Poetry and Film Trailer and Gruffalo and Lost Things
and Newsy and Random Etcetera-ness Friday

h1 February 25th, 2011 by jules

{Clearly, I need some intervention sometimes when it comes to post titles.}

I don’t tend to cover news here at 7-Imp. If I had more time to blog, I think I’d have fun rounding stuff up, but for now I leave that to the experts. You want the latest in children’s lit happenings from every perspective? Betsy pretty much rocks it with her Fusenews. I also like to hit 100 Scope Notes for some buzz. Or Read Roger for the no-nonsense buzz. Jen Robinson and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub and Rasco From RIF are absolutely who you want to go hang with for literacy-related round-ups. And there are many, many more, but you get my point. I don’t do it. I go to them and others for the low-down.

This morning, however, I wanted to share a few picture-book or illustration-related links that have come to my attention lately. I can’t help but feel the need to gab about them:

  • In Milan, Italy, they’re adapting Sergio Ruzzier’s Amandina (pictured above) to the stage. Read here for more information.
  • Check out this commitment to more picture-book coverage at The New York Times. Well, now. Amen.
  • Did you see this Emily Gravett slideshow from Tuesday of this week at The Guardian? Excellent.
  • The 2011 winners of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators’ Golden Kite Awards (“given annually to recognize excellence in children’s literature”) were announced recently. Here are the winners. I’m happy with those picture book choices, but I’m especially pleased to see Salley-Mavor love.
  • Here’s a wonderful feature from a Michigan photographer on Phil and Erin Stead, which includes another sneek peak into their studio.
  • Illustrator Marcellus Hall (featured here at 7-Imp in June of last year and here in 2009) makes music, too, and you can hear some here.
  • Illustrator Adam McCauley (who, you may remember from my 2009 interview, is also a musician) was featured recently here at the Poetry Foundation’s website.
  • Every Child a Reader, the CBC Foundation, will host the Fourth Annual Children’s Choice Book Awards gala on May 2, 2011, at The Lighthouse in New York City. This event will be part of Children’s Book Week, which has been celebrating children’s books and reading since 1919. Jarrett J. Krosoczka will host the event. Do you think he’ll have wardrobe changes? I doubt it. But I do not doubt it’ll be great fun with him hosting the festivities. You can find more info here, and please note there the kickin’ Children’s Book Week poster Peter Brown has created for this year’s celebration.
  • The 83rd Annual Academy Awards will be upon us this weekend, dear readers. Did you know that in the category of Short Film (Animated), two picture books adapted to film have been nominated? Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved picture book, The Gruffalo, was nominated. It was directed by Jakob Schuh and Max Lang and animated at Studio Soi in Ludwigsburg, Germany. I haven’t seen it, but I read it’s computer animation shot on physical sets, and I know that one of 7-Imp’s Sunday kickers saw it and commented last Sunday that she not only enjoyed it, but places her bets on it as the winner in that category (seeing as how she saw all the other animated shorts as well). And this author KNOWS HER FILM, so I trust her on this one.

Here’s the trailer, followed by a making-of video and a still photo from the short film. I WANT TO SEE IT. (That was an actual whine, but I’m done now. See, I spared you and was brief about it.)

Also nominated in the same category is a film adaptation of Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing. Here’s the trailer for that one, which I also wanna wanna WANNA see. (Oh, and here’s the film’s home in cyberspace.)

Happy weekend to all. See you on Sunday . . .

* * * * * * *

Illustration from Amandina © 2008 and re-posted from my 2008 interview with Sergio Ruzzier.

Still photo from The Gruffalo used with permission of Fumi Kitahara.





12 comments to “Poetry and Film Trailer and Gruffalo and Lost Things
and Newsy and Random Etcetera-ness Friday”

  1. […] Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast » Blog Archive » Poetry and Film Trailer and Gruffalo and… blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2084 – view page – cached I don’t tend to cover news here at 7-Imp. If I had more time to blog, I think I’d have fun rounding stuff up, but for now I leave that to the experts. You want the latest in children’s lit happenings from every perspective? Betsy pretty much rocks it with her Fusenews. I also like to hit 100 Scope Notes for some buzz. Or Read Roger for the no-nonsense buzz. Jen Robinson and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub… Read moreI don’t tend to cover news here at 7-Imp. If I had more time to blog, I think I’d have fun rounding stuff up, but for now I leave that to the experts. You want the latest in children’s lit happenings from every perspective? Betsy pretty much rocks it with her Fusenews. I also like to hit 100 Scope Notes for some buzz. Or Read Roger for the no-nonsense buzz. Jen Robinson and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub and Rasco From RIF are absolutely who you want to go hang with for literacy-related round-ups. View page […]


  2. This post is a trove! And I second that whine about the Gruffalo film. What a wonderful little making-of video.


  3. I love how involved the author and illustrator are in the making-of.


  4. Jules, me, too. I love that they used Julia Donaldson’s performance of the book as their guide. And it looks like they did a great job of transmuting the feeling of Axel Scheffler’s illustrations into 3d, which is nothing to sneeze at. The casting seems pretty inspired, too (love Tom Wilkinson as the fox).


  5. Oh I really love the Lost Thing. Such worldbuilding!


  6. I love Shaun Tan—he’s so weirdly normal, if that makes sense.

    Carry on with your titles and random ectercera-ness. It’s all good. Juicy and good.


  7. I am already planning my Lady Gaga entrance…

    Well maybe not really. But I will watch the Oscars on Sunday and take notes.

    JJK


  8. Fantastic post…the adaption vof “The Gruffalo” seems to actually live up to the book, can’t wait to see it! Love these hodgey podgey posts!


  9. You CAN see the The Lost Thing – the whole thing is available online right now at: http://www.indiemoviesonline.com/news/the-lost-thing-022111


  10. Yes, Emily, linked to it in today’s post. Thanks!


  11. ABC Family ran The Gruffalo before christmas and it still lives in our DVR. Watched it this morning as my 3 year old recited along with it. It is so great, wish it had won!
    ps I’m a current UT SIS student. Just found your blog, love it!


  12. Hi, Nicole. Thanks.

    I know what you mean, but man, was The Lost Thing good, too. So moving.


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