Good to know my government is looking out for me

I dunno about y'all, but I know I feel so much safer knowing that our government, in their infinite wisdom, is deporting Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens). According to the Yahoo! story, he "will be deported to Britain after being denied entry to the United States because his activities could be 'linked to terrorism,' a U.S. official said on Wednesday."

Well, of course! A man who famously sang these lyrics must be feared:

"Now I've been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun

Oh I've been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be, some day it's going to come

Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again...

...Now I've been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating, why can't we live in bliss"

(Damn! I have used that song in story hour! Hope my name doesn't end up on a list!)

Plus, of course, he founded the charity Small Kindness, which "works to alleviate the suffering of families and children in the Balkans as well as the Middle East, promoting community development and prosperity by providing relief and educational programs to needy peoples ravaged and made homeless by war and conflict." That's gotta be suspect.

C'mon! I would like to say that this is un-freakin'-believable but, sadly, in W's Amerika, it isn't hard to believe at all.

Sigh.

Read the whole story.

Hey, Ho!

What's going on?!? The Ramones are dropping like flies!

If I were Tommy Ramone, I think I might be a tad nervous right about now...

Happy 70th Birthday, Tomie dePaola!

Warmest birthday wishes to Children's Book Giant, Tomie dePaola as he celebrates his 70th birthday!

I just finished our book display of Tomie's books and we will be having a birthday party for him next Tuesday night as the theme of this month's Slumberland Express Pajama Storytime program. We have also been allowing kids to write Tomie special birthday notes, which we will send on to him later.

A man who creates such beautiful -- and accessible -- art deserves a beautiful year ahead!

Judy Blume to receive honorary award

"Judy Blume, a beloved children’s book writer known for such candid tales as Deenie and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, has been named this year’s winner of an honorary National Book Award for contributions to American letters." Read the rest.

Well, shiver me timbers!

Don't forget to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day this coming Saturday with some well placed "Arrrrr's" and the like. Check out the Talk Like a Pirate Day site for all manner of pirate-y fun.

Sometimes I love Mayor Daley

In response to Alan Keyes assertion That Jesus would not vote for Barack Obama in the upcoming election, "Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said he's pretty sure Jesus Christ hasn't endorsed anyone in Illinois' U.S. Senate race.... 'I don't think Jesus Christ has endorsed anyone yet,' Mayor Richard M. Daley said. 'I don't know -- we have pastors here. He's not made any official endorsement. If you know that, tell everyone in the world what it is.'" Read the rest.

Saying I'm "cool..." Isn't that cancelled out by me posting this at all?

You are a fridge! You can keep your cool, even when faced with a heated situation. You enjoy being the center of attention, and people come to you for advice or when they want something. People also like to stick things to the front of your body.
What kitchen utensil are YOU?

I dunno if I always keep my cool, although I can certainly pretend to. Don;t like the attention so much, although people do come to me for advice (or at least 'cause I'll listen). As far as that last sentence goes... Well... (blush)

Thanks to Clare at Semi-Evil Squirrel for the link.

Ex*cuse* me?

I got an e-mail from my friend, Pam, last night alerting me to a letter in this month's issue of Esquire. Apparently, "Answer Fella stood up for men everywhere in July (Man at His Best) when he counseled a reader to ignore his wife's sartorial harping." In September's issue (page 50),a reader wrote in to say, "Hey, AF. I like your advice generally, but don't you think you might be awfully misogynistic, referring to a guy's wife as a shrew and ball breaker merely for saying 'you're not fifty yet'?"

The Answer Fella's response?

"The 'guy' who asked for help was a) a librarian and b) twenty-nine years old. Fact A suggests that he's not quite a man in full to begin with...."

WHAT?!?

In my experience, guybrarians are brilliant and we all know that smart = sexy as hell. (Not to mention that I've known a fair number of male librarians who are pretty damned hot -- and would be no matter *what* their profession!) Maybe if they grabbed their crotches, spit, and hollered at female patrons from across the room ("Hey, Bay-bee! I got your Chaucer right here!") they'd be somehow more "manly?" Ridiculous!

I plan to write to this "Answer Fella" (maybe he is just feeling threatened because librarians -- guys and chicks alike -- are the *real* Answer Folk?) and tell him how wrong he is. I suggest that all of you out there in blogland might consider dropping him a note, too. You can contact him by going here.

Librarians of the world, unite!

August birthdays

Here we are, the last day of August, and I have a note on my desk reminding me to blog author birthdays, yet I kept not having time... So, without further ado, who did I miss?

August 28th was the birthday of illustrator/author Kevin Hawkes, whose new work, Sidewalk Circus (written by the amazing Paul Fleischman) has been a huge hit around here. (Their collaboration on Weslandia is one of my favorite picture books.)

August 28 was also the birthday of Tasha Tudor who celebrated her 89th birthday! Ms. Tudor has written or illustrated over 100 books, all with art that is iinstantly familiar. Her website is full of charming photos, examples of her timeless artwork, and fun facts, like this one: "She never allowed running water into her home until she turned fifty, never had central heating until she needed it for her greenhouse which was built when Tasha Tudor was in her 70's."

Last for August 28 (although not least by a long stretch!) is Brian Pinkney, son of Jerry and Gloria Pinkney. He was probably destined to be a shining star in field of children's literature, and he has obliged most impressively. His bold, powerful illustrations have guaranteed that his new books are always snatched off the shelf as soon as we put them out. The cover of Duke Ellington is one of my favorite paintings; I'd love to have a full-sized poster of it!

August 30th would have been the 95th birthday of Virginia Lee Burton. Her best known book, loved by children everywhere since it's publication in 1939, is surely Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. (In an unforgettable passage of Ramona the Pest, Ramona asks her teacher what we all wondered: "Miss Binney, I want to know -- how did Mike Mulligan go to the bathroom when he was digging the basement of the town hall?") Honestly, though, my favorite of her books was always The Little House. Wasn't there a cartoon made of this book? Maybe that influenced my preference...

Donald Crews, author of another perrenial favorite, Freight Train, also celebrated a birthday on August 30th. His bio at the Harper Collins' site reports that "When Donald Crews is asked why he focuses on picture books, he frequently answers, 'Why not?'" I know about a gazillion little boys (and girls, too) who would sound out a hearty "woo-hoo!" that he has chosen to create picture books.

The final August 30 birthday belongs to Laurent de Brunhoff, keeper of the Babar flame. I am a bit embarrassed to confess that, although I sent Babar Christmas cards one year, I have never actually read the books. (Wait! That's not entirely true. I love Yoga for Elephants. In fact, I even conduct a yoga class for kids at the library that bears that name!) I really have to check out that book some day!

Whew! Next month, I will stay more on task!

Who *hasn't* wanted to do this some days?

From Yahoo!: "'Elderly retired school teacher seeks family willing to adopt grandfather. Will pay.'Lonely Giorgio Angelozzi, 79, published his appeal in the classified pages of daily Corriere della Sera over the weekend, tugging on heart strings across family-loving Italy." Read the rest.

Of course, in my case, it's less about loneliness and more about wanting to be left alone more... (To be fair, I guess I'm lucky none of them have tried to sell me yet, either!)

An Unfortunate Film

There is a trailer for the forthcoming film, A Series of Unfortunate Events available on-line, based on the best-selling series by Lemony Snicket. I love the books and am pretty much looking forward to this, although I do worry that they will give it a happier ending than it should have... Check out the trailer and see what you think.

woo-hoo!

RefGrunt is back! (At least for today...)

Still rallying after all of these years...

I love this quote from the Stamford [CT] Advocate: "Folk legend and peace advocate Pete Seeger joined his voice last night with those of a new generation of anti-war activists forged after Sept. 11, 2001.

'This is what life's all about,' Seeger, 85, said in a hallway of the First Congregational Church on the Green a few minutes before the September 11th Families For Peaceful Tomorrows rally. 'Retiring and watching the world go to hell is no way to stay optimistic. Every time I get a crowd singing with me, I get a surge of optimism.'"

Read the rest.

Sometimes, I could just cry...

Tonight, this little boy -- maybe 7 or 8? -- was in here with his older brother. While wandering, he found Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy -- Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets by Dav Pilkey.

He was *so* excited! He came to show me the book and we discussed Captain Underpants a little bit. He told me that he was gonna read the whole book -- all by himself! It was pretty fun to see how happy he was.

So, after a while, it was time for them to go. He showed his mother the book and told her he was gonna read it.

No.

She told him he's "too dumb" to read a chapter book like that. She had chosen a few picture book and cassette kits for him and that's what he would practice on. He begged her, but she stood firm.

He stood here and just breathed, hot and loud and angry. She completely disregarded him, put the Captain Underpants book back on the cart, and made him leave.

I wanted to SCREAM! So what if he has trouble with his reading? It is my firm belief that many children *will* struggle to read a book they really want to read -- and *that* helps them improve! Giving him books he has no interest in (and is angry that he was forced to get) is not going to be helpful. I just pray that his love for books isn't dealt a death blow by the attitudes he's facing!

Swim, bunnies, swim!

Now playing, Jaws in 30 Seconds (and re-enacted by bunnies).

Which Dylan song are you?

And speaking of The Man, I am one of my favorite tunes!

Which Bob Dylan song are you? The Times They Are A-Changin'

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

In Memoriam

"Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, a psychiatrist who revolutionized the way the world looks at terminally ill patients with her book On Death and Dying and later as a pioneer for hospice care, has died. She was 78." Read the rest.

"Makes You Wanna Stop and Read a Book"

Bob Dylan "will shed light on his life and four-decade career as a singer-songwriter in a memoir to be published this autumn." Read the rest.

By the way, I saw Dylan perform with Willie Nelson in South Bend Sunday past. Amazing show. First of all, I was able to get super close to the stage. Secondly... Well, Dylan, man! I was struck, though, by the contrast between him amd Willie. Willie was all casual -- sleeveless t-shirt, jeans, long, loose hair, waving to the crowd, tossing out bandanas... Bob was customarily formal -- a suit, recorded introduction, played a helluva show, but no real interaction with the crowd. One gets the sense that he is just a more private, even shyer person that many musicians... If you have a chance to catch the one of the minor league ballpark shows these gents are playing, go!

I feel like a superhero!

As of this afternoon, I can register people to vote.

Woo-hoo!

Bring 'em on!

Birthday Wishes

Two of my favorite people in the world of Children's Literature share a birthday today.

First up, happy birthday to Lane Smith who, until recently, illustrated the Time Warp Trio books. (By the way? What's up with that? Did he and Jon break up? Huh.) He also created several books on his own. I am partial to The Happy Hocky Family. "I have a balloon! Do you have a balloon? I have a balloon!"

Today is also the birthday of Olivia's daddy, Ian Falconer. I have to admit that, when Olivia appeared, I wasn't the biggest fan. In my mind, she was a pale porcine imitation of Eloise. My best friend heard such an opinion as blasphemy, however, so I gave the pig another chance.

And loved her.

Here's wishing both of these gentlemen a most productive year ahead!