Betsy Bird's Blog, page 30

The Cyclical Journal, the Heroic Fable, and the Palindrome: A Daniel Nayeri Q&A and Behind-the-Scenes Essay on Drawn Onward

There are treats and then there are treats. Am I about to engage in a Q&A with recent Newbery Honor winning author Daniel Nayeri about his latest (and quite epic) picture book Drawn Onward? I am. But is that all that I am doing? By no means. Today, one and all, I am pleased to be delivering to you not simply a Q&A but also a very exclusive behind-the-scenes essay about the book by Daniel, accompanied by sketches by the illustrious Matt Rockefeller.

Drawn Onward, for the record, isn’t out unt...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Caboose Who Got Loose by Bill Peet

Our very first Bill Peet! Please understand that the whole reason we haven’t done him before is because unlike a lot of animators-turned-author/illustrations, he has no single huge title that he’s known for (unlike Seuss or P.D. Eastman). I literally had to look up the Peet titles that are most prevalent in my library’s consortium. The winner? Today’s book! Today we talk about Katy the FOMO Train (as I would deem her), caboose-eating monsters (who sadly don’t appear in this book), and why we...

Batchelder Guest Post: Mildred L. Batchelder and the International Youth Library: Part II ��� “Endless” Correspondence

[We are continuing our two part series by David Jacobson related to Mildred Batchelder, her life and work. You can find part one here]

A Newbery or Caldecott Banquet

When the Rockefeller Foundation put Jella Lepman in touch with Mildred L. Batchelder in 1948 ahead of a two-month trip to the U.S. to seek support for her planned international children���s library in postwar Germany, Batchelder was immediately on board. She provided introductions to top people during the demanding eight-city t...

Guest Post: Mildred L. Batchelder and the International Youth Library: Part I ��� Who Was Batchelder? by David Jacobson

The International Youth Library

On September 14, the International Youth Library (IYL) in Munich, Germany, will mark its 75th birthday. When it opened its doors, it occupied a few rooms of a war-damaged villa and amounted to just several thousand books. Today it���s the world biggest children���s book library, by far.

The Youth Library was the creation of the German Jewish ��migr�� Jella Lepman who, remarkably, decided to return to Germany immediately after World War II. Her goal was to er...

“We can only talk about the things we name”: Talking About The Dictionary Story with Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

Once in a while I may encounter a picture book that confuses me in a good way. It might be its messaging, or the way in which was written. Perhaps it’s the overall theme or it is simply doing something original that I’ve not seen in a picture book before. Whatever the case, these books are meant to be treasured. They are odd and strange and original, and they only appear once in a blue moon.

This year, The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston is that book.

Picture, if you wil...

“… the most beautiful thing I���ve held in my hands, other than my children”. An Interview with Cozbi A. Cabrera and Lesl�� Honor�� About Brown Girl, Brown Girl

They say the publishing world moves slow. I say it moves as fast as you need it to, depending on the circumstances.

Take a look at the description of Lesl�� Honor�� and Cozbi A. Cabrera’s upcoming Brown Girl, Brown Girl and the words “Kamala Harris” will jump out at you immediately. Or, put another way:

This powerful and hopeful picture book���inspired by the historic election of Vice President Kamala Harris���celebrates brown and Black girls and is magnificently illustrated by a Cald...

Cover Reveal: The War of the Maps by Jonathan Auxier

What’s your favorite Jonathan Auxier book?

Truth be told, there are a slew to choose between. Me? I think I’ll always like The Night Gardner the best, though I harbor a special place in my heart for Sweep as well. Mind you, the most ambitious Auxier project to date has always been his Vanished Kingdom series. Even if that title is unfamiliar to you, you may have heard of his books Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes and Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard. These two books actually belong to ...

“Caregivers are essential workers.” A Meg Medina Q&A About No More Se��ora Mim��

It is nearly impossible to resist the lure of Meg Medina.

Consider the woman’s career. As far back as 2008 she releases a middle grade novel called Milagros: Girl From Away. She comes out with a picture book that to this day I adore more than most called Tia Isa Wants a Car. But the book that changes it all for her, without a doubt, is a the YA novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass (out in graphic novel form last year!). After that comes out, people start really taking notice of Meg Medi...

Publisher Spotlight Preview: Fall/Winter 2024 – Neem Tree Press & Nosy Crow

Thanks to Publisher Spotlight���s own Ellen Myrick, we���re continuing to give you a brief peek into some of the books slated for release in the coming months. You can find the first of these round-ups of small publishers here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here, and the fifth here. See what all the (upcoming) fuss is about!

Scareground by Angela Kecojevic

ISBN: 9781915584625

Publication Date: August 6, 2024

With Halloween on the horizon, no doubt you were in need...

An author-editor Q&A with Editorial Director Kelly Barrales-Saylor and Maria Mariananyagam

Here’s a little something different to brighten up your day.

Q&A’s on this site are nothing new. But honestly, anyone can interview an author or illustrator if they want to. The bar? Fairly low. In some ways, it can be a lot more interesting when that children’s book creator is interviewed by someone close to them. Say, an editor. Such is the case today with author Maria Mariananyagam and her Editorial Director, Kelly Barrales-Saylor, previously from Sourcebooks eXplore, now the Executive...