Betsy Bird's Blog, page 112

Stowaway With Me: A Talk With Author John David Anderson

Okay. So remember yesterday when I kept going on and on about how shapeshifters were the big trend of 2021 in children’s middle grade fiction? Welp, I changed my mind. Today I think that the true trend is . . . stowaways. Again, this is all sounding very pandemic-inspired. Kids have been trapped in their homes for months on edge so what could be more imaginative and inspiring than a story about a child going off to the farthest reaches of space? And yes, I grant that I’m following up one science...

You Are Officially in Weird Kid Territory: A Greg van Eekhout Interview

The hot trend in middle grade novels of 2021? Shapeshifting, baby. It’s all the rage. Whether you’re shapeshifting in the stars or right down here on Earth, there’s a lot of drama to be had out of changing your physical form. And really, aren’t all kids shapeshifters at heart? They aren’t the same size from one day to the next and, like Jake in WEIRD KID by Greg van Eekhout, they can’t control their bodies a jot.

Here’s a description of that book I just referenced, by the way:

From th...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes, ill. Floyd Cooper

With the recent death of Floyd Cooper I was inspired to discover which picture book of his could be best considered a “classic” of the genre. It’s a hard call, and I’m sure you have your own favorites, but if we say that the book had to have come out 20 years ago or more then today’s book gets my vote. Plus, it has the extra added benefit of being the first Nikki Grimes title we’ve done on the show.

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher...

Cover Reveal: Climb On by Baptiste Paul, ill. Jacqueline Alcántara

Why do people have children? Love, sure. Future security, maybe. Legacy, perhaps. But as far as I’m concerned, there’s at least one really good and legitimate reason that people simply don’t discuss as often as they might: They get you off yer butt. Seriously. If I didn’t have two kids I could totally imagine myself (wistful sigh) lounging in my home on a Saturday morning or lazily watching some TCM flick on a sunny summer afternoon. Instead I’m biking around town, hauling their butts to swim cl...

Review of the Day: The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld

The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess
By Tom Gauld
Neal Porter Books (an imprint of Holiday House)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780823446988
Ages 4-6
On shelves August 24th

Tone. Can’t teach a writer how to make it. Can’t quite explain what it is or why one book’s tone will work while another’s falls flat. As a result, the facts of the mater are irrefutable: Tone is a bloody nuisance. You won’t necessarily notice its absence if the book you’re reading is toneless, but you’ll most certainly notice its pre...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Napping House by Audrey Wood, ill. Don Wood

Don’t worry. You know we’re going to do some Floyd Cooper next week. That’s the problem with recording things on Thursdays.

On today’s podcast I thought we might try another Audrey & Don Wood title above and beyond the already commented upon King Bidgood’s In the Bathtub. It’s a cumulative tale that has continued to remain in print for the last 37 years. We discuss tiny ligers, whether the mouse in this book has Toxoplasma gondii, and the likelihood of a carbon monoxide leak in this part...

In Memorium: Floyd Cooper

It wasn’t that Floyd was the first death we’d suffered this year. In 2021 alone we’ve seen the passing of people like Norton Juster, Patricia Reilly Giff, Kathleen Krull, Beverly Cleary, Eric Carle, Lois Ehlert, and more. So it’s difficult to say why Floyd’s recent passing struck us all as hard as it did. A lot of it was his age (64) and how unexpected the news was to those of us who admired his work and his kindness. And part of it may have been the fact that, as one librarian of my acquain...

Exclusive Cover Reveal for Brendan Kiely’s THE OTHER TALK

Oh ho!

You guys got so used to me doing cover reveals for books in 2022 that you totally didn’t notice when I decided to swap in a surprise September release. And surprise it is too! As it turns out, a new book is on our horizon.

Called THE OTHER TALK, the book comes out of many years of discussion between Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds, starting on their tour in 2015 for All-American Boys (more here), which won a Coretta Scott King Honor and the Walter Dean Myers Award.

Here’s the d...

Press Release Fun: The 7th Annual Picture Book Summit, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      Contact:  Kelli Panique – support@picturebooksummit.com

YUYI MORALES, JON KLASSEN HEADLINE PICTURE BOOK SUMMIT 2021

Portion of Proceeds to Benefit Little Free Library’s

“Read in Color” Initiative

The lineup for the 7th annual Picture Book Summit, the world’s largest online picture book writing conference, has been announced. The event will stream globally on Saturday, October 2.

This year’s Summit is headlined by two picture book superstars – Yuyi Mo...

African Town: A Cover Reveal and Interview with Charles Waters and Irene Latham

When the book Can I Touch Your Hair? was first released, I remember the buzz, the pushback, how it was embraced, and how it was discussed. What I don’t remember is how it was ignored. Writing partners Charles Waters and Irene Latham have, since that book, really established themselves as true collaborators and I find that their subject matter is consistently fascinating. So when editor Stacey Barney approached me about doing the cover reveal on their latest title African Town, I was distinctly c...