The fall-winter 09 catalog for Candlewick arrived this week and as usual it's a humdinger. Here's some titles that stood out, plus a few observations of some trends.

The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass, illus by EB Lewis. I'm a big fan of picture book biographies and I think they can often be useful for readers far older than their intended audience. Here's a bit on this one:"Residents along the Mississippi Gulf Coast thought Walter Anderson was odd, rowing across twelve miles of open water in a leaky skiff to reach Horn, an uninhabited island without running water or electricity. But this solitary artist didn't much care what they thought as he spent weeks at a time on his personal paradise, sleeping under his boat, sometimes eating whatever washed ashore, sketching and painting the natural surroundings and the animals that became his friends."

I'm wondering why there isn't some unit in elementary or junior high school where you learn about American artists. It seems crazy how we spend time on the "masters" while ignoring so many American artists who had significant contributions. I have learned more about American art from reading picture books then I ever did in school which seems - pitiful. Looking forward to learning about Walter Anderson.

Fairie-ality Style by David Ellwand. I enjoyed Ellwand's mysterious and gorgeous The Mystery of the Fool and the Vanisher so this title jumped right out at me. It sounds like nothing else I've come across. It seems like it would appeal very much to a certain type of creative kid and as there is often very little for those kids, I think it's well worth a look from reviewers. The description:

In this stunning new volume....he uses the same gorgeous array of natural elements - feathers, flowers, stones, shells and more - to explore the limits of imagination in home design as well as haute couture. Partly an inspirational sourcebook for imaginative DIY projects, partly a showcase of unique fantasy fashion, Fairie-ality Style is an eco-designer's dream - the ultimate exploration of truly organic materials.

The new Templar Books imprint is really impressing the heck out of me - the illustrations are stunning. Here are some of those titles:

City in Peril! and Rust Attack!, the first two Robot City Adventures written and illustrated by Paul Collicut. These graphic novels for MG readers have reluctant boy reader written all over them. The tagline for the series: "Welcome Robot City - the metal metropolis that never rusts! Here, highly developed robots are part of everyday life, living and working in harmony with humankind." In City in Peril, Curtis, the Colossal Coast-Guard Robot must save the city from a giant sea monster. In Rust Attack the dance troupe the Automettes has been struck by rust and Robot city Confidential Investigations must get the culprit responsible. (One robot detective, one human who looks a lot like Sam Spade.) The art and design look really good on these titles and as graphic novels I bet they get some decent readership.

Day of the Assassins by Johnny O'Brien. I actually just got this one in the mail and the black and white illustrations/photos look great. Set in 1914, it surrounds the events which caused the start of WWI. (Can you believe that - a MG novel about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand? I might pass out from history teacher joy.) "Jack Christie and his best friend, Angus, find themselves at the center of a momentous event that will shape history for decades to come. Their dilemma: Should they intervene? Their problem: Can they survive?"

I have no idea where I will fit this on in my winter columns but I do hope it is as exciting as it sounds - and true to history. I know one of the early illustrations is a photo of Gavril Princip, the assassin and that alone delights me to no end. Looking forward to it.

There's a new version of Alice in Wonderland with illustrations by Rodney Matthews that looks amazing. The spread in the catalog with a shot of Alice approaching the castle surrounded by the grounds - all the trees in the shape of hearts of course - is really impressive. If you get a chance to check this one out you should - I think Alice fans will be delighted. (Do you know about this one Little Willow?)

Leon and the Place Between by Angela McAllister, illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith is another beautiful looking title. A bit from the catalog: "Leon and his brothers and sister go to a magic show, but this is no ordinary show and Abdul Kazam is no ordinary magician. Take a journey right through the die-cut pages in this book into the Place Between, where magic becomes truly real." According to one quote review, Baker-Smith "combines shadowy collage, painting, photography, and gilding...". If it looks the slightest bit like the catalog it's going to be irresistible.

And finally, we've got another Darwin book: Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventures by AJ Wood and Clint Twist with various illustrators. This one is a novelty title, with excerpts from Darwin's own work (and diaries), a fold out map, envelopes, letters, etc. As far as I'm concerned there can never be enough Darwin, so I'm very much looking forward to this one.

One interesting thing in the catalog is the number of teen titles influenced by literature. We've got Hamlet by John Marsden ("The Dane as never seen before - in a daring, dazzling, sexy prose retelling of Shakespeare's tragedy..."), King Lear by Gareth Hinds (a "taut adaption" in graphic novel form), Metamorphosis by Betsy Franco (which is not about Kafka but how "Ovid" sees his "classmates' dramas as modern-day Roman mythology"), Exposure by Mal Peet which is about soccer but inspired by Othello, and Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri which is inspired - duh - by Faust. So apparently what is old is new again, or at least someone in publishing seems to think so. I find it hard this is just a Candlewick phenomena - I'll have to check around and see if these kind of books are showing up elsewhere also. (It seems kind of a shame though - I mean if you can't escape Shakespeare while at least reading for pleasure then when do you get away from the guy?) (Not that there's anything wrong with Shakespeare....but he can get a bit melodramatic....)