The Places You Will Go

Picture Book of the Month: Very Far Away

October 2007

VERY FAR AWAY
Written and Illustrated by Maurice Sendak
Publisher: Michael Di Capua, 56 pages
Martin runs away from home because his mother, busy with the new baby, doesn’t answer his question. Perhaps it’s one of many questions that have gone unanswered since the arrival of the baby. “Where is very far away?” is a very important question because “very far away” is where Martin believes somebody will answer all his questions and he will not be ignored ....

Read the whole review here.

Over the Hills and Far Away

Very far away is

... where I can read and not be interrupted

... where my two wild boars don't shout and grunt and roar all day

... where my little princess doesn't pout

... where I can swim for hours and not get sunburnt

Introducing the Man

Reading his poems in public isn't Shahril Nizam's favourite thing to do, but he's making more of an effort to be seen and heard now that he has published his first book (of illustrated poems).

Even before the book (If Only), Shahril had a following thanks to his blog on which he posted his work, (he recently wiped the site clean for reasons even he isn’t entirely clear about, but thinks he’ll start posting again soon), but he tended to avoid poetry readings. He’s reading quite regularly now – most recently at WayangKata IV, No Black Tie’s regular poetry gig.

Young Man Saves the World ... Again

I don't normally post other people's reviews, but I'll make the exception as it's The Dark is Rising by SUSAN COOPER. Also, links to the Star's website go unclickable after a bit and I'm too stupid to fix that ....

P.S The Dark is Rising Sequence is now available in a number of new editions, including a hardback omnibus with a rather nice navy blue cover and silver lettering, but rather tatty paper. I plan to get the box-set (as my softback Puffin omnibus is coming apart at the seams), which features not-too-tacky illustrations. Sorry, but the look of a book is quite important to me as an ugly cover might prove too distracting and distressing. When there's no hope for it, brown paper, or a page out of a magazine, does the trick.

Reading for Fun

I know why I read. Why do you?

Now that I've been told not to write about publishing or editing, I'll be spending more time and space waffling on about the sorts of books I think parents should fork out hard-earned cash for so that their kids get maximum help in becoming obnoxious, know-it-all pains in the butt.

In fact, I think everyone should read whatever they can get their hands on because you never know until you try, right?

Also, reading trash is fine. It really is. I am frequently inspired by trash. But that's another story ...

You're Out!

Dumbledore is gay, so J. K. Rowling says, now. I guess it's obvious why she never made it clear in the books, but I'm all for giving kids some positive gay role models. His intense friendship with Grindelwald, in book seven, does hint at the old wizbang's sexuality though. Can you imagine what sort of fanfiction is going to get written now? It's already quite stomach-turning. OK, it turns my stomach. I read one about Harry and Draco and my eyes fell into my lap!

PS I interviewed someone yesterday who said that, reading my column, he'd always had the impression of me being school-marmish! Golly!

God Speaks

I keep meaning to but forgetting to post about The Horn Book's podcasts. Yes! Now not only can you read Roger Sutton's essays and reviews online, you can also listen to him talk about children's books. Featured authors in the podcasts so far include Jon Scieszka [The Stinky Cheese Man] and M. T. Anderson [whose The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing won last year's National Book Award for young people's literature].

Lessing wins the Nobel

Doris Lessing has won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Her books include The Grass is Singing and The Golden Notebook.

National Book Award's 2007 Finalists

The finalists for the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature were announced on 10th October:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
By Sherman Alexie
Illus by Ellen Forney
(Little, Brown)

Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One
By Kathleen Duey
(Atheneum)

Touching Snow
By M. Sindy Felin
(Atheneum)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

By Brian Selznick
(Scholastic)

Story of a Girl

By Sara Zarr
(Little, Brown)

More here.

The winner will be announced on 14th November.

Last year's winner was The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson (Candlewick Press)

Doll Parts

So what's your stand on boys-and-dolls (and i don't mean the kinky, blow-up variety)? I'm fine if they do play with them and fine if they don't.

My daughter, until recently, disliked dolls (she would throw them across the room), while my sons have always taken great delight in dressing and undressing my posse of My Scene and Bratz dolls (constantly making me wonder if they're colour-blind or simply "innovative" in their pairing of colours).

I have male friends who collect figurines, who get mad when I call their toys dolls: "They're action figures, dammit!"

I like dinosaurs, trains, books, water guns and dolls (my favourites are my Babooshka and my Jesus doll).