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January/February 2009 Horn
Book Magazine

It’s that time of year…time
to compile the Best Children’s Book lists of 2008! We think
we got it right with our Fanfare
list, but just in case we left out a favorite of yours, there are
a ton of Best of 2008 lists out there. Compare and contrast ours
with the lists at Booklist,
School
Library Journal, The
New York Times (for best illustrated children’s books),
and, of course, those ALA
awards. Chicken
Spaghetti has a much more comprehensive list here.

Aside from GraceAnne DeCandido’s
article in our own publication, the thirty-fifth anniversary edition
of Free to Be You and Me has been receiving a lot of media
attention; for example, the book was featured in USA
Today and on the Today
show. And of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention
the Free to Be You and Me website,
“home of all things Free to Be.” Purely for research
purposes, of course, I’ve been dancing in my desk chair to
the website’s MP3s of “Parents Are People” and
“Sisters and Brothers,” and I now have the theme song,
from this YouTube
clip, stuck in my head.

In this issue, Barbara Bader writes
an appreciation of Jean Craighead George. At George’s website,
you can read the answers to frequently asked questions, see photos
of George as a young woman, and (my favorite) watch a video in which
we are welcomed by her Alaskan Malamute, Qimmiq. And speaking of
up north, in this issue Joanne Schwartz profiles the Canadian Inuit
author Michael Kusugak. At his website,
you can contact Michael, read a short bio, or find out where you
can see him next.

Mem Fox’s Ten Little Fingers
and Ten Little Toes received a star in this issue (and caused
some controversy on Read
Roger). My friends at Reading
Rockets have a featured video interview with Fox
at their website; you can also see their video interview with illustrator
Helen
Oxenbury.

After reading Christo and Jeanne-Claude
by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan (starred in this issue), you
might want to know more about what people thought about the Gates
when it was first installed. Read the entries and comments at this
blog, devoted entirely
to reactions to the artwork. At Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s
own site,
you can also learn more about the artists and find out what they’re
working on now.

I really enjoyed Charles and
Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman,
which The Horn Book’s editors enjoyed as well (they
starred it). In the book, Heiligman incorporates many of Charles’
and Emma’s letters and journal notes; you can delve further
into Darwin’s writing by browsing through The
Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online. If you’re interested
in Darwin’s scientific work but want something a little lighter,
try this goofy evolution
game, where you hope your selected species will survive a million
years (and if you’re lucky, you get to see a picture of Darwin
in Ray-Bans). Great for down time at work!

I just have to say this about Renata
Liwska’s blog
and website:
How cute are they?! (She wrote Little Panda, starred in
this issue). If you’re craving more cuddliness, get ready
for some www.cuteoverload.com.
You can find more adorable pandas by clicking on the “Bears”
category.

Sadly, this is the last installment
of WebWatching with Rachel. Thank you for tuning in! I hope you
have as much fun exploring these links as I had discovering them.
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