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.