Betsy Bird's Blog, page 218
June 4, 2017
An Ode to Cars Galore: The Wackiest Picture Book in the Last Ten Years
I have, what you might call, a penchant for the peculiar. Particularly as it applies to books for children. To my mind, it is easy, oh so easy, to write a book that follows the “rules”. Color within the lines. Be nice to your fellow humans. Pick up after yourself. It is also easy, odd as it may sound, to go overboard with nuttiness in your children’s book. The problem with this, though, is that you run the risk of alienating your intended audience. The books that walk this fine line b...
June 1, 2017
Fusenews: May Contain Comic Seriousness
Hey there, hi there, ho there, mouseketeers! Ain’t the weather lovely out there? Ain’t the politics insane? Don’t you want to forget about it for a second or two and indulge in some children’s literature news? Well now you can! I’ve some interesting tidbits for your consumption. Behold the following:
I don’t know about you, but I was kind of looking forward to the new Anne of Green Gables series Anne With an E. I liked how well they captured her gawky awkward age with their casting. ...
May 30, 2017
Query: Is 2017 a Stronger Than Usual Year for Children’s Nonfiction?
Once at NYPL I asked Marc Aronson to do a Children’s Literary Salon on the topic of the history of children’s nonfiction. It was eye-opening. It was extraordinary. It was not recorded for posterity so unless he does it again sometime (hint hint, Marc, hint hint) we have nothing to refer to aside from his saved slides. I don’t need any recording, however, to tell me that nonfiction for kids was abysmal in my youth and strong and wonderful in America in the 21st century. Every year I see a ma...
May 28, 2017
Review of the Day: The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish
The Ethan I Was Before
By Ali Standish
Harper (an imprint of Harper Collins)
$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-06-243340-4
Ages 9-12
On shelves now
Southern Gothic children’s literature. Sounds crazy, no? But as weird as it might sound it’s a legitimate genre. You may think it’s all Flannery and Faulkner but kids have a delightful range to choose from. Now usually such books are in the vein of Sheila Turnage and her Three Times Lucky series, Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon, and J.E. Thomps...
May 25, 2017
Unexpected Jolts of Children’s Literature: You Had Me at “Hellenic Mystery-Cult”
It’s that time again. The adult world constantly infringes upon or draws from the rich roster of children’s books we have out there. Here’s the latest crop of titles you might not have heard about otherwise:
Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller
At first this looks pretty standard. An adult novel about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s mother and her life. I guarantee you there are probably a hundred fan fiction sites sporting similar stories. The difference comes when you take a goo...
May 23, 2017
Review of the Day: The Ring Bearer by Floyd Cooper
The Ring Bearer
By Floyd Cooper
Philomel Books (an imprint of Penguin Books USA)
$16.99
ISBN: 978-0399167409
Ages 4-7
On shelves now.
Decent, hard-working, necessary picture books are, in many ways, the hardest books I review. Decency, should anyone ask, is not exciting. Deplorable books are exciting. Madcap horrendous books are exciting. Dirty, indecent, awful, horrid books are decidedly exciting. But good books that do a job no one else has ever done quite so well? Those might be exci...
May 21, 2017
THEY’RE ALIIIIIIIIVE! 2017 Out-of-Print Books Back From the Dead
I like too many things. It’s beginning to get suspicious. One day I might write a post about the necessity of world literature on our children’s bookshelves. The next day I turn around and start beating the drum for small publishers. Blink again and it is imperative that I talk to you about the importance of showing kids that women can be funny. And today? Well, today’s an easy one. Couldn’t be simpler:
LET’S HEAR IT FOR OUT-OF-PRINT BOOKS!!!
Think about them for a moment. Unless a book is...
May 20, 2017
Video Sunday: It’s Been a Long Long Time, M’Dear
Howdy! I’m neck deep in book promotion for old Funny Girl these days, but that doesn’t mean I can’t cut a little chunk of time out of my daily schedule to bring you a swath of some good old-fashioned videos for this Sunday morn. And what a swath it is! First up, a video that makes me suspicious. Not because it isn’t a great interview. I’m talking with B.T. Gottfred of The Nerdy and the Dirty about sex in YA, the taboos that do and don’t exist, etc. No, I’m suspicious that YouTube purpose...
May 18, 2017
Russia and Children’s Literature: A Storied History
If you haven’t been living under a large comfortable rock for the last year or so then you might have noticed that Russia has been in the news quite a bit. If you have been under a large comfortable rock, is there room down there for me too?
It’s funny but with all the talk of Soviets, spies, intelligence reports, counterintelligence reports, and the like it wasn’t until my husband mention Tintin the other night that it reminded to me that our current state of political affairs is reflected t...
May 16, 2017
Review of the Day: Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee
Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix
By Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee
Illustrated by Man One
Readers to Eaters
$18.95
ISBN: 978-0-9836615-9-7
Ages 5-10
On shelves now.
A kid walked up to my Reference Desk. Looked me square in the eye. Said, “I need a biography…” “Sure thing!” I chirruped. That’s an easy request. We’ve biographies galore in the library, after all. Surely one would please this customer. Yet the little guy just shook his head and continued, “I need a biograp...
