Betsy Bird's Blog, page 127

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Great Audiobooks for Kids

I don’t know if 2020 was the reason, but as luck would have it, this was the year when I started listening to audiobooks at a prodigious rate. Maybe it was because of all those days that my library was shut down since I suddenly had more time in the morning to take a walk to Lake Michigan and back. While walking I would listen to books found via my library’s Hoopla and Overdrive apps. The end result is that for the very first time I have some strong opinions on the audiobooks (and their read...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Nonfiction for Older Readers

Okay. Time to confess. In almost every list that I do this month, I read all the books.

Today, that changes.

Reading as many long middle grade fiction books as possible in a given year can be difficult. But reading as many long middle grade non-fiction books as well? That’s a huge challenge. How can you possibly decide what to read? I know I missed a lot of great stuff in 2020. I know this because there’s a pile of books in my house right now that are long middle grade non-fiction ti...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

After one of our listeners made the point that the bulk of books we’ve done on our podcast have been illustrated by male artists I’ve been trying to make a conscious effort to increase the number of women we read. And WHAT book, I ask you, could have more classic potential than Barbara Cooney’s best known? We talk invasive species, seed bombing, how nice it is to read a book that doesn’t call a single woman a spinster, and why it is that Maine loves its children’s book creators more than any...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Nonfiction Picture Books

Oh yes. We’re in the thick of it now. The closer we get to the end of the year, the longer these posts become. Now some of the books on today’s list are going to look familiar because they’ve appeared on other lists already. Science and Biography and History titles are abundant. But look close and you’ll spot a couple new titles (five in total) that don’t slot easily into any categories. In some ways, these are the books I’m the most excited about. The oddballs. The titles that aren’t afraid...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Unique Biographies

What better litmus test could there possibly be for the state of the world today than biographies for children? Here, in one fell swoop, you can see precisely who it is we are encouraging our children to respect and grow to emulate. Each crop of yearly biographies runs the gamut from the uber famous to people who may not have ever even received an adult biography. I loved the sheer variety on display in 2020. Behold a sampling of some favorites.

2020 Unique Picture Book Biographies

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31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Science & Nature Books

Merry Christmas! Ho ho ho! And what, I ask you, could be more perfect for the holiday season than books about science and nature? Anything! But that’s okay. I love this list a whole bushel and a peck. Let’s take a look at those marvelous books for children that offer a peek behind the veil of some of life’s greatest mysteries. Whether it’s plants that resemble toilets, seemingly psychic horses, deer eating pythons, or the sheer scope of the universe itself, there’s something in here for eve...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 American History Titles for Kids

History. It’s not for the weak. If 2020 taught us anything it’s that a surface explanation of complex historical issues is insufficient. Our youngest readers deserve the truth, told well, every step of the way. Today’s list gets at those books that did a good job with the concept of telling the truth about our past. Biographies, I should note, are included if the title has a specific tie-in to some aspect of American history.

2020 American History Books for Kids



Picture Books

Al...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Informational Fiction

Informational Fiction? What the dang blasted heck is that supposed to mean? “Informational Fiction”. I mean, it’s either information or it’s fiction, right? Facts v. Fiction. Lifelong enemies, those two! But, you see, it’s just not that simple. Seems that authors and even illustrators have these distinctly creative instincts. Instincts that cause them to fill fact-based books with fiction and made up stories with real world facts. Such books are often the most creative seen in a given year ....

A Year of Everyday Wonders and a Talk With Cheryl Klein

Around a decade ago there was a regular occurrence in New York City called Kidlit Drink Nights. These were events when professionals working in the children’s literature industry would meet at a watering hole to talk shop and just generally relax in one another’s company. And many of them were organized, at least in the early days, by Betsy Bird and Cheryl Klein. Betsy, as you may know, was a librarian. Cheryl, an editor. Time passed, we got older, and both Cheryl and I have published books sinc...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Fantasy Books for Kids

Can you believe that last year I had a nice, big, beautiful science fiction list and then entirely eschewed fantasy? For! Shame! Fantasy was my first genre love. I dedicated long hours of my childhood to Apple paperback ghost stories and Susan Cooper and Pern (which is technically science fiction, but shhhh!). This year I’m doing what I already did with the humor and science fiction lists. I’m broadening the scope a tiny bit. That means I’ll not just include chapter books but comics as well!...