Like many children who grew up in the nineties, I know who Elizabeth Berkley is—she played Jessie Spano on the popular, heavily syndicated Saved by the Bell. So when Ask Elizabeth (Putnam, March) came into the office, I snatched it up out of curiosity (and perhaps fear). As it turns out, it’s getting a lot [...]
>Make it new!
March 11, 2011 By 7 Comments
>Marc Aronson takes on challenges, particularly a substantial critique by Jim Murphy, to his article “New Knowledge,” which appears in the current issue of the Magazine. In his post Jim says he wishes we had a way for readers to comment on articles we post on the site and SO DO I. Until we figure [...]
>Grandchildren are important
March 10, 2011 By 6 Comments
Ladies and a Gentleman
March 9, 2011 By 1 Comment
>I’ll be reporting on my trip to SF once I wrest the photos from Richard’s camera; short version: it was swell. Meanwhile Katie celebrates Women’s History Month with a new booklist of some excellent recent biographies and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art announces its 2011 Carle Honors Honorees: artist Lois Ehlert, artist [...]
Smart books for all kids
March 9, 2011 By 2 Comments
Ellen Raskin was thinking outside the box before most of us even knew there was a box. A writer, an illustrator, a designer — she combined them all into a profession she called bookmaking. In her novels, the typeface is as much an element as the mystery/puzzle plot, which is as integral as the wordplay, [...]
Required reading for Women’s History Month
March 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The board Book of Sleep
March 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Knopf recently released a board book version of Il Sung Na‘s The Book of Sleep. In the original edition, a playful and spare text accompanies sweet illustrations that, upon closer look, contain a multitude of textural and illustrative details (including the protagonist owl as a search-and-find character on spreads where another character takes center stage). An [...]
>Mean Girls wannabe
March 4, 2011 By 1 Comment
Keep your friends close, and your frienemies closer
March 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I have to admit that when I slipped Amy Holder’s debut novel The Lipstick Laws (HMH/Graphia, April) off the shelf, I was motivated mainly by the jacket summary’s similarity to Mean Girls. Packed with cliques, hot boys, revenge, and a tyrannical friendship pact sealed with a bright red kiss, The Lipstick Laws would be ripe [...]
