Betsy Bird's Blog, page 33

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Tom��s and the Library Lady by Pat Mora, ill. Ra��l Col��n

Kooky that we haven’t done this one yet? You betcha. It’s well known nationwide, been turned into lots of stage plays, and is generally a book that should be right up our alley. In the pantheon of heroic librarian books, where does this particular book fall out? We discuss the correct length of dinosaur teeth, sensible shoes, and how the HECK the artist created the art for this book. Honestly, we still don’t know.

Listen to the whole show��here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes...

Review of the Day: Mid Air by Alicia D. Williams

Mid Air
By Alicia D. Williams
Edited by Caitlyn Dloughy
Atheneum (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
$17.99
ISBN: 9781665941716
Ages 10 and up
On shelves now

I missed Genesis Begins Again. That sounds silly. How do you miss a book? Can���t you just pick it up anytime and read it? Normally, yes, and I could certainly do that right now if I wanted to. Could just walk over to a library or bookstore, pick up a copy, and start to read. But as a children���s book reviewer I hold myself to a weird rule. There...

Review AND Interview of the Day: Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo

Here’s a new trend that may or may not continue on this site. When I like a book, I’ll either interview its creators or review it. But once in a very great while I will do BOTH! Today, I’m not only reviewing Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo, but I’m also talking to Cherry afterwards about what makes this book as singular as it is. Stay tuned:

Home In a Lunchbox
By Cherry Mo
Penguin Workshop (an imprint of Penguin Random House)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780593661345
Ages 4-7
On shelves now

The lunchroom oc...

Publisher Spotlight Preview: Fall/Winter 2024 – Berbay, Child’s Play & Cicada, Difference Engine, Ablaze, and Floris

I’m feeling particularly engaged in today’s round-up of international books, presented to me by Publisher Spotlight’s own Ellen Myrick. You can find the first of these round-ups of small publishers here and the second here. Pay attention to this latest, though. I guarantee you’ll see something you like.

All In a Year by Chihiro Takeuchi

ISBN: 9781922610690

Publication Date: October 1, 2024

Perhaps you are familiar with Chihiro Takeuchi’s previous picture book All In a Day? It ...

Q&A and Cover Reveal: Seven by Sandra Nickel

There are Q&As and cover reveals and then there are Q&As and cover reveals. But really, there’s something kind of special about revealing the cover of a book due out approximately nine months in the future. No word in the English language can describe such a feeling. It gives you a sense that you have a special knowledge. That you yourself are special because you can peer into the future and know what books are on the horizon. And while some of my readers question such early reveals, I find them...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Who’s Got the Apple? by Jan L����f, translated by Ole Risom & Linda Hayward, Featuring Special Guest Star Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic

The American Library Association’s Annual Conference for 2024 may be over but here at Fuse 8 n’ Kate the party NEVER stops! And we can back that statement up by pointing out that this latest episode was actually recorded AT the conference. And not only that, it was recorded WITH a special guest star! Turns out, conferences are a great way to connect with folks you’ve only ever met online. After commenting so well that we dubbed her “the third sister”, Kate and I are inordinately pleased to w...

A Levine Querido Publisher Preview (Fall 2024)

Happy 4th of July!

And what better way to celebrate our nation’s founding than (checks notes), ah, by celebrating the books that exist in this fine country? Okay, so my reasoning for posting this preview of upcoming titles coming out of Levine Querido is tentative at best. Whatever the case, you can just assume that I was so excited to premiere these books that I simply couldn’t wait for the holiday to pass. And believe me, after you get an eyeful of some of these titles, you may be incli...

Tentacles and a Mullet: A Saki Tanaka Interview About the Ethereal BETWEEN WORDS

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending an American Librarian Association Annual Conference in none other than San Diego, California. It was my first trip to the region and I came away a big time fan. Who could resist it? The temperature. The sea. The fact that I got to watch crows and mockingbirds fighting in the streets like it happens every day. It was great!

Now at one point in the course of my travels I was explaining to an agent why it is that my librarians, when consideri...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Apple Pie Fourth of July by Janet S. Wong, ill. Margaret Chodos-Irvine

Ha ha! I am pleased to announce that with its 2002 publication date we are finally able to celebrate the upcoming Independence Day with a book that I’ve been sitting on for years. It can be exceedingly hard to find books for this particular holiday. Even better, our consideration of this book marks the very first time we have ever done a Janet Wong or Margaret Chodos-Irvine. Ms. Wong hasn’t published since 2015 and Margaret Chodos-Irvine hasn’t since 2006, but in their heyday this book marke...

The Perfect Conduit for Stories: Amy Hest & Erin Stead Discuss Big Bear and Little Bear Go Fishing

Like any good children’s librarian I bristle when I hear layman say casually that stale line that they-don’t-make-picture-books-like-they-used-to. Oh really? I assume you mean that books today can use more than two or three colors in the printing process. Or perhaps you’re referring to the fact that our books today are doing such a great job of highlighting a wider range of voices and perspectives. Is that what you mean?

It’s not, of course. They’re talking about some ineffable, magical t...