Morning Notes: Goateed Dude Edition

WHAT’S THE BEST READ-ALOUD?

I’m a pretty big supporter of the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award. While there are more Best of the Year lists than the mind can handle (yeah, yeah, I know I’m adding to this with the Top 20 Books list), the E.B. White informs the public of something specific – these books are good read-alouds. The finalists for the award have been announced and the public can cast a vote for their favorite until March 31st. Go Press Here! Click here to see the lists.

NPR ON ‘THE UNLIKELY BEST SELLER’

Can you guess what it is? Hint: it’s a book that just turned 50. Click here to listen.

(Thanks to LISNews for the link)

LORAX SPEAKS FOR…

Boing Boing cartoon Tom the Dancing Bug recently took on The Lorax with funny (if biting) results.

If you’ve seen the Stephen Colbert video I posted a couple days back, this has a similar angle. I’m of two minds:

1. How do you make a major motion picture without selling out to a certain extent?
2. But why you gotta do a car commercial?

Yeah, probably went too far with the car commercial. Click here to read.

I REMEMBER WHEN AN E-BOOK WAS A NICKLE

Random House upped the prices on their e-books recently, causing a stir among libraries. I appreciate this clear-eyed report on the matter from The Digital Shift. Click here to read.

MO WILLEMS: EXISTENTIALIST?

Scene: A late night coffee shop
Characters: Goateed Dude, Travis
Goateed Dude: Yeah, you’ve read the Elephant and Piggie books, but dude, do you really know what they’re about?
Travis: What?
Goateed Dude: Like, what they really mean?
Travis: What?
Click here for some in depth analysis via Slate.

(Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom for the link)

READ ALOUD TODAY

Today, Wednesday March 7, 2012 is World Read Aloud Day. I love holidays where the name tells you how to celebrate it. I’ll be connecting classes with fellow school librarians (and bloggers) John Schumacher (of Watch. Connect. Read.) and Mary Ann Scheuer (of Great Kid Books) for the big day. Click here for the WRAD website to learn more.

RE-SEUSSIFIED

If you haven’t seen A Fuse #8 Production’s Re-Seussification project, you must – if for no other reason than the (figurative, I hope) head explosion you’ll experience looking at Dr. Seuss books re-interpreted in the style of other famous illustrators. I would show some images here, but they might burn your eyes with coolness. Click here to read.

FLY GOLDEN KITES

Hey, the Golden Kite awards were announced. Click here to check them out.

(Thanks to Children’s Illustration for the link)

THE WORLD’S FIRST STEAMPUNK BEDTIME STORY

Sound the real headline siren! CNN has the goods on this landmark in publishing. Click here to read.

Filed under: Morning Notes, News