The Squeaky Door

Book Trailer - Love That Dog

2012-01-27T15:11:00.000Z

Loved the book. Love the trailer...

Quiz time!

2012-01-23T09:08:00.001Z

Yes, it's back, the Children's Books Ireland table quiz will take place on thursday 2 february in the Teachers' Club in Dublin. All you need to know is here. See you there...

Kick off 2012 with a laugh

2012-01-10T14:25:00.000Z

So that's it, 2011 has packed it in and 2012 has taken over. If you're not a January fan, then check out the Reading Agency's latest (brilliant) idea: a list of mood-busting books that will see you through the winter no bother. The 27 titles belong mainly to 'adult' fiction (although you will find The Secret Garden, some Roger McGough and Tove Janson in there) and span all genres.
Once you've made your way through those, there are more recommendations for you, including the likes of hilarious Jasper Fforde nursury crime stories and Cold Comfort Farm.

"Research shows that reading improves mental wellbeing and reduces stress by 67%. The Reading Agency worked with BBC Headroom and nine UK reading groups in 2011 to create a list of mood enhancing books. These titles were endorsed by Charley Baker, Lecturer in Mental Health at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy at the University of Nottingham. Public libraries throughout the UK promoted this list in 2012."

Philip Reeve's xmas present

2011-12-23T09:23:00.001Z

A brand new short story from Philip Reeve as a xmas present for his blog readers. Enjoy!

What do you with your old books? | The death of the printed word

2011-12-22T07:51:00.000Z

That's what Nick Georgiou does with his. Mad or what?

"My art is inspired by the death of the printed word. Books and newspapers are becoming artifacts of the 21st century. As a society we're shifting away from print consumption and heading straight towards full digital lives. "

Adopt a bookshop

2011-12-19T00:49:00.001Z

To all writers and illustrators stuck for gifts ideas this christmas, check out the Adopt a Bookshop project. You may find that you'll receive as much as you give...

"So how does an author Adopt A Bookshop? Well, there are no social services checks involved, no counselling, no painting the spare room and tempting the bookshop into it with a plate of Pop Tarts… It’s more practical than that."

Read on...

The new new Inis

2011-12-17T06:38:00.001Z

It's out! And partly online, as is my review of Little Red Hood by Marjolaine Leray. Here's a snippet:
"This is a very different retelling of the classic tale, one that does not shy away from its cruelty and awfulness, but embraces both through plot, graphic style and text. One wolf, one girl, two pencils, no décor to speak of, no props apart from the strictly indispensable or highly symbolic. "

Christmas Special over on the other side

2011-12-15T12:38:00.000Z

Just a quickie to let those of you who speak French that I'm doing a Christmas special over on my French blog, which includes recommended reads, cool illustrators to watch out for, book giveaways etc.
Come along, all welcome!

Amazing paper sculptures

2011-12-01T20:36:00.000Z

Only in Edinburgh can you have a mysterious paper artist leaving a trail of masterpieces around the city. Anonymously. Check this brilliant article, it's got all the photos.

Library of the Early Mind film on dvd and online!

2011-11-16T15:59:00.000Z

I mentioned it before somewhere on this blog, it's now available for all to see:
"Library of the Early Mind” is an exploration of the art and impact of children’s literature on our kids, our culture, and ourselves. From the first stories we hear told to us to those childhood heroes that stay with us a lifetime, the impact on our culture runs deeper than what we might expect. “No one suspects the children’s writer,” says author and illustrator Mo Willems, a former 'Sesame Street' writer. The film features nearly 40 prominent authors and illustrators talking about their work, its genesis and its impact. The number of books in print by the authors in 'Library of the Early Mind' exceeds 240 million."

You can pre-order a DVD by email (beware, it's evil NTSC format!) or rent a digital copy (for a measly 4.99) here. Their website is here and the blog here. Now you know everything you need to know!

You've got to love Chris Haughton

2011-11-11T14:39:00.000Z

Aren't they wonderful? Chris Haughton has created those two posters for bookshops and libraries and he's making them available for free! More here and here.

To all of us procrastinators extraordinaires out there

2011-11-10T10:45:00.000Z

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." (Alfred De Souza)
You wouldn't believe this post has been sitting in the drafts pile before I got around to publishing it. Think I'd better print it and nail it to my forehead. In a minute.

Bistoing again

2011-11-08T14:44:00.000Z

And what a joy it is! For the third time running I've been given the chance to be part of the Bisto Book of the Year Award jury. Check out who my distinguished colleagues are on the new-look Children's Books Ireland website.
Plenty to keep us busy this year as Irish writers, illustrators and publishers have been very productive. There will be in particular a lot of novels coming from brand new publishers such as Hachette Ireland and Puffin Ireland.

Tidying up the Hobbit mess

2011-10-25T16:32:00.000+01:00

The Guardian is running a story about the recent discovery in Tolkien's papers of a number of early, unpublished illustrations and sketches he made for the Hobbit. Click for the slideshow.

The Sword of the Awesome Manuscript

2011-10-19T06:47:00.001+01:00

Agent Mary Kole over at kidlit.com has found a nice and neat way of describing what she's looking for in a novel. Well worth a read, here.
"If fiction is a balance of action and information, the axis of the scale, the part that holds everything else together, is emotion. Without emotion to lord over the work and to keep everything else in check, your whole manuscript falls apart."

RTEJr Radio's Little Pages

2011-10-16T08:44:00.000+01:00

A new programme is hitting the interether this very morning on digital radio RTEJr. Little Pages, presented by Gráinne Clear, will look at children's book from around the world and around the block, from picturebooks to teen novels, classics to the latest thing. There's also a series of podcasts for parents in the pipeline, discussing topics such as "how picture books work, why children like to be scared, the childhood love of the grotesque and bizarre, and many other themes which will help parents understand the workings of children’s books".
The show is on every Sunday at 9am and repeated on Fridays at 5pm. You can listen to the station here for example.

Tell me what you read | Little Friend by Colleen McKeown

2011-10-11T11:26:00.000+01:00

A nice, warm and wind-filled picturebook for little people.
This is my review, mitched from the Inis blog (shocking, I know).

"Little Friend is the simplest of stories: a little girl called Laura finds a lone duckling in the grass one day, takes him home to nurse him, befriends him, and finally must let him go join his peers in the wild.

Straightforward and gentle as it is, this tale manages to avoid falling into twee territory. Its strength lies in everything the text does not say but only hints at: the joy of marching through the snow, the duck’s longing, the excitement of first flight, and Laura’s sadness.
All those unstated feelings are wonderfully relayed by the brilliant pencil and crayon illustrations. The broad sweep of landscapes, the constant presence of the wind, and the subtle passage of time infuse great energy to the book and add another layer of emotion."

Bloody genius

2011-10-07T15:42:00.001+01:00

If you can't write, sing!
(and click!)
(Thanks for those Kim!)

Quentin Blake's new baby

2011-10-03T15:29:00.002+01:00

Thinking of redecorating your local maternity hospital? Then ask the specialist! The Centre Hospitalier d'Angers (yes, in France) has just unveiled Quentin Blake's paintings on its glass façade and delivery suites inside. Talk of a good start in life...

More here.

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

2011-09-28T07:30:00.000+01:00

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

2011-09-26T14:53:00.002+01:00

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

2011-09-19T14:52:00.000+01:00

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

2011-09-13T15:48:00.000+01:00

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!

How do you draw love? | A Shaun Tan interview

2011-06-19T00:05:00.000+01:00

I just saw this on Kim Harte's blog and I had to share it. Shaun Tan has given Der Spiegel an interview and has answered all their questions... without words. Go have a look.
(Above is Shaun Tan's answer to ''How do you draw love?")

Stunning

2011-06-15T11:03:00.000+01:00

Some stunning re-imaginings (literally) of some old favourites by Spanish illustrator and publisher Juanjo G. Oller (Milimbo is the publishing company). Follow the links to get to the slideshows for Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel.

The world is made of sugar

2011-05-30T22:14:00.000+01:00

Saw this thanks to Sarah Webb. Take 4 minutes to listen to Sarah Kay's deadly spoken word poem and spend the next 14 mesmerized and inspired.
“This world is made out of sugar. It can crumble so easily, but don’t be afraid to stick your tongue out and taste it.” That quote is going straight on to my wall...

Tell me what you read | Bracelet of Bones, by Kevin Crossley-Holland

2011-05-27T09:35:00.002+01:00

As mentioned previsously, Inis is now online, where it hosts a heap of articles and reviews that are not available anywhere else. One of those is my take on Kevin Crossley-Holland's latest novel Bracelet of Bones. Here's a teaser:
"The fantastic setting of 11th-century Europe (think boats rolling over land, Viking settlements from Iceland to Russia, runes, bone-carving and Christian–Muslim–Pagan conflicts) provides Kevin Crossley-Holland with a wealth of fascinating detail as well as a plot rich in danger, tension and drama."

For the rest, I'll invite you, again, to go over to the Inis site, right here.

Inis: live

2011-05-25T21:32:00.000+01:00

Hear! Hear! The new glossy-fab Inis magazine is out and shiny! Go and grab your copy at a bookshop near you and have a wander around the brand new website: it's full of reviews and features from back issues as well as things that will not appear in the print edition. It also has a blog to help you keep in touch with your kidlit side and keep you posted on events, competitions and debates. Speaking of which, you should join in the current discussion about the Bisto Awards: how they work, what they do, and what they're for. See what you think!

And the winners are... | (NOT the Eurovision!)

2011-05-16T17:31:00.000+01:00

Hear, hear! The winners of the Bisto awards have been announced to-day!
Here goes...

Winner of the Eilis Dillon award for best first children's book: A bit Lost by Chris Haughton

Winner of the award for best illustration: Winner of the award for fiction: Taking Flight by Sheena Wilkinson
Winner of the jury's special award: The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers

Winner of the Children's award: Taking Flight

Over-all winner for best book of the year... yes, him again!

Well done to all!

Busy, busy

2011-05-13T09:38:00.003+01:00

After a couple of months of "far niente" (ie, writing board books, game books and stocking up on trivia for a forthcoming info book), I've recently got stuck in a new translation. And quite a task it is: over 350 pages of dystopian teen sci-fi involving genetic and environmental issues, politics, love and a couple of child-births.
The book is called Prized and it's the second in the BirthMarked trilogy by US writer Caragh M. O'Brien. It's very different in feel and style from the other series I've been working on, so it's an added challenge, but a welcome one, too, as I get to exercise a different part of my brain/dictionary. I really like what O'Brien has made of Gaia, the heroine, in this second instalment and I'm looking forward to showing it to her French fans...

Coming up next: The winners of the 21st Bisto Awards

2011-05-10T21:38:00.000+01:00

Patience, the wait is nearly over. Next Monday (16 May) will see the announcement of the winners of the 2010-2011 Bisto Book of the Year Award at the National Library. In the meantime, as last year, Scoil Cholmcille in Skryne has put together the verdict of its own Junior Jury and you can see what they think of each of the shortlisted titles here and here. Brilliant!

Reading with your ears

2011-04-23T14:02:00.000+01:00

A brilliant article on the trickiness and stakes of translation over on the Guardian's website.

"It has to sound as though it were written in English – though with enough of the accent of the original to remind you constantly, in reading, of the text's beginnings... The translator's art is a transparent, inconspicuous one."

As promised

2011-04-20T07:59:00.000+01:00

And for the vile unbelievers or the faithless incredulous, me on a snowskithingy during my WORK trip in the Alps:

Told you so

2011-04-18T14:58:00.000+01:00

Didn't I, though? Didn't tell you the Moomins are great? Yes, I did and it looks like I'm not the only one of that opinion:

I love this book, and all the other Moomin adventures, because they are exciting and the characters are very well described. The way Tove Jansson, the Finnish author, writes about Moominvalley just makes you want to live there!

The rest of the review is on the Guardian children's bookclub.
So there.

Even though I never liked Snow White...

2011-04-15T13:41:00.000+01:00

... one must admit that Angela Barrett's vision of She of the Apple is quite fabulous. Check out the feature on this and her other works in the Guardian. It's here.

In Bologna... in spirit

2011-04-01T17:21:00.000+01:00

Yes, top shelf, smash bang in the middle, it's me!
(And in excellent company, you'll note, n'est-ce pas Alice?)
Thanks to the CBI crowd who bumped into one of my publishers' stall in Bologna and thought of taking a photo!

Award season

2011-04-01T17:17:00.000+01:00

While you're desperately waiting for the winners of the Bisto Book of the Year Award, here are another two shortlists to keep you busy.

The CARNEGIE MEDAL has announced its selection for the 2011 prize:
"The importance of finding common ground and forging friendships across seemingly unbridgeable divides forms a unifying theme for the six novels for young people on the 2011 CILIP Carnegie Medal shortlist, announced today."

BRESLIN, THERESA PRISONER OF THE INQUISITION
McCAUGHREAN GERALDINE THE DEATH DEFYING PEPPER ROUX
NESS, PATRICK MONSTERS OF MEN
ROSOFF, MEG THE BRIDE'S FAREWELL
SEDGWICK, MARCUS WHITE CROW
WALLACE, JASON OUT OF SHADOWS

The KATE GREENAWAY MEDAL shortlist for 2011 (for illustrated books):
Grahame Baker-Smith Farther

Anthony Browne Me And You
Bob Graham April Underhill, Tooth Fairy
Mini Grey (text by Hilaire Belloc) Jim
Oliver Jeffers The Heart And The Bottle
Kristin Oftedal (text by Carl Norac) Big Bear Little Brother
Catherine Rayner Ernest
Juan Wijngaard (text by Mal Peet & Elspeth Graham) Cloud Tea Monkeys

Winners to be announced on Thursday 23 June. For more, here's the website.

Astrid Lindgren Award

2011-04-01T07:48:00.000+01:00

As is now the tradition, the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Award was announced this week at the Bologna Bookfair and this year's winner is Australian writer-illustrator Shaun Tan. For more on this fab news, head over there.

And we're back!

2011-03-31T14:09:00.000+01:00

So we are, after some very intensive but very fantastic time up in the French Alps. As mentionned before, I was invited to a book festival and fair in Ugine in Savoie where I also had the opportunity to visit no less than 10 classes in different schools.

Said schools are planted on the side of mountains with views you wouldn't believe (which is why I photographed some of them) and are usually quite small with a couple (sometimes literally) of multi-level classes, which seems to suit everybody.

We chatted books, writing, ideas, cats, chocolate and fantasy for two days and a great time was had by all (I think).
And yes, there were some local cheeses, snow bikes and snow shoes involved too. Sadly, I can't find the pics for those...

;)

Library of the Early Mind

2011-03-14T20:39:00.001Z

It's a documentary film, it's got Mo Willems and Lois Lowry in it, and it looks wow!
Check out the blog for trailer, screening dates and stuff!

Library of the Early Mind is a feature-length documentary film exploring children's literature, directed and co-produced by Edward J. Delaney and co-produced by Steven Withrow.

Plot Outline: An exploration of the art and impact of children’s literature on our kids, our culture, and ourselves. From the first stories we hear told to us to those childhood heroes who stay with us a lifetime, the impact on our culture runs deeper than what we might expect. Featuring nearly 40 prominent authors, artists, and critics.

Busy month

2011-03-14T13:33:00.000Z

This is a busy time of year for the kidlit-minded in general and me in particular. The Bologna Ragazzi Fair is just round the corner, while the Paris Book Fair is practically upon us (opens on Thursday). As for myself, I will be in Paris (for a bit of literary shopping) and then in Ugine in the French Alps for a couple (12!) of school events and a two-day festival involving signing, crosscountry-skiing and perhaps a spa.
Busy, I tell you!

Wizardly stamps

2011-03-11T06:28:00.001Z

The Royal Mail has just released its new series of stamps, inspired by the great witches and wizards of British folklore and literature. Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, Dumbledore, Aslan and the like will now help postmen the world over in their daily deliveries. Magic!

Shocking pink and lonely beasts

2011-03-09T14:19:00.001Z

Who said writing or illustrating were always a lonely business? The folks at Children's Books Ireland have cooked up a deadly programme for their next conference to show the world how collaborations can and do work when it comes to creating great books.
The conference will be held in the National Library on the 21st and 22nd of May and here's who you can expect to hear:
Jane Davis, Helen Oxenbury, John Burningham, David Lloyd, Keith Gray, Mary Byrne, Liz Page, Garrett Carr, Judi Curtin, John Newman, Sheena Wilkinson, Philip Ardagh, Louise Rennison, Áine Ní Ghlinn, Karen Bertrams, Emma Byrne, Chris Judge, Steve Simpson, Chris Haughton, Robert Dunbar and Derek Landy

More info here.

The 2011 Bisto shortlist!

2011-03-07T14:28:00.000Z

And so, here it is! 10 brilliant books, more than half of them with plenty of pictures. For what us jury thought about each of the finalists, head over the CBI website here.

The 10 shortlisted titles are:
Dancing in the Dark, by PR Prendergast

The Heart and The Bottle, by Oliver Jeffers
Tiny Little Fly, illustrated by Kevin Waldron
A Bit Lost, by Chris Haugthon
Taking Flight, by Sheena Wilkinson
The Lunatic's Curse, by F.E. Higgins
The Owl and the Pussycat, illustrated by Kevin Waldron
Prim Improper, by Deirdre Sullivan
Mac Rí Eireann, by Caitríona Hastings and Andrew Whitson
Up and Down, by Oliver Jeffers

Coming up next: The Bisto shortlist

2011-03-04T16:10:00.001Z

More exciting than the Oscars and the general election (combined), the announcement of the shortlisted titles in competition for the Bisto Children's Book of the Year Award will take place this coming Monday 7 March. In the meantime, you can make your own predictions or check other people's prophecies. Here are David's and Sarah's. In any case, do come back here on Monday for Announcements, Revelations and Suchlike!

Why we do what we do...

2011-03-02T20:41:00.000Z

Remember I mentionned Berlin Fang, a literary translator I met at Annaghmakerrig last year? We had great conversations about the job of translator and recently Berlin wrote a post on chinadaily.com about just that. For a fascinating (and inspiring, and comforting!) answer to the question of this post's title, just click.
You will find out why we shouldn't do it:
"At present, most publishers pay about 65-100 yuan ($10-15) per thousand words for literary translation, no matter how good you are. You know that words are cheap because the rate has remained at this level for decades. The rate is so pathetic that I once considered giving up translation in pursuit of a career as a pig farmer."

... and why we do it anyway:

"It's my secret dream that one day or one night, a Chinese author reads a book I have translated and bangs on the desk: "I didn't know that novels can be written like this! I can do that!" There, the circle of life for writers goes on."

What's a classic?

2011-03-01T16:50:00.000Z

A lovely day was that ISSCL conference, so it was, so it was. A great line up of speakers from far and near, a brand new building, some fancy cookies and a heap of food for thoughts.
Here are a few tidbits:

is a classic a book that keeps being retold, rewritten and generally adapted in many shapes and guises?
is it a book to which different people bring different things and from which they take away different things?
do we still read Shakespeare today because his themes are still relevant or is it his language that makes him 'immortal' (so far)?
why did Mole uncork his beer?
why don't we wear powdered wigs anymore?
why does British (and Irish) children's literature view the countryside so positively and depict cities as hell or dangerous forest that one had better keep away from?
why does American kidlit do exactly the opposite?
what's in the Pollard collection in Trinity?
what's the percentage of teachers in training who have read Where the Wild Things Are?
who ate all the cookies?

[Thanks for the pic, Alice!]

Something to read (soon)

2011-02-24T08:29:00.001Z

I am not at liberty to tell you anything about what I'm reading right now (because it's all a secret), but I can tell what's going straight into my post-Bisto pile and here's the latest addition:The Dangerous Journey, by Tove Jansson. Yes, she of Moomin undying fame! I've just been reading Frank Cottrell Boyce's review in the Guardian and I'm all excited about it because...:
"This is a rollicking and vivid new translation of a lavish, beautiful picture book by Tove Jansson. Depending on how you feel about Jansson, that sentence will read either like a straightforward item of publishing news, or like the announcement of the discovery of a previously unknown Shakespeare sonnet. Or Beatles album. Or species of dolphin. Among the ridiculously excited might be Philip Pullman, Ali Smith, Esther Freud, a Japanese man who had Snufkin tattooed on his arm "as a symbol of freedom" and half a million Scandinavian girls who were christened "My" after another of Jansson's characters."
You can guess which category I belong to...

Coming up | The ISSCL conference

2011-02-22T12:25:00.001Z

The Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature will be holding its annual conference Saturday 26 February in Trinity College on the theme of Children’s Literature, Classics and the City. Professor Peter Hunt (if you’ve ever studied kidlit in an academic context, you’ll know who he is) will be giving the keynote address, titled 'Re-Editing the Children's Classics: Engaging Modern Children and Modern Adults'. As I have a vested interest in the matter of rewriting classics for children, I’ll be all ears.

On the wing…

2011-02-20T12:24:00.002Z

Remember that Tandem Fair I was talking about some months ago? Well, I’ve been working hard on not one, but two projects, and I’m happy to announce that my bit is done for both (for the moment). I’ve written two texts, for two very different picture books and one of them involves the motley crew of the Flying Taxi, which will look something like this, or so the illustrator Captain Jelly tells me…

Those old classics

2011-02-17T12:23:00.000Z

And so, after a lot of time telling people that I was writing Treasure Island and them telling me that it had already been written, here it is! My first publications in English (as opposed to translated stuff) and in the school market: three rewritings of all-time classics (Treasure Island, Huckleberry Finn and The Hound of the Baskervilles) for French 10-year-olds learning English. Let me tell you complying with the layout imperatives (they’re each 1000-word long) and the curriculum guidelines (on syntax, vocab and the lot) was NOT easy. But we made it! (I worked with a teacher who was in charge of the teacher’s book, with all the exercises and lessons and things) (I got to do the fun bit: the actual stories!).

Brilliant Sandra Boynton

2011-01-30T21:21:00.000Z

I mentionned Sandra Boynton's fantabulous book Hippos Go Berserk before. It's crazy and clever and frankly hilarious. And now, I have the immense pleasure to tell you that her music is exactly the same. A belated xmas present to myself, the albums Blue Moo and Philadelphia Chickens are most excellent. It's real music, with real composition, singers, instruments and a deadly sense of humour. The Uninvited Loud Precision Band will have you marching up and down your hall (or kitchen or bathroom, wherever you happen to be, really). The Arkwaarks will make you wriggle your toes (and if you're an Aaaaaarkwaark, you'll also wriggle your nose). And how can you say know to a Personal Penguin?

Have a look over here for other snippets.

Literary Resolutions

2011-01-12T21:29:00.000Z

I finally decided that I was both too lazy and too busy to bother about coming up with new year resolutions this time round, but I found on Ann's blog this ready-made list from The Loft. Here goes:

This year, instead of making huge year-long goals that start to taunt you in late October, how about making one goal per month? Break it down, and give yourself permission to start fresh every four weeks or so.

January: Read a classic that has always been on your list. I’ve never read Virginia Woolf— embarrassing, yes. January is the time to conquer this hole in my education.

February: Write for at least 15 minutes every day. Take away the pressure and swear you’ll never show anyone this new work. You’ve heard it before, I’ll tell you again. Just get it flowing. Conquer the blank page. This is a short month. You can do it. If fifteen minutes turns into an hour, send yourself a valentine.

March: Go to at least two author readings at your local book store, library, or literary center. If your community does not have authors passing through, you can watch a reading online. After hearing from the author, read the book.

April: Celebrate the foolish. Find some of the best humor writing and see what makes you laugh out loud. “Right ho!” You can never go wrong with P.G. Wodehouse. Then, give yourself a humor writing assignment. After you make someone laugh from a quip or joke, try to write it down. Can you capture spoken humor in the written form?

May: Spend the month rereading your old work. I have a half-written novel waiting patiently for me on my computer. Why does this scare me so much to go back and read it? Read fragments, half-finished essays, and rejected work. Invite one piece back into your life for revisions, and a second chance.

June: Get an anthology of poetry and read the same poem twice every day—once in the morning, and once at night. Does coming back to it in the evening change it? Take June to think about language—what draws you in, what bores you?

July: Spend two hours a week working on one long piece. This could be a rescued piece discovered in May or something new. Take off the pressure: tell yourself just one month.

August: Reread your favorite book from childhood. Why did that book make such an impression on you? I often wonder if it is a coincidence that I fell madly in love with Robin Hood at the age of 11 and as an adult became a professional fundraiser.

September: Submit. Submit to your dream of being a writer. Submit your work to a contest, a local newspaper, a literary journal.

October: Read a best-selling mystery. What can you learn from a well-paced page turner?

November: Jump on the NaNoWriMo bandwagon and try to write a novel in a month. NaNoWriMo offers plenty of online resources and many communities have meet-ups. The Loft offers a weekend novel writing conference to offer inspiration in early November.

December: Buy books, give books, talk about books, and spread your love of literature throughout the holidays.

In one painless year, you’ve become an active participant in the literary community. You’ve read a classic, you’ve created new work, and you’ve heard new work, you’ve supported authors and not once were you encouraged to get more exercise or cut back on sweets and alcohol.

'Tis the season

2011-01-02T16:23:00.000Z

And so this is it, exit 2010, welcome 2011! May it be full of good things to do, see and eat!
It's been quiet around these parts lately, but I blame the intensive cooking, make-and-doing (note the handsome, askew-eared deer) and general partying of the season.
Now it is back to work and writing and reading and blogging and probably also messing around with Playdo and origami paper (Santa was very generous!).
Now is also the time to go back to that old list of new year's resolution and see if anything at all can be ticked off. But that's for another day. There's still Xmas cake that's begging for attention...

Roald Dhal on E-Bay

2010-12-14T21:41:00.000Z

Two pages from an unpublished story written by Roald Dahl have come out of their long-forgotten box in somebody's garage and made an appearance on E-Bay where they have nearly reached $2000 (so far). The Eyes of Mr Croaker was to be part of a collective work titled The Do-it-yourself Children's Storybook, which compiled a series of "story starters" that the reader was then meant to complete. The poject never came to life, but with this new development, one of its initiators, Jerry Biederman, is hoping to have another go at it:

Biederman now hopes to create an interactive version of The Do-It-Yourself Children’s Storybook that will include contributions by contemporary authors; he will approach J.K. Rowling about the possibility of joining the project as well. “The concept is now possible on a massive global scale,” Biederman notes, “thanks to the ability of a publisher to stage an online competition to find the best completed versions of each unfinished story.”

Budding writers, you have been warned!
For more, you can have a look over there.

Manga-nificent!

2010-12-07T21:07:00.000Z

Ibby Ireland is treating you to an evening all about manga this Thursday 9 December at Exchange in Dublin. Meet the artists, learn about their techniques, grab a free manga book and gobble up some sushi from 6.15pm. More info over here.

Tandems on the road

2010-12-07T14:43:00.000Z

Sailor, by Leila Brient

So this is it, all the contributions I received for the ''tandem fair'' have gone live on my French blog. Go have a look and don't hesitate to scroll all the way down (there's over 35 texts or images!!!). There's some deadly pics in there... (stories too, of course, but I guess you'll just have to take my word for it!). It's over here, but here's a wee sample...

Morine, by Captain Jelly

Monseigneur Lapin, by Madama Prope

Pic by Robin

Story Spark Sparked Off

2010-11-26T10:13:00.000Z

And in great style at that. Last Monday saw the great and the good of the Irish children's books scene with a crowd of authors, illustrators, storytellers, facilitators and young readers from far and wide (but mostly from Bray!).

Joseph O'Connor officially opened proceedings with a fantastic speech, which you can read on The Ark's blog (here). But I can't resist giving you the last paragraph of it:

"And I also believe, without his solidarity and courage, that his life, and therefore mine, would have been different indeed. All my life I have been given chances he did not have. The same is true of many of us. It’s hard not to be scared when times change very suddenly, as they have for many of us in what seems only a few months. But to read with a child can never be taxed, to believe there are deeper solidarities than the merely financial. Things were not better in the old days. Nobody sane could say that. But the example of that generation of Irish people has much to offer. It could be a time to remember the story of where we came from. It will help us write the story of where we’re going. For a story, in order to work, needs to have a good ending. And the story of our country and of our city is far from over, despite these times. The story gives us back our dignity, our passion, our pride, our courage, our solidarity, our pleasure, our sense of wonder, and to know there are young readers here in this room tonight is a cause of pride and celebration for all of us. I am honoured to be among them, and blessed, and fortunate. They represent the greatest values we have, the values that will see us through, and the future of the Irish story."

This week-end will see the kick-off of the series of public events, with Derek Landy and Anthony McGowan on Saturday, and Roddy Doyle and Frank Cottrell Boyce on Sunday.

Now be quick and book them tickets!

Irish Book Award Winners

2010-11-26T09:56:00.000Z

I mentionned earlier that YOU were the ones to decide the winners of the 2010 IBA, and so, you have. Of course, there's all sorts of ''adult'' category prizes (which you can chexk out here for example), but since we're between kidlit addicts, I'll just announce the winners of the children's fiction awards. In the Junior category, Niamh Sharkey snatched the prize with On the Road with Mavis and Marge. Derek Landy's Mortal Coil (that's Skuldugery 5) won the senior section. Well done all!

Alcatraz, book 3

2010-11-17T11:48:00.000Z

These days, I'm busy doing lots of things, one of which being the translation of Alcatraz Versus the Kights of Crystallia into French. Like the other two books, it's fast and fun, and it has its share of untranslatable puns, including something to do with riding hogs (as in bikes... or pigs) (precisely). I shall try my best!

Tandems

2010-11-11T16:12:00.000Z

Following a fellow French-kidlit-writer-living-in-Dublin's suggestion, my French website is hosting a ''Tandem Fair'' where writers and illustrators are invited to send projects and find partners in crime to bring said projects as far as they will go. Writers will send me excerpts of text and illustrators one or a couple of pics, and I'll post the lot on the blog page on December 1st. The ''fair'' will then move on to another blog for another month. Watch this space!

PS: all welcome, although some command of French a plus! ;o)

Montreuil

2010-11-10T15:13:00.000Z

I am delighted to say that I will be roaming the aisles of the children's bookfair of Montreuil (near Paris) this December: manning the children's writers and illustrators' Charter's stall (http://www.la-charte.fr/), signing my Christmas opus on Hachette's patch and generally loitering and going 'oooh' and 'aaah' and spending plenty of money on my own crimbo list. If you're in the vicinity, do pop in!

Results!

2010-11-08T14:48:00.000Z

Impressed yet? Here are the results of my paper-folding efforts at the weekend. Santas, samourai hats, butterflies, bells and what have you. Now Mad Cap, I know what it feels like!

Research (ahem!)

2010-11-05T09:12:00.000Z

Tomorrow I'm off to the National Print Museum to do a bit of research... aka an origami workshop. The aim of this make-and-do adventure is not at all to have fun and get some deadly handmade xmas decorations, but to get a better understanding of the deeper being of Mad Cap, a heroine of mine which some of you will have heard of. Mad Cap, you see, is big into origami and well, one needs to know what one's creation is talking about, right?

Something fun

2010-11-04T13:43:00.000Z

That should bring in a bit of sunshine on this liquidy-wet Thursday...
The pics are by Raphaelle Laborde, a French illustrator with as much talent as sense of humour. Raphaelle recently did the pictures for my Sardine Tin Fairy. Since then, she's been working on a Bollywood adaptation of the Perrault tales! Here's Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Sari! Head over to her blogpost to see a couple more.

Here we go again!

2010-11-03T12:22:00.000Z

It's official! This year again, I have the immense honour and pleasure to be invited at the Bisto Book of the Year Award's jury table. My co-judges this year are Jennifer Carpenter, Valerie Coghlan, Hannah Deacon (our ''young'' judge), Anne Fine (our ''international'' judge), Joe Kelly, Ríona Nic Congáil and Finian O’Shea. The chair is Keith O'Sullivan and the admin wonder is Aoiffe Murray (more detail on who we are here).
There's plenty to read, probably more than last year, with some very serious contenders already popping up in our heavy bags of books. Exciting!

Mo Willems talks to us

2010-11-02T15:59:00.000Z

Well, not directly, but it's fascinating stuff so it should be shared by many. Thanks to Maeve who linked to the post on the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database.
Here's an introductory snippet, in case you haven't already rushed to read the whole thing:

"My job is to write incomprehensible books for illiterates." A literary rock star, Mo has published over thirty children's books receiving critical and commercial success. He spoke to the Children's Book Guild of Washington DC about his creative process, his views on writing and illustrating, and the importance of emotional truth in books.

It was a dark and stormy night | StorySpark at The Ark

2010-10-30T16:00:00.000+01:00

After a whole month of events and fun and games, some of the people behind the Children's Books Festival are back with more fantastic offerings to lighten up the our cold and dreary week-ends this winter. Children's Books Ireland, The Ark and Poetry Ireland are bringing us StorySpark, a celebration of the magic of story.

"Each weekend from 27th November, The Ark will become a hive of story-centred activity for families to explore. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the creative facilities of The Story Lab, a facilitated interactive space, will be open to those wishing to write and record their own stories, or to enjoy those left by others. Later in the afternoon, The Reading Room will play host to some of the most talented children's authors writing today, with a series of exclusive readings at 2pm and 4pm.

Top-class writers and story-tellers include: Derek Landy, Anthony McGowan, Roddy Doyle, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Mary Arrigan, Aubrey Flegg, Ali Sparkes, Tony Mitton, Enda Wyley, Larry O'Loughlin, Marcus Sedgwick, Guy Bass, John Boyne, Ian Beck, Philip Ardagh, Oisín McGann, Joe O'Brien, Niamh Sharkey, Sarah Webb, Brianóg Brady Dawson and Gillian Perdue.

Check out The Ark's website for all the minutiae from dates to times to genre and age-group and the rest. Meanwhile, I'm going to find a 7-year-old to take me to see Philip Ardagh and His Beard.

In good company

2010-10-29T21:29:00.001+01:00

Last Thursday saw Oliver Jeffers (of Lost and Found, The Great Paper Caper or The Incredible Book-Eating Boy fame) and Martin Salisbury (illustration expert) having a public chat in the National Library. For those of you who missed the event, despair not! Kim Harte has a great report on the night over here. The only snippet of info I feel compelled to add (for family reasons) (you know who you are) is that apparently Oliver failed a colour-blindness test a few years ago and never took another one. So there's hope for us all!

Irish Book Award Shortlist Announced

2010-10-29T10:55:00.000+01:00

Last night was the announcement of the Irish Books Award shortlist. And here are the lucky few who made it to the kidlit lists:

The Dublin Airport Authority Irish Children's Book of the Year - Jnr

The Heart and the Bottle, by Oliver Jeffers
On the Road with Mavis and Marge, by Niamh Sharkey
Alfie Green and the Chocolate Cosmos, by Joe O'Brien
Adam's Pirate Treasure, by Benji Bennett

The Dublin Airport Authority Irish Children's Book of the Year - Snr:
Ask Amy Green: Bridesmaid Blitz, by Sarah Webb

Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil, by Derek Landy
Timecatcher, by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
Noah Barleywater Runs Away, by John Boyne, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

Now the final decisions rest into your hands. You have until November 21, midnight, to cast your vote on the IBA website. The winners will be announced on November 25. Off you go do you duty as a reading citizen!

Seen on the Etherweb

2010-10-28T22:51:00.000+01:00

I've made it to the picture books list on Mary Esther Judy's blog, Fallen Star Stories. Mary read In Search of Happiness and, it seems, liked it!

This is a warm and well-written fable style picturebook written by Juliette Saumande. While the story is a familiar one, in the telling is a quality genuine and unique that truly sets it apart. Stylized, exquisite illustrations by Eric Puybaret (illustrator of 'Puff, The Magic Dragon) perfectly accent this tale as it carries the reader along. A wonderful and timeless picturebook to be treasured.

Thanks Mary!

Not as pink as you might think

2010-10-21T11:37:00.000+01:00

October is always the high season of picture-book publishing, at least for me. On top of the other titles mentioned earlier, I can now proudly present 10 Histoires de Fées, featuring two by yours truly, and a reissue-cum-repackaging of Ma Première Grande Histoire de Fée (My First Great Fairy Story).
The compilation of 10 stories will introduce you to Chimera the Sardine-Tin Fairy, and to Chimes, a little detective of a fairy who wants to know why all her colleagues are disappearing.

My First Great Fairy Story (revamped under the title My Little Story Library - Girls) may look and sound fairly pink to you, but do not be fooled! It's actually about all the colours of the rainbow (and more) and includes a talking woolly hat, a worm-chopping ogre and a Hawaiian shirt.

As these stories are all in French, here are a few pictures, for those who can't enjoy the words...

Chimes is a fairy on a mission.
Where have all the fairies gone?

Meet the Sardine-Tin Fairy and Small Fry,
the ogre who conjured her up by accident.
There's definitely something fishy about those two...

Out Now for all your Xmas and Saturday-nights needs...

2010-10-13T10:00:00.000+01:00

It's release season for me, with 26 new books out this month in France. Yes, I did say 26. Do the maths yourselves...

1 Alcatraz contres les Ossements du Scribe, a translation of Brandon Sanderson's Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones, book 2 in the demented series. Age 10+

1 52 Histoires pour tous les samedis soirs, 52 bedtime stories for every Saturday night of the year, featuring 6 texts by yours truly, including the infamous bandit Conor O'Connor who suffers from hay fever and the rather limited fairy Turnip-Flower who can only turn people into daisies. Age 3+

24 livres et c'est déjà Noel, 24 books containing a Christmas story each and sold in a box set. One story to read aloud every night before C Day, for 3+. This is the happing ending to a two-and-a-half year long saga where the actual writing of 24 very short stories (ie 24 very quick beginnings, 24 very quick middles and 24 very quick endings) took place over 5 weeks only. One was younger then...

There you go: 1 + 1 + 24 = 26.
Cheating? Me? Never! ;o)

The Big Draw

2010-10-07T11:08:00.000+01:00

If October wasn't busy enough with our own Children's Books Festival, it's also the month of the Big Draw, a worldwide campaign and series of events which "aims to use drawing to connect visitors with museum and gallery collections, urban and rural spaces – and the wider community – in new and enjoyable ways." Check out the website for events listings, there could be something down your neck of the woods or your Internet alley...

TV star (ahem!)

2010-10-06T15:11:00.006+01:00

It would appear that while I was away doing serious research into the Scottish children's books market, a strange woman with stranger feet was spotted on the French TV channel TF1. It's in French and lasts for a whole glorious minute and nine seconds. It's all about, you know, books, how they're made, you've seen it all before...

Back at the ranch | CBF 2010

2010-10-06T15:00:00.000+01:00

Meanwhile, some people have been busy. The Children's Books Festival (aka CBF) has been kicked off with gusto up and down the country. For plenty of worshops, talks, readings, etc. wherever you might be, check out the CBI website. They have an events calendar and a festival blog.
If, however, you're desperate to go but are stuck at home with a bad case of flu, pesky attention-seeking babies or a heavy wardrobe accidentally resting on your chest (stuff happens), you can also enjoy some action from home on Tuesday 12 October at 11.30. Read on:

To celebrate Children's Books Festival, Laureate na nÓg Siobhán Parkinson will participate in a special webcast. Siobhan will be in conversation with Bisto Award winning author and illustrator Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick and school and library groups all over the country are encouraged to tune in from their own classroom or library via South Dublin Libraries live stream.This event will be live streamed from County Library, Tallaght. You can tune in live on October 12th or you can view the interview at a later date by visiting www.southdublinlibraries.ie/videos
Young readers can submit their questions to Laureate Siobhan Parkinson in advance
of the broadcast by emailing info@childrensbooksireland.ie. A selection of questions will be answered during the event and any questions that don’t get answered on the day will be answered afterwards by Siobhán on the Laureate’s special website - http://www.childrenslaureate.ie/.

So off you go now!

Dublin Culture Night

2010-10-06T14:56:00.000+01:00

I couldn't attend this year's edition of Culture Night (what with being in Scotland and all), but it seems I still managed to take part in it by proxy and unbeknownst to myself. The lads and lassies at CBI took a liking to the sight of these Awfuls (the baddies in my French Tirligok series) and put them up in the reading area for an event at the National Library! Thanks guys!

A wee tour

2010-10-06T14:44:00.000+01:00

As you can see, I've been busy sorting out my shelves, which is why it's been quiet in these parts lately...
That, and the fact that we've been taking a litterary tour of Scotland, which included :

Leaky's (a second-hand bookshop in Inverness, above);

A visit to the McManus Gallery in Dundee where we discovered the fascinating story of the first world tour by two female reporters (sent by publisher DC Thomson, of The Beano fame, in the 1890s to 'obtain full and accurate information as to woman's position in the world', more here);

A quick stop at Waterstone's in Edinburgh (where you can find Scots versions of The Twits, dubbed The Eejits! and The Hoose at Pooh's Neuk): 'I'm Pooh,' said Pooh. 'I'm Teeger,' said Teeger. 'Oh!' said Pooh, for he hadna ever seen a craitur like this afore. 'Does Christopher Robin ken aboot ye?' 'Of coorse he does,' said Teeger. 'Weel,' said Pooh, 'it's the howe-dumb-deid o the nicht, which is a braw time for gaun tae sleep. And the morn's morn we'll hae some hinny for oor breakfast. Dae Teegers like hinny?' 'They like awthin,' said Teeger cheerily. 'Weel, if they like gaun tae sleep on the flair, I'll awa back tae ma bed,' said Pooh, 'and we'll dae things in the mornin.'
No Loch Ness monster, but this... I've been wondering ever since what the Irish equivalent would be... Simon the Selfish Sausage Roll? Colm the Cool Colcannon? Patrick the Proud Potato (looks like it's there in the background already!);

And last but certainly not least, our favourite, good old William Topaze McGonagall, the world's worst poet, who left us these incomparable lines:

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!

Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

When the train left Edinburgh
The passengers' hearts were light and felt no sorrow,
But Boreas blew a terrific gale,
Which made their hearts for to quail,
And many of the passengers with fear did say-
"I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay."
(...)

So the train mov'd slowly along the Bridge of Tay,

Until it was about midway,
Then the central girders with a crash gave way,
And down went the train and passengers into the Tay!
The Storm Fiend did loudly bray,
Because ninety lives had been taken away,
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.
(...)

Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay,
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.

(see here for the rest and plenty more, you now you want to!)

A bit flummoxed

2010-09-06T15:41:00.001+01:00

Here I am, in my attic-cum-study, hoping the roof will hold and the bucket won't overflow, and finding myself not quite mistress in my own home, what with the water sneaking in through loose tiles and my new story showing me who's boss (not me).
I had this silly idea for a picturebook about a nasty kid who ends up (or thinks he is going to end up) in a 'boy sandwich' at the hands of his two aunts who may or may not be witches.
It seemed pretty straightforward so I picked that idea out of the project box and started working on it, i.e I opened a brand new Word document, saved it as 'Boy Sandwich' and started typing. And then stopped. And started again, with a different opening. After I did that three or four times, I declared to my typing self: ''There's something wrong''.
I thought about it for a while and realised it wasn't the writing that was causing trouble; it wasn't finding the right words to launch the story that was proving tricky. It wasn't even the story itself. It was a) the main character (evil boy) and b) the format (picturebook).
I've written a few nasty-character stories in the past and imposed some terrible fate on them or given them a glorious ending. But for some reason, last week, I found that the boy in the Boy Sandwich project refused to be treated as a nuisance. That he demanded to be painted as a human being with light and shade, good points and bad points. The works.
As a result, the size and shape of a picturebook didn't work anymore, as my Boy needed more space to plead his case and develop. I'm now 1700 words into the story and Boy has yet to meet the Aunts, and I can already see places where I'll have to go back and add bits so that it all makes sense and isn't rushed.
I've no idea where this is going (as my original ending worked really well for a picturebook but might look a bit slim and 'babyish' in the new order of things) or how long it'll take us (me and the boy) (or rather the boy and me) to get there. Even the whole sandwich business may have to go out the window... and perhaps be recycled in some later project!
Exciting times...

(The flummoxed rooster, wondering in actual fact how he can get rid of his hiccups, is from La véritable histoire du coooq Figaro, written by yours truly and illustrated by Dorothée Jost)

Books and bookmakers

2010-09-03T15:03:00.001+01:00

Just read this quite amazing piece on thebookseller.com. It seems up to £500k are spent every year on literary bets in the UK and Ireland. The bets concern the winners of literary prizes, but also the sales figures of such and such a title.

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power... expects a total stake of about £100,000 on all book-related bets, such as unit sales of Peter Andre's biography versus Katie Price's, or sales of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, with £50,000 of the total gambled on literary awards, and £25,000 of this on the Man Booker alone. Spokesperson Ken Robertson recalls that Paddy Power's largest literary loss so far was at the 2005 Man Booker, when the bookie offered unfavourable odds of 8/1 on eventual winner John Banville's The Sea—losing £17,000 in the process.

Wonder if the Bisto's in there...

(pic (c) Vincent Gerard)

Publish Your Children's, Tween, or Teen Fiction in Today's Market : A live webinar

2010-09-01T14:29:00.000+01:00

Mary Kole, US agent of kidlit.com fame will be giving a webinar on the 23rd of September for the Reader's Digest.

For $79 you will learn:

The essential elements of books written for younger children, tweens, and teens
How your kid reader thinks about fiction and what they want
What agents and editors look for in terms of pitch, writing, and book premise
How to make your hook absolutely irresistible
What separates an aspiring writer from a contracted author in this field

AND you will get the first 500 words of your novel or 300 words of your picture book critiqued by Mary.
Those who register (=pay) will have free access to the webinar for a year.
More info on the Reader's Digest website.

Stand and Deliver 2: Reading and Q&As

2010-09-01T11:18:00.000+01:00

We then went on to discuss the all-important matter of Reading and the dreaded Questions and Answers...

3) READING FROM YOUR BOOK
Ask the teacher to read the book in class, but only to a certain point. Then when you come in, read the remaining chapters, making the best of the suspense created, interrupting your reading with questions to the children (what do you think is going to happen next? Will I read on or will I stop here?).

Stop your reading at any point to let the kids have a go: they can guess what will happen next or comment on the action.

Give the kids some detective work to do during the reading. Enda gave the example of an excerpt she read from The Silver Notebook in which she uses an element from a well-known fairy tale and asked the children to see if they could spot it.

Here too, try and tie in your reading with the wider writing world (does it remind of other stories/books?) and to the kids’ work (on the book or as displayed in the classroom).

Enda suggested to split the reading in two halves, with a pause in between. The reading shouldn’t exceed 10 mins.

As Sarah Webb said during the first Stand and Deliver workshop, you are not tied to your text. Sarah suggested you could slightly rewrite or cut an extract to better suit the needs of a listening audience. Enda encouraged ‘flicking’. You can read very short, punchy bites from you book and jump from one to the next, skipping entire chapters.

4) Q&A
It can be a good idea to enunciate the golden rules of Q&A right from the start: 1) listen carefully and you’ll find that some of your questions will be answered before you ask them; 2) put your hand up if you have a question.

If there are no questions from the kids and the teacher/librarian doesn’t volunteer any, ask the children some: where do you read? What do you read? Etc. That should hopefully spark off their curious minds and get the ball rolling.

Leave them on a high. If you feel that your time is nearly up and that you’ve given a particularly satisfying/inspiring answer to a question, stop right there.

5) POST-VISIT
Make contact with the organisers again for feedback.

Attend events by other writers/illustrators. It’s a great source of inspiration and fun!

***
After our separate sessions, the group was reunited for the real attraction of the afternoon (meaning the Scary Bit), where each of us had 3 minutes to launch into their spiel: Hi guys, my name is Juliette and I’m here to talk to you about my book…
The tailor-made feedback was fantastic and the range of styles and talents pretty impressive. Moving stories were told and incredible props produced, from scrapbooks to wigs to shrunken heads. Intrigued? You’ll just have to wait for these writers’ new titles and events in the coming weeks and months…

Stand and Deliver, 2: Before your visit and Engaging with your audience

2010-09-01T11:17:00.000+01:00

For this sequel to the Stand and Deliver workshop, Children’s Books Ireland and the Farmleigh Writer in Residence programme invited poet Enda Wyley and Conor Kostick (novelist and writer in said residence) for an intensive afternoon in Farmleigh’s Old Kitchen last Saturday.

The group of about 15 new writers was split in 2, according to the age-group for which they write. Being a younger-audience person, I joined Enda and half a dozen others to discuss tips and tricks for organising, delivering and surviving meetings with children.
First of all, let's remind ourselves of the whole point of meeting with young readers as a writer: The main thing is to leave your audience with the desire to read any book and with a sense of the writing world. Right, so now, how to achieve this? It’s a long way, so I’ve divided it up in 5 steps. (And 2 posts)

1) PRE-VISIT
Ask the organiser of the event a few key questions: how many children will attend, how old will they be, where will the event take place, will the kids have read the book in advance, etc. If you’re uncomfortable with anything, feel free to make suggestions to the organisers.

Write up a script for your session. Think of it in blocks of time. How long for the intro? How long for the reading? The Q&A? the activities?...

Make sure you have everybody’s contact and if necessary a map of where you’re going.

Bring your stuff: from notes, to props and bottled water. And don’t forget your book!

2) ENGAGING WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
With kids of all ages, two traps (equally dangerous) await you:
1) the Lull: when a restlessness sets in, it’s a hint: they’re getting bored
2) the Over-Excitement: when a restlessness sets in, it’s a sign: they’re hyper.
In both cases, a change of rhythm is called for: insert a calm-down session or a wake-up call. Get them to sing a song, recite a nursery rhyme, wriggle their toes, shout the three rules of Vampiracy (only if you’re Justin Somper and have actually invented said rules, but you get the point), etc. This should hopefully reboot the whole machine and allow you to continue.

Ask them questions and praise them for good answers.

Be definitive. You know your book, you know how you got to this stage, show it. Your audience will then feel confident that you’re the person to answer their questions at the end of the session.

Bring props if you have them. From your personal notebook where you jot down ideas, to the first story you ever wrote aged 7. Show the kids how a book is made, from A4 sheets of text to lay-out to cover illustration proposals to the finished product.

If you can, imagine activities around your book. Get the children to draw something (Patricia Forde has a great technique to make them draw a collective monster), to read something (Jane Mitchell asks them to read aloud real testimonies from children soldiers), etc.

The personal stuff can be very engaging when relevant. Tell them if it was a struggle becoming a writer. Tell them about that spooky house you visited when you were 10 and wrote a novel about when you were 30. Tell them about working in a fish factory during your summer holydays. Tell them stories. About yourself and your book.
(Read on to the next post for Reading from your book, Q&As and Post-Visit.)

Bookfest 2010 out now!

2010-08-31T16:26:00.000+01:00

The Children's Books Festival is still a month away, but the deadly poster (by Kevin Waldron), the reading guide (edited by yours truly) and a heap of goodies from stickers to bookmarks, have arrived from the printers.

"Bring Festival Fever to your library, school or bookshop this October with the gorgeous new promotional materials from Children's Books Ireland! To download an order form (including prices and quantities) please click here."

Stand up and Deliver, 1

2010-08-31T15:18:00.001+01:00

Back in February, Children’s Books Ireland and the Ark invited new writers to attend Stand and Deliver, a workshop on how to survive meeting young readers. For those of you who wished they’d been there and haven’t read my account of that fantastic day in the last Inis, here's a shorter version:

First off was writer and theatre-practitioner Mia Gallagher’s workshop on vocal skills and performance technique. Through a series of physical games and vocal exercises, Mia showed the dozen volunteers how tension manifested itself in their bodies, from sweaty hands to weight shifting to the side to a crowd of butterflies in the stomach. Mia suggested that all performers (including writers going to meet their audience in the flesh) should take the time to do a gentle warm up of the voice before going ‘on stage’. This, she said, helps loosen up tension and all the ‘kinks’ in one’s body, so that the voice can flow more freely and connect with every part of the body.

The first session of the afternoon was led by Oisín McGann and Sarah Webb. ‘Devising your own events strategy’ was a very informative and practical presentation inspired by both writers’ experiences.

Kicking-off. How to kick off your session in a non-awkward manner? Oisín’s simple but effective answer was put into practice with the participants as guinea pigs: get your audience to talk first, ask them a question, and that’s enough to get the ball rolling.

Style. Sarah’s approach is more intimate, based on her own life and experience of becoming a writer. She describes her talks as a ‘Show and Tell’ that relies a lot on props (photos, toys, diaries, old school reports...). Oisín focuses more on his craft than his character, ‘using storytelling skills to talk about writing’, showing the children what a book looks like before it’s a book, producing notebooks full of writing ideas, etc.
The key is to use your own background to give your session its flavour and its theme. Are you an illustrator as well as a writer? Did you have an interesting job before you turned to children’s books? All this can be brought in to shape your presentation and make it your own.

Acting. Both speakers insisted on the importance of treating the performance as an hour of acting, Sarah highlighting the practicality of wearing something comfortable as well as the impact created by wearing something colourful and memorable, while Oisín suggested playing with your voice, learning breathing and drama techniques. Props also feature heavily in the two writers’ arsenal of tricks: they give you something to do with your hands and they are a great help in case of a blank. However, both Oisín and Sarah warned against using any amount of technology (Powerpoint in particular), as the venue might not be kitted out for it.

Practise. Both writers revealed that they practise their talks beforehand and that they time themselves. They divide their material in blocks, each covering a certain amount of time, so that they know what they can linger on or drop entirely if the situation requires it.

What to read. Oisín listed the characteristic for the ideal text to read: it must contain a fair dose of dialogue and be lively, it mustn’t involve too many characters or be weighed down by too much description. Sarah went further, by explaining that ‘you can actually rewrite a passage from the book to make it work better for a dramatic reading’. She also mentioned the need to note the different accents and body language of your character, to work them into the reading and, again, to practise them in advance.

Audience management. While both writers agreed that ‘the kids have to know you’re in charge and confident’, Sarah insisted on the role of the teacher who, she said, must be present in the room at all times. She also warned the future performers to be prepared for a very different age group from they may have asked for. Oisín described his own ‘crowd-control techniques’ which feature ‘using the bully’ and ‘going on the offensive with hecklers’.

Wrapping up. Sarah and Oisín insisted on the vital importance of leaving the audience with some sort of memorabilia. While Oisín donates a signed picture to the school (which can then be photocopied and distributed to the children), Sarah has put together a document listing her writing tips, favourite reads, info on competitions to win copies of her books, writing exercises to do in class, and so on. She also has a stack of bookmarks and stickers recapping the books’ details as well as her blog and website addresses.

Business. How to get more readings and what to charge? They advised talking to your publisher, checking out Poetry Ireland’s Writers in School scheme, volunteering at your local library or at Fighting Words.

Finally, CBI’s Mags Walsh and Tom Donegan introduced the group to their ideas on best practice for events. Festivals and one-off events are forever looking for names to put on their programs. CBI has developed a database of writers and illustrators living in Ireland, which event organisers can explore and use to contact the artists. The key is to be proactive.
This session also touched on very practical matters such as child protection and vetting, the Irish Writers’ Union recommendations for fees, invoicing (an invoice template can be found on CBInfo), and so on. Finally, Tom and Mags insisted on the importance of self-promotion (online in particular) and of leaving something behind (info sheets, press releases, teacher packs and other give-aways).

NB: as you can see from the pic above, you don't strictly speaking have to stand. Sitting is ok. Or kneeling or perching or whatever takes your fancy. (Check the desk before perching on it though...)

Monster Book Lunch

2010-08-25T11:30:00.000+01:00

I've already mentioned the very exciting line-up for the Mountains to Sea Festival next month, but wait til you hear about the Monster Book Lunch.

A fantastic literary lunch for young readers, with an author or illustrator at every table! Fifteen authors will host fifteen different tables. Meet and chat to Marita Conlon McKenna, Don Conroy, Joe O’Neill, Judi Curtin, Sarah Webb, PJ Lynch, Sarah Rees Brennan and a host of other authors and illustrators, including a surprise American guest.

We can now reveal that the surprise guest is Kate DiCamillo, acclaimed author of the Tale of Despereaux among other things. For more detail and to book (quick!), check out the festival website.

A heap of events...

2010-08-11T13:06:00.004+01:00

Taking a stroll in your local supermarket or bookshop and slaloming between their Back To School isles, you would be forgiven for having gloomy thoughts involving lunch boxes, new pencil cases and itchy school uniforms. But fear not, September hasn't come yet and when it does, here are a few things to liven it up no end...

The Mountain to Sea dlr Book Festival will take place between Sept 7-12. The line-up for the kids' events is very exciting, and includes the likes of Cathy Cassidy, Kevin Waldron, Celine Kiernan, Sarah Webb and lots more. And yes, there's a host of interesting 'adult' stuff too: Jonathan Coe will be around! For more, the programme is here.

On Saturday 11 September, Children's Books Ireland and SCBWI Ireland organise an information seminar on writing and illustrating for children in Tallaght. Between the Lines is a chance for the aspiring writer or illustrator (or multi-tasking genius) to hear authors and artists (Jane Yolen, Adrienne Geoghegan, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Keith Gray), commissioning editors and agents (Clodagh Feehan, Paddy O'Doherty, Mary Webb, Julia Churchill, Faith O'Grady). And to top it all, there is the possibility of getting your stuff critiqued by some of these people! What more do you want?? Details of time-table, fees and all can be found here.

Best of Blackrock | A Little Island Event

2010-08-03T16:45:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit quiet these days, but that's because I'm hiding under the covers to escape the gloomy weather and read Frances Hardinge's Fly by Night... Meanwhile, over at Little Island, people are being very industrious indeed and here's what they're up to.
Tomorrow Wednesday, they're organising an event around two of their Young Adult titles in Dubray Books at the Blackrock Shopping Centre (Co Dublin) from 6pm. Kevin Stevens will read from his own This Ain't no Video Game, Kid!, and performers from Dublin youth theatre groups will have a go at Dermot Bolger's New Town Soul. More info and contact details can be found here. So off you go!

Dublin, UNESCO City of Literarure

2010-07-28T13:06:00.000+01:00

Exciting stuff always happens when you're away eating redcurrents and pizzas topped with foie gras (separately). UNESCO has just designated Dublin as a City of Literature, one of only four in the world (the others being Iowa City, Melbourne and Endinburgh). So well done Dublin, well done you, well done us! For more info and events, check out the dedicated website.

Bookfest Poster Revealed

2010-07-17T13:09:00.000+01:00

CBI has just launched the poster for the next Children's Books Festival. Nothing to do with being a cat person or anything, but I think Kevin Waldron's picture is deadly. There'll be posting galore about the festival (taking place throughout October) and Bookfest (the accompanying reading guide), but in the meantime, you can get more details here.

Tell me what you read | Vamoose, Mr Gum and Not the End of the World

2010-07-16T13:44:00.000+01:00

It's been a good few weeks reading-wise and I've managed to do some (marginal) damage to my mountain of 'To Read' books. Among which...

Andy Stanton and his crazy cast of characters are back and in splendid form in this seventh instalment. Mr Gum himself is as abominable as ever, Billy Williams the Third makes a fantastic centaur and there's a sulking aphid called Penelope. Some very good laughs and very good lines (plus a goblin burp duet of ineffable quality). Yet, I still think Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear (Book 5) trumps it, because its plot is stronger.

About a million light-years away from Lamonic Bibber... Not the End of the World is another incredible performance from Geraldine McCaughrean. It's intense, it's superbly written, the concert of voices (human and animal voices) works wonders and the whole thing brings home a few truths about what it is to be human and, you know, what life is all about. And all that with buckets of modesty. McCaughrean is a craftswoman who knows how to polish her prose and tell a cracking good story. More!

And now for something totally off the wall. Vamoose is published by Puffin in their new Pocket Money Puffins series, which means it's a short piece, made shorter still by the addition of two extracts from other books by Meg Rosoff. That said, Vamoose is just hilarious. I was giggling under the blankets as I read it and got a few grumpy grunts and kicks from Persons Unnamed as a result, but it was worth it. Rosoff's strength in this one is in what remains unsaid, so I won't even give you a plot description. You'll just have to read it.

Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones

2010-07-15T15:46:00.001+01:00

The second book in the Alcatraz series is soon coming out in France, translated by yours truly. We've just received the cover and I couldn't resist showing you, again, the two different versions.

I Write Like...

2010-07-15T14:02:00.000+01:00

I write like
Stephenie Meyer

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Have you heard of this new website yet? Type or paste a sample of your prose, close your eyes, hold your breath... and discover if you write like James Joyce or Haruki Murakami. Here's how it works:

Check what famous writer you write like with this statistical analysis tool, which analyzes your word choice and writing style and compares them to those of the famous writers.

Now, I tried it with a few paragraphs of Mad Cap and, apparently, well, you've seen the pic at the top of this post... I suppose a great carrier awaits me. Even if the page announcing my result also included an ad that went:

Become a better writer!
Subscribe to our awesome newsletter to learn how to become a better writer and receive monthly tips on writing.

You'll be impressed to know that this blog was composed in the style of HP Lovecraft!

Korean

2010-07-14T12:48:00.000+01:00

I mentioned before that In Search of Happiness had been translated into Korean. It's taken some clever paneuropean googling to find some pics, but I've got them now. Enjoy! (and if anyone can tell me what the hero is called...)

And here are some of my princesses from an earlier book (10 Histoires de Princesses):

Left: Tidy-Your-Palace

Right: Princess O'Pea

(they must have had some fun translating my Scottish pea pun...)

Enid Blyton on air

2010-07-13T14:15:00.000+01:00

A most impressive panel (including Mary Esther Judy, Amanda Piesse, Siobhán Parkinson and David Rudd) discussed good old Enid on Newstalk's Talking History last Sunday. If you were busy running after a football in South Africa and want to know if the mother of Famous Five et al. was ''the Margaret Thatcher of children's literature", head over here. And if you're a total fan, the Enid Blyton Society (where this post's pic is from) is for you!

The Moomins are 65!

2010-07-09T09:23:00.000+01:00

And not a wrinkle on them! Here's a very interesting article about their creator, Tove Jansson, and the great hippo-like troll family, read in the Guardian. Six new Moomin books – four picture books, and a sticker and colouring book – are published by Puffin this year. Finn Family Moomintroll also features in Nuffin Like A Puffin, an exhibition at Seven Stories, Newcastle from 17 July until June 2011 (more details here). I definitely have to go to Newcastle one of these days... Meawhile, I can just dream about the aforementionned Moomin Cookbook...

Tell me what you read... | Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick

2010-07-09T08:49:00.000+01:00

Most of you will have already heard me raving about this book. Here's why.

Based on the historical events that shook Russia between 1916 and 1919, Blood Red Snow White takes an unusual angle on the Russian revolution by focusing on the amazing story of children’s writer Arthur Ransome. Living in Saint-Petersburg, where he was researching Russian folklore, Ransome became a war correspondent, then a chronicler and first-hand witness of the revolution, a trusted interlocutor of Lenin and Trotsky, a spy for Britain and, perhaps, a double agent. In the midst of this political whirlwind, Ransome managed to write Old Peter’s Russian Tales and fall in love with Trotsky’s secretary, Evgenia Petrovna Shelepina. This is, in short, the story Marcus Sedgwick ambitiously sets out to tell. The result is an impressive mixture of history, spy novel, fairy tale and love story.

The look of the book is resolutely old-fashioned, stressing the historical aspect of the novel. The pages look like they have just been roughly cut open and the end-papers are made of old maps of Western Russia; real maps from an atlas, this is no fantasy. And yet, these maps seem to invite the reader to a game of Risk, flagging both the themes of politics and make-believe. Throughout the book, the text is printed in dark (blood) red ink, blurring the boundaries between concrete and abstract, and announcing the conflict between reality and fiction.

Part One is told as a fairy tale, Ransome’s Old Peter Russian Tales style, with its use of imagery and its assumption that everything is possible, from magic to talking bears. Part Two, titled ‘One Night in Moscow’, belongs to the tradition of spy novels. Here, names are named, time is minutely indicated and the use of present tense creates a sense of immediacy and conveys the impossibility for the hero (Arthur) to look ahead. This section is anchored in realism. In the final part, the text switches to a first person narrative by Arthur Ransome himself. The accent here is on romance (with its fair share of adventure), but it is also the section of the book where realism and fairy tales are brought together. But this is not escapism. It is fairy tales barging into the real world and the real world adjusting to the fairy tale. Great stuff!

World Book Capital City

2010-07-07T11:59:00.002+01:00

UNESCO in association with the three major international professional organizations from the world of books has announced that Yerevan (Armenia) was to become the World Book Capital City for the year 2012.

"The city of Yerevan was selected “for the quality and the variety of its detailed, realistic, grass-roots programme, focusing on universal issues, and linking all the aspects and actors of the book chain” .... Yerevan built an exciting programme focusing on freedom of expression, copyright, and activities for children who will be tomorrow’s readers, authors and publishers." (more info here and here)

2012... you never know, by then, I may have finally mastered the Armenian alphabet (3 attempts so far and I can only confidently identify 'a' and 'r') (sorry, one type of 'r' not all of them).

Then, I'll be able to read my way through the greatest works of Armenian literature. Here's hoping!

Learning with the best

2010-07-02T13:21:00.001+01:00

Fancy a bit of escape and a lot of writing? The Dingle Writing Courses are running again this year and the cast of tutors is as impressive as ever. If writing for children is your thing, you'll be in for a treat as Kevin Crossley-Holland (of the Arthur trilogy fame, among other excellent books) will be looking after you. Here's his description of his own course:

Children's fiction can be affectionate, social, mythic or simply playful. This course will focus on breaking new ground rather than work in progress. It will be a shared experience of rapid exercises which celebrate language and the imagination. It will also examine how to tell, retell and use motifs from traditional tale.

Kevin's course will take place from the 8th to the 10th of October. All the details on this and other classes (starting to write, poetry and fiction) can be found here.

Tomorrow's talent...

2010-06-30T16:32:00.000+01:00

For those of you who haven't had a chance to flick through the book (in French, English, Spanish or now Korean!), here's essentially what it looks like inside... This class made and wrote me 'postcards' (''to Juliette Saumande''!) which were A5 renderings/interpretations of Eric Puybaret's illustrations.