Bologna Ragazzi Awards

The Bologna Bookfair is nigh and the winners of the Bologna Ragazzi Awards have been announced. If you want a breath of fresh air and a visual feast, go have a look... If you can't wait, though, here's the list of winners, hailing respectively from the Netherlands, the US, India and the US again:
Fiction: DE BOOMHUT, etching by Ronald Tolman, illustrations by Marije Tolman
Non-Fiction: THE RIVERBANK, text by Charles Darwin, illustrations by Fabian Negrin
New Horizons: DO! text by Gita Wolf, illustrations by Ramesh Hengadi & Shantaram Dhadpe
Opera Prima (First Book): THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY, Book design and illustrations by Jeremy Holmes

iBbY Ireland's AGM

Spring is upon us and plenty of events are already cropping up on our calendars. Here's another unmissable one, the iBby Ireland AGM, which will be held on Wednesday 10 March at 6pm in The Ark, in Temple Bar. Why would you go to an AGM if you're not a member? you ask. Well, you could become one, for starters. Also, you could meet the Irish nominees for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2010. In case you forgot, that's Eoin Colfer and PJ Lynch, no less. If it's not enough to tempt you, iBby Ireland will also be welcoming the iBbY Honour Book Nominees 2010 (Mary Finn, Treasa Ní Bhrua, Áine Ní Ghlinn and Andrew Whitson) and launch the iBbY Perpetual Calendar (with deadly pictures inside) as well as their new website.
What more could you ask for? Even more details? They're here!

Busy CBI Bees

Everything seems to be happening while I'm roaming the kidlit sections of Parisian bookshops, eating interesting cheese and (re)reading the best of last year's Irish children's books. (If you don't know why, have a look here).
Children's Books Ireland has just released the yummy programme for its next conference: Nurturing the Seed: Prospects and Possibilities for Children’s Books - May 15th–16th 2010. On the menu (among others): Marcus Sedgwick (whose swordhand is singing, when it's not wielding a revolver), Elena Odriozola (who's sowing the seeds in the picture above), Sarah Rees Brennan (of Demon's Lexicon fame), Jane Mitchell, Michael Rosen, Siobhán Parkinson, Anthony Browne et al. who need no introduction. The conference will also introduce Ireland’s first Children’s Laureate.
Speaking of which, Mags Walsh (from CBI) will reveal all about this new initiative at the Dublin Book Festival at 10.30 am next Monday (8th of March).
Hope to see you here, there and everywhere!

Paris Bookfair 2010

Yours truly is beside herself with pride, excitement and a little terror, as she has been invited to sign her masterpieces at the Paris Bookfair this March. So, if you happen to be wandering in the vicinity of Stall J48 (Editions Auzou) between 3 and 4 pm on Friday 26th, or near Stall E59 (Editions Fleurus-Mango) between 11am and 1 on the 28th, if you're more of a Sunday-morning person, do come along! All the details of the fair can be found here. Extra-cool message with the signature if you say you read this blog! ;o)

Catching up

This is an in-betweeny sort of post. It's beeen a quiet week or two blogwise as I have been very busy with all sorts of things and I'm delighted to say that I Have Made Progress!
I've reached the end of the first draft of the new translation (Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones) and  that's the back of it broken, and a few more bones besides. I'm hoping to post more on the translating process à la Juliette one of these days.
I've also managed to squeeze a classic novel into picture-book format, yes the 32-page, 1000-word kind. I shall reveal all when the project is a bit nearer completion.
I've been to a most excellent workshop organised by Children's Books Ireland and the Ark and have learnt an awful lot. Again, you'll read more on this in the summer issue of Inis.
I have finally seen Avatar and confirmed that 3-D doesn't work for me. I have nothing against it, I just appear to have funny eyes...
I also finally sent out both my entry for the Kidlit contest and the manuscript for my Disaster David picture-book to a UK agent.
There's still plenty to do on all fronts, not to forget the intensive reading for the Bisto Book Award of which I am one of the judges. Meanwhile, I am in Paris for erm... research in erm... gastronomy and... erm French children's literature. A serious, educational trip. I shall communicate my findings in due course.

An American (bookstore) in Paris

Well, that's good news, anyway. It seems that the emblematic American bookshop Brentano's is going to reopen shortly. The store, based in fancy-ish Avenue de l'Opéra in Paris, was forced to close back in June last year due to a phenomenal increase of its rent. A rescue has been staged, a rethink of the whole operation too, it seems, so the shop is ready to welcome English speakers (and Japanese tourists) once more. Ouf! as they say in Paris.

Curiouser and curiouser

The Bookseller's annual Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of the Year has released its Very Long List. Before the short-list is announced (19 February) and the public can vote, here are some of my favourites:
Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich
Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes
How YOU Are Like Shampoo: For Job Seekers
I'm Not Hanging Noodles on Your Ears
Peek-a-poo: What's in Your Diaper?
The Great Dog Bottom Swap
The Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin  
 
Last year's winner was The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-miligram Containers of Fromage Frais. And they say the title is everything!