Betsy Bird's Blog

A Tomi Ungerer Symposium is Nigh: Aria Ungerer Discusses Her Father and His Work

Such chances as these do not show up every day.

Imagine visiting The Rabbit hOle in Kansas City. Maybe you’ve been telling yourself you’d visit the immersive museum of children’s picture books one of these years, or when the time was right. Now imagine not only seeing the museum itself, but attending a symposium dedicated to a man whose books and art have had a profound effect on not simply the history of children’s literature, but also the state of picture books in America today.

On ...

“That momentous moment: the turning of the page.” A Cover Reveal and Q&A with Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad for A Door Is to Open

2026. It’s coming. And you need to be prepared.

Prepared for awesome picture books, I mean! (Sorry if that sounded ominous before. I just love me some drama).

Going through my files I see that it has been precisely nine days since my last cover reveal. Nine days is nine days too long, though. And when I tell you that the women involved in this particular creation are the supergroup pairing of Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad AND that their book a bit of an homage to Ruth Krauss (as well as ...

Myrick Marketing/Publisher Spotlight Publishing Preview: Tiger Tales, Toon Books, and Walker Books (Summer/Fall 2025 & Winter 2026)(Part Five)

No time for chitter-chatter! We’ve more books to show you! If you���d like to see what we covered previously, check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series so far!

No More Mr. Mice Guy by Fiona Ross

ISBN: 9781664300743

Publication Date: July 1, 2025

I think I saw an announcement in PW Children’s Bookshelf recently that someone is doing a kids’ version of Rebecca in which an adopted animal is haunted by the specter of a previous pet. I sort of love the idea of taki...

Hello BALLy: Jordan Morris Discusses Humor, Musical Theater, and Her Latest Solo Picture Book Venture

Here are a couple things that I like, in no particular order:

Musical TheaterFunny Picture BooksGoogly Eyes

Next, here is a list of things that I like about BALLy the Amazing Wonderball by Jordan Morris (also in no particular order):

It contains musical theater referencesIt is a distinct hoot to read aloudGoogly Eyes

Lest you believe that I am a sucker for any old book that manages to combine these three things, I must assure you that when it comes to BALLy Th...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor, ill. Robin Preiss Glasser

Going into this episode I had a lot on my mind. Fancy Nancy is one of those rare 21st century characters with a legitimate shot at picture book classicdom. That said, would Kate find her bratty? I can never predict which literary children show up on Kate’s brat-o-meter (Madeline? Really really?), so this was going to be a real question. And if you want to know the answer… yeah. You’re going to have to listen to the episode. But don’t worry, along the way you’ll also hear us talking about the...

Review of the Day: Fresh Start by Gale Galligan

By Gale Galligan
Graphix (an imprint of Scholastic)
$24.99
ISBN: 9781338045864
Ages 9-12

I miss when my kids had me read comics to them all the time. We had this whole routine where at bedtime we���d alternate between a novel one night and a graphic novel the next. This method meant that we went through a LOT of comics for kids. I always had a pile by the bed, and when we finished one I���d spread out all the possibilities and they���d select the next one that interested them. But while graphic...

Cabin Head and Tree Head: Best Promotional Video for a Children’s Book of 2025?

You know, if the whole illustrating thing doesn’t work out, Scott Campbell could probably get a fairly good job in the acting industry. The man’s a natural.

Today, I felt compelled to show you this promotional video for one of the downright best graphic novels of 2025. Cabin Head and Tree Head is a pure, unmitigated delight.

NOTE: There is a picture book celebrity cameo at the end of this video. Stay until the end.

Never Seen THAT Before! A Talk with Millie von Platen About Her Zohran Mamdani Book

I couldn’t resist. You’ll have to forgive me but deep down, in my heart of hearts, I’m a children’s literature academic. So I’m endlessly fascinated by those books coming out today that will serve as documents for the times in which we live. And what better example of this could I even find than the endlessly fascinating picture book Zohran Walks New York (out October 28th) about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and his 13-mile summer 2025 Manhattan campaign walk? Picture books...

2026 Newbery/Caldecott Fall Prediction Edition

Oh, goody goody goody goody goody.

It’s getting closer, isn’t it? The day of the announcement. The day when we will finally know for certain which books will be honored for their bold striking choices (or, depending on the committees, their safe let’s-not-rock-the-boat styles). And to add to the delight and excitement, we finally know WHERE the announcement will take place. Online, certainly, of course, but historically (or at least in recent memory) the ALA Youth Media Awards are announ...

Tackling Topics with Integrity and Heart: A Cover Reveal and Q&A with Kao Kalia Yang and Seo Kim

Each year in December I sum up some of the best books of the year in a series of posts called 31 Days, 31 Lists. Each list covers a different type of book for children. These topics have changed considerably over the years, but there is one in particular that is perhaps the most useful: Message Books. These are books that fulfill children’s books’ first purpose: To educate and inform. They are also some of the MOST difficult books to pull off. We’ve all seen preachy, didactic titles for kids...