Tidbits: Hans Christian Andersen, Paper Tigers, and More

Here are a handful of news bites culled from the last few SCBWI e-mail newsletters.

• This year is the bicentennial of Hans Christian Andersen‘s birth. The Danish storyteller was born in 1805, died in 1875, and is well-known for fairy tales such as “The Little Mermaid” and “The Snow Queen.” More than 3,000 celebrations have been scheduled around the world, including in his home country of Denmark. Goodwill ambassadors from many nations are promoting the celebrations, including Harry Belafonte, Suzanne Vega, Harvey Keitel, Connie Nielsen, Susan Sarandon, Brazilian soccer star Pele, Australian runner Cathy Freeman and Chinese basketball star Yao Ming, among others.
• Pied Piper Publishing is actively looking for texts on children’s literature history, pedagogy, theory, etc. and are willing to help convert your thesis for publication! (Anyone write any papers or MA theses about YA lit? Someone besides the prof. might want to read them…)
• Cruise over to Paper Tigers, a website celebrating children’s and YA lit from and about the Pacific Rim and South Asia. Don’t miss the fabulous interviews with familiar and new authors.
• The University of Newcastle in England will be opening Seven Stories in 2005, also known as the Centre for Children’s Books. They plan to provide research opportunities in the field of Children’s Literature, along with exhibitions, events, and a collection of original manuscripts and artwork.