The annual Children’s Film Series at the Grand Cinema is on hiatus this week, says Philip Cowan, the Grand’s executive director. The series of high-quality children’s movies, shown on weekends from Oct. 3 through the end of November, is halfway through its run and will resume on Nov. 7 with the 2001 Oscar-winning anime hit, “Spirited Away.” That picture and all others in the series will be shown at 11 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The following weekend, Nov. 14-16, will bring “The Phantom Tollbooth,” a full-length animated fantasy by the late, great Chuck Jones who gave Bugs Bunny sophistication and sass. Bugs isn’t onboard in “Tollbooth,” but Mel Blanc, the man who gave the bunny his voice, lends his vocal talents to the picture.

The weekend of Nov. 21-23 will find John Sayles’ lyrical live-action 1995 Irish fable, “The Secret of Roan Inish,” playing at the theater. And the series will wrap up on the weekend of Nov. 28 with the Christmas-themed tearjerker “Prancer,” about a little girl who nurses an ailing reindeer back to health. She thinks he’s one of Santa’s sleigh-pullers. And who's to say he isn’t? Only a unbelieving grump, that’s who.

Taken a look at local bus backsides lately?

They're sporting the very cool design for Art at Work month, which for the whole of November celebrates local artists doing their thing in studio tours, art slams, workshops and more. Better still, when you get on board the bus, you can see some actual art: poems by local poets printed in letterpress broadsides by local small press printers.

The broadsides are a new feature of the annual Art at Work month, and a brainchild of the City of Tacoma's Arts Commission, which organizes the whole event. The Commission worked with six local poets and seven local letterpress artists to create seven broadsides (for the seventh anniversary of Art at Work month). The artists have created a limited edition of 40 for each, and reprints have been up on Pierce Transit buses for a few days now.

Participating poets/letterpress artists are Allen Braden/Chloe Scheffe, Crystal Hoffer/Chris Sharp, Kay Mullen/Isaac Solverson, Diane Toft-Knowles/Ric Matthies, Allen Braden/Beautiful Angle, Tim Sherry/Jessica Spring, and Kevin Miller/David Johnston.

And if you don't catch them in person on the bus, you can see the lot at tacomaculture.org/arts/AWbroadsides.asp

Art at Work month officially kicks off tonight with a free party at Tacoma Art Museum. There'll be live music by Pearl Django, poetry readings, hands-on art, hors d'oeuvres, a no-host bar and TAM's galleries. The City will be handing out its AMOCAT awards to the 2008 winners and honoring recipients of 2008 City grants. 6-9 p.m. tonight. 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma. 253-591-5191, www.tacomaculture.org