Too much of a good thing...maybe

Around these parts, no one can stop talking about the snow (65cm+), both the falling of and the removal of. It’s been quite a challenging couple of weeks, but so far, I’ve managed to stay upright, when I’m not curled up in my blanky, reading Scandinavian mysteries and writing about snow-based children’s books. What’s wrong with me? It is possible to get too much of a good thing (or an inevitable thing.) I have got to get a new armchair travel-agent.

Enough about the white stuff…here’s a few treats from around the series of tubes:

A fascinating profile of Kansas City’s Reading Reptile Bookstore, run by “a couple of nonconformist characters out of a storybook” Fabulous article! Not only a profile of an independent children’s bookstore, but also of the book industry itself. A real-life You’ve Got Mail (without Meg Ryan, thankfully.)

From Flavorwire, 100 years of Alice in Wonderland covers. Here’s a few more.

Galley Cat reporting that the great Eric Carle, author/illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar will be publishing a children’s book inspired by banned Expressionist art. Can’t wait! Tentative titles: The Very Busy Spider’s Scream and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do you See From Your Country of Exile?

From the 100 Scope Notes blog, an early review of Me…Jane by (32 Pages favourite) Patrick McDonnell. Good review but seriously, anything McDonnell produces is an inspiration.

Love this Guardian interview with writer/illustrator Judith Kerr: ‘I was enchanted by the strangeness of cats.’  Who isn’t? Also, their facility with mind control.

A wonderful new post from Round My Skull: A Forest Story – vibrant 1929 Czech lithograph illustrations. Great stuff. As always.

New Lines and Colors post about Bulgarian illustrator Iassen Ghiuselev. This is the dude who has, in my opinion, illustrated the definitive edition of Pinocchio, to be reviewed at a later date in this blog. Also a very fetching Alice in Wonderland.

Not exactly children’s book related, but it is juvenile: The Bobcat of Mill Creek, a story of winter, walking, and unparalleled embarrassment in Edmonton’s river valley. I’m so ashamed.