Monica Edinger's Blog, page 118
May 19, 2010
May 18, 2010
Bill Bryson on the Quirks of Home
Looking around my house, I was startled and a little appalled to realise how little I knew about the domestic world around me. I had absolutely no idea why, for example, out of all the spices in the world, we have such an abiding attachment to salt and pepper. Why not pepper and cardamom, say, or salt and cinnamon? And why do forks have four tines and not three or five? There must be reasons for these things. Suddenly the house seemed a place of mystery to me.
The Guardian is featuring e...
May 15, 2010
One Crazy Day
I fell in love with Rita Williams-Garcia's One Crazy Summer last summer, reviewed it, read it aloud to my 4th grade class, and then suggested it as our final book of the year for our staff book club. Yesterday was our meeting day and, since they live nearby, I invited Rita* and her editor Rosemary Brosnan to come. Eager to meet my students they came to my class beforehand and it was grand. Rita told the kids all sorts of remarkable stories related to the book and her life as a writer. The ...
May 13, 2010
Children's Literature in Academia
Just took a look at the program for the upcoming Children's Literature Association's 2010 conference and sure wish I could go. Yes, it is very scholarly and some of the papers are bound to raise the eyebrows of those of us outside the ivory tower, but I still think they all look fascinating. (If this field had existed when I was in college and I'd had some sympathetic mentors maybe I'd be somewhere else today.) Here are some in particular that intrigue me:
Katharine Slater, University of...May 11, 2010
Siobhán Parkinson
I was very lucky to get to know Siobhán Parkinson at my first CLNE at Lake George many years ago. Hearing of my work with Cinderella she later sent me Sisters…No Way, a book my students enjoy tremendously every year. And one of my favorite realistic middle-grade books of recent times is her beautifully written middle-grade novel Something Invisible about loss and self-awareness. And now I have heard from Judith Ridge that she is the new Irish Laureate. Way to go, Siobhán!
May 8, 2010
Margaret Wise Brown Walking Tour
I already mentioned Brenda Bowen's birthday celebration for Margaret Wise Brown. Here's another very cool way to celebrate the good lady's birth:
Celebrate Margaret Wise Brown's 100th birthday, on Sunday, May 23rd, with a walking tour of Brown's Greenwich Village, led by Brown biographer Leonard Marcus. Find out where the glamorous author of GOODNIGHT MOON lived, wrote, taught 2nd-graders, sippedp cocktails with Ursula Nordstrom and H.A. Rey, and just possibly hatched plans for THE...
May 7, 2010
Fauxcott: Jo Bites Laurie, or Does She?
"The Marches are the best people in Concord, so naturally they're the best vampires in Concord."
Was at this last night where Louise May Alcott, her father's vegetarianism, her LURID side, antecedents, and other fun stuff related to the current monster mashup trend were bandied about by Porter Grand, Lynn Messina, and John Matteson. I was a crummy notetaker, but noted several twitters below me and was pleased to find this collection of real-time tweets for your consideration.
Jo Bites Laurie, or Does She?
"The Marches are the best people in Concord, so naturally they're the best vampires in Concord."
Was at this last night where Louise May Alcott, her father's vegetarianism, her LURID side, her antecedents, and other fun stuff was bandied about by Porter Grand, Lynn Messina, and John Matteson. I was a crummy notetaker, but noted several twitters below me and was pleased to find this collection of real-time tweets for your consideration.
Save the Date: Celebrate Margaret Wise Brown's 100th
Brenda Bowen wants YOU to come to the steps of New York Public Library to celebrate Margaret Wise Brown's 100 birthday on Sunday, May 23rd at 2PM. She promises cupcakes. I'm so there. And my little dog too.
