Betsy Bird's Blog, page 129

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Fairy, Folk, and Religious Tales

Once they ruled childrens libraries. Now were lucky if we can find ten in a given year. Yet with the big publishers buying one another out every year, the little ones often squeak through the crevices and find ways to put out all kinds of fun tales for kids to enjoy. This year I was impressed by the sheer variety of the stories on display. Hope you like your tales done in all kinds of styles from all kinds of places! This year was a good one for this category.

2020 Fairy, Folk, and...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Latkes and Applesauce by Fran Manushkin, ill. Robin Spowart

Happy Hanukkah! Having read the recent PW Childrens Bookshelf announcement that a new edition of Latkes and Applesauce by Fran Manushkin is due to be republished in 2022, I thought this might be the perfect time to revisit the old book. The announcement said it was a classic, so we figured wed check and see how well it had stood up so far. Along the way we also cover how Big Latke got to Kate, TBD dogs and cats, what Daveed Diggs has to do with Hanukkah, and why I probably shouldnt confuse...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Translated Picture Books

NOT to be confused with the previously seen Caldenott list (though there is some crossover on a title here and a title there). Today we celebrate the books from other countries that struck me as particularly interesting in 2020. Lest you be put off by the number of book mentioned here, I will tell you that Im extraordinarily picky when it comes to translated titles. Just because something comes from another country, that does not mean itll work particularly well for the American market....

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Fabulous Photography Books

I have a very broad interpretation when it comes to the kind of book that can appear on todays list. As far as Im concerned, all forms of photography have their place here. That means that if the art in the book mixes traditional media and photos or its a nonfiction work or uses photographed models, they all belong. I yearn for the day a true work of photographic illustration is honored with a Caldecott (aside from the Knuffle Bunny books, of course). Until then, I present you to todays...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Books With a Message

Oh yeah. Todays topic is a hard one. Im not gonna lie to you, but this is the kind of book that a lot of adults think they can write and must write and, let us be honest, shouldnt write. Childrens books in America essentially began as instructional tomes dedicated to the betterment of pliable young souls. Sometimes, reading through tons of picture books in a given year, very little feels as though it has changed. Thats why I like to celebrate those books, with some kind of message to impart,...

Cover Reveal and Interview with Azadeh Westergaard – The Life Electric: The Story of Nikola Tesla

Tesla. It aint just a car.

Im always in the market for a new picture book biography. Sometimes the subject matter doesnt even have to be special. As long as the writing is good and the art splendid, I tend to be on board. But to hear that theres a new Nikola Tesla bio on the horizon?

Now I field a fair number of requests for interviews, and quite frankly I dont have the ability to do them all. But when Azadeh Westergaard wrote me about her upcoming book (The Life Electronc: The Story of...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Bilingual Children’s Books

Did you happen to see Chicago Public Library and New York Public Librarys recent lists of the best childrens books of 2020? Did you notice how both lists contained large numbers of Spanish language childrens titles? Not only is that a great idea, but one gets the impression that the systems came up with the idea independent of one another.

Im no gargantuan system. Im just one person. A person who doesnt speak another language particularly well. Even so, I can still celebrate those books...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Math Books for Kids

Honestly, I dont know how it happened, but by this point Ive been serving on the Mathical Book Prize committee for something like five or six years now. And you know what? I love it! Everybody loves an underdog and theres no genre of childrens book more underdoggy than those that engage with math. Indeed, Ive grown to really appreciate books that can combine the expository nature of math with literature in some way. Having done this for a while, Im noticing a small but sure uptick in math...

Kimberly Willis Holt Returns! A Much Anticipated ZACHARY BEAVER Companion Novel Excerpt and Cover Reveal

Looks like the holidays came early this year. I know that there are a fair number of you out there that love you some When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. Maybe youve been pondering that book and wondering if Ms. Kimberly Willis Holt might ever return to that world again. Welp, youre in luck. She is. She has. And here are the details:

Meet Kimberly Willis Holts upcoming middle grade novel, THE AMBASSADOR OF NOWHERE TEXAS (Henry Holt BYR / Christy Ottaviano Books, on sale 1/12/20, ages 10-14).

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31 Days, 31 Books: 2020 Picture Book Reprints

On the podcast I host with my sister, we spend a bit of time considering the characteristics of those books that wish to be remembered for long periods of time. Part of the key is to make sure that the book is still in print, of course, but what happens if a book disappears from publication? Well, theres always the off-chance that it might return. Today, we celebrate those books that staged successful comebacks in 2020. And as an extra treat, this year were including a couple...