Betsy Bird's Blog, page 51

The Scourge of Upside Down Knitting Needles: 2023 Edition

Thaaaaaat’s right! It’s time for the Stupid Hill I’d Die On edition of everyone favorite petty post! We all have relatively ridiculous things that we get upset about. Whether it’s the aspect ratio on a television or the proper placement of a soup spoon, everyone has that little something that they care about more than they probably should.

Me? The correct positioning of knitting needles in picture books.

So let’s get the usual caveats out of the way. Does this matter in the long run? No. D...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse! by George Mendoza, ill. Doris Susan Smith

For the very first time in the history of this podcast, we have taken a request… from a publisher. That’s right! You know as well as I do that there are reprinted picture books coming out all the time. Well, New York Review of Books sort of specializes in that industry. Their Children’s Collection division has a tendency to find old and shockingly beautiful titles worth bringing back to life. And this year, in 2023, they decided to do a book that is so lovely, so strange, and so original tha...

Cover Reveal: World More Beautiful: The Life and Art of Barbara Cooney by Angela Kunkel, ill. Becca Stadtlander

If you’re a creator of books for children, you are obligated to go face-to-face with your fans on a regular basis. And if you are, say, doing a school visit you will find that the kids there have sometimes been instructed by their teachers to ask you questions. And the question you most often receive? “Where do you get your ideas?”

It’s such a tricky thing to answer. Sometimes you’ll have the perfect origin story at hand. It might involve false starts, drama, and humor. Other times you’ll hav...

Ellen Myrick Publisher Preview: Spring 2024 – Floris and Flowerpot Books (Part One)

It’s that time again! Time to get a sneak peek at a slew of smaller publishers, many from all over the globe, but each and every last one of them with books coming out in the U.S. in the Spring of 2024.

If you’re familiar with these previews then you know the drill. Each week I will quickly encapsulate some of the books coming out in the future that have caught my particular eye. I haven’t read most of these yet, but part of what I like about smaller publishers is that they’re often more wil...

Behind the Scenes Peek: A Look at the Art and Sketches of I’m Trying to Love Germs by Bethany Barton

Nope. Sorry. We’re just starting with a video today. No preface. Why? Mostly because after watching it I just wanna go out and have a drink with this woman. Here we go:

Okay, I sort of threw you into that, but it wasn’t without good reason. If you, like myself, have been following the career of Bethany Barton over the last few years then you know that her picture books are a cut above the rest. First off, they’re funny. Seriously funny. From This Monster Needs a Haircut to the whole “I’...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza

“There’s no possible way to describe what you feel, when you’re talking to your meal.” – Into the Woods

I’ve been waiting far far too long to do today’s book. It was introduced to me in graduate school, back in 2003, as an ideal storytime title. Lord, it must have been brand new at the time. Yes, this was a book I encountered in my Children’s Literature Programming class at the College of St. Catherine, while in pursuit of my Masters of Library and Information Science. As such, I’ve an in...

BB + LL: An Interview with Loren Long On His Upcoming Book, The Yellow Bus

You have to be of a very specific generation to hear the title “The Yellow Bus” and not get Joni Mitchell’s song “Big Yellow Taxi” caught in your head along the way. Fortunately, Loren Long, the creator of this book (and a bit of a New York Times bestseller, amongst his other accomplishments), is capable of overwhelming even the strongest pop music association.

So yes! Loren Long is the creator of the aforementioned The Yellow Bus and whatta slam bang book it is! But don’t take just my word ...

Jane Mount Makes Good Interviews: A Discussion With the Creator of Books Make Good Friends

In 2018 there was a book making the rounds that was neat. “Neat” is an odd little word, but I can’t think of a better one in this case. The book was called Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany and it was written and illustrated by one Jane Mount. Ostensibly for adults, it was filled with favorite books (and illustrations of favorite books) along with art depicting the world’s most beautiful bookstores, book quizzes, famous fictional meals, the workspaces of favorite authors, and more.

Jane...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales

Happy Halloween! It’s a day of celebration in more than one way. After all, starting today we FINALLY are able to start doing some Yuyi Morales books on our podcast! It’s been 20 years since this little number came out and we figured what could be a better title to cap off our 2023 Halloween season than with Ms. Morales’s first title? It’s still in print but how does it stand up after all these years? Tricking death/the devil is a Halloween classic in folktales, so we found it particularly a...

Announcing the Evanston Public Library 101 Great Books for Kids List: 2023 Edition!

101 committee 2023

Folks, there are many library systems you can turn to for your end-of-year Best Of lists when it comes to children’s books.

New York Public Library does one.

Chicago Public Library does one.

And . . . uh . . . well.

Fact of the matter is, not many libraries put their backs into producing really good end of year lists. Sorry, but it’s true.

But, my friends, there is one library, ONE LIBRARY, that puts its all into its own children’s list. It may not be the bi...