Betsy Bird's Blog, page 255
October 15, 2015
Burglars, Thieves, and a Classic Picture Book Trope
When reading a book like Mac Barnett & Christian Robinson’s Leo: A Ghost Story, one is immediately struck by the old-fashioned sensibility of the endeavor. PW said that there was a “retro look of the art” and Kirkus went further saying, “Robinson creates a vintage 1950s-’60s feel.” The feel extends beyond the art, however. In many ways Barnett has conjured up a tale that relies heavily on a favorite trope of picture books. Mainly, the ousted outsider attaining glory and love by catching a nas...
October 14, 2015
Fuse #8 TV: Laura Ruby (Now a National Book Award longlist finalist!)
As I’m sure you all noticed, yesterday the National Book Award announced its shortlist for the Young People’s category. A couple surprises there. M.T. Anderson’s removal will come as a nasty shock to anyone who has read his book and the elimination of Shabazz/Magoon effectively turns the remaining writers into a pretty white fivesome.
The five titles make for an interesting cross-section of YA literature, of course. With the exception of The Thing About Jellyfish they are all for the 12-18 ye...
October 13, 2015
Press Release Fun: BookFest 2015!
Ach. You leave NYC, you deal with the consequences. No BookFest for me this year. Some of you, however, might be a bit luckier. It’s worth it. I mean, did you see that they have Laura Amy Schlitz with Jeanne Birdsall in conversation?!? Right there. Here are the details:
Saturday, October 24, 2015BookFest @ Bank Street 2015
Bank Street College Center for Children’s Literature
Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (EDT)
BookFest @ Bank Street is an event devoted to the celebration...
October 12, 2015
Fusenews: In and out of the loop I go
I mention to folks that in my new job I actually don’t work day-to-day with children’s books all that often anymore and they wonder how I’m coping. As it happens, I’m just ducky. Since my spare hours are just as chock full of kidlit as before, I honestly don’t feel like I’m missing too much. I still read my reviews and get my galleys. But occasionally something will be published and I’ll be hit by an overpowering wave of self-pity. This week’s, “Why Didn’t I See That?!” kvetch-fest? Peanuts:...
October 9, 2015
Press Release Fun: The Launch of Read Quarterly!
Folks, I don’t post a lot of Kickstarter projects here, but this one’s a little different. It’s an idea that’s near and dear to my heart and . . . well, I’ll let the title speak for itself.
Gaiman Kickstarter Video and Colfer Original Fiction Help Launch The Read Quarterly.
The Read Quarterly (TRQ), the magazine launching in January 2016 to discuss the culture of children’s literature, has today revealed its first issue cover and has announced that the magazine will contain an original four-...
October 8, 2015
Finding MORE Children’s Literature in Unexpected Places
Not long after starting my new job with the Evanston Public Library system I wrote a post called Unexpected Jolts of Children’s Literature in Rather Adult Places. The impetus came from the fact that within the capacity of my new job I see quite a bit more adult literature than I ever did back at NYPL. But like some perverse kidlit dowser I can’t turn off my continual need to find children’s literature references in everything I see. Here are some more books that owe a great deal of credit to...
October 6, 2015
Walking and Talking With . . . Tim Federle!
Steve Sheinkin returns once more to write up and illustrate his “Walking and Talking” series. As with other posts in the series, Steve will have a conversation with an author or illustrator and then pluck out and bring to life the parts that really define something about the process. Part of the reason I love these is that Steve’s such a marvelous editor. He knows how to get to the heart of a conversation. And this week’s subject is near and dear to me. Behold all that is Tim Federle!
Thanks...
October 5, 2015
Review of the Day: The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz
The Hired Girl
By Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick Press
$17.99
ISBN: 978-0763678180
Ages 12 and up
Bildungsroman. Definition: “A novel dealing with one person’s formative years or spiritual education.” A certain strain of English major quivers at the very term. Get enough Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man shoved down your gullet and you’d be quivering too. I don’t run across such books very often since I specialize primarily in books for children between the ages of 0-12. For them, the...
October 4, 2015
Body Parts Blog Tour: Maris Wicks and Her Human Body Theater
Oh, I’m so very pleased today. It’s not every day when you get to be part of a blog tour AND feature a distinctive portion of the human anatomy. Thanks to Maris Wicks, now you can have both.
As you may know, a certain graphic novel by the name of HUMAN BODY THEATER is sweeping the nation. Imagine the wit and humor of a Cece Bell, the visual clarity and inviting style of a Raina Telgemeier, and the non-fiction humor and fascination of a Nathan Hale. Voila! This book. And as part of the blog t...
October 1, 2015
When Getty Images Attack
I was walking the stacks yesterday, minding my own business, when this book catches my eye:
I stare at it for a moment. It looks remarkably familiar for some reason, though I know I’ve never seen it before. Then it hits me:
Barbara O’Connor fan that I am, I remember really adoring this cover when the book came out. Check out my review if you don’t believe me. But in terms of the cover here’s what I waxed eloquent upon at the time:
Bravo. Bravo, Farrar, Straus & Giroux. You’ve managed to cre...
