Archive for the ‘children's book’ Category

Twilight New Moon and More Records Broken

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion

New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion

Whether you love it or hate it,  you can’t help but hear more news about the Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series.

The latest is that the Twilight books have broken Britain’s  high street book shop giant Waterstone’s  record for the quickest time to sell one million copies.

By selling a million copies in just over two and a half years, Meyer has knocked JK Rowling from the record-holding position.

Says buying manager for children’s books at Waterstone’s, Sarah Clarke, “Popular doesn’t even begin to describe it – the Twilight Saga is a phenomenon in its own right and like Harry Potter it has generated a global sensation that crosses several media.“

And over at Fandango, a ticket selling site, vampires have struck down Jedi knights and wizards to take the  record for the largest number of pre-sales in the 10 years of operation of the site.  New Moon the movie adaptation of the second book in the Twilight series set the record on Saturday evening.

Riding that popularity train, Fandango is offering New Moon gift cards.twilight-gift-cards

Fandango also surveyed New Moon ticket buyers and discovered:

• 98% say the action in New Moon looks better than the action in Twilight.
• 72% plan to see the movie with a group of three friends or more.
• 52% of survey respondents say they dream about vampires.
• 22% are mothers and daughters planning to see New Moon together.
• 10% plan to show up at the theater in costume, dressed as characters from the saga.

I’m curious as to how many fans have bought, or will buy, the New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion which is getting rave customer reviews.

Children’s Author Osmond Molarsky Dies

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Osmond MolarskySadly,  just one week before his 100th birthday, children’s author Osmond Molarsky has died.

Molarsky’s books are credited with being some of the  first to address inner city life and to feature black children as major characters.

Molarsky also claimed to have given novelist James Michener his first paid writing job.

Adrian Mole is Back! Sue Townsend Interview

Monday, November 9th, 2009

Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years by Sue TownsendFor those of us who have followed Adrian Mole from his angst as a 13 3/4-year-old,  the publication of Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years is exciting news.

Now 39 1/4, Adrian, still married to Daisy,  is diagnosed with prostate cancer (note, the typo in the title is intentional and that is the book’s title ). Apparently despite the typical Adrian Mole topical humour, there is a darker-side to the story than Adrian fans are used to.  Happily though, Pandora is said to make the expected dramatic entrances that she is known for as do Adrian’s parents.

And in true Adrian Mole fashion, during his radiation and chemotherapy,  Adrian dwells upon the fraught love-life of the hospital nurse.

No matter what, the thought of Adrian Mole makes me chuckle to myself and chant, also to myself fortunately for those around me, We shall, we shall wear red socks!

Read an interview with Adrian Mole author,  Sue Townsend in The Guardian.

Notes Left Behind: the Elena Desserich story

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

notes-left-behindI remember feeling intensely sad the first time I heard the story about Elena Desserich - the five-year-old girl diagnosed with brain cancer who hid hundreds of little notes around the house for her parents, Brooke and Keith, to discover after she had died.

This sad story and the notes have been turned into a book called Notes Left Behind and the Today Show focused on the Desserichs this morning. Notes Left Behind was originally self-published but has since been picked up by the publisher, William Morrow.

Here is an excerpt from the book…(I can’t read it - I have two young daughters.)

By the way, all proceeds from this book go towards the family’s cancer foundation.

Top 20 most beloved children’s characters

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

The Guardian has posted a list of the 20 most beloved characters in children’s literature as voted on by children aged 5-12 in Brittan. There’s a few I don’t recognize (because I’m Canadian, I’m supposing), and there are a couple for which complete media saturation can be blamed *cough*Hannah Montana*cough* but I was pleasantly surprised to see that children are still reading, and enjoying, some classic characters that I loved as a child.

1. Harry Potter
2. Horrid Henry
3. Tracy Beaker
4. Biff, Chip and Kipper (school reading scheme characters)
5. Hannah Montana
6. Doctor Who
7. Ben 10
8. Winnie the Pooh
9. Captain Underpants
10. Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
11= Cinderella
11= Gruffalo
11= Peter Pan
11= Charlie and Lola
15. Matilda
16= Alex Rider
16= Fantastic Mr Fox
16= Spiderman
19. Thomas The Tank Engine
20. BFG

Family Bookshelves Under Threat

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Reading as a family

The UK reading charity Booktrust has just released the results of its survey of over 3,000  children and parents.  While the results show that reading has become more popular with children,  one in 20 families have less than 10 books and only one in three parents read to their children each day. This is particularly sad since 96% of the children said they enjoyed reading and books.

More results from Booktrust’s press release:

• More dads reading with their children than in previous years: 40% increase since September 2008.
• 60% of children like to share a book with their parents/carers as it shows that they like to spend time with them.
• Households with girls have ten more children’s books than those with boys. One in every 20 family homes in
Britain today has fewer than ten books.
• Children enjoying reading more: 96% of all children surveyed say that they enjoy reading, peaking at 99% among
seven year olds and falling to 89% of 12 year olds (overall, this represents a year on year increase of 5%).
• 56% of all parents and carers (and almost half of all parents of 4-5 year olds [48%]) say their child spends more
time facing a screen, playing computer games and watching DVDs rather than reading.
• Parents and carers of boys are twice as likely not to read with them compared to those who have girls.
• Technology, home entertainment and work (through emails and home working) are impacting on book time.
While flexible working is supposed to enable a positive work-life balance, children are increasingly losing out.
• Bookshelves under threat in a third of British homes: one in three parents and carers (34%) say shelves are
increasingly being filled up with DVDs and computer games, especially in homes with older children (this is the
case in 41% of homes of 11-12 year olds).
• The UK’s all time favourite fictional character according to over 1,300 children is Harry Potter, followed by Horrid
Henry and Tracy Beaker. Action heroes Captain Underpants and Ben 10 relegate children’s classic Cinderella and
Peter Pan out of the top 10. Roald Dahl’s characters including Matilda, Charlie (from Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory) and the Fantastic Mr Fox make multiple entries in the top 20 all time favourite characters.

See the full results.

In an effort to encourage more reading, two free books programmes - Booktime and Booked Up - are giving away 2 million free books to schoolchildren across Britain.

Maurice Sendak blasts over-protective parents

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Over-protective parents - and there are lots of them - who think the movie version of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is too frightening for children can “go to hell”, says the author.

Excellent, fighting talk. I have a new found respect for Sendak. It’s a shame the movie has been battered by so many critics. The NPR review was scathing. Even the local guy on CBC Radio here in British Columbia said the film would have no appeal for children and warned they would “fidget” all the way through it.

Where the Wild Things Are - The Bane of Maurice Sendak’s Existence

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Maurice SendakRegarding the excitement around the impending opening of the film adaptation of his book Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak comments, “I kind of want it over. I’m not used to this invasion.”

An interview with Sendak in The Globe and Mail also reveals  surprising feelings of resentment towards the popular children’s book.  The book which has sold more than 10 million copies since publication in 1963 and has been honoured with the prestigious Caldecott Medal, has overshadowed most of his other work.  Work that may merit more attention that that of his 10-sentence tale of Max, who is sent to his room for being naughty and embarks on a marvelous adventure of the imagination.

“At one time, that was a bitter, bitter pill. It no longer is,” says Mr. Sendak. “ Where the Wild Things Are is no longer an enemy. It’s now Spike Jonze’s [the movie's director] and lots of nice people who have become friends.”

But why not do Mr. Sendak a favour and take a look at Brundibar, In the Night Kitchen, Higglety Pigglety Pop! or another one of his books and appreciate the wider talent of the author/artist?

Analysis/paralysis of Where The Wild Things Are

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Maybe, just maybe, the NY Times book review is over analysing here? Where The Wild Things Are is a very short children’s book. And I agree with the kid in this article.

Forecast great for Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs

Monday, October 5th, 2009

cloudyOn Saturday, we had a family outing to see Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. It is a good children’s book and now a good movie too.

I don’t know if the book was ever published in the UK, but I’d never heard of it until we took it out of the library a couple of years ago. My oldest daughter loved it and it certainly made a welcome change from the constant diet of books about princesses and fairies. Within the movie, there are little parodies of Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Independence Day, and a few other films. Bimbo TV weather girls are also taken to the cleaners. Mr T and James Caan are excellent. The movie also chips away at America’s super-size-me culture of all-you-can-eat-buffets, breakfast-served-all-day and eating-more-even-when you-are-full.

Fur-Covered Edition of Dave Eggers’ The Wild Things

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

I’m not sure if it’s cute or creepy or a bit of both but today marks the release of a fur-covered edition of The Wild Things by Dave Eggers.

The Wild Things (Fur-Covered Edition) by Dave Eggers

Frightening or fantastic, you be the judge (but maybe don’t test it on a 4-year-old).

Duchess of York’s Financial Woes Resolved With Film Deal?

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson with her book Tea for RubyOn the heels of the news that Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York has been sued for unpaid bills are reports of her signing a film deal to bring her children’s books to film. Potentially worth millions, the deal will prop up the Duchess’ bank account nicely.

The Duchess told Richard Kay of the Daily Mail, “‘A major U.S. film company has just bought up rights to my series of pre-school children’s books. The films will run as a series. I cannot yet tell you the name of the film company. I cannot tell you how exciting that is for me. America has been so good to me. I failed in Britain, and when I gave it a go in America I was ready to fail there, too - but they have really embraced me.”

Her six  most recent books have indeed been sucessful in America - The Little Red series and Tea for Ruby have all been bestsellers there.

The Duchess’ first children’s books surrounding a little helicopter called Budgie were also popular and inspired a cartoon TV series.

But you have to admit, having a royal title doesn’t hurt your chances of success…

Banned Book Week - Top 10 most frequently challenged books of 2008

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

It’s that time of year again - Banned Book Week. And from the American Library Association (ALA) here are the top 10 most frequently challenged books of  last year:

  1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter ParnellScary Stories
    Reasons: anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group
  2. His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman
    Reasons: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, and violence
  3. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle
    Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
  4. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
    Reasons: occult/satanism, religious viewpoint, and violence
  5. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo AnayaUncle Bobby's Wedding
    Reasons: occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, and violence
  6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
    Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide, and unsuited to age group
  7. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
    Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
  8. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen
    Reasons: homosexuality and unsuited to age group
  9. Flashcards of My Life by Charise Mericle Harper

  10. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
    Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
  11. Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper
    Reasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group

Disney Acquires Marvel Comics

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
Is this the start of a tougher Mickey?!

Will this mean a tougher Mickey?!

Watch out Spider-Man, here comes Mickey!

In a reported $4-billion deal, the Walt Disney Co. is purchasing Marvel Entertainment.  Disney hopes that the action heroes of Marvel will appeal to boys who are not that taken with the ever-so-popular Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers and Disney Princesses (I can hear my 5-year-old niece squealing with glee at the mere mention).

Does this mean Cinderella is going to go all Ninja on us?

Not to be missed is the Telegraph’s picture gallery of Marvel Disney mashups! This image of “Logald Duckerine” is just one example of the clever mashups presented there.

logald_duckerine_b_1472850i

What is Michelle Obama Reading?

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
The White House confirmed that Michelle and daughter Malia were reading Yann Martel's Life of Pi

The White House confirmed that Michelle and daughter Malia were reading Yann Martel's Life of Pi

There’s a lot of buzz at the moment about President Obama’s reading list but what about the First Lady? What books does she like to read?

While there isn’t an official White House list, the good folks over at Oprah.com went on a treasure hunt through articles and photos and came up with this list of books she’s enjoyed reading with her daughters and children at elementary schools:

  1. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
  2. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
  3. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
  4. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
  5. Olivia by Ian Falconer
  6. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

What books would you recommend that Michelle Obama read with her daughters or at elementary schools?