Betsy Bird's Blog, page 24

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2024 Rhyming Picture Books

Rhymes are dangerous things. Many is the picture book that has done them poorly. They are also remarkably difficult to pull off. Anyone who has ever read aloud a picture book that didn’t scan juuuuuuuust right knows what I mean. And anyone who has ever tried to write a book in rhyme? You also know what I mean. It takes a certain level of talent to get away with it.

Today we celebrate the successful rhymers! And, spoiler alert, not every book on this list is a picture book. There is at le...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2024 Transcendent Holiday Picture Books

Time was, the holiday section of a children’s library would consist of three, maybe four, different holidays, max. You’d have your Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Halloween. Maybe 4th of July too, if your library was feeling up to it. But times have changed and I’m sure a lot of libraries around the country have taken a more open attitude towards a slew of other holidays. Today on this list you’re going to see titles about Eid, Mexican Independence Day, D��a de Muertos, Passover, and mo...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2024 Simple Picture Books

It’s always a good idea to contrast the more extended lists I produce (board books, for example) alongside shorter ones like today’s. But first, let’s define our terms. To my mind, a simple picture book is a picture book for younger readers. Preschoolers, for example. Adults (particularly adult reviewers) are rather enamored of providing children with thoughtful, complex picture books. I include myself in that statement. It can be difficult to understand how truly praiseworthy simple picture...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2024 Picture Book Readalouds

It isn’t enough to write a good picture book. If you want to command a room and capture the attention of your young listeners, you need to write the kind of picture book that excels as a readaloud. The truth? Not every picture book does that. Heck, a lot of them don’t even come close.

Today, we celebrate the few that do. The books that you can stand in front of a room of twitchy children and enrapture in mere moments thanks to the power of words and images (and your own vocal chords) alo...

31 Days, 31 Lists: Best Board Books of 2024

I always like to kick off the month of lists with board books. To my mind, they’re the least respected types of books in the whole of children’s literature. Though vital to young growing minds, many is the new parent I’ve met who has told me, “I don’t think I’ll start reading to my kids until they’re a year old or so.” Never mind the evidence that reading to your children at the youngest of ages instills an early understanding that reading equates cuddling, family time, and general happiness...

It’s Here! 31 Days, 31 Lists 2024!

So exciting, so exciting!! Each year I dedicate the 31 days of December to a different list of children���s books released in America in the current publishing year. What that means is that all year long I���ve been tracking the books I���ve been reading (and enjoying), and slotting them into different categories so that once December rolls around I can put them all together and show you what the  year looked like.

Now these lists are entirely personal and subjective. They���re what I lik...

Free to Be You and Me: Curator Margi Hofer on This Once In a Lifetime Exhibit

When I heard that the Eric Carle Museum was hosting an exhibit on, of all things, that 70s chestnut Free To Be You and Me I was . . . well, quite frankly I was thrilled. That’s my youth, that is! But why would a picture book illustration museum do an exhibit on a musical revue? Turns out, the connections between the show/music and the world of children’s books is enormously strong.

Here’s the description of the show:

“Free to Be���You and Me: 50 Years of Stories and Songs��celebrates th...

Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer – A Talk with Quartez Harris and Gordon C. James

Someone asked me recently to come up with a list of the 2025 children’s book releases that I’m already excited about. I’m currently typing up a nice, neat little list and guess what book is featured at the very top? This isn’t a cover reveal, it’s a friggin’ celebration today, so I have no problem with showing you. Your eyes? Feast ’em!

Is Go Tell It our first picture book bio of James Baldwin? Not at this point (though it was when it was written). But trust me when I say that this is one...

MORE 2025 ALA YMA Predictions! American Indian Youth, Asian/Pacific American Awards, and Schneider Family

As odd as it may seem, I just can’t keep myself from making more and more predictions on what might win the upcoming ALA Youth Media Awards. I already did my Fall Prediction list of Newbery and Caldecott titles. But lest we forget, those are hardly all the awards out there.

Today, let’s consider the potential winners of the following awards:

American Indian Youth Literature AwardsAsian/Pacific American Awards for LiteratureSchneider Family Awards

Let us begin!

American ...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Hard Scrabble Harvest by Dahlov Ipcar

Turkey day approacheth and, let me tell you, it can be just a tiny bit difficult finding Thanksgiving Day picture books from 20+ years ago that aren’t offensive in some way. Today’s title came out originally in 1976, though you wouldn’t know it from the lead male’s shirt which is VERY 1985. We learn a bit about Dahlov Ipcar and consider a book where every single problem in this book could be solved if the farmer just installed, oh I dunno, A FENCE!! This is, to our mind, the story about a guy wh...