Betsy Bird's Blog, page 182

Review of the Day: The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

The Season of Styx Malone
By Kekla Magoon
Wendy Lamb Books (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)
$16.99
ISBN: 978-1-5247-1595-3
Ages 9-12
On shelves now

And it was around this time that I started wondering why more people weren’t talking about The Season of Styx Malone. So let me tell you a little story. Back in 2013 I wrote a blog post called “2013 Middle Grade Black Boys: Seriously, People?” In it, I sat down and counted all the novels written for kids between the ages of 9-12...

Book Trailer Reveal: Meet the Latkes by Alan Silberberg

Every year in December I do this 31 Days, 31 Books series. On each day I present a different list full of the best of the year. Board Books one day. Funny picture books another. And somewhere in there I put out a list I like to call Transcendent Holiday Books. These are the books that are good above and beyond their respective holidays. Like, you’d read a Halloween book in July because it’s that good. Now 2018 hasn’t been a bad day for Hanukkah titles. I mean, there’s All-of-a-Kind Family Han...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: William’s Doll by Charlotte Zolotow, ill. William Pene du Bois

William’s Doll: Revenge of the Ascot!

Kate and I have created a petition. It’s the very first we’ve ever done and its purpose is simple. As you’ll hear on today’s podcast, we’re big time fans of this book, but we’d rather like it if Harper Collins could publish a re-illustrated edition. The reasons for this are, as you can see from the images below, pretty clear. With different clothing, we think William’s story could reach a whole new slew of kids, and really strike the message home. That sa...

Review of the Day: A Storytelling of Ravens by Kyle Lukoff and Natalie Nelson

A Storytelling of Ravens
By Kyle Lukoff
Illustrated by Natalie Nelson
Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press
$18.95
ISBN: 978-1-55498-912-6
Ages 4-7
On shelves now

Humans love groups. We love separating ourselves into them, or putting other people into them (even when they don’t particularly want to be grouped). As small children, it’s one of the ways we prefer to make sense of the world. Not necessarily in an us vs. them mentality (though that’s bound to come up occasionally) but mo...

Better Together: Funny Pairings in 2018 Books for Kids

Look, I’m no teacher. I’m a librarian with a lint roller brain. What I mean to say is that I have a tendency to make connections between the books I read. And since I read primarily children’s literature, these connections have practical applications. So today we’re going to try something a little different. I’m going to list for you two books that were published in 2018. They’ll have something in common, but sometimes that something won’t be immediately apparent. Also, some of these will be...

The Drag Queen Story Hour and Books: Additional Booklist Suggestions

By now you’ve probably hear of Drag Queen Story Hour (sometimes also called Drag Queen Storytimes). The concept is pretty simple. Basically you take a drag queen, preferably one who likes kids and is a good reader, and have them conduct a storytime. According to the official Drag Queen Story Hour website, the concept was created by Created by Michelle Tea and RADAR Productions in San Francisco, but you don’t need to be affiliated to conduct one in your own library. They’ve now become popular...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

I’m just going to give away the game and break down exactly how this podcast plays out between Kate and myself. As you will recall, I’m a parent of two small children. Kate is not. So when we read this book, Kate became a full-throated supported of Team Mouse, while I put all my money down on Team Run-Ragged Kid. Listen and you’ll hear how clearly delineated the line is between parents and non-parents.

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google...

Review of the Day: A History of Pictures for Children by David Hockney & Martin Gayford

A History of Pictures for Children
By David Hockney & Martin Gayford
Illustrated by Rose Blake
Abrams Books for Young Readers
$24.99
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3211-9
Ages 9-12
On shelves now.

And now, a couple words about expository nonfiction. I . . . .

Hey! Hey, where the heck do you people think you’re going? Come right back here this instant! Right now. Sit! Siiiiiit. Sit sit sit!!

*huff* Really, people. I know they’re scary words when brought together, but you simply can’t just skip to Fic...

Fusenews: She Has a Name

Well, THAT was exciting! I’ll confess that I had a hard time writing up this Fusenews last night. I kept dipping over to my phone to watch the latest results as they rolled in. To those of you that voted, well done. There is much to celebrate and much to keep fighting for.

 

http://www.cmheidicker.com/blog/2018/...

http://www.cmheidicker.com/blog/2018/...

I spy with my little eye, LeUyen Pham and Floyd...

For Your Librarian Eyes Only: Exploring the 2018 Original Art Exhibit with the Society of Illustrators

Since I left New York about three years ago, I’ve found myself missing many of the things that go on there. Few events typify that FOMO more than this one. Librarians are the only people who are able to take part in this, and my envy is a depthless sea from which I can find no purchase.

For those of you in New York at this time, this usually sells out, but this year there are a couple tickets left. Get them while you can!

 

Please join us for this incredible and inspiring professional develo...