Seriously, Linus...

October is one of my favourite months. Autumn colours and bags of fun-sized chocolate bars make me happy in a very, very deep place. And speaking of the Great Pumpkin (which we weren’t)…

The Peanuts cartoon strip turns 60!  Read all about it in a new Lines and Colors post: http://bit.ly/8XHxvn Where would we (I) be without our (my) cultural reference points like Charlie Brown and Snoopy? Even though I’ve watched A Charlie Brown Christmas, without fail, every December since the early seventies, I think I took the strip for granted until I read an essay in Jonathan Franzen’s autobiographical collection, The Discomfort Zone (HarperCollins, 2006.) The analysis and appreciation of the Charles Schulz oeuvre is quite a pleasure to read, as is all of Franzen’s work. Schulz and Peanuts by David Michaelis is also an excellent read. (HarperCollins, 2007.)

From Roger Ebert (my secret crush): “Wise to watch it NOW while it’s still online”. Donald Duck Meets Glenn Beck. http://j.mp/dDz0Bg Love a little cartoon subversion!

From 100 Scope Notes: The 10 Most Valuable Picture Books … of All Time!  http://100scopenotes.com/2010/10/05/the-10-most-valuable-picture-books/ Heyyy. ..my first edition copy of Karline’s Duck, which I stole from the Winnipeg Public Library, is not on the list. Yeah, so maybe the story of a filthy old woman and her unnatural relationship with a duck is not a classic, but did I mention it’s a first edition?

Love his stuff.

From the Guardian: A long profile of author/illustrator Lauren Child, creator of Clarice Bean and Charlie & Lola. http://bit.ly/cNm6DB Love her stuff.

Canadian Children’s Publishers Hope for Good Finish to year – PW http://t.co/wxC96Z5 Seriously, I am doing my best.

Illustrator Peter de Seve: Lines and Colors post: http://bit.ly/aMhkYN, also a link to his great website (also freshly linked on 32 Pages.)

Next Blog: Oh, something Halloweeny. ‘Tis the season, after all.