Betsy Bird's Blog, page 146

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Seems to me that bats are shouldering a great deal of the blame for our current COVID-19 crisis. Considering the fact that their P.R. wasnt all that great to begin with (Batman aside), I decided we would combat this problem with the most famous bat-related picture book in America. It doesnt hurt matters any that this entire episode is pretty much just an excuse for me to post cute videos of baby fruit bats (see below).

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through...

Review of the Day: All of a Sudden and Forever by Chris Barton and Nicole Xu

All of a Sudden and Forever: Help and Healing After the Oklahoma City Bombing
By Chris Barton
Illustrated by Nicole Xu
Carolrhoda Books (an imprint of Lerner)
$19.99
ISBN: 978-1-5415-2669-3
Ages 6-10
On shelves now

I didnt intend to review this book in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. When I first saw it, months and months ago, I thought it would make a lot of sense to review a book about what happened after the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995, on its exact 25th anniversary. I had no idea that an...

The Best Lil Hot Mess in Storytime

How is a drunk adult audience similar to a storytime full of screaming toddlers? Im sorry, are you telling me that theres a difference?!? In these topsy turvy Corvid-infused times we are finding so many authors, illustrators, celebrities and (oh yeah) childrens librarians and booksellers taking to their cameras and filming themselves doing storytimes. With everyone in the known universe getting in on the storytime bandwagon, what better time could there be to host my very first interview...

THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO by Karim Shamsi-Basha and Irene Latham, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

A book was released yesterday. Did you notice? Its hard to these days, isnt it? I cant blame you if it passed you by. I read about these new books and I worry about their creators. I worry that the books wont find the right audience, or that they might get forgotten in the swath of news that fills up our filters and feeds. So much of that news is bad. As such, I think maybe theres a great benefit to finding out about the good news thats still out there. Todays interview looks at a book that...

Review of the Day: Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer by Gillian Goerz

Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer
By Gillian Goertz
Dial Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Penguin)
$20.99
ISBN: 9780525552857
Ages 9-12
On shelves July 14th

Have you ever tried to write a mystery? Youll never respect your favorite mystery writers as greatly as when you try to pen one of those puppies yourself. Kids love mysteries too. I remember when I was in sixth grade or so, I discovered my very first Agatha Christie at a Scholastic Book Fair (I believe it was Murder on the Orient...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

True Fact: The longest book written in the English language is the easy book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss.

Other True Fact: That first fact is untrue, but its certainly what Kate believed in her heart when she finished reading that book during our last recording. While many people remember all too well the title of todays book, its plot (such as it is) remains, for many, a mystery. My sister certainly didnt know what to expect and, to be fair, how could she have? Can...

Walking and Talking With . . . Candace Fleming

Typically in a Steve Sheinkin Walking and Talking piece you get to see Steve having a conversation with another author or artist en route somewhere. Now we live in a world where were still able to walk, but not with one another. With that in mind, the latest Walking and Talking piece is of two artists together but separate. Candy Fleming joins Steve today from Oxford to discuss her latest (amazing) work of history The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh.

Enjoy:

And dont forget to catch up...

Skunk and Badger: Cover Reveal and Q&A with Amy Timberlake

Warning: Important rock work may ensue.

When I am asked to go the usual interview/cover reveal route, Ill do so if I feel that the book has some kind of a hook worth noting. What might such a hook entail? Oh, I dunno. It could be that the plot strikes me as intriguing. It could be that I admire the work of the author (like, say, Newbery Honor winner Amy Timberlake) or the illustrator (who could be, just as an example, Caldecott Award winner Jon Klassen). But Im not a complicated person. Who...

Unexpected Jolts of Children’s Literature

Here is what is happening right now, this moment, this time. As we speak, public libraries around the world are dealing with the fact that their cities are losing money. All that revenue that comes from the taxes that depend on sociable people, even parking, has dried up. And, if you are a librarian, you know what that means. When the city tightens its belt, the library has to tighten its own even tighter.

So I know that you collection development specialists out there are probably being...

When an Artist Loves a Library: Elisha Cooper and the Jefferson Market Branch

There is a connection between a child and their local library that is difficult to put into words. Its personal, I suppose. A landmark that they can cling to as other aspects of this big and scary world change. Likewise, there can also be a connection between a childrens author or illustrator and their local library. In the case of my own library, Evanston Public, it is not uncommon to see many of the childrens book creators in town walking in with or without kids in tow.

When I lived in...