Grace Lin's Blog, page 114

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

It's the Year of the Rabbit!

That is good news for most of us, as the Tiger Year should have been an energetic one--full of upheavals and tribulations. Rabbits are gentle creatures, peace-loving and restful. They are also rather introspective and introverted. So, this is the year to recharge and focus on your home, family and personal goals. For me, this is perfect. This year I have no new books coming out for publication, it's time for me to focus on creating things, not promoting things. So, the Year of the Rabbit should be a gentler and smoother one, a bit more relaxing. Phew!

But my Year of the Tiger isn't leaving without a bit of a fuss. I've been running around doing lots of school visits, booksignings (tonight one at the Lemuria Bookstore) and worrying about the weather. So much so that I didn't get to create more Chinese New Year crafts, like I did last year. However, since it IS the Year of the Rabbit, you can use my Moon Festival Bunny Lantern Craft for Chinese New Year, too! Hopefully as this year progresses, I'll be able to catch my breath so that next year I'll be able to have lots of fun stuff. New books, crafts, and more...hopefully!

Happy Lunar New Year!

book talk tuesday

THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT by Kate Dicamillo

IndieBound Description:
What if? Why not? Could it be?

When a fortuneteller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller's mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it's true. With atmospheric illustrations by fine artist Yoko Tanaka, here is a dreamlike and captivating tale that could only be narrated by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo. In this timeless fable, she evokes the largest of themes — hope and belonging, desire and compassion — with the lightness of a magician's touch.

My Thoughts:
This is my favorite of all of Kate DiCamillo's books so far. She is such an amazing writer, reading this makes you feel like you are inside a dreamy, impressionist painting. I am wistfully in awe!

on my desk monday

Sketches for "Li Na's Lily" have begun. I don't know why I started doing sketches at such a small scale but it's something I've done for at least the last few books. I like it though!

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!
Today's word is:
pretty
piào liang

fortune cookie friday

"A needle is not sharp at both ends."
-Chinese Proverb

book talk tuesday

MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS by Richard and Florence Atwater

IndieBound Description:
Mr. Popper's Penguins is one of the handful of American books for children that has attained the status of a classic. First published in 1938, this story of a housepainter who is sent a male penguin by the great Admiral Drake, and who, thanks to the arrival of a female penguin, soon has twelve penguins living in his house, has amused and enchanted generations of children and their parents.

My Thoughts:
I actually did not read this book as a child, but I think as a child I would've loved it. Just a lot of sillyness and fun that you can read to the whole family and enjoy! One of the timeless classics that deserve never to go out of print.

on my desk monday

It's for real! I received my official notice that I am one of the US's nominees for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award!
Check out the other nominees...Eric Carle! Jerry Pinkney! Yeeks!
I said it before, but I'll say it again--I really am just honored to be nominated!

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!
Today's word is:
snow
xuě

fortune cookie friday

"It is harder to be poor without complaining than it is to be rich without boasting."
-Chinese Proverb

lights, camera, action!

Many students often ask me if Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is going to be made into a movie. Unfortunately, Hollywood has not called (or at least not yet, I can dream--right?) but thanks to a very cool project called the 90-second Newbery Film Festival, it could be a possibility!

But it's up to you. The 90-second Newbery Film Festival will be made up of reader-made videos that compresses the story of a Newbery award-winning book into 90 seconds or less. Selected films will be shown with much hoopla and excitement at an event at main branch of New York Public Library. Think of it as a kid-film Oscars.

Well, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a Newbery book. That means someone (hint hint) could make it into a 90-second movie for this film festival. And if someone (hint hint) does happen to find Where the Mountain Meets the Moon as an inspiration for a 90-second movie, I'll send you a free print from my etsy shop!

Not that you have to use Where the Mountain Meets the Moon(sniff), any Newbery book can serve as your 90-second movie inspiration. Here are the rules according to the creator of the contest, James Kennedy:

1. Your video should be 90 seconds or less. (Okay, okay: if it's three minutes long but absolute genius, we'll bend the rules for you. But let's try to keep them short.)

2. Your video has to be about a Newbery award-winning (or Newbery honor-winning) book. Here's a list of all the winners.

3. Just to be clear: we're not looking for book trailers. We're looking for full-on dramatizations, with mostly child actors, that manage to tell the entire story of a book in an ridiculously short amount of time.

4. Your video must condense the plot of the book in 90 seconds or less. Again, exceptions will be made for something really ingeniously bonkers, but it has to be related to a Newbery winning book.

5. Upload your videos to YouTube or Vimeo or whatever and send the link* at kennedyjames [at] gmail [dot] com. Make the subject line be "90 SECOND NEWBERY" and please tell me your name, age, where you're from, and whatever other comments you'd like to include, including whether you'd like me to link to your personal site. You can give an alias if you want; I understand privacy concerns.

6. Sending the link to me grants me (James Kennedy) the right to post it on my blog and to other websites where I sometimes post content (like Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and to share at public readings, school visits—and hopefully the "90-Second Newbery" Film Festival at the New York Public Library in the Fall of 2011.

7. Deadline is September 15, 2011.

(*if you do happen to use Where the Mountain Meets the Moon as your movie inspiration, please send me the link too!)

Just to note, I am pretty sure this is a film festival for students (ages 0-18) though, of course, teachers, librarians and parents are encouraged to help and guide (I think this great idea for a project!). Here is a 90-second film of A Wrinkle in Time as an example and inspiration:



Hope to see your 90-second film soon!!