Betsy Bird's Blog, page 122
February 28, 2021
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Our very first screw up! Huzzah! I walked into the recording with Kate safe in the knowledge that we hadn’t done Chicka Chicka Boom Boom before. Never mind that we actually did do it almost exactly a year ago. Whoops. So in a pinch I decided the time was right to do a different Bill Martin Jr. It’s the very first book that Eric Carle ever illustrated and he’s redone it something like five times. In the course of things Kate puts forward the theory that this is the picture book version of Roc...
February 24, 2021
Review of the Day: niños: Poems for the Lost Children of Chile by María José Ferrada, ill. María Elena Valdez
niños: Poems for the Lost Children of Chile
By María José Ferrada
Illustrated by María Elena Valdez
Translated by Lawrence Schimel
$18.99
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5567-1
Ages 9-12
On shelves March 23rd
It used to be that historical horrors were routinely hidden from children. They might get the rough general outlines of the past, but children’s books weren’t being used as teaching tools in that particular way. There would be the odd novel that alluded to the Holocaust, but that was the exception. And then...
February 23, 2021
World Premiere of “That’s My Piano, Sir!” (the video!)
Seems to me that if you’re going to make a video out of a picture book that relies heavily on music, you need to put your back into it. Give it all you’ve got. Some gusto! Some pizzazz! And in the case of today’s video premiere, make it feel like it comes from one of my favorite childhood shows, Reading Rainbow.
That’s My Piano, Sir! by Ana Gerhard, illustrated by Marie Lafrance, is the first book from the Little Stories of Great Composers series. The description reads:
He is no ordin...
February 22, 2021
Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City – An Exclusive Excerpt
You read that correctly. Today, it is my great honor to present to you an exclusive excerpt from the upcoming Christian McKay Heidicker novel, SCARY STORIES FOR YOUNG FOXES: THE CITY, the companion to the 2020 Newbery Honor recipient Scary Stories for Young Foxes. Once again, Mr. Heidicker takes us into our deepest fears. Once again, Junyi Wu is on hand to provide appropriately haunting imagery. But there’s a twist. This time, you get to tell all your friends that you read a part of the book ear...
February 21, 2021
The Cover Reveal of Long Road to the Circus by Betsy Bird, ill. David Small
Authors get the question “Where do you get your ideas?” from kids all the time. It’s an easy question to ignore or mock with something like “The idea factory” or the “The idea store”, but I’ve always found it a kind of fascinating query. Ideas for books form in such strange slow ways, and for me each one appears via a different method. So today, before I show you the cover of my debut middle grade novel, I want to tell where this book came from.
I’m Michigan born and raised. My ancestors were...
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
If for nothing else, you should listen to Kate’s story at the beginning of this episode because it is the craziest dang thing I’ve heard in a while. A truly great tale.
Now last week Kate challenged me to do something in honor of Black History Month. So I dove deep into the Coretta Scott King winners of the past and discovered a gaping hole in our roster. How we hadn’t done this book already is beyond me. I’m a little embarrassed, but at least we got to it today. I think a book that tak...
February 20, 2021
Long Road to the Circus (by Betsy Bird) 7-Day Cover Reveal: Day Seven!
Today is the penultimate posting of the lead up to the cover reveal of Long Road to the Circus (releasing October 5th). Today, I thought I’d do something a little different.
Much of my book is based on historical fact. There was a Madame Marantette. She did own an ostrich named Gaucho. And she does hold sidesaddle records to this day. Sidesaddle, as a form of riding, is a bit peculiar. Considered a more “ladylike” way of riding, watching it in action can be a bit terrifying. Here, I’ll show y...
Long Road to the Circus (by Betsy Bird) 7-Day Cover Reveal: Day Six!
It’s the sixth day of the lead up to the cover reveal of the upcoming middle grade novel Long Road to the Circus (out October 5th) and I’m so very pleased to reveal today’s art. You’ve met Gaucho, the historically belligerent ostrich. You’ve met Suzy, who just wants to get away (figuratively, literally, you name it). Now meet ’em together.
Generally speaking, if you want to ride a homicidal ostrich, you need to take some precautions. And what could be simpler than this method?
Art by Davi...
February 18, 2021
Long Road to the Circus (by Betsy Bird) 7-Day Cover Reveal: Day Five!
It’s not all ostriches and record-holding women. Today we continue the run-up to my cover reveal of my upcoming middle grade novel Long Road to the Circus (out October 5th and illustrated by David Small!) with another piece of interior art.
Many of the images I shared with you this week had a lot of flash and pizzazz. Today’s is quieter. The heroine of my story is Suzy, a girl living in Burr Oak, Michigan, clinging to the thought that maybe someday she could get out and see the world. Here sh...
February 17, 2021
Review of the Day: Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff
Too Bright to See
By Kyle Lukoff
Dial Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Penguin Random House)
$16.99
ISBN: 9780593111154
For ages 9-12
On shelves April 20th
A great book can inspire a great review but it’s not a one-to-one correlation. Just because I’ve read an amazing book for kids, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be able to string words together that make that fact tangible to anyone else. Many is the time that I’ve sat down to write a really ripping review only to find my fingertips f...
