Jacob Two-Two - Book Four-Four

Yes, Mordecai Richler has left this Earth, but still a fourth Jacob Two-Two book is forthcoming. Tundra Books has contracted Cary Fagan to write a fourth book in the Jacob Two-Two series. You can read about it here.

I enjoyed Fagan's Kaspar Snit books a great deal, so I look forward to seeing what he does with Jacob and friends. (He sends him to sea, that much we know.) Fagan has the appropriate level of zaniness in his writing that's for sure (and, as I recall, satire, which is also Richler's schtick). So, I'm excited about how this will turn out. What I'm very excited about though, is that Dusan Petricic has been contracted to illustrate all four of the books. I adore his fabulous style. I know what's going on my 2009 Christmas Wish List!

Finalists for TD Book Prizes Announced

Okay, so I'm a little late with this, but the finalists for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards have been announced. Congratulations to all.

Check out I.N.K.

Some interesting posts over at I.N.K. (Interesting Non-fiction for Kids): Dark Subjects and First Class Travel on Other People's $$. Had a dream about Fuse #8 last night. Obviously, I need a holiday, but both of these kids' lit blogs are worth checking out.

MOM, I'm bored!

If you're a parent, you might have heard that phrase a few times this summer. (Bored is a swear word in our house, but it still comes up from time-to-time.) The next time the b-word is uttered, toss a copy of Helaine Becker's Boredom Blasters their way and scream "Bored people are boring people." Okay, perhaps I'm the one who needs a holiday, but your kids still can't go wrong with this book, which has the subtitle: Brain Bogglers, Awesome Activities, Cool Comics, Tasty Treats, and More....

This is one of Becker's older books. It won the Silver Birch Award in 2006 and obviously delighted kids with ideas such as "Silly Kid Tricks," tips on fortune telling and palm reading, ideas for story and joke telling, quizzes (e.g., How Funny Are You?), recipes and a whole lot more. My favourite are the ideas for Wacky Machines You Can Really Use, which give instructions for Rube-Goldberg-style machines such as the Automatic Toaster, Automatic Face Washer and Automatic Dressing Machine. Lots of fun here, and if this book doesn't grab your little darlings Becker has a whole whack more: Funny Business, Secret Agent Y. O. U., Are You Psychic, to name a few. Boredom Blasters was illustrated by the lovely and talented Claudia Davila, who also illustrated some of my books.

Font Conference

Oh my goodness, this is too funny not to share. Thanks to BookNinja for the link.

Inclusive Literature vs. Propoganda in Sweden

It is a gimmic to sell books, or not? Do the books tell good stories? That's what we should be asking, I think. Would love to see some of the books. Anyone out there who has?