Showing posts with label link link link. Show all posts
Showing posts with label link link link. Show all posts

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Link, Link, Linkety-Link

Whew, what a week. With the Cybils, the start of teaching, and a crisis at home, I've fallen behind. But...I'm ticking through tasks and finally making progress. While I'm busy answering e-mails from all you lovely Cybils volunteers, here are a few links of interest:
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This week's Project Runway note: Goodbye, Keith! You seem like a nice guy, even if you get a little stressed out. (I'm with you there!) But...I don't really appreciate your shredded aesthetic, so I was not surprised to see you auf'd. I'm now waiting for an all-female finale, starring Korto, Leann, and Terri/Stella.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Thursday Links

It's the first day of school here in Smalltown: After a great summer, the kids were ready to go. I have to dust myself off and get ready for my own students, but before I go, here are some (mostly) book-related links:

Children's Book Crime Report: Kids' Books used to smuggle cocaine to Hong Kong and a shipment of children's books headed to Indiana are stolen en route.

You've all heard that Enid Blyton was named "best loved" British children's writer, right? Lucy Mangan defends the choice in the Guardian.

Michael Rosen questions teaching to the test in the
Guardian.

Random House removes an "offensive" word in a Jacqueline Wilson novel aimed at the Middle Grade reader. (Alison Flood reports for the Guardian. )

Did you know those super-cool Readergirlz have their own YouTube channel?

Okay, so Nastia Liukin may have won the all-around gold in Beijing, but she doesn't have a butter statue like Shawn Johnson does. Check out these pics at flickr.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Linky goodness for a Monday

Tales of the plastic surgery book--My Beautiful Mommy--have traveled beyond our borders. Mark Medley shares other suggested children's book titles at Canada's National Post blog The Ampersand, while Nicholas Lezard editorializes at the Guardian's Book Blog.

Selected quotes:

--from The Ampersand: "What Happened to Mr. Belly? -- Little Timmy DeWitt wonders why his dad looks so different after undergoing gastric bypass surgery."

--from the Guardian: "Then again, it all depends on which side of the political divide you fall. The idea of My Beautiful Mommy drives me berserk with rage, but remember the pro-gay parenting book, Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin? I suspect it might have been stylistically undistinguished, but I thought the idea behind it was great, particularly as it wound up exactly the kind of people you like seeing wound up."
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Hey! Did you know Pat Mora is blogging? Check out her style at Bookjoy!

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Do you fear Paris Hilton will be the next BACA offender? You just know it's a matter of time. Maybe that's why this little piece of humor--"Heiress Paris Hilton to Start Children's Book Line" at The Spoof.com--seems eerily possible and true.

Selected quote: "'My first one will be called Rich Girls on Top. It's about a bunch of rich girls who are also fairy princesses.' remarked Hilton." (The last line of the spoof is also hilarious if you've been following the celeb book business.)

In a related (short) article by Tim Walker for the Times, Francesca Simon (Horrid Henry) complains about celebrity children's books, stating, "...it really, really bothers me when someone uses a book to market their own brand to children: it's exploitation." True, true. But what drew my attention in this article was this fragment: "The American author, who's sold 10 million books but has only lately secured a deal with a US publisher..." A deal with a US publisher? Horrid Henry is coming to the States? I can only say it's about bloody time.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

No foolin': More Links for Tuesday

I know it's April Fools Day and all, but believe me when I tell you it was snowing in Smalltown when I stepped out for the school run. Snowing. On April 1.

Okay, on to the links:

The Carnival of Children's Literature is up at the Reading Tub
. Some great reading awaits!

And, preparations are already underway at Ellsworth's Journal for the April Carnival. Ellsworth the stuffed Elephant gives you the scoop.

Jon Scieszka praises "stupid" reading in the Chicago Tribune and I don't think he's joking. Not one little bit.

April is National Poetry Month and many bloggers have big plans. Cloudscome has posted the schedule at A Wrung Sponge.