Betsy Bird's Blog, page 119

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: One Grain of Rice by Demi

Hope ya like math, happy people! Today I’m throwing at my sister’s head what may well be the best known math-related picture book that doesn’t involve just counting. Now as you may know I chair the Mathical Book Prize committee sometimes and One Grain of Rice was awarded its Hall of Fame status. Today Kate and I talk about Demi’s real name, her hugely famous ancestors, and why she’s called “Demi” at all. And hey, is that really true that we don’t throw rice at weddings anymore because uncook...

Prescient: Why the Netflix Version of A Series of Unfortunate Events is a Trump-Era Time Capsule

Each night my husband and I switch off between our two kids when it comes to reading. Since one kid is 6 and one is 9, this allows for a bit of variety. And when my husband decided he’d tackle all thirteen books of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, I wished him well. Once done, my daughter was curious about seeing a filmed version of the books. As she is unaware of the Jim Carrey take (I plan on breaking that one out when the kids are jaded teens so that we may mock it proper...

Review of the Day: Sylvie by Sylvie Kantorovitz

Sylvie
By Sylvie Kantorovitz
Walker Books (a division of Candlewick)
$24.99
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0762-0
Ages 9-12
On shelves now

Twenty years ago the children’s literary landscape was a different place. If children’s books follow certain trends over the years, then 2001 was a time when fantasy novels in the vein of Harry Potter started to proliferate like wildflowers. And, as happens every time there’s an all-encompassing genre eating up our attention, everyone wanted to know what the next big trend ...

Pawcasso! An Exclusive Excerpt of the New Graphic Novel by Remy Lai

Ooo! Such a treat I have for you today. I have been a fan of the work of Remy Lai since I encountered her Pie in the Sky two years ago, followed closely by 2020’s Fly on the Wall. Both books utilized that hybrid Wimpy Kid-esque model of integrating text and images together. They’re not quite full-on comics, but they’re not not comics either.

Now, Ms. Lai has embraced the comic form wholly. Her latest book, Pawcasso (out May 11th) is one for the dog-lovers out there. The publisher describ...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

In the hopes of recognizing some Asian and Asian-American picture books that don’t, for a change, contain horrible stereotypes, Kate and I wanted to look at a good book. Trouble is, we have a 20-year rule when it comes to books we consider. That means no Bee-Bim Bop and no Henry and the Kite Dragon. They’re too recent! I eschewed The Name Jar since it was a little too close to the content of last week’s Chrysanthemum. But why not do the very first Grace Lin picture book? So I snagged the ten...

Cats and Dogs . . . Together? Talking with Elisha Cooper About the Sublime Yes & No

There’s no April Fooling about it. Elisha Cooper has a new picture book out, and it is much in the same vein as his Caldecott Honor winning title Big Cat, Little Cat. Now before we proceed much further, there are a number of facts you should know about Mr. Cooper, right off the bat.

First, in the event that you are invited to a book party of Mr. Cooper’s, there is a strong chance that he will provide you with very good bread. I once spoke at length with Leonard Marcus at a Cooper event, just ...

Review of the Day: Root Magic by Eden Royce

Root Magic
By Eden Royce
Walden Pond Press (an imprint of Harper Collins)
$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-06-289957-6
Ages 9-12
On shelves now

When I was a kid, one of my favorite novels was Virginia Hamilton’s The House of Dies Drear. I don’t think I really realized at the time what a novel thing it was. Today, kids would not be particularly shocked to encounter a book that combined the long arm of slavery to the present day alongside a ghost story/treasure ala Goonies, but in the 1980s it was a standalone i...

What We Need in Here Are Some Comics! A Brief 2021 Round-Up

Folks, the year 2021 is about to enter into its fourth month and if you’re anything like me then you’ve a hankering to celebrate this momentous occasion by enjoying some good old-fashioned comic books. Well, the publishers have been limiting their supply of galleys (with a couple notable exceptions) so I certainly haven’t seen everything available quite yet. That said, there are some really keen comics for kids coming out this year! I’ve made a selection of a couple of my favorites that you wil...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

My children mocked MOCKED me, I say, when I informed them that Kate and I had not yet discussed Chrysanthemum on the podcast. Why the shock and horror? Well, apparently we’d done 176 episodes and yet completely failed to acknowledge what could arguably be called Kevin Henkes’s most famous picture book. Why the bold claim? Well, insofar as I can tell, 21st century children find themselves being read this book MULTIPLE times during the course of their school career. And why not? This is peak H...

Review of the Day: Wishes by Mượn Thị Văn, ill. Victo Ngai

Wishes
By Mượn Thị Văn
Illustrated by Victo Ngai
Orchard Books (an imprint of Scholastic)
$18.99
ISBN: 978-1-338-30589-0
Ages 6 to 10
On shelves May 4th

It doesn’t happen often, but once in a while I’m faced with reviewing a picture book that makes me feel inadequate to the task. It is a daunting proposition to tell people about books that get everything right. The reviewer’s instincts are to gush, but when the material in the book is serious then that degree of enthusiasm may feel inappropriate. ...