Tidying up the Hobbit mess

The Guardian is running a story about the recent discovery in Tolkien's papers of a number of early, unpublished illustrations and sketches he made for the Hobbit.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

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

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

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

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

Quentin Blake's new baby

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.