Two authors of children’s books passed away recently, one on the American side of the equation and one across the sea in Britain. For the Yanks, Bill Wallace has been on our shelves for any number of years. You can read a lovely SLJ obituary for him here. As for the other person, that would be Mr. Samuel Youd. That name, I suspect, raises few flags but if I were to tell you his pen name, John Christopher, that might be a different story. Practically Paradise
Posts Tagged ‘Fusenews’
Fusenews: The Jack Gantos / Alfred E. Newman Connection
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
And then it’s February. How the heckedy heck did that happen? Looks like 2012 is already establishing itself as the Blink and You’ll Miss It year. Well, let’s get to it then.
First and foremost was the announcement of Battle of the Books 2012. Or, as I like to think of it, the place where Amelia Lost gets its bloody due (if there’s any justice in this world). We’re now in the earliest of the early days of the battle, but stuff’s on the… Read More
Fusenews: Goodbye Goodbye, Columbus
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Oh, you think the award season is done, old bean? Why we have only but BEGUN to hand out the 2011 awards! The Newberys, Caldecotts, and other ALA Media Awards are just the tip of the old iceberg. There are so many others to explore. For example, did you get a chance to really examine the 2012 Notable Children’s Books list from ALSC that was recently released? Absolutely fascinating stuff. Some books delight, some baffle, and some I’ve not even heard of. To the library! Don’t forget that… Read More
Fusenews: Can YOU Identify What Sally is Reading?
Friday, January 13th, 2012- Okay. First and foremost, citizens of the world I need your help. Take a look at these photographs:
What you are looking at are two shots of what the character Sally Draper from Mad Men is reading in episode 5, season 4. It is imperative that we figure out what this book might be. You see, fellow NYPL employee Billy Parrott . . . I’m sorry. I’m going to have to stop right… Read More
Fusenews: When “going green” is a bad thing
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
The last time I did a Fusenews was more than a week ago. As such my links all seem a bit out of date. Ah well. Let’s have fun with a partially abbreviated Fusenews today then. However, to begin . . .
Sometimes it feels like we always lose some of the best ones at the end of the year. Two obituaries popped up this season. First, on Christmas Day the great author/illustrator Simms Taback died of pancreatic cancer. Kay Winters reported that, “The good news… Read More
Fusenews: Christmas is coming, the goose is getting rotund
Saturday, December 24th, 2011
Here we are on Christmas Eve but all I can do is point at the future like a sniffer dog and wonder what’s coming next. I tell ya, no sooner have I churned out my 100 Magnificent Books list than I want to take a gander at 2012. But before I let myself do so I will direct you to some of the delights of the day. For example, Jules of 7-Imp posted a very fun Looking Ahead to 2012 piece that I… Read More
Fusenews: Hubba wha?
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
Oh! This is very sad news. Russell Hoban, the genius behind the Frances books (Bread & Jam for Frances, etc.) as well as older titles like The Mouse and His Child (relatively recently re-illustrated by David Small) has died. Perhaps appropriate for the season he was also the genius behind Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas, a book made into a holiday classic by Jim Henson. I had a chance to interview Mr. Hoban myself almost a year ago, and he couldn’t have been nicer. Utterly forthright… Read More
Fusenews: Like you for always *shudder*
Thursday, December 8th, 2011
Actually, that little icon here is a touch misleading, but I took it since it talks about our first news item of the day. This l’il here ole blog got itself nominated for an Edublog Award, which is mighty nice. SLJ wrote an article about me and my fellow nominees, Joyce Valenza’s NeverEndingSearch, Karyn Silverman and Sarah Couri’s Some Day My Printz Will Come, and Angela Carstensen’s Adult Books 4 Teens. I’m in the Best Individual Blog
Fusenews: It’s a board book, Jim, but not as we know it
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
That author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka. He’s a good egg. It’s not everyone who founds their own youth scholarship, y’know. For the second time Jarrett will be hosting the 2nd annual auction for the Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka Memorial Youth Scholarships. The auction is already live as of this past Monday morning and it’s benefiting a great cause. You see, Jarrett named it after the grandparents that raised him and with it the Worcester Art Museum provides tuition to underprivileged children who are in unique familial situations. As… Read More
Fusenews: A Very Young Blogger
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
Anne McCaffrey passed away yesterday at the age of 85. I have linked to the io9 obituary because the title mentions her book The Ship Who Sang which was a great favorite of my mother’s back in the day. I was more of a Dragonriders of Pern fan myself. I have a very clear memory of being in 5th or 6th grade and discovering Dragonsong on the shelf. It was a good gateway novel to the world. Later I would go on to own
