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Caldecott Medal Contender: Good Boy
by Sam Juliano The most intrepid of canines was the ever-resourceful family handyman and space traveler Stanley who was the titular character in Jon Agee’s 2015 picture book It’s Only Stanley. Peggy...
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1917; Little Women; Synonyms; Uncut Gems; Visit to Silverball Museum and Four...
by Sam Juliano I’ll be spending the morning of New Year’s Eve (Tuesday) in a rather unusual place, as a result of lamentable scheduling that I was foolish not to contest. Alas I will be drinking...
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INGMAR BERGMAN’S ‘SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE’“Something peculiar is happening…”
© 2019 by James Clark By the year of 1973, Ingmar Bergman had crafted a remarkable wave of trenchant and thrilling films, not to mention an auxiliary career in theatre. He had no conspicuous need...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: Alma and the Beast
by Sam Juliano Let it fly in the breeze and get caught in the trees Give a home to the fleas in my hair A home for fleas, (yeah) a hive to bees, (yeah) a nest for birds There ain’t no words for the...
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My Favorite 150 LPs of 2019 (150-51)
It was, by nearly all accounts, a tremendous year for Pop. Of course, given the nearly limitless ways new music can be offered out and streamed, this is true for any given year. There are never bad...
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Top 25 Films of 2019 on the Monday Morning Diary (January 6)
by Sam Juliano My Top 25 Films of 2019 That time of reckoning has arrived and after some final tweeking and crammed on-line viewings of a few films I never got around to, I am prepared to deliver a...
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My Favorite 150 LPs of 2019 (50-26)
Continuing my favorite 150 records of 2019 today with #50-26 (for #150 to 51, see here). Tomorrow will be the remaining, my top 25. Happy Listening! 26. Orchestra of Constant Distress – Cognitive...
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My Favorite 150 LPs of 2019 (25-1)
Alas, here is my final post—my favorite 25 LPs I heard this year. It was blast presenting this here again (it’s at my blog, in one post also. I also return to the comment field for my lists there and...
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David Lynch’s Wild at Heart
By J.D. Lafrance By 1990, David Lynch was at the peak of his popularity and enjoying the most productive period of his career. His television show Twin Peaks had captivated American audiences and he...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: Hello, I’m Here!
by Sam Juliano The annual Caldecott Medal and the runner-up “honor books” have followed a traditional path since their inception in 1937 though there have been tell tale signs that the norm has been...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: Going Down Home With Daddy
by Sam Juliano So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now— For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me...
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Oscar Nominations and Just Mercy on Monday Morning Diary (January 13)
by Sam Juliano The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning and for the most part they were in accord with all the predictors. A few mild surprises like the unfortunate omission of Great...
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Cutter's Way
by J.D. Lafrance One rainy night Richard Bone’s (Jeff Bridges) car breaks down in an alleyway. He spots a large, mysterious car in the distance. A man dumps something into a garbage can. At first,...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: When Aidan Became a Brother
by Sam Juliano In last year’s phantasmagorical picture book Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love spoke compellingly for the acceptance of diversity in our culture and the common understanding that...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market!
by Sam Juliano Mexican culture is given the ultimate whirlwind tour in one of the liveliest graphic children’s books ever published, Vamos! Let’s Go to Market by Raul the Third, a work that also has...
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PGA, SAG, Caldecott news, and repeat viewings on Monday Morning Diary...
by Sam Juliano Lucille and I will be driving down to Philadelphia early Sunday morning to spend a full day at the American Library Association’s annual mid-winter event where the Newbery and Caldecott...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: A Place to Land
by Sam Juliano I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: Truman
by Sam Juliano When reference librarians generally unfamiliar with the new releases in the children’s literature section are asked about a book named Truman they either ponder scanning all the books...
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Terrence MALICK’S ‘A HIDDEN LIFE’“He won’t give us more than we can bear”
© 2020 by James Clark I seldom remark upon the actors in the films I touch upon. Of course, many of them are geniuses in striking the tones to propel a cinematic vehicle. My interest,...
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Caldecott Medal Contender: Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
by Sam Juliano A catalyst of an entire culture and the symbol of the indomitable spirit of indigenous Americans is a food item so basic that it seemingly can offer nothing more than sustenance, yet as...
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