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Thanks to Joe at ShooFlyDesign, my website has migrated to lisajennbigelow.com. My new blog address is lisajennbigelow.com/blog. Please update your bookmarks and RSS readers!

The Floating Lush linked to this fun avatar creation website, Build Your Wild Self, sponsored by the New York Zoos and Aquarium.

I always think creating avatars is a hoot, and this one is especially cute—not to mention fits right in with our summer reading club theme, Read on the Wild Side!

Looks a lot like me in real life, come to think of it... (That's my Harry Potter shirt!)

ETA, 7/3/09:
Okay, this is way too much fun.

It's the anniversary of Dr. Seuss's birth, a/k/a Read Across America Day, a literacy promotion event sponsored by the National Education Association. So, my library's having its usual Seussian shindig, but what I really love is how Google has gotten into the act with this clever riff on its logo:

I really do heart Google.

Rie at Shangri-L.A. has a magical round-up of art in the round—for lack of a better term on my part. Rie writes:

Art isn't just paint on a canvas or clay on a pottery wheel. Anything that makes you stop and think and see the world in a slightly tilted way? That's art too. In my travels around the net, I've discovered quite a few artists who are making the places they live a bit more surreal, whimsical, and wondrous.

They really are wondrous. Take a look and brighten your day!

If you're under the impression that introverts are shy, antisocial, or socially retarded, get thee to "Caring for Your Introvert" in The Atlantic. This article validates the introverted personality as well as informing readers of the inherent differences between introverts and extroverts.

Jarrett Krosoczka, creator of such picture book gems as Punk Farm, delivered a keynote at the SCBWI winter conference in NYC last weekend, posing the following scenario: what's an author-illustrator to do when he's got a total creative block? Find out in his hilarious video, Book by Book: The Making of a Monkey Man. The scenes with Tomie DePaola are priceless. You don't need to be a children's book geek to enjoy it (but it helps).

BOOK BY BOOK: the making of a monkey man from Jarrett Krosoczka on Vimeo.

This week saw the launch of Kidlitosphere Central, The Society of Bloggers in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Doesn't that sound all fancy and official-like?

Kidlitosphere Central answers that burning question, "What is the Kidlitosphere?" and offers a multitude of information about Kidlitosphere events and memes, news feeds, and links to Kidlitosphere blogs. We owe this immense labor of love to MotherReader and friends. Thanks, y'all!

In another corner of the net, in honor of Library Lover's Month, Bookworm has sweetly created a Library Lover's Month Blog featuring her favorite library-themed picture books as well as librarian and teacher blogs.

Welcome, and thanks for dropping by the January 2009 Carnival of Children's Literature! Curl up with your computer and a hot drink (if it's as cold where you are as it is here in Chicago!), and enjoy kidlit bloggers' favorite posts of the month.

No Books Like Snow Books: Wintry Reads

• Rebecca Reid presents Caldecott Corner: Wintery Miscellany, a round-up of winter-themed Caldecott Award-winning books, at Rebecca Reads.
• At In Need of Chocolate, Sarah presents A Study of Snow, a discussion of her family's favorite winter picture books and the activities they do with them.
• At Mommy's Favorite Children's Books, Karen Mikolainis shows that it's never too late to discover Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day.

Inauguration Celebration: Our New President

• At Cynthia's Attic Blog, Mary Cunningham shares President Obama's inspiring letter to his children, Malia and Sasha.
• At Bees Knees Reads, Kim Baise presents Celebrating Cuba, sharing her favorite Cuba-themed picture books and her wish for diplomacy.
• At Bur Bur & Friends, Kakie Fitzsimmons shares her experience of watching the inauguration with her son.

Winter Weather Advisory: Book Reviews

• At Into the Wardrobe, Tarie reviews The Underneath and interviews Kathi Appelt.
• Jen Robinson reviews Ten Cents a Dance, by Christine Fletcher, at Jen Robinson's Book Page.
• Yat-Yee Chong reviews Masterpiece, by Elise Broach.
• Jill reviews Parties & Potions, by Sarah Mlynowski, at The Well-Read Child.
• Steven Bush reviews Savvy, by Ingrid Law, at Book Dads: Fathers That Read.
• Rani reviews Lost Beneath Manhattan, by Sigmund Brouwer, at Christ's Bridge.
• Yours truly reviews Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film About The Grapes of Wrath, by Steven Goldman, at Under the Covers.

Cocoa and Cookies: Food for Thought

• At Kid Lit Kit, Sonja Cole shares her predictions about Chasing Fire, sequel to The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. What do you think will happen?
• When Americanization goes awry: Amy Planchak Graves compares the US and UK editions of Well Witched (a/k/a Verdigris Deep), by Frances Hardinge.
• At Mommy's Favorite Children's Books, Karen Mikolainis is horrified to discover a corporate advertisement in a library book; is this the wave of the future?
• At Book Aunt, Kate Coombs considers the importance of the "F factor" in Newbery Award decisions. (What's the F factor? Follow the link and find out!)
• At Saints and Spinners, Farida Dowler presents The Snow Maiden and the Five Laws of Storytelling, about how different stories affect people in different ways. Be sure to read the comments for more insights and book recommendations!
• Elizabeth Dulemba shares Daily Routines, a new blog about "how writers, artists, and other interesting people organize their days."
• Susan at Wizards Wireless takes us behind the scenes in bookstores and libraries, answering that age-old question, how do Caldecott and Newbery books get their shiny stickers?

Gold Stars: 2009 Sydney Taylor Book Awards for Jewish Children's Literature

• Lori Calabrese interviews Valerie Zenatti, recipient of the Teen Readers gold medal for A Bottle in the Gaza Sea.
• Barbara Bietz interviews Karen Hesse, author of the award-winning Brooklyn Bridge.
• Abby (the) Librarian interviews Anna Levine, whose books Freefall and Jodie's Hanukkah Dig were honored this year.
• Heidi Estrin presents an audio interview with Kathe Pinchuck, the 2009 committee chair.

Warm Fuzzies: Books We Love

• At Jenny's Wonderland of Books, Jenny shares an extensive bibliography and discussion of middle grade historical fiction set in Asia.
• At Children's Books Reviews and Then Some, TZT presents her favorite picture books of 2008.
• Megan Germano waxes enthusiastic on Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, by Jeff Kinney, at Read, Read, Read.
• At The Expanding Life, Susan Gaissert shares her love for The Ballad of Lucy Whipple, by Karen Cushman.
• The Happy Campers at Reese's View Of The World are loving LookyBook for previewing picture books.
• Combine love of reading with love for Earth using Woman Tribune's list of recommended environmental children's books.

Last but not least, thanks as always to Melissa Wiley at Here in the Bonny Glen for coordinating our Children's Literature carnivals!

Mark at Just One More Book snagged an audio interview with Neil Gaiman, newly minted Newbery Award-winning author. They discuss web 2.0 technology, particularly blogging and Twitter, and its roles as promotional tool and distraction in a writer's life. Really terrific.

Alison at ShelfTalker made a stunning decorative birdhouse using an unfinished birdhouse base and an F&G of Book Fiesta!, written by Pat Mora and illustrated by Rafael Lopez. It's something special.

At my behest (I'm so honored!) the Floating Lush shared a story about the slug-munching hedgehog that lived in her garden in Germany. Bonus: adorable hedgehog photos!

In case you've missed the news, I'm hosting the January Carnival of Children's Literature here at Under the Covers.

A blog carnival is basically a round-up of links on a particular theme (in this case, children's and teen literature). Bloggers submit their URLs, the host writes them up, and voila! Lots of interesting stuff to read, lots of new blogs to check out, etc., presented in one (hopefully) tidy package.

Suggested topics for this month's carnival: any of the myriad children's media awards that have recently or will soon be given; the Inauguration; Martin Luther King Day of Service; winter; great books for nasty, cold, soul-sucking days; or simply your favorite children's/teen-lit-related blog post of the month.

You can contribute your link at the BlogCarnival.com by clicking the "submit your blog article to this carnival" link. Deadline is tomorrow (January 28), and I'll post the round-up on Friday (January 30)!

Holy moly! Perhaps you were thinking to yourself, "Gee whiz, I haven't found nearly enough to read on the Internet lately! I haven't read nearly enough awesome book reviews, suggestions on how to help kids love reading, or suggestions on what books I should buy for the li'l darlins'!"

If that's the case, I'm not sure where you've been. Just the same, fear not: the December Carnival of Children's Literature is over at Jen Robinson's Book Page, and you can while away the hours reading the dozens of kidlit-related posts linked there.

I'm pretty sure (OK, only kind of sure) I'm hosting the January Carnival. Assuming that's the case, I'd love to include your favorite January blog post on the ALSC Media Awards (e.g., Newbery and Caldecott), Cybils finalists, winter books, or children's books and literacy in general. Specifics to follow!

ETA, 12/18/08:
I'll post about this again come January, but, yes, I really am hosting the January Carnival of Children's Literature! The deadline will be January 28 (two days after the ALSC Media Awards are announced, so we'll all have time to process the results, if we like), and I'll post the Carnival on January 30. You can start submitting posts whenever you want.

You will be happy to know I successfully fought the temptation to rewrite the lyrics of Tony Toni Tone's "It's Our Anniversary" for today, the first anniversary of my blog.

Those of you unfortunate enough to have listened to Top 40 radio in the early 90s are cursing me out anyway, for simply having mentioned it. If you feel the need to earworm me back, do. It's only fair.

Anyway, yes, on Halloween 2007, I made my inaugural post, a review of Robot Dreams, by Sara Varon. Before that, I'd blogged discreetly on LiveJournal for several years, but the First Annual Kidlitosphere Conference inspired me to indiscretion.

Thanks to all who read my blog, whether you comment or only lurk! (I confess some favoritism for those who comment occasionally, because I know who they are!) There's a whole lot more of you now than there were when I started, and I'm grateful for your interest and support as I write about things that interest me anyway. I'm glad you find (at least some of) it interesting, too!