The luck of the Ides

I knew there was another reason March 15 sounded familiar.

Looking back a year, I realize that starting a new venture on the Ides of March and naming that new venture Walk the Ridgepole may not have been the most auspicious beginning. But (and I'm knocking on my wooden nightstand in between moments of typing) I'm really glad I did.

In the past year, all your comments both on- and off-screen have made it clear to me that children's lit is still worth talking about and that there's plenty more to say. This seems like a good time to thank you for giving me a reason to do lots more of something I love: talk about children's books. It's also a good time to ask: Are there other topics you'd like to discuss or see discussed? Anything related to children's lit, reading, writing, or language is fair game.

As Anne said when she wasn't walking ridgepoles, "Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world."