Betsy Bird's Blog, page 243

Children’s Literary Salon: The Art of Enthusiasm

We’re just hitting it out of the park now. Fast on the heels of our last Salon with Jeanne Birdsall and N.D. Wilson (info below), this coming Saturday I managed to bring together the three kings of children’s book social media. Behold!

If you’d like to watch the discussion live, tune in 2:00 CST here. And if you live in the area, you simply have to come. Never before have these three been interviewed at the same time by . . . uh . . me. Or possibly anyone else (note to self: check if this is...

The Rabbit Hole or “It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it can’t suck.”

This is big. Maybe the biggest idea in the realm of children’s literature I’ve seen in years. Possibly my entire career. I don’t like using the term “gamechanger” but I can’t think of a better word in this particular case.

Okay. So imagine, if you will, a new children’s book museum. But where that term would usually invoke images of adult-centric locations, The Rabbit Hole is going to be immersive. They’re bandying about the term “Explorastorium” which gets you a bit closer to what they’re do...

Review of the Day: One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bernstrom

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree
By Daniel Bernstrom
Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel
Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of Harper Collins)
$17.99
ISBN: 978-0-06-235485-3
Ages 3-6
On shelves May 3rd

Like any children’s librarian, I like to assess each picture book that crosses by my eyeballs for readaloud potential. While every picture book (even the wordless ones) can be read aloud to a large group of children, only a select few thrive in that environment. It takes a certain mag...

Fusenews: I wouldn’t waste my time riding a bike

Hokey dokey. Too much stuff here to cover very well, but try we shall. Hold on to your hats, folks! It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

First off, you know how I was talking the other day about constructing the ideal educator website of children’s literature resources? Well, this might have to be one of said resources I’d include. Called Uncover the Past, the site is dedicated to “helping library and education professionals teach history through children’s literature!” The booklists are particularl...

Surprising Jolts of Children’s Literature in Unexpected Places

It’s back! I’ve been doing my thing, buying lovely adult titles for my library system, and time and again I’ve run across ideas or names that fall squarely in the children’s book realm. Here then are some real beauties. Things you just might not know about otherwise.

I know and like Elisha Cooper but I’m ashamed to say that before this book was announced I was unaware of his previous memoir A Father’s First Year which was released in 2006. Since that time, Cooper’s daughter was diagnosed at...

Video Sunday: The Other Man in Purple

So many good videos to choose from today! First and foremost, I begin with a very special message from Jon Scieszka. It seems you still have two days to vote in the Children’s Book Choice Awards and . . . well . . . Jon would really like your kids to do so. Seriously.

I own that suit!

I also enjoyed this video from Storycorps. In it, a woman reflects on the bookmobile that changed her life:

In other news, it’s been a good book trailer season. When I went to Zootopia the other day (and how c...

Children’s Literary Salon: On Beyond Narnia

Today a co-worker pulled me aside and asked about our next Children’s Literary Salon. She wanted to know how I was getting such fabulous stars, particularly since the next Salon (a week from this Saturday) will be featuring not just Penderwicks scribe Jeanne Birdsall but author N.D. Wilson to boot. Add in the topic (a little non-Christian Humanism with your kidlit, anyone?) and you’ve got yourself a slam bang killer talk. I told her that authors are generous people and Jeanne and Nate particu...

Review of the Day: Samurai Rising by Pamela S. Turner

Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune
By Pamela S. Turner
Illustrated by Gareth Hinds
Charlesbridge
$16.95
ISBN: 9781580895842
Ages 10 and up
On shelves now

When you read enough children’s books published in a single year, folks tend to believe that you’ve an ability to spot trends in the general literature. Trend-spotting is easy enough when you’re dealing with picture books (hot in 2016: Bears rampaging through picnics and blobfish!) but books written for older readers...

Never Gonna Sequel

It’s happened to us all. You hear that one of your favorite books for kids or teens is being adapted to the silver screen and you are struck with a simultaneous feeling of hope and fear. You go to see it and it’s even worse than you imagined. Then you leave the theater and realize that this was based on the first book in a series. Are they honestly going to keep going, even if this is a flop?

Thankfully, the answer is usually no. But what happens is that you’re left with a lot of series just...

An Authorial Bookstore

You may have seen the piece in Publishers Weekly. Judy Blume, Bookseller, it was called. When I saw the title I just assumed it was just about one of those events when authors go into bookstores and take over for the employees for a day. Instead, what I found was that Ms. Blume opened up an independent bookstore with her husband as recently as two months ago and she helps run it regularly.*

Ms. Blume is hardly the first author to go into the bookstore business. Just off the top of my head I...