Today I picked up Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's Wolves in the Walls. Finding it was an adventure. I went to Borders and headed directly to the children's section, looking high and low in the picture books section. Books were shleved by author, but I couldn't find it in the G's or the M's.

I availed myself of the bookstore computer to see if they even carried the title, and discovered that it was actually kept in the Graphic Novel section. I toddled on across the store to the GN shelves, but even after I established that these were shelved by title, rather than author, I made no progress towards finding the book. Eventually I grabbed a Borders employee, who marched right over to the section that I had been looking at and...lo and behold...couldn't find it either.

As it turned out, all of the copies of WITW were in "overstock" on a high shelf that could only be reached by ladder. He brought them down, gave me one, and carried the rest back to the GN shelf. I suggested that since it is supposed to be a children's book, he may want to put a couple copies on the shelves in the children's section. Last I saw of him, he was heading in that direction, so I presume that it was done.

I've now read through the book several times. Delicious and dark, with and amazing amount of sense amid the surreality. McKean's art is rich a full of surprises, while Gaiman's text speaks to children without talking down to them. I am looking forward to the opportunity to read it to one of my grade school classes sometime.

I also have another author/illustrator to add to my pantheon of heroes...Kevin Henkes.

Maybe one of these days I'll get my sh*t together and try following my dream of writing and illustrating children's books. It will take time, though.