Betsy Bird's Blog, page 91

Review of the Day: Aviva vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk
By Mari Lowe
Levine Querido
$17.99
ISBN: 9781646141258
On shelves now

Anyone else noticing how much untreated trauma is swimming about in our children’s entertainment these days? Obviously a person can’t really report about a phenomena when they’re living inside of it, but we’re far enough in (through?) the COVID-19 pandemic to say that I don’t think it’s a coincidence that trauma is the #1 trending topic out there for kids. I mean, look at Disney even. Between Encanto and T...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

I’m a terrible cheat. I haven’t done this in a long time. I broke our rule that we wouldn’t consider a book less than 20 years old for this podcast. But today’s book is 19 years old so is it really breaking the rule or, rather, stretching it to its limit? The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds is a book that gives me the impetus to declare, “All teachers know this book.” That is, insofar as I’m concerned, a true fact. Today, we look a little closer at the story where the kid who says they’re not into ...

Pigeon & Cat: An Interview with Eddie Hemingway

Eddie Hemingway

Folks, I’ve been in this business a while. I see picture book creators come and I see picture book creators go. Of the creators that have stuck around, the only ones I’m really capable of remembering are the artists with a distinctive style. The ones that look like nobody else. Eddie Hemingway? He fits that mold.

Edward Hemingway? This guy’s good people. As his bio reads, “Edward Hemingway is the author-illustrator of the picture books Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship and B...

A Super Serious Discussion with Sue Conolly. Filled With Butts.

A couple weeks ago I had the chance to go to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. It was neat. I wrote many fun posts on the topic. I posted many images to Instagram and Twitter and Facebook. But without a doubt, there was one particular image that captured the hearts and minds of my readers and followers more than any other.

Prepare yourself:

Yep. You read that right. The Butt Detective. Unfamiliar with the series? That indicates that you may be an American. We live in a country where w...

Next Level Middle Grade Fandom, or, What Erin Hunter’s Warriors Series Hath Wrought

I’m riding in the elevator with my boss the other day when he asks what kinds of things my kids are into these days. “Does your daughter like K-Pop or any of that?” he asked innocently. He had no idea.

What followed was a lengthy explanation on my part, practically involving charts and graphs, of my 10-year-old daughter’s current obsession. Not simply her obsession, mind you, but the obsession that has swept up her friends as well. A fascination that strikes me as so interesting that I broug...

Fracturing Fairytales Left and Right: A Talk with Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat About Endlessly Ever After

Librarian Question for all of you out there: What is the origin of the term “Fractured Fairy Tales”? Was it invented by Rocky & Bullwinkle or was it already a common phrase in the general lexicon? If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a fractured fairy tale is what happens when a classic tale is revised so as to deliberately poke fun at the form. This may happen in a television program, on the stage, in a performance, or in a book.

Bonus Librarian Question: What was the first children’s b...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by DuBose Heyward, ill. Marjorie Flack

At long last we discover what became of Peter Rabbit’s sister Cottontail.

Sometimes you just want to read a bizarre 1939 feminist take on the Easter Bunny tradition. Right? I mean, am I right? Look, after last week, I wanted to give Kate something old and worth remembering. And this downright magnificent tale of single motherhood, gaslighting, phallocentric patriarchy, and cute bunnies fit the bill. Let’s talk about a book that wasn’t just ahead of its time but, I’d argue, is the gold st...

Review of the Day: Odd Birds by Laura Gehl, ill. Gareth Lucas

Odd Birds: Meet Nature’s Weirdest Flock
By Laura Gehl
Illustrated by Gareth Lucas
Abrams Appleseed (an imprint of Abrams)
$8.99
ISBN: 9781419742231
Ages 0-2
On shelves June 14th

I write long reviews for books that are intended for very small people. I do this because I am of the opinion that just because the intended reader is younger than me, that’s no reason to give their books short shrift. Children’s books have to be the best possible books because our kids deserve no less. Now, inevitably, I’...

Magnificent Cover Reveal: Buffy Sainte-Marie and Julie Flett Present Still This Love Goes On

Sometimes I write a blog post containing such vile contents that I just have to get the taste out of my mouth, y’know? Today’s cover reveal does just that and then some. To be frank, I am honored to be presenting it today. But first, a little background information.

I was born in 1978. As a child, my impressions of Native Americans in my children’s programming was tainted by images and portrayals found in Disney movies like Peter Pan or old Warner Brother cartoons. There were some exceptions...

Publisher Preview: Meet Hippo Park!

One pandemic change that I wasn’t unhappy to discover was the sudden democratization of publisher previews. In the old days publishers would present their upcoming lists to a small handful of New York and New York adjacent librarians, or at gawdawfully early breakfasts during ALA Conferences. COVID changed some of that. Virtual previews are now available to anyone who wishes to attend, and it has been a great good thing. That said, such previews are almost inevitably held by the “Big 5” children...