Another birthday come and gone...

But not mine! It was once again Dr. Seuss' birthday and celebrations seemed to be going on in many different places. It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog that I'm a pretty sizable Seuss fan, so I've used his b-day as an excuse to read, read-aloud, and study Seuss, trying to continue figuring out just what makes so many of his stories so faboo. Good times. Good times, indeed.

Journey to the Edge...

The Edge of the Forest, that is -- the February issue is up, and even though it's March now, it's mighty fine reading. Go on... check it out.

Tagged. And lazy???

King of Pond Scum Alan Silberberg tagged me with a "5 Things about Me" meme. I told him I'd do it since I couldn't remember if I'd ever done it... and it seemhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifed doable. I woke up this morning and thought "hey, wait! I shouldn't have eaten that last piece of pie. AND I'm sure I did this meme." So, Alan -- I up you by 60% and replay my reply to the EIGHT things about me meme (with three changes to the eight for the alert/obsessed/daily readers among you)....

1) There's an X-Files character who shares my name.

2) I have held an Oscar. It was heavy!

3) If they were healthier, I'd eat ribs a lot more. Even still, I'm always on the hunt for great rib shacks (and LA has a lot!).

4) I have a copy of Winnie the Pooh in Esperanto. At one point in time I was convinced I'd learn Esperanto. Then... uh... I don't remember what happened, but I can safely say it's never been a problem that I'm not fluent.

5) I'm allergic to cats, and they, of course, love me. There are certain people that enjoy placing me with cats, anyway, because when I'm around felines too long, I lose my voice!

6) Every year, I attempt to decaffeinate for two weeks. Please note the word "attempt."

7) At one point in my life, I could do the Rubik's cube in under 15 seconds. Now, I could probably do it in under 15 days, but I make no promises.

8) I have never met a Game Seven of a best of seven sporting event that I didn't like. Team Handball, Albania vs. Malta, Game Seven??? Let's make popcorn!


Now, as is tradition around here, every single one of you is tagged. Go on. Tell us things.

End your weekend at a carnival....

Leap Day was also the coming out of the latest Carnival of Children's Literature. Sure, it's been up for two days, but you should still run on over to Anasatasia's blog and check it out (even though I failed, again, to get my act in gear and get a post in there!).

Leap Day Baby -- a Leap Day poem/a birthday poem

LEAP DAY BABY
by
Gregory K.

My father never acts his age.
My mother says that's great.
See, Dad's a leap day baby and today he's turning eight!


Now go leap on over to the Poetry Friday roundup hosted by the uber-wonderful Kelly Fineman and get a bonus helping of poetry in February. You'll be glad you did... and it's probably the only time I'll ask you to leap. So c'mon already. LEAP!

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Pre-Leaping

I was gonna just skip today on the blog, but somehow it seems so wrong not to just note that tomorrow is leap day. I mean it's my first leap day blogging but my third February 28th. I was figuring that that had to be good for something. And then I realize... huh, the only thing it might be good for is a blog post.

And even there, I'm just not sure!

Talking Math

As in Scholastic's MATH magazine.

As in here's this month's contents. Or to quote from it, "You want more math in literature? You've got it! We look at the Internet phenomenon known as “Fibs”--poems based on the Fibonacci sequence."

I haven't seen the magazine yet, but maybe some of you middle school teachers (or students) out there have. Regardless, "phenomenon" alone makes me a happy fellow!

More later, but now I gotta book.....

Putting a focus on Fibs

At some point, I'll have my own big ol' website, not just my blog. In the interim, I'd been trying to come up with a way to keep a focus on Fibs and Fibonacci poetry while not changing the mix around here (which, if you've been here other than today, you'll know includes way more). But how? Enter Squidoo.

And more specifically... my Squidoo lens on Fibonacci poetry.

For those saying "huh" about now, Squidoo is a site that lets you create your own page on a subject, sharing your passion or knowledge or anything else, I suppose. From my point of view, it looks like a place to collect some Fib information without it getting lost here even while Fibs will continue to be part and parcel of what I do here (including those handy links along the right hand side).

So, feel free to go check it out and tell me what's missing (or not), what's clear (or not), and, as always, any winning lottery numbers you have (in advance, natch). Thanks!

Sunday fun....

OK, it's not really children's literature related, but it's Lego and that's always good, right? Right.

So check out Block Death -- A Museum of Horrors if you want to see creativity in full bloom. I'm a big fan of the Torture Classics and the Troubles Abroad. And remember... it's Lego so it's not as gruesome as it sounds!

Mom's Meatloaf -- a food poem/a meatloaf poem

Mom’s Meatloaf
By
Gregory K.

What “meat” this is, I cannot say,
Upon my plate, a slab of gray.
The texture doesn’t give a clue,
But makes it not much fun to chew.
I wonder, did it cluck or moo?
Or oink or baa? Or bark or mew?
What meat this is, I’ll never know.
It sure is mighty tasty, though!



Hungry for more? Kelly is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup today, so be sure to go on and check it out.

GottaBook 2.0!

Well, not exactly -- but today is the 2nd anniversary of life here at GottaBook. True, I kinda sputtered into it on a weak week of posting, but in general, there's been more life than not, and it remains a lot of fun.

Thanks to all who stop by and make it worth blogging. And... hold on... yup! It's confirmed. The official gift for a 2nd blogoversary is chocolate! Feel free to be official (and note that you have a couple month window. Longer if it's really good stuff. I'm just saying....).

Lonnnnng weekend

I think every writer should get a long weekend once a month just to write.

Anyone know any senators or congresspeople who might pass that law?

No?

Oh well... guess I'll just make use of the short week instead....

Just a giggle...

... but I've gotten hundreds of visits here at Gottabook this week because of the opening of the movie of The Spiderwick Chronicles. And why, you ask, are folks coming here? Because of this post... and the fact that so many people think that that is actually the name of the book/movie and search the web for info. Go figure... but it's definitely good to see children's literature with that many fans, even if it takes 'em two tries to find what they're really looking for.

Keep the poetry coming....

One of the great bonuses of judging the Cybils is that it made me (or gave me an excuse) to think seriously about poetry -- what I like, what works, what kids respond to, and even what's possible in a collection. As I noted, I found Joyce Sidman's Cybil winning This is Just to Say absolutely fantastic... and I learned a ton as I tried to express exactly why... and why I put it ahead of the other impressive finalists. Good times and a great exercise.

For more things poetic, go on and check out this week's Poetry Friday roundup hosted over at Hip Writer Mama's place. And keep the poetry coming!

I "heart" the Cybils

Break out the box of candy and the red hearts -- it's Cybils Day! Yes, the winners have been announced this morning and the list is right here. Unsurprisingly, it looks like a great list of books.

In the Poetry category, in which I was a judge, we chose Joyce Sidman's remarkable This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness. A fuller blurb is over on the Cybils site, but I'd just say that it was a fantastic, funny, inspiring, and emotionally powerful collection of poetry for children (and their adults!). You'd do well, I'm sure, checking out all the winners, but if you're a poetry fan, you really must go find This Is Just to Say.

It was a real privilege (and challenge) judging for the Cybils this year. And now that it's done, it's time to start reading this year's books so I can think of nominees for next year.

A little followup

So yesterday I linked to me yakking, including the best advice I'd heard about writing in rhyme. And it turns out that yesterday, fellow Californian/blogger/joke lover Terry Pierce posted a nice little interview with editor Kristin Daly that also talks about writing in rhyme. Goooood stuff!

Hey... I know that guy!

Over on The Write Marbles site, they've got an interview with some guy talking about rhyme, Fibs, and a school library. Hey, wait a second... that's me! By all means go check it out, and here's hoping I made sense!

Ticking and Tocking

There are now two countdowns on my horizon. The first is the ticking of the clock until the announcements of the Cybil awards on the 14th. The second is the new countdown to the possible lifting of the Writers Guild of America strike. That should be decided by Tuesday evening (Pacific time). The buzz makes it look likely, and many friends of mine are gearing up to head back to work soon.

Lots to look forward to this week, that's for certain. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock!

Friday, Friday, Friday!

Wouldn't it be great if there were commercials for Poetry Friday that were like those classic TV commercials for big old auto events. And hey... what about Poetry Demolition Derby!

But in lieu of that, why not head over to where Gina's blogging and check out this week's Poetry Friday roundup? Good. And I'll see ya later....

Then again...

... now having had the Net back, I'm starting to wonder if things weren't better when I was disconnected! Sitting with a yellow pad and a pen (you remember those, I hope) knowing that there was no escape to the web probably made me less distracted than I'd been in... I dunno... 15 years? Well, maybe not, but I can definitely see spending a week or two without access when I'm in the midst of a project.

Ya, I know. That's crazy talk! But try it for a day and let me know what you think....

Technical difficulties

Whew. A full day without online access has come and gone, and I've lived to tell about it. It is remarkable (and perhaps a tad scary) how attached to the Net I've become. To wit: I wasn't around this weekend to post here, but when I was able to Monday, my online connection was gone. Yes, I coulda gone elsewhere, no doubt, but I had much to do at home. And I kept checking, but noooo. And I felt frustrated that I couldn't post. Then I felt bad. Then I felt sad. Then I had chocolate and it was all fine. But I will admit that I was quite happy to wake up this morning and know that I could once again answer email, blog, and follow the news of Super Tuesday all without ever having to get dressed!

Hey, it's the simple things in life, ya know?

Mulling on Poetry Friday

Yes, I'm in a thinking mode today. See, it's two months to the day until National Poetry Month begins. The past two years, I've posted a poem a day during April (all of which are still on the blog, by the way, with links collected over on the right hand side). And now I'm mulling... this year, too? Yes, I enjoy it, but it's 30 poems, and I don't want them to stink, ya know? So... to post or not, that is the question. Thoughts and ideas always welcome.

And while you mull, too, why not head over to Karen Edmisten's blog and check out today's Poetry Friday roundup. It's like National Poetry Month in one post... or something like that.

The Pile, pt. 2

You may recall my lament about The Pile (or if you don't recall it or want to click on it, just know that it's the ever-growing pile of "huh. I'd like to read this" books in my office). Well, I found a sort of solution.

It's now The Shelf instead of The Pile!!!!!

What? That's not progress? Sure it is... because now I have more floor space on which to start a new, smaller pile that I'm sure I can manage. Right? Thanks for your support....

More Fibbing you can do....

I know I've mentioned the fib review here before, but I thought at least some of you would be interested to know that they've decided to go up to three issues a year. That'd be all the more chance for YOU to get one of YOUR Fibs in there. Right? Right!

So, if you've got 'em, thing about sending 'em in to musepiepress (at aol dot com).

No one is making this stuff up....

No, indeed. That's because it's non-fiction Monday over at Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day blog. Since I spend all my time making things up, it's not clear how often I'll participate other than by reading all about it. But had I not gone to check it out, I'd never have known about Nicola Davies' wonderfully titled What's Eating You? Parasites: The Inside Story.

If you need more than that... well, actually, you'll find it. Go on, now. Scoot.

Here comes the new class....

... same concept as the old class. In this case, I'm talking about the Class of 2k8, a collection of 25+ authors who have debut middle grade or young adult novels coming out this year.

Maybe you should head out and meet them? Yes. And guess what, to make it even more fun to do so... they're having a contest where you can win FREE BOOKS! See, now you have no reason not to click on over....

Carnivals galore!

Melissa Wiley (author, blogger, mom, carnival founder, and coiner of "kidlitosphere") has put together a page linking all the Carnivals of Children's literature to date. Verrrrrry fun reading at those links for those in need of some verrrrry fun reading....

Keeping you busy....

Why not go check on the Poetry Friday roundup hosted at Mentor Texts?

Need more to do? Check out those blogs and links listed over on to the right of my blog. There's always something good just a click away....

And you can always Babble!

When (writing) worlds collide....

It's not often that screenwriting mixes with my children's book writing (other than the commonality of WRITING!), but yesterday's email brought the two together. I receive the freebie Chidren's Writing Update from Write4Kids, and this issue had an article by Laura Backes called "Get Published by Going Hollywood." The basic premise of the article -- learn storytelling tricks and techniques by watching good movies -- makes tremendous sense to me. After all, good storytelling is good storytelling. But then, in the article here's what was said about some of the things to look for...

Opening scenes: How does the director draw you into the movie from the very beginning?

....

Introduction of characters: How and when does the audience meet the movie's protagonist? What did the director decide to initially reveal about this character that would influence the audience's first impression?

Hey now! Waaaaait a second here. Look, film is a collaborative medium, and a good director and good actors are critical to the success of any movie. In fact, without actors and directors (and many, many others) you have NO movie. But let's take a wee step back and remember that there's a WRITER involved here who spent a lot of time thinking about what gets revealed when and how the audience gets drawn in at the start and, well, pretty much everything. The assumption that it's the director... particularly in an article geared for writers... is kinda flummoxing to me. Certainly one would expect a good picture book author to write while thinking about making a good picture book. That's what screenwriters do, too -- craft a 'blueprint' for a work that's going to be more than just about the words.

But then as my wise friend Lee noted to me, lots of folks are in the dark about the whole movie making process. So let me go to the beginning -- somebody WROTE THAT. If you ever read Robert Towne's script of Chinatown, for example, you'll see how much care was given to every element of the story, the characterizations, the choices of what to reveal and when. Is the movie brilliantly directed and acted, making it even more compelling than the script alone because of what the other talents bring to it? Absolutely! But without the writer, no one's got anything to make better.

So, I agree that you can learn a lot from watching good movies. But when you're watching something in order to become a better writer, it sure seems to me that you might wanna think about the writing, too!

Dewey? No, we don't.

I know I've mentioned this before, but in my role as volunteer librarian, I've learned more Dewey than I'd ever anticipated. Still, up til now, our books are largely (like 60% mebbe?) un-labeled. We put on shelves by best guess, quite often, yet I'm painfully aware of the fact that there are waaaaaay more categories than we'd figure.

But now... next month, more specifically... it's possible we'll get things squared away at long last. I'll only be cautiously optimistic here, but it's nice to have something to look forward to (and something that won't be done by me!). Here's hoping...

Two for one...

Sure, I know it's not Friday, but poetry is for every day around these parts. Not only that, I get a two for one bonus: I get to send you to an interview with the faboo Lee Bennett Hopkins AND get to send you to the talented (AND nice!) Tina Nichols Coury's blog to read it. Can't beat that (unless somehow someone ended up with apple cobbler, too)....

Carnival time again!

Yes, it's time for the January Carnival of Children's Literature hosted quite smashingly by Susan over at Wizards Wireless. Go on and check it out!

Poetically late!

I don't know what that means, exactly, other than I'm claiming "poet's rights" to being a flaky artist and getting around to things late. But, well, I'm late with a link to today's Poetry Friday roundup hosted over at the Farm School.

Now, for those of you who don't know Becky's blog, I highly, highly, highly recommend you click beyond the roundup and get a good taste of things over there. And I don't just say that cuz she was the first person to email me from my blog. Nope. I say that cuz it's mighty fine reading!

The pile....

Has anyone else noticed that the pile of books that lurks nearby (perhaps by your bed or desk or couch)... the pile of books you're gonna get to "soon"... the pile of books that have been raved about and recommended and you've somehow acquired... just keeps getting bigger and bigger?

I've decided to rent a place for the pile. What do you do????

Categories. We need more categories!

There aren't nearly enough awards given out in the world of children's books to satisfy me. We need MORE. No, not more "best book" awards, since there are many lists. And I'm not just talking new and exciting and highly participatory awards like the Cybils. No, I'm talking things like...

Best Opening Line
Best Character Name
Best Hidden Gag in a Picture Book
Funniest Illustration
Best Joke


And on and on (and please feel free to leave categories in the comments)....

OK, sure... it's like the whole "Best Kiss" on the MTV Movie Awards thing -- it doesn't carry a lot of gravitas. And no, this stuff wouldn't replace the wonderful lists and awards that exist. But if I'm a kid and I see a book with a "best joke" award on it, I'm telling ya... I'm interested.

Hip, Hip....

Hooray for all the various award winners this morning (and there are lists all over the place, but I'll link you to Kids Lit where Tasha blogged 'em live from ALA with her reactions. After today, you should start at this post and move down... but again, you'll find lists galore).

I just want to tip my hat to Brian Selznick and The Invention Hugo Cabret for winning the Caldecott. I would think this is a bold choice by the committee, too, so maybe they deserve the hat-tipping. But regardless, it's nice to see something original (not to mention good!) being rewarded.

Awards and such...

Tomorrow (or today for some of you East Coasters) is a big day in children's literature, with the announcement of a bunch o' big awards like the Newbery and Caldecott. Check out the ALA wiki here for more info. And tonight was the Golden Globes... an odd Hollywoodish thang where this year, the ceremony was canceled because of the writers' strike. So let's just thank our lucky stars that there's no librarians' strike going on and we can still get our kidbook fix!

Blatant Self Poetry Friday

Wellll, someone in my life musta said it was okay to link to things that are blatantly self-promotional. Right? But look, it's one of my poems in the archive of the Poetry Foundation site! I mean that might happen to you every day, but not to me....

For the real Poetry Friday good times, however, go on over to The Book Mine Set and enjoy the whole round-up. You'll be glad ya did....

That's a lotta books!

It's no secret that I love picture books. OK, maybe it's a secret to YOU, but that's only cuz you haven't paid attention. But the truth is, I love reading 'em, and I love writing 'em... though I admit I find them the hardest thing to write. Ever.

Anyway, I read lots of picture books, too, but I've never undertaken a project quite like my friend Sara did. And what did she do? She read 1,000 picture books in 100 days. I kid you not. Check it out!

Now, she didn't do this just cuz she's nutty, of course. She did this to study the books and figure out what makes great picture book writing. A great idea, indeed. So... maybe I'll go a little slower, but I'm gonna read, read, read! OK, fine... and sometimes just look at Sara's list for good ideas.

Kidbook questions?

Why not go ask an expert?

Nice to see a fellow blogger recognized as such. Way to go, Jen! But beyond acknowledging Jen's success, I do hope you'll go on over to the PBS site linked up above and join in the conversation.

More Cybils!

The rest of the finalists for the Cybils have been announced. Boy, there were a lotta good books this year, seems like, including many I'd never run across. Did your fave get nominated? Go on and check it out and dive into the convo....

Friday and poetry, together again!

Here on the first Poetry Friday of 2008 (and go check out the roundup hosted over at A Year of Reading (where, I'd hope, they're all rested up to start a whole new year of reading), let me focus on some Fib action.

More specifically... the second edition of the fib review is up and available online! Poet/playwright/professor R. G. Rader is the editor (and mastermind) of the review, and a few GottaBook readers have ended up in those cyberpages. For you Fibbers out there, note that submissions can be sent in year-round. Because as we say around these parts, poetry isn't just for Fridays! (OK, fine... I don't think I've ever said that nor would anyone involved in Poetry Friday think that. But it sounded good!)

Tip that hat....

A round of hat tipping for Jon Scieszka, today named the National Ambassador for Children's Literature. What a fab choice, as he's a fantastic speaker, author, and webmaster, too.

Fibbery will appear here tomorrow, but how often is there national kid-book related news about which to blog? Exactly. So, until then....

It's good to know

That here in 2008, days can disappear as quickly and fully as they did in 2007. Somewhere there's a huge stash of days, kinda like the missing socks from the dryer. I suspect that there'll be days from every year since time began, lost by some hunter/gatherer/writer who pursued an oddball idea or got lost in a book or in a cool pattern in the grass or whatever it might be.

Anyway, tomorrow will bring a bit o' Fibbery but this day has disappeared on me, so now I gotta book!

Starting the new year Cybils' style

So, to start 2008 off with a bang, the Cybils gang has announced some of this year's finalists. I'm excited because the Poetry category, for which I'm proud to be a judge, is one of the announced groups. Not only that, but it looks like the first set of judges have once again left us final judges with an amazing list. Check it out and disagree with me if you can.

The rest of the nominees will be announced on January 7th. I'm looking forward to seeing them as well... but not as much as I'm looking forward to some spirited conversation about the poetry books.

And a happy new year to you, too!

Ahh, well. The best laid blogging plans have gone agley, and this is all I'm gonna slap up before 2008. So... may you all have a wonderful, happy, safe New Year's Eve, and I'll be seeing you around these parts next year!

Twas the Blog Before Christmas...

I should probably save that title 'til I have a post that's more of the "Twas the blog before Christmas and all 'round the Net...." variety, but I suspect I can re-use it if I get there. It's definitely sparse posting time around these parts, and while I expect to get a few things up before the new year, if I fail (and even if I succeed), I just wanted to thank y'all for hanging around for this year o' blogging fun... and I look forward to more fun and games in 2008.

The Christmas Fib -- a Christmas poem

The Christmas Fib
by
Gregory K.

Who?
Me?
Naughty??
I was nice...
Some days more than twice!
Please, Santa -- check that list again.


If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Tis the season!

And me with a $25 gift certificate at a bookstore.

So... what should I buy myself?

Piles and piles of...

Egads! I'm not even sure what they all are. I've got piles of books and papers and notes and poems and mail and all of them screaming for me to take a day off and deal with them.

But I'd rather write.

The question, of course, is what this says about me... or about my office. And if those two have any bearing on each other.

Hmmm. I think I'll jot a note to figure that out... the put it in a pile!

Done did read

I believe I've done my last read-aloud of the year. Quite a good time, indeed, including late appearances by the Stupids as well as the sure-fire hit, The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups (as usual, greeted with applause. Go figure!).

I need to spend some time poring through the end of the year lists to gather new books for next year. I'm gonna take a hiatus, I'm sure, but I admit it: I'm addicted. Looking forward to digging in and seeing what I come up with... and, as always, am open for suggestions on sure fire winners.

Food, glorious food....

Looking back at this weekend, I am 99% sure that the only thing I did was eat. Is that so bad? I view it as 'research' since I do write a lot of food related poetry. And, as some of you may recall, I am on a quest to find my favorite dessert. I'd note that a well frosted chocolate cupcake is a good thing, but it has failed to earn a place on the overall top five. But this weekend? It was a very satisfying number one!

If I keep up the weekend pace, by the way, y'all can roll me around next year....

Seasonally poetic

I'm afraid I'm not, actually. The day swirled around (oooooh, like snow!!), and I ended up with a blank page (ooooh! like a yard covered in snow!!!). Luckily... there are a lot of seasonal poems (and much more) in this week's Poetry Friday roundup. Then, once you've rounded, why not stay at this week's host blog, The Miss Rumphius Effect? It's one of my faves, and I bet it'll be one of yours, too....

Holiday lull...

I blame my lax blogging on all the time spent on Holiday stuff instead. Mind you, I can't actually account for any of that time SPECIFICALLY, but it just stands to figure, don't you think?

Anyway, I suspect I'll be scarcer through the end of the year. Not disappearing, but definitely quieter. But don't panic. I still have a poem promised this month and other stuff I'm sure I simply gotta say.

But for now... I gotta book!

Opening lines....

Tomorrow night, a bunch of us writer types are gonna be talking about great opening lines (and paragraphs and even pages) of wonderful children's books... and why those openings are so good and important.

So I ask you... got any favorite openings?

In no particular order for me, here are five of the first that popped into my head....

How the Grinch Stole Christmas -- Dr. Seuss
Millicent Min, Girl Genius -- Lisa Yee
Frindle -- Andrew Clements
The Phantom Tollbooth -- Norton Juster
Absolutely, Positively Not -- David LaRochelle


And you? No worries if you're after "tomorrow night" time. I'd still love to hear....

On the hunt...

For Manga and graphic novels that reallllly work for an elementary school library. From Johnny Mutton and Baby Mouse on up, I know there's great stuff... but I don't know enough!

I've got the Cybils' lists and a few other online resources, but if any of y'all know a great site, do let me know.

Then, of course, there's the budget issue, but I'll deal with that later. Everyone needs a wish list, right?

Oddaptation: The Cat in the Hat

After quite a layoff, it's the return of the Oddaptations. For those who aren't familiar with exactly what an Oddaptation is, you can look over to the right and click on links (helpfully collected under "The Oddaptations" headline), or you can check this post. But briefly, think Spark Notes/Cliff Notes of a picture book... but with attitude.

And really, come to think of it, that's probably all you need to know so you can understand that I'm not picking a fight with the Cat. But an Oddapter's gotta do what an Oddapter's gotta do....


THE CAT IN THE HAT
by Dr. Seuss
Oddaptation by Gregory K.

Two kids, both quite young, alone at home sat
And let in a stranger -- a tall, talking cat.
The fish in his pot cried, “he can’t be about!”
But the Cat in the Hat just would not be kicked out.
Instead he played “games,” and he showed the kids “Things,”
And left a huge mess that was worthy of kings.
But the Cat then came back (on the very same day)
Cuz he always puts all of his playthings away.
Still he left those two youngsters quite troubled, it’s true,
Since you know they’ll now lie to their mom. Wouldn’t you?


(And hey, this week's Poetry Friday roundup is over at Becky's Book Reviews. Go spend some time being poetic and read some reviews, too!)

About that whole strike thing...

The multi-talented Tina Nichols Coury has posted an interview she did with me about the Writers Guild strike. As I said, this blog won't be a hub of strike talk, but it is safe to say that 1) the issues are important for everyone creating any sort of content and 2) the strike is a daily issue in my life.

So... go on over and read for yourself. Then be sure to poke around Tina's blog for other interviews, nuggets o' wisdom, laughs, and pictures. Good times!

You don't see that every day....

Well, maybe YOU do, but I don't. And what did I see?

Let me set the scene a bit. It's Hanukkah, and here in LA (and I assume other places) there are folks who drive around with an oversize electric menorah strapped onto the roof of their car/suv/whatever. So, with that in mind, early this morning while driving, I saw parked in a row...

Three identical Mini Cooper's with menorahs atop.

Personally, I don't think you see that every day, either.

By the way, any editor reading this who would like to discuss my story "Manny, the Mini's Menorah Maker" please feel free to email...

Genius out in the world...

Well, there's little I can say about this video that will make it any better than it is. So...

The Vegetable Orchestra


(Yes, I know I could figure out how to embed that youtube video here. But I didn't. Just trust me it's worth clicking.)

A new goal!

Yes, have a new goal for myself. An odd one, sure, but what the heck. See, today I was wearing a Marvin the Martian t-shirt and was at a store where the young clerk said "wow. that's my favorite character." I admit I was a bit dubious, but he rolled up his shirtsleeve and showed me a tatoo of Marvin! Whoa. So my new goal? Create a character that someone tatoos upon themself. Gonna be up to a brilliant illustrator to craft the image, but the character? Sure!

Hey, you gotta aim high and quirky, I always say....

Carving (an hour, not a turkey)

So, today I carved an hour out of the rest of the day to go blog-hopping. Not just look at my feeds or pop to a two favorites, but to actually jump out and dive into different blogs in full... to follow links to new places... to do what I used to do on a regular basis!

Good times. My advice? Take an hour and do the same. Feel free to start with your faves or just go to my blogroll and start a-clicking. A great variety of voices, thoughts, ideas, and nearly infinite amounts on The Golden Compass controversy, book, and movie. What's not to like?

Yet another reason we need the 25 hour day....

Yes, in fact, I was hiding that book

I have a confession -- sometimes I hide books at the library. No, not just any library... but where I'm the volunteer librarian. Ahhh, but it's not censorship I'm talking about. Nope. What am I hiding? Perfect read-alouds!

It started with The Secret Knowledge of Grownups, a book that was so popular I knew that if I left it on the shelf, it would never be in for more than a minute. The Dumb Bunnies became a second example. So now, whenever I think I've got another surefire hit, I hide it in my secret cabinet. The problem is, now I've got too many of these "rainy day" books and not enough rainy days! Ah well, they won't spoil....

Still, I'm often left to wonder if am I the only one who does this? Wouldn't be the first time I was a maverick, I guess... but regardless, I just can't help myself!

The Fall Carnival!

Mother Reader has put up the latest Carnival of Children's Literature, and it's a jam-packed tip-fest, I tell ya. No idea what that means? Go check it out and read a whole slew of great posts and you'll see what I mean.

I tip. You tip.

Friday, I posted my tipping post in large part because of the upcoming Carnival of Children's Literature being hosted by Mother Reader. Guess what? There's still time for YOU to post and get in the Carnival fun.

Make your "tip post" and then either go to Mother Reader's blog and find her email to submit it OR use the Carnival site. It's easy. It's fun. And that's my tip o' the day.

If it's true that you are what you eat...

... then I would like to offer up the following couplet after this lonnnnng Thanksgiving weekend:

A yam I am.
A yam I am.
I surely am a yam... I am!

Tipsgiving?

Mother Reader is hosting the next Carnival of Children's Literature, and she was looking for posts with "tips" in 'em. You know... tips for writers, readers, librarians, publishers, etc. And I thought "huh, I never give tips and tricks and ideas like that on my blog." But over the past few weeks, I've had conversations with folks interested in blogging and interested in writing, as well as donning my librarian hat and pointing people towards books AND picking read-alouds AND.... Well, you get the idea.

Anyway, I sat down last night, overstuffed both in chair and in belly, and wondered if there were any tips I might be able to offer... any great words of wisdom. Well, no. But I did realize that there was a common thread to how I approach all of those choices, and I had no other post worthy of the Carnival. So I figured I'd throw my two cents out here on the blog and call it a tip. Then I fell asleep in a pie-induced coma. But today, I give it a try. And here it is:

_________ what you love. Yup. Simple, non-profound, but certainly true for me. Write what you love. Blog what you love. Read what you love. I even read-aloud what I love (or what I love most from a selection of many). Sure, you can change it to "what you're passionate about" or some variation on theme, but seriously, it works like that famous spoonful of sugar: to give one example, when I blog about what I love, the blahgs disappear.

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm ignoring practicality and what the world allows sometimes and all that stuff. Big deal! It still works, I tell ya.

And now it's off to another orgy of food where I will, in fact, follow my advice and only eat what I love. So I'll see you at the dessert table!

Some Fibbing for the holidays....

Well, actually, it's unrelated to the holidays other than by timing, but so what? Isn't that a better headline than "Greg points to Fibs on the web"? Thought so.

But regardless... lookie here -- it's an article about Fibs on the Poetry Foundation website!

A personal thrill for me is that two of my Fibs will enter the Poetry Foundation archive, and, as if that's not cool enough by itself, I will end up right next to Robert Pinsky. OK, sure, it's only an alphabetical twist of fate, but I'll take it. Gladly, in fact!

So one more time, here at Thanksgiving, I must again say thanks to all the bloggers, actuaries, writers, knitters, reporters, mathematicians, bird lovers, and everyone who helped Fibs spread last year... and right on into this year, too.

Gobble, gobble...

Seems too early in November for Thanksgiving week... and even more perspective-skewing is the fact that I've already roasted a turkey this month AND made turkey soup.

I get a lot of blog traffic this time of year due to my... uh... sweet, topical poem, but what fascinates me, as usual, is what folks are searching for online. I mean, truly, what drives someone to ask Google "what are we thankful for?" Particularly an odd question in a year in which the Red Sox won the pennant and Jay Asher's smashing debut came out, seems to me, but then again it's possible I'm biased.

Gobble, gobble!

If it's Friday, there must be poetry!

Well, there's poetry every day, of course, but it being Poetry Friday means that there's a bunch of collected links to many things poetic right here (thanks to Kelly).

I find Poetry Friday invigorating, even when I don't need vigoration. But inspired by today, I plan, for those tracking these things on some big wall chart somewhere, to have an original poem or two AND the return of Oddaptations in December. 'Tis the season after all!

It's endless!

When I started as a volunteer librarian, I certainly never foresaw the tasks in front of me. OK, mainly what I never saw was just how long it would take to spine label books. Sure, that's probably because the mere thought of that had never crossed my mind....

Then again, I'd never have worked so hard to build the collection, either, if I'd been blessed with foresight on such problem areas. And I'm mighty glad I did. Where else, after all, can you read-aloud wordless picture books, poetry, non-fiction, and the Dumb Bunnies?

Exactly my point.

Any readaloud ideas for...

... books about strikes and unions? The writers' strike is a bigger local than national story, I'd imagine, but I thought this might be an opportunity to put together a list of good readalouds on the subject.

So far, it's short:

Click Clack Moo by Betsy Lewin
Kid Blink Beats the World by Don Brown (thanks to Chris B.)

What else y'all got for me?

Joys of the 'Net (part 3,000,212)

OK, this is silly, I know, but humor me. Every now and then (hey, I said humor me!) I look at my sitemeter to see what's going on... where people are coming from to get here. It's how I learned that a lot of people think "The Spiderwick Chronicles" are called Spiderweb... or how I know that schools give out assignments on finding out all about Leonardo Fibonacci's family.

But this week, I have found myself knowing that there's a city on the East Coast (or more likely, a school or two in said city) in which there's a lice outbreak. How do I know? Cuz they're all coming to my lice poem, that's how!

So to those of you brought here by that (and some have, in fact, read beyond that louse-y verse), I must point you to the perfect give for the occasion: a Giant Microbe! Good times. Good times indeed....

Late. I'm late...

But not too late to be part of Poetry Friday by at least linking to the roundup (kindly hosted by cloudscome)!

Lots of good stuff posted, and it also got me back to some blogs I haven't had time to read lately. Boy, there is good stuff in the kidlitosphere. Go on out, you'll see what I mean....

Yes, in fact, I am on strike.

A number of GottaBook readers have written asking if I'm on strike out here in Hollywood. Yes, I am. The Writers Guild of America, of which I've been a member since 1992, is currently striking, and I have walked the picket lines every day this week and will march as needed going forward. If I'm gonna blog about the strike regularly, I'll do it elsewhere, and I also won't try and dispel or comment on all the bad information floating around (though feel free to get in touch if you have questions I might be able to answer (and, of course, I might not be able to!)). All that said, the issues at play here simply cannot be ignored.

If you're a writer or illustrator or any sort of "content creator," you damn well better be paying attention and understand that this strike is about one thing -- writers asking to be paid fairly for what they do.

To simplify one of the core issues a bit (though not that much, come to think about it): imagine selling your manuscript/illustration then being told that the publisher will print one copy of it instead of the normal 10,000 copies. Ahh, but at the same time, they'll put your book/illustration online, sell ads that they place in it and/or charge people to download it. But since there's "no way to know if this internet thing will work," you'd be told that you'd be dooming the digital business to failure if you got any compensation. Yup -- you would get NO money for any of the digital stuff. And honestly? It gets worse from there...

Unlike in the children's book world, those of us lucky enough to write for movies and television have a collective bargaining agreement with the major "publishers." So, we do what unions do in times like this: we strike, refusing to accept a deal that destroys us going forward. No one on the lines wants to be there. We're all painfully aware of the impact on us and on everyone in the business. Some of us would rather continue hiding from the sun and fresh air! We'd all rather be writing than striking. But until that day comes when we have an acceptable deal... we're writers joined proudly with actors and others who understand that we have to take a stand, and we have to take it now.

Could it be...

... that I have an addiction? It's been too long since I got in to read at my library, and I'm actually cranky about it. Is this an addiction? And is it bad? And could it be more pronounced because the last read-aloud was Jules Feiffer's Bark George, and it was stupendous???

I need a fix! Egad....

Going around in circles...

Sometimes it's a metaphor and sometimes it's a pretty accurate description of your day. Both fit for me right about now. I figure if this keeps up, I'll end up dizzy....

Apropos of nothing else, I wanted to share the lyrics to a very happy sounding jingle of a radio ad out here in California. It's for Easy Life Furniture, I believe, and the happy chorus sings "The only way to buy furniture for less is to import it yourself... and you don't know how!" Every time I hear this, I laugh. Think that was their intent? Or for that matter... what the heck WAS their intent? Regardless, I like the effect....

Variations on a Fib

Some days it's easy to put something up here. A new comment recently appeared on the blog, on the post The Fib. A mysterious net user named Adie took the Fib from that post, and made a new Fib that's an anagram of the original. The level of complexity in that is beyond my feeble brain (or maybe it's more that I never woulda thought of doing it!). So, for Poetry Friday, I present my first posted Fib...

One
Small,
Precise,
Poetic,
Spiraling mixture:
Math plus poetry yields the Fib.

And the anagram Fib (include the title...):

HISTORY

I,
A
Pincus,
Completed
This first example.
Pure poetry began. I'll smile.


Thanks, Adie!

Boo!

I merely want to state my opinion that you can never get too many Reese's peanut butter cups (or the minis) in one night of trick or treating. Just doesn't seem possible....

But I hope you all got enough of whatever you Halloween candy-vice might be!

Dressing up...

I was thinking for Halloween, I'd dress my blog up as something else. You know, turn it into the Disco Mermaids or something equally fun and different. But as so usually happens, I've run out of time on the home-made costume front. And once again, I'll just go as a "blog." Luckily, that's still a tad fresh, so I figure I've got one or two more years before I have no more excuse....

Hope y'all get every piece of candy you want tomorrow!

Well, I'll be....

I'm a rather big baseball fan, but I had thought that major league baseball had stopped after the 2004 World Series... since the metaphorical sky had fallen, after all. Imagine my surprise, then, to see my Sox in the World Series again... and sweeping it! Go figure.

There is joy in my Mudville this year, but to all the great fans of other teams... I promise you that "just wait 'til next year" actually can be more than just a slogan. It's just not always easy to believe it!

The Golf Fib -- a golf poem

The Golf Fib
By
Gregory K.

Drive.
Putt.
That’s it.
Golf’s simple!
The best game by far!
(As long as I’m ignoring “par.”)


This week's Poetry Friday roundup is over at The Literary Safari.

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Fibbing in class....

I've been lucky enough to get emails from a few teachers this year, telling me about their experiences using Fibs in the classroom. So far... so good! I'm sure there's more folks out there using them, so let me note that I'd love to hear stories. But the good news from my point of view is that kids do actually seem to enjoy the constraints of the Fib. Or maybe I just don't hear from teachers where it didn't work???

Regardless, thanks to all who've sent me reports, and happy Fibbing to everyone!

Rounding up...

... the roundups! Yeah, I know it's not Poetry Friday. Doesn't matter. Any day is a good day to talk poety (and that's no fib), so I wanted to point out to y'all the amazing thing that Susan Taylor Brown has done -- she's created a post linking to ALL the Poetry Friday roundup posts since it all began in March of 2006!

Great resource AND interesting to see how Poetry Friday has grown. Go on... check it out!

And so...

... again time zips by without me posting. I am lucky enough to say that it's not due to the various fires that have (worrisomely) affected so many people I know. Instead, it's just a return of the busy-ness. But it's good and will, when through, lead to more time for me to blog, write, and all that good stuff. But for today, sorry to say, you get bupkis!

Graphically speaking....

For all my SoCal friends, just thought I'd point out a cool event: Graphic Novel Day. It's on November 3rd, and run by the fine folks of the OC-SCBWI. Plus, Mac McCool and Marilyn Scott-Waters are speaking/teaching and I know from first hand experience that means you should go and listen up!

Late again...

For most of you, Poetry Friday is already done. Not here, though. Plus, it will live on, since the wonderful Kelly Fineman collected this week's links right here.

As for me, I was gonna do a search Fib, but kept staring too long at a few odd search terms that brought folks to me this week:

i will love you forever... i will love you forever and i think about you all the time garage music

congratulation for the contribution for the deal

chocolate chocolate i love you so i want to marry you and live in the flavor of your brown forever

Perhaps that's poetry in its own right? I'll think about that later, but for now I gotta book.

This is your brain. And this...

... is a link to a twirling dancer who, the story says, will help tell if your left brain or right brain is dominant.

Perhaps a parlor trick, though I will tell you that with concentration and coincidence, I have been able to see her spin both directions, so no saying it doesn't work at all!

Which way did you see her spin?

Tommy, can you hear me?

We might never know the answer to that, of course, but here's the news: YOU can hear me. "How?" I hear you ask in unison.

By listening to Fuse #8's latest podcast, that's how.

You get all sorts of Fuse-y goodness and then, near the end, you get to hear me read my Rainbow Fish Oddaptation. Need more Fuse? Check her blog, too, for cool news, funny stories, odd and intriguing tidbits, and reviews galore.

Robert's Snow (and the blogosphere...)

Many of you are familiar with Robert's Snow, an online auction whose proceeds go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (via the Jimmy Fund, a charity certainly familiar to any Red Sox fan!). Now, Robert's Snow is not just any online auction -- it's children's literature related from its founding right on up to what you buy: individual snowflakes created by picture book illustrators.

And if you go check out Jen Robinson's very thorough post on the topic, you'll also see that throughout the kidlitosphere this week, those illustrators are being featured on blogs galore, with more to come beyond this week.

So this is, as they say, all good. You can support cancer research (in the year in which Robert, for whom Robert's Snow was named, sadly passed away), you can buy unique gifts, you can learn about amazing illustrators, and you can find great new blogs. What's not to love? Get going, people!

Bigger picture stuff....

Jen Robinson has a great post up recapping a session at the recent Kidlitosphere Conference. We, as an online community, have a great chance to help promote children's literature, since we're a wonderfully wide, eclectic, verbal group who all share a united passion.

Go check her post and see what ideas you might be able to toss into the pot....

Ode to Air Travel -- an air travel poem/a flying poem

An Ode to Air Travel (Upon Flying Cross-Country in Seat 31A)
by
Gregory K.

My seat belt is fastened – it’s snug and secure.
Been sitting here hours... and feels it for sure.
I finished my books during airport delays.
It turns out my iPod’s been uncharged for days.
I’ve studied the plane wing: I’ve counted the rivets.
I’ve noted my seat cushion’s deepening divots.
I spilled all my water (my pants are still drying).
I hear one babe cooing... and 17 crying.
The man right behind me drones stories so boring,
I think I’m preferring my seat-mate’s wheezed snoring.
My back aches in tense, upright, locked tight position.
It’s clear 30A has a stomach condition.
Yet just when I think I can’t take anymore,
And I’m wishing my window would turn to a door,
I hear these great words (over 30B’s cough),
“This is your captain… we’re cleared to take off!”


This week's Poetry Friday roundup is right here at Two Writing Teachers. Go on over and check out the links AND the blog....

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Commenting on commenting....

An oft-heard observation at the First Annual Kidlitosphere Conference (as discussed here and a zillion other places (including The Miss Rumphius Effect and Fuse #8 and... and... and...) was that folks aren't commenting on blogs (well, kidlit blogs) as much as they used to. Certainly there's been some love going round due to the Conference, but in general, I think that's true. It used to be, for example, that I'd post a poem and get 10 comments about it. Nowadays, though I haven't been posting much since April (but will this Friday, I tell ya!), it's rare that I get more than two.

I wonder if this is 1) burnout or 2) posts that don't call for comment or 3) readers/aggregators vs. actually visiting the blogs?

Curious if any of you have answers or thoughts or more questions....

More on the First Annual Kidlitosphere Conference

Normally, I like to digest experiences before I spew about them in public. Note to self: when said experience is with 60 other bloggers, and you read those other bloggers, you will find that they make all the good points you'd like to make... but faster than you and often with better writing. Sheesh, people! Cut a guy a break. Still...

My overwhelming reaction is one of satisfaction. I mean it -- this was fun. Folks were like I expected from "knowing" them via their blogs, but even nicer and more interesting. So, for example, rather than sipping my coffee at home and checking out A Year of Reading, I got to sip iced tea and have dinner with Mary Lee (AND get to meet a spouse in the process!). And it was fun and good.

As Laini Taylor said in her excellent writeup, it did feel like the start of something bigger. The collective/connective power of us online folk sure should be able to shine a brighter light on children's literature in general (as was done with the Cybils (whose creators Kelly and Anne were pleasures to hang with!)). This, I think, is a critical area to focus on and think about as we move forward.

I can't even start to list all the great write-ups out in the 'sphere about the event. At any of the blogs I link to above, you'll find more. If you look in the comments of the two posts below this, you'll see more folks to check out (and "Hi!" Mother Reader! And "Hi!" Jim. And Camille... and Sara... and...and and and!).

More on this soon, I'm sure, but now I gotta book!

Visual proof

I know there are some people who there who think we bloggers make up everything we talk about, but here's visual proof that at least some of what we say is true.

Need more proof?

There. I hope you're satisfied.

Now do yourself a favor: don't just check out the pics (enjoyable to look at though all us bloggers all are) but go read Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast and listen well to Just One More Book. You'll be glad you did....

My day with lots o' bloggers....

What a fun day here among 60+ fellow children's literature bloggers. Robin Brande's pot-luck-turned-conference was a rousing success, seems to me. To meet so many people who had just been URLs and/or tiny photographs was more than enough to make it worthwhile traveling here, but add in conversation and a huge range of opinions on a raft of topics and I'd say the day exceeded everyone's expectations. Good times. Good times. And tired times. More on this day will pop up from time to time, I'm sure, but now I gotta book!

On the road....

I'll try and slap up a poetry Friday post before I go, but it's possible, despite traveling wired, that I'll just be silent this weekend. I'm looking forward to meeting many of you in Chicago... and the rest of you, well, make yourself at home while I'm gone -- there's poetry in the fridge and if you get hungry, there's some Oddaptations in the freezer...

Nominations....

There's a big contest coming up, as any of you who follow the news are probably aware. No, no, not that big contest for 2008. I mean the Cybils!

And it's time fro you to nominate!

Full instructions at the above link, natch.... So go on. Be a part. Nominate books for the Cybils. You'll be glad you did.

Is it a read-aloud?

So, the question of the week is "if the book in library time is a wordless picture book, can you still call it a read-aloud?"

This strikes me as a great question, and I won't complicate by adding the question of what happens if there's no one there to hear it. Luckily, that hasn't been a problem yet.


And does it make any difference that the book in question is Istvan Banyai's Zoom?

It's certainly been fun... but is it a read-aloud?

Chicago. Chicago....

Say it with me: Chicago. Friday, I'll be heading off to the city of the big shoulders (that'd be Chicago) for the 1st Annual Kidlitosphere Conference. Thanks to the remarkable efforts of Robin Brande, a potluck dinner has morphed into a full day event. I'm looking forward to meeting soooooo many folks, I can't even try to list them all.

And if anyone wants a date to a possible game 4 on Sunday at Wrigley, well, feel free to drop me a line!