"The Race for the Chinese Zodiac," by Gabrielle Wang, illustrated by Sally Rippin; Candlewick Press, $14.99, 32 pages, ages 5-7.
THE RACE FOR THE CHINESE ZODIAC. Text copyright © 2010 by Gabrielle Wang. Illustrations copyright © 2010 by Sally Rippin. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA on behalf of Walker Books Australia and Black Dog Books.
In
Gabrielle Wang's retelling of this classic Chinese creation story, the
Jade Emperor announces a race to determine which twelve animals will
have a year named after them in the zodiac. As the gong sounds, the
animals plunge into a mighty river and make their way to the finish
line. Who will be first? Who stops at nothing to win? Children
and adults will find this a pleasure to read, and its quick pace mimics
the feel of competitors vying for the top spot. Sally Rippin renders
Charming Rat, Spirited Horse and all the other animals in Chinese ink
and earth-toned linocuts.
After reading the end notes to find out which Zodiac year is yours, try this
fun post-reading activity: Enlarge the Chinese characters for each
animal that are found throughout the book. Give children a big brush and
let them trace the characters with bold brushstrokes.
?????(Wishing you luck in the Year of the Horse!)
"Again!" by Emily Gravett; Simon & Schuster, $17.99, 32 pages, ages 4-6.
Again! image reproduced with permission from the publisher, Simon & Schuster.
Here we have a great example of why physical children's books still have an edge over their digital counterparts. In this story, Cedric the dragon prepares for bedtime, which also means mama dragon will read his favorite bedtime story. As the title aptly suggests, the evening tale is read over and over, even as his very patient and accommodating mother starts to doze off. As a result, Cedric transforms from an almost angelic looking creature into a fire-breathing fiend. Dragons aren't known for their patience, and Cedric demonstrates his lack of this particular quality with an ending that is sure to enthrall young children. (Without giving it away, this is where the paper copy triumphs over the e-version.) Fans of Emily Gravett's award-winning illustrations will be happy to see that she has stayed true to her style - simple, engaging drawings that pop off white backgrounds. Readers will recognize Gravett's work from her other award winning titles such as Wolves and The Odd Egg.
Image of Basel Paper Mill exhibit, Courtesy Gryffindor/Wikimedia.
I present the stunningly beautiful cover of our winter 2014 issue, which was sent to the printer today. Inside: Hollywood stars and Pawn Stars, Kipling and Chandler, book art and rare maps, auction reports and the annual book collector's resource guide, and more. Subscribers, look for it in your mailboxes just after the new year. Non-subscribers, what are you waiting for?
Daile Kaplan, vice president and director of photographs & photobooks at Swann Galleries, called the result "stellar." A second lot--a California mug shot album featuring a line-up of pimps and embezzlers--likewise sold high, at $22,500. Kaplan said, "As new collectors from the fields of Contemporary, Outsider Art and Material Culture enter the photographs marketplace, the gap between classical photography and other fields narrows, and values continue to rise."
Image Courtesy of Swann Galleries.
That letter--which could have been penned by a freelance writer yesterday, though perhaps not to Cosmo--will, perhaps ironically, be sold later this week for an estimated $4,000-6,000. Profiles in History, a California-based auction house, has a few London letters up for grabs at its Property of a Distinguished American Private Collector Part III auction on December 19. In another editorially-minded letter from February 6, 1908, London, author of White Fang and Call of the Wild, writes at length about plot and technique in fiction: "But it cannot be denied that what is technically known as 'the threads of the plot,' however closely woven they may be during the story, must inevitably separate again. The trick is to end your story just at the inch before the division."
A third lot of London features a typed letter from August 31, 1915--near the end of his brief career--in which he inquires (again) about pay rates for writers. Here he addresses Eric Schuler, the secretary and treasurer of the Authors League of America, writing, "The point of this letter is this: Is there any way in which you can send me samples of the rates that are paid to the first class, top-notch writers in the United States, both by magazines and by book publishers." Once a freelancer, always a freelancer. Coupled with another letter and a signed photograph, this letter is also expected to reach $4,000-6,000 at Thursday's sale, where a broad selection of literary, musical, political, and scientific manuscripts and rare books will be on offer.
Image via Wikipedia.