Betsy Bird's Blog, page 203

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

Happy New Year! It’s another edition of Fuse 8 n’ Kate which, at this rate, may be soon renamed The Random Facts About Koalas Show.

So why this book today? My logic here is that since the Time Person of the Year of 2017 was #MeToo I should come up with a classic children’s book with a strong female protagonist. Kate (and some of you out there) may contest whether or not this engine is, indeed, is the real deal. Or (and here we butt heads) even female at all.

Listen to the whole show here on S...

31 Days, 31 Lists: Day Thirty-One – 2017 Picture Books

And just like that . . . *poof!*

It’s gone!

Not gone, exactly. The 31 Days, 31 Lists series may indeed continue next year. Just so long as the books or my eyesight holds out. In the meantime, it’s been a blast, guys. I appreciate that not a single one of you pointed out to me my atrocious spelling mistakes. When one is finishing blog posts at approximately 1 a.m., something’s gotta give and that something is usually the ability to accurately spelling the word “approximately”.

Why end with pi...

31 Days, 31 Lists: Day Thirty – 2017 Middle Grade Novels

Not a particularly complete list, or a very long one. Yet for 2017 these were the books that left a lasting impression on my little noggin. I read ’em. I liked ’em, every last one. I think they’re the bee’s knees. And I hope you like them too. Fiction for the masses!

2017 Middle Grade Novels

Auma’s Long Run by Eucabeth Odhiambo

To start us off today I think it best to direct you elsewhere. Specifically to the blog educating alice where Monica Edinger will lay down for you precisely why this...

31 Days, 31 Lists: Day Twenty-Nine – 2017 Fiction Reprints

I think it takes a special kind of bravery on the part of the publisher to reprint a chapter book for children. Beloved works of fiction are funny beasts. You’ll have a distinct segment of the population that fondly remembers the title, but because are dealing with books they read in their youth, that memory is not always a surefire thing. They may remember elements but not the title. They may remember the title but misremember the plot. And then there’s bringing the reprint to anyone’s atte...

31 Days, 31 Lists: Day Twenty-Eight – 2017 Nonfiction Chapter Books

Okay, folks. The rules are the same as yesterday. Books that have already appeared on previous lists won’t get a write-up. Newer inclusions that didn’t slot neatly onto another list will. And in some cases you’ll be wondering why a book that has a limited number of pages is on the “Chapter Books” list. If the content is for older readers, I’m including it here. House rules.

Enjoy!

2017 Nonfiction Chapter Books

Ben’s Revolution: Benjamin Russell and the Battle of Bunker Hill by Nathaniel Phil...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Shhh! Don’t tell Kate! I was supposed to drop this podcast on Monday as per usual but I got my dates mixed up and thought that Monday was Sunday. That’s the holidays for you. A bummer but since Kate has only a minimal online presence I’m going to try and sneak it through on a Wednesday like nothing ever happened. Like it isn’t out two days after Christmas and YET is a Christmas podcast. Hee hee  . . . heh . . . he  . . . *sigh*

A pity since it’s a good one too. After hearing so much about the...

31 Days, 31 Lists: Day Twenty-Seven – 2017 Favorite Nonfiction Picture Books

Well folks, we’re reaching the end of this month-long party. There are only a few lists to go, and it looks like I’ve been saving some of the biggies to the end. And because there are only so many hours in a day, and because I’ve mentioned a lot of these titles before, I’m just going to do write-ups for the ones that are making their 31 Days, 31 Lists debuts today.

Here then are the titles from 2017 that just made me exceedingly happy. If I were trapped on a desert island . . . with a librar...

31 Days, 31 Lists: Day Twenty-Six – 2017 Unique Biographies

In January of 2018 the cover story of SLJ will be one I penned summarizing the current crop of biographies for kids and teens of famous women and how this listing has changed over decades. In the past it was all Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart, and Rosa Parks as far as the eye could see. Who rates as the current top biography subjects these days? The results may (or may not) surprise you. Today, I’d like to honor the biographies of folks that don’t end up in a lot of history books and might not...

Merry Christmas! Celebrating Emmet Otter’s Jug-band Christmas With Editor Frances Gilbert

Ran into these two the other day at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta :

If this duo means anything to you then it could be that you too were raised on one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, Emmet Otter’s Jug-band Christmas. Produced by Jim Henson it was a sweet Gift of the Magi-type story involving lower income otters, nasty 70s rockband vermin, and a washtub, formerly without holes. The piece was actually based on a book by Russell Hoban, illustrated by his then wife Lillia...

31 Days, 31 Lists: Day Twenty-Five – 2017 Transcendent Holiday Picture Books

The holiday picture book is a fascinating object in terms of artistic quality. Most public libraries, due to space issues, will create separate “Holiday” book sections where these books are sequestered away for all time. They are pigeonholed to a particular time of the year, sometimes to the good and sometimes to their detriment. And every year publishers see they as sure-fire moneymakers and release a whole slew of the puppies in one fell swoop. Most of these are so forgettable that your br...