Betsy Bird's Blog, page 25

Free Piano (Not Haunted): A Cover Reveal and Q&A with Whitney Gardner

My 13-year-old asked for her own YouTube channel the other day. I said no, but it’s not the first time I’ve found the world of content creation to be so alluring to my offspring. With such thoughts on my mind these days, I was very drawn to graphic novelist Whitney Gardner and her upcoming comic (with a killer name) Free Piano (Not Haunted). Out July 15, 2025, here’s a quickie plot description for you:

“Margot���s determined to win her��wannabee-webstar absent��dad���s approval by becoming ...

Cover Reveal and Q&A: Dusti Bowling’s Latest – The Beat I Drum (Apr 2025)

Question: Were you all fans of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus when it was released? Maybe so. Heck, maybe you still are a fan. Or your kids might be. As I recall, that book is one of those titles where kids just remain gaga about it, long after they’ve put it down. There have been many books since in what we call the “Aven Green” universe (The Greeniverse?) and now it is my sheer and utter delight to introduce you to the latest.

Remember Connor, the kid with Tourette’s Syndrome?...

Mac Barnett Sleighs

I’m sure you’ve seen it. When Mac Barnett announced that he and Jon Klassen had a Substack, I took a gander. Sure I did. And damned if it wasn’t good. Real good. Mac and Jon have a way of thinking deeply about children’s books in ways that are sometimes familiar yet always have a thought or a take that is wholly original. Does that make sense?

Anyway, Mac’s into Santa these days. I’m sure you’ve seen Jon and Mac’s recent challenge to stores to create a better window display for How Does Sant...

Power to the Parasites… Power to the Parasites, Right On (Right On!) It’s a Chelsea L. Wood Interview

This happens every year. Every single year. November rolls around. I feel pretty good about the bulk of the books that I was able to read throughout the year. And then, at the very last second, I encounter some kind of marvelous nonfiction book for older readers. And a lot of the time (I have no idea why this is the case) it is simultaneously fascinating and gross.

How are we feeling about parasites today?

Power to the Parasites (which, let it be said, is a title so good that I hope someon...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann

I got all kinds of addicted to doing Caldecott winners after we recorded an episode on Kitten’s First Full Moon. Afterwards, I looked back over our recent books, and somehow we missed doing this book when it hit the 20 year mark. Bonus, it’s our first Eric Rohmann title! I don’t want to spoil anything, but this is the kind of book that rewards a closer read. Today we’re talking tattoos, lapine workout routines, and the likelihood that someone drugged this dang hippo. To put it simply, this ...

The Scourge of Upside Down Knitting Needles: 2024 Edition

It only comes but once a year and when it does it brings good cheer! And a lotta yelling. Big time yelling.

Yes! Today, you lucky devils, I am once again returning to everyone’s favorite series: The Scourge of Upside Down Knitting Needles.

The rules are clear. Knitting needles, as we all should know by now, historically have been portrayed in books for kids with their ends up, like TV antennae. And while there are apparently some obscure parts of Scotland where ancient grandmothers ascrib...

And, Too, the Fox: A Cover Reveal and Conversation with US Poet Laureate, Ada Lim��n

When I was a kid, I had a favorite animal: foxes. They seemed to me the best possible aspects of both cat and dog combined. To this day, I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing one in the wild, but I still admire them greatly. Now it appears that US Poet Laureate Ada Lim��n has written a beautiful picture book starring this most excellent creature, and I am getting the chance to share the book with you today.

But first, a publisher description of And, Too, the Fox, which will be released...

Review of the Day: Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi Farmer

Kwame Crashes the Underworld
By Craig Kofi Farmer
Roaring Brook Press (an imprint of Macmillan)
$17.99
ISBN: 9781250900265
Ages 9-12

No. I���m sorry, but no. You want to know what the Harry Potter series actually wrought? A resurgence in reading amongst kids, sure, that���s recorded for posterity. But it also brought about a massive, and I���m talking massive, new wave of interest in fantasy novels for readers between the ages of 9-12. And would you like to know what that meant for the publishin...

Winter Light: An Aaron Becker Interview and Video Trailer Reveal!

The weather, it turns (don’t read too much into that). As our fall temperatures begin to plummet downward towards more winterlike conditions, our thoughts turn to the days of darkness ahead (seriously, stop reading too much into this!). In this midwinter dusk we crave a bit of light. A bit of… winter light, if you will.

Aaron Becker

Turn your eyes now to Aaron Becker.

Aaron Becker is an oddity. A picture book author/illustrator with a penchant for epic storytelling. Yet that’s not his ...

Further Predictions! Everything That ISN’T Newbery/Caldecott 2025

Okay!

So last week I summed up the book that I thought might win the Caldecott or Newbery Awards this coming January. But you know what? The American Library Association Youth Media Awards aren’t relegated solely to those two categories! Not by a long shot! So just for kicks, let’s have some fun predicting a slew of the other awards as well. Because why not? Life is short after all.

Because we’ve a lot to go through, I’m not going to linger much on these. They’re just the books I happen to...