When I first started this blog, I had this vague idea of its being a snarky outlet for a bored hausfrau with access to free books. And, what the heck, if it padded my resume at the same time, all the better.
When it began to catch on with librarians, I was mildly astonished. When publishers began emailing out of the blue to offer books, I pinched myself. Ouch. Then I started hearing from authors.
Who were these people? If they kept treating me so nicely, I'd have to be nice right back. Drat!
One of these really, really nice people was Annette Simon, who wrote and illustrated Mocking Birdies, which matched witty text with bold colors and shapes for a truly great design. A number of bloggers ran favorable reviews, and perhaps we played a part in rescuing a delightful read from being prematurely backlisted.
(Though I'd like to point out I was the only blogger to note she was channeling Milton Glaser, thank you very much).
Annette emailed me Tuesday to say Mocking Birdies was named an ABC 2006 Best Book for Children by the Association of Booksellers for Children, and she credited the kidlitosphere for helping.
By now, I've breathed the rarified air of a lit'rahry reviewer enough to know that any such praise probably isn't deserved. My abysmal Amazon commissions prove I'm not selling anything directly, so my impact is indirect, ephemeral, a matter of impressions or a name you might remember next time you're in Borders.
Which I guess is a clumsy way of saying that Annette earned that honor all by her clever self, and I'm happy I got a peek at her work before the rest of the world caught on.
Though she did say she bought Learning to Fly based on my recommendation and gave it to her son, who was learning to drive. Fly, drive, it's all the same. She reports that he keeps it next to his SI Swimsuit Calendar, which is high praise indeed.
Sigh. If all this niceness keeps up, I'm going to have to start another blog.
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