Betsy Bird's Blog, page 20

Exclusive Spotlight: All Eyes on JIM! A Jerrold Connors Q&A on James Marshall

We’re doing something a little different today. You may already be familiar with my colleague and fellow School Library Journal blogger Travis Jonker. Travis writes over at the wonderful 100 Scope Notes site. Usually we don’t collaborate on much, but today we are pleased to reveal two sides of the same book. JIM! by Jerrold Connors is the story of James Marshall. Over at 100 Scope Notes, you’ll get an exclusive reveal of the book’s case cover, never before seen on this good green earth. And ...

She’s Here! Mafalda Arrives at Long Last! An Interview with Translator Frank Wynne, and Publisher Jill Schoolman

About ten years ago a family friend went to South America and came back with presents. For my daughter, he presented a t-shirt that looked something like this:

I was instantly charmed. Even more so when he explained to me that in a lot of Spanish-speaking countries, Mafalda is huge. Think Peanuts but imbued with late 60s/early 70s Argentinian politics. Still, it seemed so odd that I’d never encountered her before. If she truly was so influential, where were the translations?

Years l...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Caldecott Contenders of 2025

Hooray! With the ALA Youth Media Awards on the near horizon (Monday, January 27th at 8 a.m. MT to be precise) it’s never been a better time to debate some possible winners of the Caldecott Award. Today, I hand over to Kate an unprecedented FOUR possible contenders (rather than my usual three)! Will she opt for the vibrant father-daughter vibes of My Daddy Is a Cowboy, the rainbow wry-wit of Touch the Sky, the luminous family-centric storytelling of Joyful Song, or the heartfelt sincerity of ...

Review of the Day: Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, ill. Dan Santat

Don���t Trust Fish
By Neil Sharpson
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Dial Books for Young Readers
$18.99
ISBN: 9780593616673
On shelves April 8th

What makes a good unreliable narrator��� in a picture book? One might argue that it���s very much the same qualities that make a good unreliable narrator in a work of fiction for older readers. There���s the choice the author must make as to whether or not to show their hand early or leave the reveal right up until the end. Then there are all the little detai...

First Look! : A Peek Into Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka Con La Papa

I’m rarely so excited by potatoes.

Generally speaking, if I do a cover reveal, I’ll include a kind of Q&A with it in some manner. Today, however, we’re doing something a little different. It’s some covers, yes (in English AND Spanish!) but also a couple excerpts from inside the book too. And the title in question? Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru’s Famed Scientist and Potato Expert. Or, if you prefer the Spanish edition, Alberto Salas juega paka paka con la ...

New Shoes for Leo: Lauren Agra Deedy and Susan Gal in Conversation

I don’t usually do this, but sometimes when I’m offered the chance to interview an author and illustrator I like to see the cover of their book before I decide whether or not to talk to them.

Here is the cover of New Shoes for Leo (out March 4th), written by Laura Agra Deedy and illustrated by Susan Gal:

Well. I mean. I’m only human.

The product copy was really just the icing on the cake:

“William’s Mami and his T��a Ana are busy packing a big box of food, medicine, and clothin...

The Rare Three-Man Interview: Ben Clanton, Andy Chou Musser, and Corey R. Tabor Talk Metamorphosis with Papilio

I am excited.

I am very excited.

I am so friggin’ downright excited, I don’t even know what to do with myself.

Recently you may have seen that I wrote a post called And Now Some Books I’m REALLY Excited for in 2025! There was one book in particular that I mentioned that is pertinent today. It’s the kind of book that feels like a dare: Can three friends (who also happen to be picture book author/illustrators) collaborate on a single work of informational fiction wherein each person takes...

Get an Inside Peek! An Excerpt from Remy Lai’s Chickenpox

Is there anything, and I mean anything, better in this world than a new Remy Lai graphic novel? Boy oh boy, I don’t think so. The woman has shown an incredible range over the years, too. From the early days of books like Pie in the Sky and Fly on the Wall to last year’s incredible (and incredibly creepy) Read At Your Own Risk, one never really knows what she’s likely to do next.

A realistic graphic novel about being trapped in your house with your FOUR younger siblings because you all ha...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Black and White by David Macaulay

A Caldecott Award winner! It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? When I think of today’s book I think of something David Wiesner said about it during one of his own Caldecott acceptance speeches. “Structurally unlike any medal winner before it ��� or since ��� Black and White…redefined the way stories could be told in picture books. And, just as importantly, it did this while being very, very funny.” That’s my bag, baby. As such, I introduce Kate to this metafictional picture book and the legacy it ...

In Memoriam: Remembering Those Lost in 2024

Each year I track the children’s book creators we lost during the year. In 2024 we saw some truly great friends go away. Here’s my list. If you’d like an alternative one, you can check out the Publishers Weekly post on the same topic here.

Norman H. Finkelstein

November 10, 1941-January 5, 2024

“Norm was endlessly insightful and creative and always a joy to talk to. His incredible books championed the vital contributions of Jewish Americans, immigrants, and workers ...