Betsy Bird's Blog, page 191

Cover Reveal: No More Poems by Rhett Miller, ill. Dan Santat

I have a lot of “things” that I particularly like. Nonfiction that doesn’t contain fake dialogue. Translated children’s books from overseas. Comics. Math. I guess Poetry could fall into that category as well. Works of children’s poetry are always of interest to me, and it seems like this year there’s a whole slew of them to choose from. But what about 2019? Will this ever increasing trend of marvelous poetry continue or will it peter out, once more relegating itself to April only?

The answer...

The Top 100 Board Books Poll Countdown: #70-61

It’s getting down to the wire, but we’ve still a ways to go until the Top 20. Today’s listing of contenders has a certain level of sophistication at work. New names appear on the list, like Lane Smith and Marla Frazee, while others solidify their status (Boynton, Katz, Oxenbury, etc.). The oldest book on today’s list came out in the States in 2005, and as for the newest, several others hit shelves in 2016.

Enjoy!

#70 – Dinosaur Dance by Sandra Boynton (2016)

“This is a very fun book to read...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack, ill. Kurt Wiese

Hope you like Kathleen Turner, because in this long delayed episode I’m clearly doing my best rendition of her. Apologies for the gap in the episodes. Fortunately, we’re back in style. This week we discuss a book that has a complicated history. It would be easier if this were a more straightforward case of racism. Along the way we discuss the Wilder Award’s name change, whether people care more about animal cruelty or corporeal punishment, and the names of Kate’s blisters.

Listen to the whole...

The Top 100 Board Books Poll Countdown: #80-71

The overriding theme of today’s release of the Top 100 Board Books Poll results is currency. So many of the books on today’s list were published for the first time in the last five or so years). I myself have seen a distinct uptick during that time of quality (as well as quantity). Read your Publishers Weekly and you’ll see that board book are consistently outselling others in the field, and the number of units sold just keeps going up. While I could assume that a lot of these books are curre...

Book Trailer Reveal: Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh

Let me tell you a little something about reveals. They slot neatly into two categories: Cover Reveals and Book Trailer Reveals. Now Cover Reveals are pretty doggone easy. You just say you’ll show the book jacket of a book, even though you have the sneaking suspicion that somebody on Netgalley or edelweiss has probably already seen it. It never really feels like a full “reveal”. Book trailer reveals are different. In those cases, the YouTube address really has been hidden until the day of the...

The Top 100 Board Books Poll Countdown: #90-81

The poll results continue. Yesterday we got off to a slambang start with a whole host of worthy titles. How will the next round stand up in comparison? See for yourself:

#90 – Elephants Spray by Rebecca Glaser (2016)

 

“Another title where I wish I could vote for the entire series! I love the crisp, close-up photos in these books and the simple text that makes nonfiction accessible to toddlers, which is rare.” – Cara Frank, Clermont County Public Library

So the inclusion of this book marks a...

The Top 100 Board Books Poll Countdown: #100-91

Did you think I had forgotten? Fear not, lovely readers! The time has come to start the newest countdown! What books did you all vote on in our online poll? The results begin today.

To recap, in the past I’ve conducted polls of Top 100 Picture Books and Top 100 Children’s Novels. This year SLJ asked if I’d be interested in trying to reveal the Top 100 Board Books. To determine this list, I asked you to send in your Top 10 board books of all time, ranked from #1 (which would get 10 points) to...

Love that Book, Loathe that Cover

As we all know, critical interpretations of book jackets are entirely subjective. What I might like, you might find appalling. What I abhor, you might find sweet. That said, is there any feeling in the world quite as frustrating as reading a marvelous middle grade novel, only to discover that the book jacket doesn’t do it justice? Back when I worked for NYPL, a book of that sort might actually be more likely to end up on the annual 100 Books for Reading and Sharing list, if only because it wo...

Reality à la Mode: Why Do We Never Discuss Nonfiction Writing Styles?

While at a conference at Princeton a week or two ago (and yes, as you suspect, I am going to attempt to work in the word “Princeton” into pretty much everything I write, think, or say for the next two years or so, so gird thy loins) I was in conversation with author Marc Aronson when he brought up a rather interesting question. Why is it that when discussing Fiction, people fall over themselves to talk about different writing styles, and yet so little acknowledgement is given to authors of No...

ALA Annual 2018: Recap Time

When traveling to a library conference in New Orleans, might I suggest that you take your little sister along. There are a multitude of good reasons to do so.

1. If you used to share a bedroom with the little sister, you may find that she is just as quiet a roommate now as she was back in the day.

2. She will go do all the touristy stuff you do not have time for. Ever wonder why there’s a gigantic WWII museum in New Orleans? Curious about how grotesque the ghost tours get? Uncertain about wha...