Betsy Bird's Blog, page 103

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2021 Rhyming Picture Books

What hath Dr. Seuss wrought?

So asks the children’s librarian that faces the onslaught of poorly rhymed picture books each and every year. Make no mistake: Rhyming isn’t easy. Actually, I should correct that statement. Rhyming is easy. Rhyming WELL is hard. Even so, I was able to find a plethora of titles that did it well in 2021. Remember, however, that if you intend to read any of these aloud to a child or group of children PRACTICE FIRST! Because there are few sights quite as damning a...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2021 Picture Book Readalouds

My spellcheck always gets testy with me when I try to write “readalouds” as a single word. Sorry, spellcheck. My blog series. My rules.

So what constitutes a good readaloud these days? As far as I can ascertain, a good and true readaloud picture book is a thing of beauty. One of these years I think I’ll record little snippets of each of the books on this list, just so you get a taste of what I’m talking about. Something to look forward to in the future, eh?

For today’s books, these are the ti...

31 Days, 31 Books: 2021 Transcendent Holiday Picture Books

I may have mentioned in a previous post this month my disappointment with the derth of historically marginalized voices in board books these days. That disappointment fades quickly when I look at the holiday books of 2021. And when I say “holiday books” I’m not talking St. Patrick’s Day/Halloween/Christmas fare. Sure, we have some of those. But along the way we also have Eid, the Cherokee National Holiday, Chinese New Year, Nowruz, and more. I sort through hoardes of holiday books every year...

31 Days, 31 Books: 2021 Board Book Reprints and Adaptations

So, let’s say you wanted to create 31 days of list of children’s books. Ideally, you would want to kick the month off with a big bang, yes? Something relatively showy. One option would be to go all out with board books. In the course of 365 publishing days, there are a lot of board books to consider and to praise. All well and good, except that by Day 2 you’re already going to be exhausted, yes? You’re going to need a shorter list that lets you recoup a little.

Introducing Board Book Rep...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2021 Board Books

Ahhh. Nothing like the first list of the year. And what makes 2021 different from any other? Well, in terms of board books this was the year we saw the inaugural Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award. Given out by The Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education, the first prize will be awarded in spring 2023 for board books published or picture books adapted to board book format in 2021 and 2022. After that, the award will be given every two years. Those of us fully in the thral...

The Scourge of Skyward Knitting Needles: Gettin’ Finicky With the Fiber Arts!

Folks, it’s like I always say. It takes so little research to get something as simple as knitting correct in a picture book. And yet, and yet, and yet, year after year we watch some of the best illustrators of our age consistently draw knitting in a comically incorrect manner. Which is to say, they can’t resist making the ends of the knitting needles stand straight up like the antennae on a television that’s hoping to catch the 1984 World Series.

Now my reaction to this “scourge” of inattenti...

31 Days, 31 Lists Returns!

It’s almost time for my annual contribution to capitalism. Thaaaaaat’s right! December comes tomorrow and that marks the start of my 31 Days, 31 Lists sequence!

You see, folks, if I’ve learned nothing else this year (thanks in part to the publication of my middle grade debut Long Road to the Circus) it’s that for all the great “Best Of” lists out there, often it’s the same 50-60 books that get mentioned time and time again. Don’t believe me? Check out this crazy keen round-up of the “Best...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall, ill. Barbara Cooney

Starring . . . OUR MOM!

Yes indeed. Susan Blackwell Ramsey herself has come to guest star. Thanksgiving arrived and Kate had the brilliant notion that we should take advantage of our #1 fan and finally do one of her favorite picture books with us (the one we’ve always avoided). So, if you’ve ever listened to our podcast and thought to yourself, “These two ladies sound too similar. I wish there was a THIRD voice that sounded a lot like both of them to join in,” then your prayers have been ...

When I Wake Up: An Interview with Seth Fishman and Jessixa Bagley

I don’t normally do this with the books I feature alongside interviews, but let’s try something different today.

Behold! A book trailer!

Is not it cute? As you can see, we’re talking today about the book WHEN I WAKE UP by Seth Fishman, illustrated by Jessixa Bagley. The publisher describes it this way:

“When an imaginative young child wakes up before their parents, they know that they’re supposed to stay in bed until the clock says 7:00. But that’s no fun—so what should they do in...

Excuse Me While I Interview These Guys. Charles R. Smith Jr. and Edel Rodriguez Discuss SONG FOR JIMI

The plethora of picture book biographies published every year can be staggering. You stare at the massive output and cannot help but contemplate what market or cultural forces designate whom to venerate at any given time. Or maybe “venerate” is the wrong word here. There’s a lot more nuance and complexity to a bio for younger children than you might initially assume, particularly in the year 2021. I wouldn’t necessarily call the new SONG FOR JIMI, a bio of Jimi Hendrix, a book that “venerate...