Betsy Bird's Blog, page 76

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2022 Transcendent Holiday Picture Books

The holiday picture book fills a particular niche in our collections. If you’re a librarian like myself then you probably have a “Holiday” collection somewhere in your library. Maybe it’s a section kept out of public view, perhaps in a backroom, until the appropriate time of the year. Maybe it’s a designated section of your larger collection. And maybe your library, like my own, has started to wrestle with the question of what books should be placed in the “Holiday” collection vs. the nonfic...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2022 Simple Picture Book Texts

A new category! It’s been a long time since I came up with one. But since I just couldn’t find the same number of reprinted board books that I usually find, I figured we should highlight those picture books that are best for the youngest of readers. Now, as adults critiquing books for kids, our inclinations are, by necessity, mature. We reward books with complexity and loquacity. This is a bit of a pity, though, when you consider just how hard it is to create a truly original picture book wi...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2022 Picture Book Readalouds

Okay, we’re slowing it down a little here now. When I begin the 31 Days, 31 Lists series I always like to kick it off with a great big enormous list and then take it down a notch on day two. Even so, readalouds are a critical part of any librarian’s stable of go to resources, so this isn’t a minor list. Yet finding good picture books that can actually engage large crowds is a tall order. That’s why I truly feel the books you see here today are the cream of the crop. And don’t worry. I’ve inc...

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2022 Great Board Books

It is time, as they say, to get this party started.

But before I get into the meat of the matter, let me tell you a thing or two about the children’s book releases of 2022. As with every year, I conduct a book committee at my library (Evanston Public) to determine 101 “Great Books for Kids” (notice that we never say “best”). And every year cutting the books down to a mere 101 is deeply painful. My own personal consolation, whenever a book is removed from the potential list, is to know that a...

Guest Post – What Red Lipstick Has to do with Children’s Literature: Sharing Lessons I Learned While Teaching Creative Writers in Ukraine by Oksana Lushchevska

Folks, today it is my very great honor to host Oksana Lushchevska on the blog. As Jules Danielson described Oksana back in 2015, “Oksana’s doctoral research is focused on international children’s literature, and she also translates picture books from Ukraine into the English language, some of which have been awarded the Bologna Ragazzi Award. She also works with a private publishing house in Ukraine, creating bilingual picture books for children.” Since 2015 she’s completed a master’s degree in ...

Ellen Myrick Publisher Preview – Spring 2023 (Part Three)

I wasn’t kidding about more preview schtoof. If you’re interested in parts one and two then be sure to check them out as well. Today we plow forward with our third part. Lots more books for you to look at, folks!

Finn’s Fun Trucks: The Train Team by Finn Coyle, ill. Srimalie Bassani

This isn’t the first Finn book I’ve ever encountered but I don’t know that I knew much about their author the first time they made their debut. For those folks looking for books from neurodiverse perspect...

Ellen Myrick Publisher Preview Spring 2023 (Part Two)

Welcome one and all to the second part of our fabulous recap of Ellen Myrick’s marvelous publisher preview. Myrick Marketing, as I’ve mentioned before, represents a large swath of smaller publishers who need their time in the sun just as much (if not more so) than the big fellas. That’s where I come in. I don’t show you everything I’ve been presented with, though. Just the things that pique my interest. And today, these books were the very essence of pique.

Food for Hope: How Jon Van Henge...

31 Days, 31 Lists 2022: It’s Almost Here!

It’s almost here. As you may recall, each year I make a list of my favorite children’s books of the year. Not just a single list, though, but one for every day in December. I’ve done it for a number of years now, and 2022 is no exception. These will be books entirely published in the 2022 year. Each one, a sterling example of its kind. Some you’ll know. Some may be new to you.

So, starting December 1st, here are the lists I’ll be releasing.

Want to see other lists? Stay tuned for the...

A Lost Hero: The Rediscovery of Mildred Batchelder

Periodically my Library (Evanston Public Library) will close for a Staff Day in order to train our employees on a host of different matters. The training this past October was no different. And in the afternoon, as a bit of a break, I found myself taking my fellow employees to the Evanstoniana Room on the 2nd floor.

The Evanstoniana Room is the library’s historical section. Outside the room are flat files with additional information. Now while I was showing my fellow employees the statue that...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Our 250th Episode! Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever

It’s our 250th Episode!!

You know, when we first started this podcast we didn’t really have a plan in terms of how long it might go. Nor did I lay out a carefully considered explanation from the start of which books we would do, and in what order. All we had was the premise, a catchy theme song, and an unending supply of titles to choose from. Case In Point: We have never done a Richard Scarry book before. Can you believe it? It’s true though. You see Richard Scarry’s best known books are...