Less than a month to Season 3 of Downton Abbey!!!

And for those who can't wait until January 6th, The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era is out now and would make a great Christmas present.
I can't wait to see Shirley MacLean go head to head with Maggie Smith!

Totally Adorable

There are hundreds if not thousands of adaptations/retellings of Pride and Prejudice...and with good reason. Simply Read has recently released a board book version. I have seen a couple of these board books already, but these are amazing. Jack and Holman Wang are two brothers who created these amazing felted characters in their version of Pride and Prejudice. The other books in the series include Moby Dick, and of course Les Miserables.

Merry Christmas Scaredy!

There is a fun interview with Melanie Watt on CBC about her new book Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas.
The writers at the Daily Show love Scaredy!

It's Never Too Early!

This is what happens at our office when I'm away at sales conference!

Beautiful Book Blog

EPILOGUE: the future of print from EPILOGUEdoc on Vimeo.
This comes courtesy of fellow Diva Margot Stokreef.
Enjoy!!!

Calling all Writers & Illustrators!

The Canadian Children’s Book Centre invites you to join in the fun!
Applications are now open to host an author, illustrator or storyteller visit during TD Canadian Children’s Book Week 2013.

TD Canadian Children's Book Week is the single most important national event celebrating Canadian children's books and the importance of reading.Thirty authors, illustrators and storytellers will be visiting schools, libraries, bookstores and community centres in every province and territory across the country. Over 25,000 children, teens and adults will take part in the readings and workshops that will be given by the Book Week touring authors, illustrators and storytellers.

Invite an author, illustrator or storyteller to your school, library or community centre today and share the magic of books and reading! Applications to host an author, illustrator or storyteller during TD Book Week 2013 are now open.

Click here to learn more about the authors, illustrators and storytellers who will be touring in your province or territory in May 2013.

Visit www.bookweek.ca/application to apply today! Deadline for applications is December 15, 2012.

Questions? Please contact the Book Week Coordinator in your province or territory.

  

Book Week Writing Contest for Kids & Teens

Each year the Canadian Children’s Book Centre runs a writing contest for students in Grades 4 to 12. Young writers from across Canada are invited to submit their stories and/or poems to the Book Week 2013 Writing Contest for Kids & Teens. Judging is done by noted writers from across Canada and one winner from each grade will receive a $250 gift certificate for the bookstore of his or her choice. Two honourable mentions from each grade category will also receive $50 gift certificates.

The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2013. Winning entries will be posted on the Book Week website on May 8, 2013 during TD Canadian Children’s Book Week 2013.

Click here for more information.

For more information, please contact:

Shannon Howe Barnes | Program Coordinator

T: 416 975-0010 x 227 | F: 416 975-8970 | shannon@bookcentre.ca
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Nobody Does it Better

The British singer, Adele, performs the theme song for the latest James Bond movie, which opened on Friday. Since the first Bond film hit theatres 50 years ago a lot of big stars have recorded songs for the movies – singers like Madonna, Tina Turner, Louis Armstrong, Gladys Knight, and Tom Jones. In the 1960s, songs like Goldfinger - sung by Shirley Bassey - battled it out with the Beatles for the spot at the top of the music charts. Big hits like Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney & Wings and Nobody Does it Better, by Carly Simon, took on lives of their own apart from the movies.

The Music of James Bond gives the back story on the songs from 22 different movies, offers interesting anecdotes from behind the scenes, and is a lot of fun to look at because it features over 100 b&w movie stills.

“Both casual fans and 007 aficionados will find this book to be enlightening, informative, and great fun to read” – Leonard Maltin

Canadian Children's Book Centre Calendar of Events

The paint isn't quite dry on this tool but the Canadian Children's Book Centre has just launched a very cool calendar of events. The CCBC Book EventsCalendar is a place to list and promote ALL children’s book events in Canada. Users – anyone, not just CCBC members – can peruse the site and find readings, festivals, book signings, and more. Only CCBC members can post events, but anyone can share them via email and on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information on how to become a CCBC member click here.

Tis the season! Here come the lists!

PW has announced it's best of 2012 for Picture Books, Kids + YA Fiction, and Kid's Non-Fiction. They have also posted their Top 10 Books of 2012 for adults. Nice to see lots of Dewey picks on here!

Worst Book Reviews of all Time.

"The final blow-up of what was once a remarkable, if minor, talent." -The New Yorker, 1936, on Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner...ouch!

Publishers Weekly has selected the best worst reviews of classic books from Rotten Reviews Redux.

You really need to read the rest of these...they quite unbelievable.

Canadian Publishers...beyond survival

Matt Williams, VP at House of Anansi wrote a good piece in the National Post about the state of Canadian publishing. I thought "right on" - good to hear a voice of reason and an alternative to the often negative media coverage of our industry.

Things are changing for sure and we all have to adapt. Let's not forget that there is a lot of great publishing in this country, and I am proud to be a part of the process.

Funniest Video Trailer Ever!

Deanna from Harper Collins came and spoke in my class about digital marketing. She showed this trailer to my students...Fred Armisen as Penny Marshall promoting her new book. It was hilarious; although I am not sure how many of my students know who Penny Marshall is...

Huzzah! Scaredy Squirrel Has His Own Website!

Some exciting news from Kids Can Press: www.ScaredySquirrel.com is now live and ready for a visit!

The Scaredy Squirrel site is a a brand new official website that you can browse for games, activities, fan mail, information about books in other languages, a virtual tour of Mélanie Watt's studio, and more.

OMG! The Libraries of the Rich and Famous

This is Neil Gaiman's library. The pic comes from the blog The Book Riot. To see the libraries of Sting, Diane Keaton and Karl Lagerfield click here.

Roberto Innocenti...In His Own Words

The video below is an amazing over view of the career of Roberto Innocenti's career. His latest book, The Girl in Red is a Matrix like version of Little Red Riding Hood...both beautiful and terrifying.

I love you Margaret Atwood!

One of my Ryerson students sent me this...it is hilarious.

This comes from Ms. Atwood's website where she states that she no longer gives blurbs.

Letter sent in reply to requests for blurbs
(I blurb only for the dead, these days)

“You are well-known, Ms. Atwood,” the Editor said,
And we long for your quote on this book;
A few well-placed words wouldn’t bother your head,
And would help us to get in the hook!”

“In my youth,” said Ms. Atwood, “I blurbed with the best;
I practically worked with a stencil!
I strewed quotes about with the greatest largesse,
And the phrases flowed swift from my pencil.

Intelligent, lucid, accomplished, supreme,
Magnificent, touching but rough ,
And lucent and lyrical, plangent, a dream,
Vital, muscular, elegant, tough! 

But now I am aging; my brain is all shrunk,
And my adjective store is depleted;
My hair’s getting stringy, I walk as though drunk;
As a quotester I’m nigh-on defeated.

I would like to be useful; God knows, as a girl 
I was well-taught to help and to share;
But the books and the pleas for quotes pour through the door
Till the heaps of them drive to despair!

So at last I’ve decided to say No to all.
What you need is a writer who’s youthful;
Who has energy, wit, and a lot on the ball,
And would find your new book a sweet toothful,
Or else sees no need to be truthful.

Such a one would be happy, dear Editor, to
Write you quotes until blue in the brain.
It’s a person like this who can satisfy you,
Not poor me, who am half down the drain.

So I wish you Good Luck, and your author, and book,
Which I hope to read later, with glee.
Long may you publish, and search out the blurbs,
Though you will not get any from me.”

The Art Lover's Guide to Canadian Painting

The first edition of A Concise History of Canadian Painting was published in the seventies and has become something of a classic, despite having been printed in black and white. The new third edition features more than 220 beautiful reproductions in colour, and a larger format that really shows off these paintings. The latest edition has also been brought up to date with the addition of 100 new pages.

A Concise History of Canadian Painting is very accessible and provides a wonderful overview of Canadian Painting from the seventeenth century onward.