Betsy Bird's Blog, page 97

Review of the Day: Marshmallow Clouds by Ted Kooser & Connie Wanek, ill. Richard Jones

Marshmallow Clouds: Two Poets at Play Among Figures of Speech
By Ted Kooser and Connie Wanek
Illustrated by Richard Jones
Candlewick Press
$19.99
ISBN: 9781536203035
Ages 6-10
On shelves March 15th

Often, poetry is meant to invoke the ineffable. A feeling. The way a certain slant of light snags a memory. Like music or art, poetry is capable of creating its own mood. Yet when we look at children’s poetry as a whole, quietude is easily buried beneath a whole host of louder, flashier, zippier concept...

Mr. McCloskey’s Marvelous Mallards: An Interview with Author Emma Bland Smith

Aaaaa! I’m so excited!

Okay, so you know how sometimes I’ll do a cover reveal for you and you’ll think to yourself, “Now come on, Betsy. I’ve known about that book for months”? Well, my friends, those days are long gone. Today I have a book that the author herself had to alert me to. We’re talking a November release today, people!

Show of hands. Who here reading this blog post today likes picture book biographies of picture book creators? Mmm hmm. Very interesting. You know, occasionally ...

A History of Toilet Paper: A Cover Reveal and Interview!

All right. We’re all friends here. You know me. You know my particular predilections. And if you’ve read this blog long enough then you probably have an inkling that when it comes to potty humor, that ain’t what I’m about. I get it. I respect the job that it has to do. I just don’t normally feel any particular inclination to indulge it. Well, today, I found a workaround. Potty humor? Meh. Potty history? Yes, please!

Today we are joined by Sophia Gholz. You may know her from such rarities as T...

The Sydney Taylor Blog Tour Returns! E. Lockhart and Manuel Preitano Talk Whistle

The blog tour, my friends, is alive and well. And honestly, when done with care, a good blog tour can bring attention to a whole host of titles you’d never see otherwise. So it was with great pleasure then that I agreed to take part in the official Sydney Taylor Blog Tour of 2022. You see, every year the Association of Jewish Libraries sets up this amazing tour with all, or almost all, of the winners of the Sydney Taylor Award for Jewish books for kids and teens. And this year, I have the pa...

Grieving Girls and Vengeful Mermaids: A Comb of Wishes Interview

Lore. Lore is good. Caribbean folklore is even better. I’ve always had a weakness for it, but historically the only place to find it in the children’s book world was in picture books. In the past decade, however, a great deal of island legends have made their way into novels for kids as well. And with mermaids a perpetual source of fascination, no time could be better to take a look at author Lisa Stringfellow’s debut novel A COMB OF WISHES.

Let’s get a little description of the book, shall ...

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli, ill. Paul Yalowitz

You know, for as long as this podcast has been going on, we have never attempted to find a classic Valentine’s Day book. It’s a tricky proposition. We’ve done some pseudo-appropriate books like The Pigs’ Wedding and The Marzipan Pig. I thought maybe we should try something love-related that is not hog-related. “It’s about a human and it’s about love . . . and he’s balding. Three for three.” This is a book that allows us to question what love truly is. Is love when people only appreciate you ...

Review of the Day: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli, ill. Paul Yalowitz

You know, for as long as this podcast has been going on, we have never attempted to find a classic Valentine’s Day book. It’s a tricky proposition. We’ve done some pseudo-appropriate books like The Pigs’ Wedding and The Marzipan Pig. I thought maybe we should try something love-related that is not hog-related. “It’s about a human and it’s about love . . . and he’s balding. Three for three.” This is a book that allows us to question what love truly is. Is love when people only appreciate you ...

One Sky: An Aaron Becker Board Book Video Premiere

I’ve been a huge fan of Aaron Becker’s for a very long time. That’s not particularly unique. Many of us are in the same boat. And sure, he has a Caldecott Honor under his belt for Journey (and its sequels are, in certain circles, utter obsessions for kids) but recently he’s been doing something with his art that almost interests me more.

Board books are typically simple affairs. So what happens when you use them to explore different kinds of light? What happens when the medium of the board b...

Review of the Day: Different Kinds of Fruit by Kyle Lukoff

Different Kinds of Fruit
By Kyle Lukoff
Dial (an imprint of Penguin Random House)
$17.99
ISBN: 9780593111185
Ages 9-12
On shelves April 12th

Books for children are exceedingly difficult to write.

Wait . . . no. No. Scratch that. Let me try again.

Books for children are exceedingly difficult to write WELL. I mean, any putz (and I do mean any) can string enough words together to fill 32-pages, call it a picture book, and call it a day. And yes, children’s novels take a little more time, but t...

Multi-Publisher Preview: Giving the Small Pubs Their Time in the Sun

Oh, you could attend publisher previews from “The Big Five” all day long, and if you do I salute you. For me, there’s also so much joy to be found in looking to see what the smaller publishers have on hand. And there are few people better suited to this task than Ellen Myrick of Myrick Marketing & Media.

Ellen represents . . . well . . . see for yourself:

Plus Red Comet Press and Pajama Press too

And let me tell you, I love my small publishers. I love ’em so much I just wish I could sq...