Morning Notes: Chocolate Covered Edition

PERUSE THIS: MOCK CALDECOTT LISTS

Last week it was Newbery, this week it’s Caldecott. Next week I’m hoping the folks at ACPL conduct a mock chocolate-covered pretzel contest. I would also like in on such a contest. Anyway, ACPL has gone and posted their third list of Caldecott contenders. List #1 List #2 List #3

HOW A COVER IS BORN

I sometimes tinker with covers. The results? Not so hot. If you want a taste of how the pros do it, you’ll enjoy the cover evolution series at ABRAMS Art Director (and former 100 Scope Notes interviewee) Chad W. Beckerman’s blog Mishaps and Adventures. To see the entire cover art process, from initial sketches to finished product and all the stops in between for Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes by Lisa Greenwald, click here.

FAMILY GREED SEPARATES CHARLOTTE FROM WILBUR

This is a real headline alert, folks. Remember the recent auction of original Charlotte’s Web artwork? Well there is more to the story, as Rocco Staino explains in this Huffington Post piece. There’s even a video of the auction. Click here to read.

Of Thee I Sing by Barack Obama. Currently #1 on the New York Times and Indie Bound picture book bestseller lists.

The first week of sales for President Obama’s picture book was, to paraphrase Joe Biden, “a big deal”. Of Thee I Sing topped both the New York Times and Indie Bound bestseller lists.

You have to love a list with some quirk. Guardian makes some less traditional picks for their 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books. Click the image above to read.

(Thanks to @PWKidsBookshelf for the link)

I’m with @JensBookPage on this one – you could almost do a Scrooge McDuck-style dive into the wealth of information at the November Carnival of Children’s Literature. Click the tweet above to read.

While Sandra Boynton’s board books are a fixture in libraries and households around the country, the woman herself flies under the radar. This video sheds some light on Boynton and her ever-expanding children’s lit empire.

(Headline Image: ‘Holiday Treats Macro 12-11-08 1’ http://www.flickr.com/photos/10506540@N07/3112266464)

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