Children's Lit at the movies

One of the biggest names in comic strips, at least in Europe, is Tintin, a Belgian strip that is read by adults and children alike. Now the Tintin stories are about to be turned into not one, but two, movies--potential blockbusters that will doubtless raise Tintin's profile in American libraries. As this story from the business section of the N.Y. Times makes clear, Tintin is a valuable property being fought over by major studios. With Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson behind the films, you can expect a major impact on publishers and libraries, starting in 2010 when the first film is slated to be released. Publishers are no doubt firming up projects to capitalize on the expected popularity of the films and prudent librarians may look ahead and plan on fitting Tintin into their summer reading programs. It never hurts to be prepared and librarians who read the business pages are usually a step ahead of those who stick to the book review section.