R and I are off to the state of my birth tomorrow, visiting Maurice Sendak and his "Sendak fellows" in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The four fellows, picture-book artists all, spend a month working in a house next to Sendak's as they are filmed for the reality series Bunny Eat Bunny. Watch the contestants feud over gouache! The winning illustrator will be given the opportunity to design underpants for Mickey in a special commemorative edition of In the Night Kitchen! Actually, I don't know what they do, but I can say from experience that listening to Maurice is an education in itself, whether you want to know about books, music, art or Project Runway. And maybe they get to have forbidden midnight feasts, too.

We will also be visiting my friend Louise Bailey, recently retired as the library director of the Mansfield Public Library. Louise was a children's librarian/granny-glassed hippie at the Pomona Public Library when I worked there for a year between college and grad school, and it was her example that led me to specialize in youth library services at GLS. It will be good to catch up with two old friends and I'll have a full report next week.