Adventures on the Moors

I've just been loaned a copy of The Far Distant Oxus, courtesy of my friend Jane of Jane's Books in St. Martins, New Brunswick.  I'd never heard of the novel or its authors before but just look at what a beautiful cover that is!
The story behind the story is very promising as well.  The novel was written by Katherine Hull & Pamela Whitlock who were both schoolgirls at the time.  They sent the manuscript off to Arthur Ransome who then took it to his own publisher, Jonathan Cape and it was published in 1937.
Google books describes it as: "The adventures of three children and the friends they meet while vacationing on a farm on the moors of southwest England."
You can read more about the book (which is the first of a trilogy) and see a preview chapter here. 

Knitting Challenge

Now that winter is closing in, I keep thinking how very cozy it would be to have a sleeping bag like this one...

Wouldn't it be nice...

Wouldn't it be nice to get a letter with a stamp like this one?

via The Guardian

Bless the Bookstores

I'm trying to gather a list of places selling the new book in order to make it ludicrously easy for people to buy it.  Ha!  It's shameless but I will add listings here as I find them (and welcome any and all suggestions).

I was inordinately pleased to find the book up at Buy Olympia - partly because you are always in such nice company there and partly because they do such a great job of presentation.   (Also they do ship world wide.)

One of my other very favourite bookstores in all the world is Kidsbooks in Vancouver.  I had a lovely visit with them when I was last there and am very happy to see them stocking the new book as well.

* And bless the bookbuyers as well!  The comment from anonymous (below) made my day!

Marie Antoinette's Dulcimer Player

While I haven't yet seen the film Hugo, I loved the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.  
I've been thinking about the book again lately as we've been doing a little search for automata and happened upon this amazing one.  It was damaged in the French Revolution and later repaired by Jean-Robert Houdin: magician, clockmaker and the fellow who gave Ehrich Weiss the idea for the stage name Houdini.





Brian Selnick talks about automata here and recommends this book, Edison’s Eve: A Magical Quest for Mechanical Life by Gaby Wood.  Will be looking for that one.

Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day

Hard to argue with the sentiment here. 

I'm Your Other Mother

According to Neil Gaiman,  Bloomsbury (UK) will be doing a Tenth Anniversary edition of Coraline next year,  with illustrations by Chris Riddell.  

Ooh, look!

But can it really have been ten years?

Yes, I guess so.  Here's my review from 2002.

Windy with a chance of lucky

Here's your chance to win a hardcover copy of Windy by Robin Mitchell and Judith Steed.  I've been working "with" Robin for the past five years but got to meet her for the first time last week.  Very pleased to note that she was just as lovely as I had predicted.  

Drop by the Windy blog for your chance to win.  Then go to your local independent children's bookstore and buy copies of their other books for any little ones on your Christmas list.  You can also purchase online at Buy Olympia.  Watch for a new softcover edition + app coming next year!

Remembrance

Book Launch

Very pleased to be launching When I Was Small in Vancouver with the lovely Julie.

Monday, November 7th, 7:00 pm

Christianne's Lyceum of Literature and Art, 3696 West 8th Ave, Vancouver

Dress Up Time

CBC is holding a competition for best literary hallowe'en costume.

Here's one that gets my vote!

This charming little fellow by the name of Clem went dressed as Henry from When You Were Small last year.  Don't you love his little thimble hat?  Kudos to his creative mother, Vania, who blogs at A Crafty Vegan (and thanks for the use of your picture).

Anybody else have pictures of kids dressed as childrens' book characters?

A page from Platypus Man