Ready, Steady, Go! Children's Books Festival 2011

October is just around the corner so it's time for CBF 2011! On the menu: story-telling sessions, illustration workshops, author talks, readings, competitions and more for tots to teens. So just hurry up and check out the Children's Books Ireland website. Also keep an eye out for Bookfest, the recommended reading guide, edited this year by Sarah Webb, Liz Morris and yours truly, and deliciously illustrated (that is, the front cover, see left) by Niamh Sharkey. It's free and contains reviews of the best books published in 2011, from picturebooks to novels, via info and poetry. So go on, have a fe(a)st!

Best Buddies: Chris Riddell's top 10 author/illustrator double acts

The Guardian ran this piece last week. Most of Riddell's choices go without saying (Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, AA Milne and EH Shepard, Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake...), but there were a couple of titles/series that were totally unknown to me and simply sound glorious such as the Treehorn trilogy written by Florence Parry Heide and illustrated by Edward Gorey. But then again I am a Gorey fan...

Give you picturebook a good shake

Saw this video on the inis blog and had to share it. Artist Raghava KK gives this inspiring talk at a TED event about changing our perspectives through stories that morph at the shake of an ipad... Brillig!

It's September, but don't panic

The lunch boxes still look fresh and inviting, the school bags still have their shape, it's raining and windy and grey, so this must be September. Worry not, however, dear reader! The Squeaky Door has reopened just for you and to give the autumn a colourful kick-off, here are some cool pics just for you.
First off is the water-colour on the top left corner by young French illustrator Solenn Larnicol who is truly, truly wonderful. No surprise she was selected to be part of the Bologna exhibition last spring. (click on pic to see it in big and be amazed)

Next, is this slightly envy-inspiring article from the Accredited Online Colleges blog on some celebrities private libraries. Some are suspiciously tidy, but still, impressive. (Here's Karl Lagerfeld's; doesn't strike me as a terribly practical way to store books if you ever want to find one in particular, but that's only me)

And finally, for those of you who are looking for inspiration for the next Edible Book Festival or are just feeling a bit peckish, look what I found on Chris Haughton's blog!