Betsy Bird's Blog, page 140
July 14, 2020
Newbery/Caldecott 2021: Summer Prediction Edition
Boy, and I thought the Spring prediction edition of these Newbery/Caldecott posts was swamped in COVID-19 problems. The farther we get into this year, the stranger it becomes. If you’re anything like me you either (A) Haven’t been able to read much because of pandemic jitters and/or (B) Haven’t been able to read much because you’re actually busier working at home than you ever were working at work and/or (C) Publishers stopped sending physical copies for a while there and you never quite worked ...
July 13, 2020
Frog and Toad Were More Than Friends: A Guest Post by Kyle Lukoff
FROG AND TOAD ARE FRIENDS (1970)
“What you see
Is the clear warm light of April.
And it means
That we can begin
A whole new year together
…
We will skip through the meadows
And run through the woods
And swim in the river.
In the evenings we will sit
Right here on this front porch
And count the stars.”
Who do you think gave us this lush image of love expressed and explored in nature? Love as an invitation, to participate equally and joyfully in the physical pleasures of life; running, swimming, si...
July 12, 2020
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop and Kurt Wiese
A little while ago Kate asked me, “Bring me a bad book. Like, a really good bad book.” Well, I don’t want to give anything away but I may have hit on something. My husband and I were just discussing the other day the fact that this book was ubiquitous in our youth. If you were born in the late 70s or early 80s, the odds are good that somebody you know read it to you. This all ties in quite closely to current discussions of picture books with racist elements that sit blithely on shelves in ch...
July 8, 2020
Review of the Day: Rescuing the Declaration of Independence by Anna Crowley Redding, ill. Edwin Fotheringham
Rescuing the Declaration of Independence: How We Almost Lost the Words That Built America
By Anna Crowley Redding
Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
Harper (an imprint of Harper Collins)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780062740328
Ages 6-10
On shelves now
The other day I was listening to a RadioLab podcast about the ubiquitousness of fallout shelters in the 1950s (Episode: Atomic Artifacts). It was fun hearing how panicked America was at the time, even as I studiously ignored the fact that even without a bunker man...
July 7, 2020
Meet the Newest Niblings!
Time has no meaning on the internet. How long have I been blogging? How long have any of my friends been blogging? And how long have the Niblings been around?
Do you know “The Niblings”? If not, this is an easy thing to remedy. Years ago (2013 to be precise), four bloggers of children’s literature got together and created a group Facebook page that would allow them to post a regular feed of children’s literature news. They included Jules Danielson (Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast...
July 6, 2020
Amber and Clay: A Laura Amy Schlitz Cover Reveal
So the nice Candlewick lady, she sez to me, “Would you like to do a cover reveal for the latest book by Laura Amy Schlitz?” And I sez nothing, because I attempted to type the words, “YESYESYESYESYES!!!!!” so quickly that I shattered all my phalanges.
Untrue, you say? Darn tootin’. But what is true is that I was very excited by the offer. It’s been years since we’ve had a full-blown novel from the unparalleled Newbery Award winner. This time, the destination is ancient Greece. And the book? Well,...
July 5, 2020
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, ill. Patrick Benson
I didn’t want to have a whole conversation about elongated eye tubes. I really, really didn’t, but that’s the price you pay when you show my sister Owl Babies. Today we tackled the ebook edition of the picture book (rather than board book) version of this title and it makes for an interesting read. We end up wondering about where the gutter falls on certain two-page spreads, and discuss repetition in picture book texts and what this book has to do with working mothers.
Listen to the whol...
July 2, 2020
Chance: Escape From the Holocaust – An Excerpt of the Latest Book by Uri Shulevitz
Two questions for you.
Question #1: Who won the 1969 Caldecott Medal for The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship?
Did you answer Uri Shulevitz? Of course you did. You are very clever. And now now you must answer my section question:
Question #2: Who is the author/illustrator of the 2020 title Chance: Escape From the Holocaust?
This question is a bit trickier than the first since Chance will not be released in the United States until October or so, but if you are familiar wit...
July 1, 2020
Nerd Culture, Fandom, and the Middle Grader: An Interview with Sam Maggs
The blog interview, much like the blog book review, is no good to anyone unless there is a hook. You could place before me any author or illustrator and tell me that they’re everything I’ve ever wanted in an interviewee, but unless I know how to tackle my talk with them, I will not be able to string together two words that anyone will want to hear.
When Macmillan proposed that I speak to one Sam Maggs, I was impervious to their charms. Sorry, guys. This person I do not know. What is the hook...
June 30, 2020
Review of the Day: Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte
Show Me a Sign
By Ann Clare LeZotte
Scholastic
$18.99
ISBN: 978-1-338-25581-2
Ages 9-12
On shelves now
“Not every writer comes to English from the same direction.” Right now I’m sitting here as a reviewer, trying to figure out from which direction I should approach this book. In the pantheon of children’s literature about the differently abled, stories about people in the Deaf community or along the spectrum of hearing loss, are not common. Such books exist, of course the most notable examples be...
