the country, and Libby Schmais blogs about her debut YA novel.
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