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Vol.
42, No. 2 April, 2004 Poem:
New World Hopes, Old World Charms Letter to the Editors TO THE POINT: CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AND THE TECHNOLOGY AGE The
International Children's Digital Library: Exploring Digital Libraries
for Children Getting
It Said: The 30-Second Attention Span Other Voices On
the Seashore of Worlds: Selected South Asian Voices from North America
and the United Kingdom "To
Hold Up Prisms": Australian and Canadian Indigenous Publishing
for Children Globalization,
National Awareness, and Children's Literature: Evidence from Greek
Children's Science Fiction Regular Features Focus
IBBY Reading
Promotion: Filling Shelves, One Book at a Time Author
Spotlight: East Meets West in Khunying Chamnongsri Hanchanlash's Children's
Books International Children's Books of Note Professional Literature News and Announcements Dear
Bookbird Reader, The first article in this issue asks if digital scanning and web-based books increase the availability of quality children's literature to users around the world. The International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) is "a free online library that provides access to the best in children's literature from around the globe." In this article, Jane White, Jessica Anthony, Ann Carlson Weeks, and Allison Druin explain the history ?f the ICDL, the technical characteristics of the site, and an initial analysis of its use. Many of the books available through the ICDL are obtained through the generosity of publishers, authors, and illustrators. But, what are the financial implications of offering books in web-based formats for publishers, authors, and illustrators? What does web-based publication mean for teachers, parents, and children? We invite readers to respond to this unique project through letters to the editors or manuscript submissions to continue this important discussion. The popular use of Instant Messenger as a communication tool for today's youth forms the basis for Diane Emge's article, "Getting It Said: The 30-Second Attention Span." Emge traces the emergence of email language in recent novels published for young adults. She argues that "without compromising quality, many young adult writers are offering narratives that stylistically mimic sound bites. Internet chat, real-world television, and news flashes" and predicts that advances in print technology will offer new formats for readers in the future. Readers will visit South Asia, Australia, Canada, and Greece in the next three articles in this issue. Urna Krishnaswami introduces four writers of South Asian origin currently writing children's books in North America and the UK; she clearly identifies the literary contributions of South Asian diasporic writers. Next, Clare Bradford describes the status of indigenous publishing today in Australia and Canada resulting from political action in the 1960s and 1970s. Finally, Georgios Papantonakis offers a description of Greek science fiction and its relationship with culture and morality. The theme of change permeates this issuechanges in format, writing style, and publication. For now, these changes swirl about, touching children and their books in many ways. Yet, we predict that children will still savor reading a favorite book for many, many years to come. The Bookbird Editors: Evelyn
B. Freeman, Barbara A. Lehman, |
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