Betsy Bird's Blog, page 249

Jolts of Children’s Literature in Unexpected Places

Okay! We start out today with a whole range of adult titles, either coming out in the future or newly published, that contain some children’s book reference or inclusion. And for a beginning let us examine a whole slew of books where the very idea of what a children’s author is serves as the inspiration for some very different stories. First up:

In the Land of Armadillos: Stories by Helen Maryles Shankman

It’s a collection of short stories set in a German-occupied town in Poland, “where myth...

Review of the Day: Jazz Day by Roxane Orgill

Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph
By Roxane Orgill
Illustrated by Francis Vallejo
Candlewick Press
$18.99
ISBN: 9780763669546
Ages 9-12
On shelves March 8th

Some books for kids have a hard road ahead of them. Here’s a secret. If you want a book to sell just oodles and oodles of copies to the general public, all you have to do is avoid writing in one of two specific genres: poetry and nonfiction. Even the best and brightest nonfiction books have a nasty tendency to fade from p...

Conversations on Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Cake, Slavery, and an Unprecedented Pull

I think it was four or five months ago when I first saw A BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR GEORGE WASHINGTON on Edelweiss. It was pretty much the final edition, though it could have been lacking some of the eventual backmatter. No matter. I have to admit my jaw was a bit on the floor. This was all in the midst of the A FINE DESSERT brouhaha and I couldn’t help but wonder what the heck was going on over at Scholastic. Particularly since I was a huge fan of the illustrator and editor.

Did I blog about it at t...

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Let’s Have Some Cake

Or not, as the case may be.

I think it was four or five months ago when I first saw A BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR GEORGE WASHINGTON on Edelweiss. It was pretty much the final edition, though it could have been lacking some of the eventual backmatter. No matter. I have to admit my jaw was a bit on the floor. This was all in the midst of the A FINE DESSERT brouhaha and I couldn’t help but wonder what the heck was going on over at Scholastic. Particularly since I was a huge fan of the illustrator and edit...

Thoughts on the Recent Spate of Awards

I’ve been privy to lots of interesting conversations about our most recent ALA winners this week. And since it’s Friday and we’re all now able to step back and take into account what all just happened, here is a quick summary of some of the discussions, topics, and random facts surrounding the Youth Media Awards of 2016. Just so that you’re playing along at home, here is the announcement of who the winners were. First up . . .

Newbery

We’ll begin with the most surprising choice. Last Stop on...

Jolts of Thoughts on the Recent Spate of Awards

I’ve been privy to lots of interesting conversations about our most recent ALA winners this week. And since it’s Friday and we’re all now able to step back and take into account what all just happened, here is a quick summary of some of the discussions, topics, and random facts surrounding the Youth Media Awards of 2016. Just so that you’re playing along at home, here is the announcement of who the winners were. First up . . .

Newbery

We’ll begin with the most surprising choice. Last Stop on...

Most Classics Are Better With Robots

Last night I had a lot of fun speaking at The Bookstall in Winnetka about the trends of 2015, 2016, and all the 2016 books I was excited about. Afterwards a bunch of us sat down for dinner and drinks and the conversation turned, as is natural, to robots. I had mentioned in my talk earlier that as a 9-year-old I had avoided any and all books that were potentially “meaningful” and that I sometimes have to fight that same instinct today. A little later we started talking about robots. To be more...

Children’s Literary Salon Video #1: REFORMA, Refugee Children, and Bringing Books to the Border

As you may recall, this past Saturday, January 9th I hosted my first Literary Salon here in Evanston. In spite of the fact that some of my attendees were at ALA while others stayed home to avoid the heavy snowfall, we had a showing of around 40-45 people. The topic? Refugee children held at America’s border. Or, as the description read:

“Bringing Books to the Border: Jeff Garrett and the Refugee Children of the Rio Grande Valley”

When 70,000 children crossed the southern border into the Unite...

And the Winners Are . . . .

In case you missed it, the ALA Youth Media Award winners (Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, etc.) were announced this morning. Best of all, I was on hand to offer Pre-Game predictions and Post-Game commentary. Here are the results. Please note that there is no heat in the room I was commenting in. So if I’m trembling I have just cause.

Here was the Pre-Game Show which worked okay:

And here’s the Post-Game Show which did NOT. For whatever reason, the camera didn’t work. Ah well. At least there’s au...

Review of the Day: Gordon and Tapir by Sebastian Meschenmoser

Gordon and Tapir
By Sebastian Meschenmoser
North/South Books
$18.95
ISBN: 9780735842199
Ages 3-6
On shelves April 1, 2016

There is a perception here in America about the Germans. It is a firm belief that, as a nation, they are devoid of a sense of humor. Americans love to bring this up. I’m not sure what they’re trying to prove necessarily when they say it, but the idea has been repeated so often that few would bother to contest it. Can you name any German stand-up comics? How about fun...