Sci Fi Wire — Muppets Head for Oz
There will be an upcoming Muppet version of The Wizard of Oz! Best of all is the final sentence of the blurb that tells us it will be based on the children’s book, not the 1939 musical! Hurrah!

TheStar.com – A hip-hop approach to lit
Article on a bookstore that specializes in urban literature for teens. It also speaks of the increase in black imprints responsible for many of the new urban books.
Via [places for writers].

The BookHive
An online guide to children’s literature from the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. The site offers book reviews, a place to hear stories, activities and a spot for young authors to post their work.

USATODAY.com – Harry hits his teens
Nice article on the next Harry Potter film with tantalizing glimpses into the changes from the first two films.
“Light, or lack of it, will play an important part in the film. Cuarón has created a distinctly different look, with the colors darker and more muted, the music more haunting, and the tone edgier.
He used more wide-angle shots than in the first two films to heighten the sense of drama, says cinematographer Michael Seresin. “The story is more dramatic, so the lighting is more dramatic, high contrast, more shadows. It has a very different look and feel from the previous films.”
Plus, there will be visual treats for the careful viewer.
“There are lots of extraneous little bits of magic appearing in the background,” says Craig. “Strange animals that live in Hagrid’s hut, for example. There’s somebody’s tail poking through the floor. They’re real throwaways, but there’s extra richness, extra detail in these wide shots.””

The Chicken House
Very slick and fun webpage for this children’s book publisher.

USATODAY.com – Comedians writing children’s books for a laugh
Celebrities writing for children has been a big trend lately, but here comes another one: comedians writing for kids. This article lists the new authors as including Jay Leno, Billy Crystal, Ray Romano, Rhea Perlman and Whoopi Goldberg. Now the question will be if any of them are actually funny in print!

KRT Wire — New novel holds appeal for the young outdoorsman
A sportsman’s take on Gary Paulsen’s latest book “Brian’s Hunt.” It even ran in the Sports section of the newspaper.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (0-439-53164-0)
There has been a lot of positive buzz around this title, so I was anxious to read it. Well, it is fully worthy of all of the buzz. It is truly a book for book lovers. The quotations at the start of every title from classic children’s books are priceless, evoking an immediate emotional response that prepares you for the chapter ahead. Just lovely.
I don’t like giving away the plot, because it is such a treasure to journey through. I enjoyed the female characters who exhibited courage and honor throughout the book, letting readers see that sometimes heroes are the least likely people.
Share this one with kids. Read it aloud, because that will double the magic inside. Any kid who enjoys fantasy will love this book, but bookworms will treasure it.

Aesop’s Fables
I have had this site on my List of Links for some time, probably since they came up in 1997. I love to find sites that have been in operation for such a long time (in Internet time.) This site offerse an online collection of over 655 fables by Aesop with their morals.