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. "
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!
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.
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!
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.
"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.
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.
