Friday, August 29, 2008
Stay Tuned...
...for a book review of Kenny and the Dragon, by Tony DiTerlizzi, which I plan to post later today, or Saturday morning at the latest. You won't want to miss it!
Author Spotlight: Tony DiTerlizzi
Tony DiTerlizzi was born September 6, 1969 in south Florida, into an artistic household. He started drawing at a very early age, "including a crayon mural of Winnie-the-Pooh on his freshly painted bedroom walls." At the age of 12, inspired by Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal and by playing Dungeons and Dragons, he directed his energies into writing and illustrating a field guide on fantastical creatures. By high school graduation, he knew he wanted to be a children's book creator.Mr. DiTerlizzi attended Florida School of the Arts, and received a degree in graphic design from the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale in 1992. At the age of 23, he found himself doing freelance work for TSR, the publisher of Dungeons and Dragons. He continued to illustrate in the gaming industry for most of the 1990's.
After moving to New York City in 1996, he began illustrating children's books. In 2000, his first picture book as both writer and illustrator came out: Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon Pie Adventure. He followed that with the award-winning Ted in 2001, and then came The Spider and the Fly - a New York Times best seller which won a Caldecott Honor Medal in 2003. He collaborated with Holly Black to create The Spiderwick Chronicles, a popular series which spanned from 2003-2007 and included publication of The Notebook for Fantastical Observations as well as Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. In 2006 came an alphabet book, G is for One Gzonk! Beginning in 2007, he again teamed up with Holly Black for the currently ongoing series Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles. His latest title is 2008's Kenny and the Dragon, which marks his first work as both author and illustrator of a chapter book.
Having met with much success, DiTerlizzi stays connected and open to his fans, noting:
"If it were not for their appreciation, I do not think I would be where I am today. It really is a big energy circle - you only receive what you have given."
Tony DiTerlizzi currently lives with his wife and daughter in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Jobs, Freedom, and Civil Rights - One Man's Dream
August 28, 2008 marks the 45th anniversary of what has come to be known as the "I Have a Dream Speech." Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famed oratory was delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, as part of the historic March on Washington. The march was an event organized in support of jobs, freedom, and the advancement of the Kennedy administration's civil rights legislation. Though several individuals spoke that day, Dr. King's speech is considered "one of the greatest and most notable speeches in history." (Wikipedia.org)
If you've never seen the footage of this historic speech, take the time to watch and listen now.
If you have viewed it before, do so again - and be inspired anew.
And if you were fortunate enough to be there in person to hear Dr. King deliver this speech which inspired a nation, watch again - and relive that historic moment.
Sources:
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Signs of Life
A Sign That Just Makes You Giggle When You Read It Out Loud at 2 AM:
A Sign That You Probably Shouldn't Have Balked When Your Sign Painter Asked for an Extra Four Bucks to Finish the Job:
A Sign (Or Four) That You Might Wanna Rethink That Road Trip Potty Break:
A Sign Your Package Designer Got a Bit Punchy While Working on the Cotton Ball Account:
A Sign That Explains the State of My Lovely (if Cluttered) Domicile:
A Sign of Things to Come:
When my small son says to me, he says, "Mommy? When I'm 10? Can I color my hair green?"
And he's totally serious.
No photo for this one yet.
But I'll keep ya posted...
Monday, August 25, 2008
Hooray! It's Toilet Paper Day!
Toilet Paper Day is celebrated every year on August 26 - I have no idea why, but really: why not? Grab a seat - maybe even in the "reading room" for some appropriate ambiance - and let's whoop it up!
I'll start with a stat. Back during my husband C's work in consumer products, he came across market research that said that there was a 98% Household Penetration Rate for toilet paper in the United States. Translated from the business-ese, that means that 98% of US households buy toilet paper. I'll give that a moment to sink in...ninety-eight percent of US households buy toilet paper... So, what on earth are the other 2% using?? Ewww...
But let's not jump to conclusions just yet. Perhaps that rebel 2% are instead using all those catalogs that clog the mailbox with irritating regularity, taking Reduce/Reuse/Recyle to a whole 'nother level - old school. You may recall (or if you're not old enough, you may recall reading about) the, ahem, alternate use put to the old Sears & Roebuck catalogs? Or maybe you're more familiar with one of the spinoff catalogs that made the rounds: Rears & Sorebutt...
Yes, the use of toilet paper is important (being kinder to one's behind, and all), but so is how it's used. Or, more specifically, how it comes off the roll. That's right: the dreaded Roll Dispenser Controversy. When one installs a roll of t.p. on the dispenser, should the paper dispense from over the roll, or from under it? I'm an over-the-roll proponent myself. And as per usual in Chez Wheedleton, C holds the opposing view, insisting - not through word, but through dispenser-filling deed - that the correct installation is under-the-roll.
And now, our little celebration must come to an end, so I'll leave you with a t.p. claim to fame for Philly. In 1867, brothers Edward, Clarence, and Thomas Scott began selling a type of toilet paper from a pushcart in Philadelphia, PA. The end result all these years later? A thriving paper product business, with grateful (and clean) behinds everywhere. (Well, at least 98% of them...)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
An Unexpected Education
You never know when - or where - you're going to learn something new.
Case in point: I learned something new while on vacation this summer, thanks to our gracious hosts. After showing us around their oh-so-comfy home, they took us on an aquatic tour of their lovely neighborhood. It was during this most relaxing journey that they mentioned the neighborhood's claim to fame: a residence of the family of the man who invented...
...kitty litter. That's right. There is an actual person responsible for the ingenious waste disposal material used by hundreds, thousands, and probably even millions of house cats everywhere. That person's name is Edward Lowe.
It all started back in 1947, when he worked for his father's industrial absorbents company. Lowe's neighbor, Kaye Draper, came by and asked to buy some sand. She wanted to use it in her cat's box, instead of the soot which she had been using, but which her cat tracked all through her house. He offered her granulated clay, instead. She tried it, and it worked so well, she never used anything else after that.
Figuring he was onto something, Ed Lowe filled ten brown bags with clay, wrote "Kitty Litter" on each of the five-pound bags, and approached a local pet store owner. When the store owner doubted his customers would pay 65 cents a bag for clay when sand was so much cheaper, Lowe said, "So give it away."
The gamble paid off, as cat owners not only asked for more, but were totally willing to pay for it, thrilled with its odor control and absorbency. And so, the Kitty Litter business was born. Lowe started visiting cat shows and pet stores across the country, selling Kitty Litter from the back of his car. He also continued to experiment with additives to improve Kitty Litter. Soon, he created Edward Lowe Industries, Inc. to mass manufacture and distribute his popular invention.
In 1964, Edward Lowe created the Tidy Cat brand of kitty litter, or "cat box filler," to use the correct generic term. (Kitty Litter vs cat box filler is a Band-Aid vs adhesive bandage or Kleenex vs tissue kind of thing. See? Bet you didn't know that.)
Edward Lowe became a multi-millionaire.
And he owed it all to a soot-tracking cat.
You never know when - or where - you're going to learn something new. What did you learn today?
Sources:
Friday, August 22, 2008
Book Review: The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
I didn't know how long I had been in the king's prison. The days were all the same, except that as each one passed, I was dirtier than before... ...I reviewed over and over the plans that had seemed so straightforward before I arrived in jail, and I swore to myself and every god I knew that if I got out alive, I would never never never take any risks that were so abysmally stupid again.Overview:
Gen is a thief who delights in bragging to any who will hear that, "I can steal anything." The prison guards delight in reminding him of that boast each time they pass his cell, taunting him with questions about why he hadn't escaped yet. But one day, the king's magus, a scholar, summons Gen from his cell. "There's something I want you to steal. Do this for me, and I'll see that you don't go back to prison. Fail to do this for me, and I will still make sure that you don't go back to prison." And so begins the long and dangerous journey...
For Teachers and Librarians:
The Thief is a young adult novel that will grab teens' attention and never let it go. It will appeal to both guys and gals, having the perfect mixture of action, mystery, and emotion. Megan Whalen Turner is a master storyteller, giving the reader just enough clues to keep it interesting, but not enough to give anything away before she's ready to have it known. Set in a place that resembles both ancient and modern Greece, the author notes that "Nothing in this book is historically accurate." However, your students will come across references to the bubonic plague, weaponry, printed and bound books, the landscape, monarchy, and even watches. These make for the perfect comparison and contrast to what ancient and modern Greece are really like, as well as research opportunities into when in history these things actually appeared and how they worked. The book is a good springboard into Greek mythology, as well, since Greek-like gods are intertwined in the plot. But most of all, your students will be hooked from the very first sentence. A definite page-turner.
For Parents:
If you struggle with how to get books in the hands of your teens, you are not alone. There is steep competition out there: ipods, internet, gaming, texting, videos, TV. It seems as if there's no room to wedge even the slimmest of volumes in between, but take heart. The Thief may be just what you need. It is a timeless story, with action, drama and suspense. It has the feel of an adult book, but it's still a book for teens, so you can feel good about what they're reading. It is a story that will pull them in right away, and they won't want to put it down. And best of all, it has two sequels, with another in the works, so once they devour this story, you have two more options to keep their noses in a good book - at least for a little while...
For Teens:
This is so not a kiddie book. And it's not a crud-my-English-teacher-is-making-me-read-a-total-yawner book. Gen is a thief who brags that he can steal anything. When he steals something way valuable that everyone thought couldn't be done, he shows it off - and is arrested. But while he's in the king's prison, chained and dirty, the king's magus summons him and gives him an offer he can't refuse: to steal something that has not been stolen or even found for hundreds of years. If he succeeds, he earns his freedom. If he fails, he won't go back to prison either, but... well, you get what I mean. Gen accepts, but not for the reason the magus thinks he does. You have to go find The Thief and read it. You will be so glad you did, and bonus! There are two more sequels, and author Megan Whalen Turner is working on a fourth.
For Everyone Else:
Though this is a young adult novel, it will appeal to adults as well. Set in what feels like Greece, though it isn't Greece, it feels timeless, and is riddled with mystery and sprinkled with clues set up to keep you always searching for more. In fact, there are so many twists and turns that you'll want to read The Thief again. And maybe even again.
Wrapping Up:
The Thief is the perfect marriage of suspense, intrigue, mystery and emotion. Find your copy today.
Title: The Thief
Author: Megan Whalen Turner
Pages: 219
Reading Level: Teen/Young Adult
Publisher and Date: Penguin Group, 1998
Edition: Paperback
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $5.99
ISBN-10: 0140388346
ISBN-13: 978-0140388343
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