And what would *you" steal from a children's book?

This week, I've been getting my background noise from the Kidlit Red Carpet. Interviewers Jim Averbeck, Betsy Bird, and Kristin Clark spend blessedly little time grilling Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet attendees about their outfits, instead getting actual interesting information out of them. Many of the authors and illustrators revealed their upcoming projects, some of which were new to me. For instance, did you know Brian Selznick is working on another book in the style of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck? The word "trilogy" came up (in terms of "structure" and "theme"), and if this one has another one-eyed spine, the S-shelf is going to look a little creepy... but seriously, I can't wait. (And yes, that's what face-outs are for.)

Daisy of Chris Raschka's A Ball for Daisy is getting another book, and Patricia Polacco has a new companion coming out to the 25-year-old The Keeping Quilt. Katherine Paterson and her Brother Son, Sister Moon collaborator Pamela Dalton have a beautiful-sounding new book about how people give thanks around the world. Sheila Turnage says her protagonist keeps giving her sequels; we'll see Three Times Lucky heroine Mo LoBeau at least three times. And Leonard Marcus has a new biography of Randolph Caldecott, who sounds like he was quite a character himself.


In honor of the high-profile theft in current winner This Is Not My Hat, the interviewers asked the passing luminaries what object they would most like to steal from a Caldecott winner/any picture book/any work of children's literature; the parameters changed a few times. If the answer is limited just to Caldecott winners, I think I'd have to go for Sylvester's magic pebble and just use it very, very carefully. If the pilfered item can come from anywhere in kidlt (and not necessarily American kidlit), then the real question is which magical gadget I would steal from Harry Potter and friends. Hermione's time-turner, I think. Of course, there are other magical worlds full of goodies, and Lyra does have an alethiometer, though I might first have to steal Will's knife to get to it... Maybe I should just keep it simple and, in the tradition of a Klassen character, steal a snazzy hat.

If you need me, I'll be sneaking through the pages of Go, Dog, Go.