Betsy Bird's Blog, page 198
March 20, 2018
Building a Better Bundo: The History of Picture Books, Politics, and Wiggly Noses
Like most of my information, I heard about Bundo via an oblique tweet that raised more questions than it answered. Then came the press release from Chronicle Books. It read:
“Chronicle Books and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver present A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
――
100% of Last Week Tonight’s proceeds will be donated to The Trevor Project and AIDS United.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 18, 2018― A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo is a children’s picture book that imagines the story of Marl...
March 19, 2018
Newbery / Caldecott 2019: Spring Prediction Edition
Happy decade-of-me-doing-this-weird-thing-I-do!
That’s right, folks! I’m pleased as punch to announce that as of right now I’ve been making grossly incorrect predictions of the Newberys, Caldecotts, and other ALA Youth Media Awards for a good solid decade. That’s a decade I’ll never get back, by the way. Worth it.
As per usual, let’s round-up how I’ve done in the past and compare with how I did last year:
2008 spring predictions: I get one Caldecott right (How I Learned Geography)
March 18, 2018
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
One of the rare instances where the laptop stopped recording us right before the end of our podcast. The important thing is that we were able to fully discuss the book. The sad thing is that we lost our Letters and our Grown-Up Things We Like. Ah well. Next week then. This particular week we take on Crockett Johnson’s best known work (sorry, Carrot Seed) and come up with everything from arboreal semantics to Ursula Nordstrom as a hard knocks dame to . . . well . . . Genesis.
Listen to the who...
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Harold and the Purple Crayon by P.D. Eastman
One of the rare instances where the laptop stopped recording us right before the end of our podcast. The important thing is that we were able to fully discuss the book. The sad thing is that we lost our Letters and our Grown-Up Things We Like. Ah well. Next week then. This particular week we take on Crockett Johnson’s best known work (sorry, Carrot Seed) and come up with everything from arboreal semantics to Ursula Nordstrom as a hard knocks dame to . . . well . . . Genesis.
Listen to the who...
March 17, 2018
Video Sunday: Wenzelian
A Video Sunday!! How long has it been? Too darn long, that’s what I say. And as it just so happens, we’ve a veritable plethora of goodies for you! So I think I’ll start with the official announcement of the very first Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. I chaired the Children’s category this year, so you’ll find me around the 4:18 mark (my copious looking down bugs me, but whatchagonnado?), but more than that you should just check out the nominees. I gotta say, this is one of the finest...
March 15, 2018
Review of the Day – Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing by Nancy Churnin
Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing
By Nancy Churnin
Illustrated by James Rey Sanchez
Creston Books
$17.99
ISBN: 978-1-939547-44-6
Ages 4-9
On shelves May 1st
Patriotism is subjective. Until recently I might have thought myself somewhat immune to its charms. I like my country quite a lot, but I’ve a low-tolerance for nationalism, and in this particular day and age that’s not a difficult thing to come by. Fortunately all is not lost. As it turns out, children’s books...
March 13, 2018
Insufficient Nostalgia Milking, or, Why The Three Investigators Aren’t Voltron
A couple weeks ago I was asked to interview screenwriter and podcaster John August at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore in Chicago. John has a new middle grade fantasy series coming out called Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire which is basically Boy Scouts plus magic. It’s not half bad, actually.
Since John is best known for his podcast Scriptnotes he decided that venturing out as a children’s author presented a perfect opportunity to podcast the entire process. And podcast he does! On Launch he go...
March 12, 2018
Transcript: A Discussion of Little Black Sambo in Three Different Books
A hearing impaired reader of my blog recently pointed out to me that at this point in time we produce no transcripts of my podcast. She wondered if one might be made available from our Little Black Sambo episode. Kate then took the time to type up the entire discussion. After that I went through and formatted it to its present form. I cannot say that we are delivering any deep, philosophical insights you cannot find better put elsewhere, but in case you’re curious here’s the text for your enj...
March 11, 2018
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman
Today marks a first. A first time that I have discovered that I’ve been mispronouncing the title of a popular children’s book for years and years and years. You might ask yourself, “How the heck do you mispronounce P.D. Eastman’s most classic book?” It’s all in the punctuation. In fact, I doubt anyone has ever picked apart the punctuation of this book as intensely as Kate and I do on this episode of our podcast. As it turns out, the female hat-wearing dog’s use or lack of use when it comes to...
March 8, 2018
Guest Post: Happy Birthday Lore Segal! Ellen Handler Spitz Celebrates the Return of “Tell Me a Mitzi”
Dr. Ellen Handler Spitz is back! Today’s guest post celebrates a picture book classic, now back in print after decades of disappearance. Dr. Spitz puts the book in the context of not just its times but the canon of children’s literature itself. It’s too marvelous not to share widely. Consider it your required reading of the day:
Mitzi Is Back : Tell Me a Lore
2018 Ellen Handler Spitz
Lore Segal’s beloved picture book, Tell Me a Mitzi, is available once more! Published in 1970, by Farrar, S...
