Finally the Bride, Not the Bridesmaid

After years of many other honours, my colleauges at YES Mag have finally been awarded the Periodical of the Year by the Association of Educational Publishers! This is much deserved honour for a very hard working crew.

Honours for Robots

Robots: From Every Day to Out of This World (which I wrote as part of my gig at KNOW Mag) has been short-listed for two awards: the Hackmatack and the Rocky Mountain Book Awards. Not sure where the awards ceremony will be in either case, but with The Rockies and The Maritimes one can't go wrong!

Lu & Clancy Go to Hong Kong

I received some good news the other day — my four Lu & Clancy titles (Carnival Caper, Secret Codes, Sound Off, and Spy Stuff) are heading to Hong Kong. Rights have been sold to Sun Ya Publications to publish these titles in the "Complex Chinese" language and to do distributed in Hong Kong and Macao. These photos are from the books when they were published a few years ago in China. It will be interesting to see how the characters differ. I think this is Mandarin? (Please help me if you know.)

Whoo, Hoo, Howie Woo

For Robots, we were lucky enough to have the very talented Howie Woo do the illustrations. The arrival of Howie's cartoons and illustrations at our office is always a happy thing. He is one of the funniest guys I know and...he crochets too! Every once in awhile he sends us little crocheted treasures, like the pumpkin that appeared last Halloween and even quirkier things, like grenades. (Yes, grenades.) If you have a moment, and even if you don't, check out Howie's blog. Thanks for the laughs, Howie!

More on Violence...

Book Ninja has waded in with his thoughts on the topic. I think a lot of this, as with many (most?) things in the world, depends on the individual. Some kids seem to be able to handle "bad things" or violence more than others. It's all in your definition of violence, too. Some people would consider an animal dying to be violent. Me? I would consider that the "cycle of life" (to quote The Lion King), but would be sensitive to my little readers ears and emotional state. At this juncture, bear with me as I begin, yet again, my not-so-private rant about how this is another situation where knowledgeable librarians, teachers, and booksellers (and parents, yes, but very few are kids' lit fanatics) are SO CRITICAL to putting the right book in the right child's hand, at the right time in their life. To continue with the violence metaphor — well-stocked and STAFFED libraries and bookstores staffed with knowledgeable sales people — are worth fighting for.

More Violence in Books?

Not enough violence in kids' books? What do you think?

See, They Do Let Me Out on Occasion

A photo of moi with the fabulous Tanya Lloyd Kyi at CWILL's also fabulous Spring Book Hatching. Sorry we missed you! Watch for the Fall Book Harvest in, well, the fall!

Differences a Border Can Make

Of course we share many things with our neighbours to the south, but when people tell me that Canadians and Americans are just the same, I beg to differ. For the most part, our differences are subtle and perhaps only apparent to those who are really looking, but there are fundamental differences too that I believe affect us more than we like to let on or more than we can pinpoint. This is a case in point. It makes me very sad to think that people can have - when they are gravely ill - the added stress of financial strain as a result of getting the treatment they need. And also that someone else (an HMO perhaps?) could call the shots on their treatment. This post is verging on the political, but children's writers and others in the kid lit community are rallying behind Bridget Zinn. The Canadian system is by no means perfect (and YES, we do get to choose our own doctors; I don't know who was feeding my relatives in California the BS that we can't) but universal health care for all citizens is a fundamental underpinning to who we are up here. Who did Canadian's vote for as our Greatest Canadian? Not a movie star or a football star or a gazillionaire -- Tommy Douglas, the man who spearheaded universal health care.

And to make this post fully relevant to the (supposed) theme of this blog. Here's a children's book by Bill Waiser all about Tommy Douglas for those who'd like to learn more.

April Eye Candy

Oh, so pretty. If you love type, you can waste a lot of time on the site where this was originally posted.

Temporary Twilight-Insania

So we were driving back home after a week away when we noticed the parking lot at one of the most popular beach accesses was barricaded. A police car was immediately behind the barricade. We surmised it could have been one of two things -- a search and rescue (in reality, more like a "recovery," a tired euphemism if there ever was one) for a surfer out of his/her league, or ... a movie shoot. Option two was the correct one. It seems as if Tough City and environs were all a-twitter since some vampirey sorts were lingering in the neighbourhood.

Even though this is largely a blog about writing for children and youth, I doubt I will ever wade through the Twilight saga (I've got too many other books demanding my attention and besides, I am trying to work my way through this, which should take the rest of my lifetime).* And I am notorious for watching a movie for an hour or so before deciding that I'd much rather read on my nice comfy couch by the fire, so I doubt I'll ever watch the movies unless I'm stuck on a plane or in a hotel room, so I was happy to come across this summary of all four books in one handy-dandy cartoon.

*Related to the New Canadian Library. I am trying to collect the set. (Why, I'm not sure since my house is overflowing with books at the moment, but perhaps it's because I think I'm missing something by not trying to at least get through some of the "Canadian Cannon" -- mind you, only one publisher's canon. Just trying to be a good Canadian and all.) Plus, the spines of the older versions - with the coloured spines -- are pretty appealing lined up on my bookshelf. In a moment of insanity I actually thought I might blog my way through it, so thank goodness I found out another pair got there first. Phew, dodged that time-sucker. Anyhow, if you have any of the NCL that you would like to trade for some of my books, please get in touch. I'm looking for the versions with the one-colour covers with the numbers of the spine, or the earlier versions with the caricatures of the authors on the covers.

Books with Long Legs (and a long caterpillar)

I love the simplicity of Eric Carle's books (and, of course, the vivid illustrations). Other fans might enjoy this interview.

"I often joke," he says, "that with a novel you start out with a 35-word idea and you build out to 35,000 words. With a children's book you have a 35,000-word idea and you reduce it to 35. That's an exaggeration, but that's what's taking place with picture books."

One day, when I finally get to the eastern seaboard (final destination New York), I shall make a pilgrimmage here. What a legacy to leave.

BC Book Prizes - 2009

Congratulations to those on the short lists for the BC Book Prizes. An especially enthusiastic shout-out to a book on the history of Tough City and environs. The awards will be presented April 25 in Vancouver.

For some Friday Fun, check out this post on The Book Bench on how to write a bedtime story. Make sure you follow the links to Lemony Snicket's tale-telling tips. I will especially note the point about the cocktail.

The gray whales and tourists are making their way to Tough City for this event. This usually means that I migrate against the tide to leave more space in town for the visitors and this week is no exception. I'll be taking a hiatus for a week or so. I'll be back in awhile (perhaps with give-aways). Stay tuned.

Where the Wild Things Gather Dust

Some bloggers have "Funny Fridays" or some such day where they post things that are frivolous and slightly (or wholly) off-topic. I'm not so organized or disciplined and am always eager to share the fun (or avoid work), so here are some toys to make when you need some down time with the scissors, tape and glue. Check out Toy-a-Day's great paper figures. These are somewhat related to the (supposed) subject of this blog: Max, Cat in the Hat, and Bill.

Joe, the artist behind Toy-a-Day very generously has supplied a blank template, too. Might make a nice tie-in to a picture book or novel study. Have students create 3-D renditions of the characters. There. Not so frivolous after all.

Advice for Aspiring Writers

As usual, Editorial Anonymous's blog is full of great advice (and much hilarity). If you are an aspiring writer, or even a published one, this blog is required reading. EA is posting a very useful series called "Definitions for the Perplexed" where you can read about publishing terms such as C,M,Y,K or proofs or BookScan. Here's the most recent post, but make sure you scroll down to see the posts over the past few weeks. While you're there, make sure you check out EA's list of Things Not To Send in Slush Ever Again in the margin.

Also courtesy of EA is news of an virtual cat fight over the news that several agents twittered on why they were rejecting manuscripts. Follow the links, but if you want to cut to the chase, here are some of the Twitter posts. (From Chico Writer's Group.) Regardless of how you feel about the ethics, there is a lot of good advice in those tweets.

Cool Science for the Discerning Reader

Science writer Fiona Bayrock has a great post over at Unabridged full of tips and the advice of a pro for those interesting in writing about science for children. She takes her own advice in her new book, Bubble Homes and Fish Farts. (Illustrated by Carolyn Conahan.) There are two launches coming up: one in Vancouver (March 14 - THIS Sat.) and one in Chilliwack (March 28). If you're nearby, get yourself over there (and don't forget your bubble blower).

Eau de Used Book Store

Something light, but book related (sort of).

Which Way Should I Go?

Congratulations to Ron Martin — who lives very near to Tough City — on his book (written with Sylvia Olsen and illustrated by Kasia Charko): Which Way Should I Go? This lovely picture book explores several themes, the main one being that we all have choices to make, often very hard ones. Joey is a happy boy who loves visiting with his grandmother. One of the things she does is pass on a song, which talks about choices: which way should I go? When his beloved grandmother dies, Joey has to learn to make choices to create his own world into being. This is an empowering book, that tells us, despite the sad and bad things that happen to us, life is what we make it. Although the characters in this story are First Nations, the sentiment is universal. In 2009, this book was selected as the title for the First Nations Communites Read program.

Here's more on the First Nations Communities Read program. And be sure to check out their resources, including the very helpful and handy "2009 Tips Sheet." Here are the other books submitted for this award. A must-read for anyone wanting to include First Nations-related literature in their home, school or library. The publisher also has produced a Teacher's Guide. And here's a review from Canadian Materials.

Be Not Inhospitable to Strangers, Lest They be Angels in Disguise

Not much to do with children's book (although I'm sure Shakespeare & Co. has some), but, if, like me, you're a fan of Jeanette Winterson, bookstores and Paris, the here's a great read for you.

A Smattering of Book Reviews

The latest reviews from Susan Perrin at the Globe and Mail.

Here are links to the titles:

Have You Ever Seen a Duck in a Raincoat? by Etta Kaner and illustrated by Jeff Szuc.






The Orphan Boy by Tolowa Mollel and Paul Morin. Here's another review of this title.








A New Life by Rukhsana Khan and illustrated by Nasrin Khosravi.





Call Me Aram by Marsha Skrypuch and illustrated by Muriel Wood. Here's another review.











You Are Weird by Diane Swanson. Here's a review from Quill and Quire.

How Does Your Paper Get Pulped?

I'm all for alternative papers, but this is a new one.