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February 16, 2017 by Betsy Bird

Surprising Jolts of Children’s Literature

February 16, 2017 by Betsy Bird   2 comments

By Day: Betsy is a mild-mannered Collection Development Manager, purchasing adult titles, and ONLY adult titles, for her extremely literary suburban library system.

But By Night: Betsy transforms into FUSE #8, blogging about all aspects of children’s literature.  And that includes adult literature . . . when it happens to mention children’s literature in some fashion.  This month the books are almost entirely for adults by people in the children’s literature business.  I see ’em.  I collect ’em.  And now I’m letting you know about ’em.

Last Things by Marissa Moss

LastThings

You may know Marissa Moss from her pre-Wimpy Kid notebook series about a girl named Amelia.  Or you may know her as the independent publisher of Creston Books.  What you may not know about her is as an adult graphic novelist.  In this wrenching autobiographical GN she recounts when her husband was diagnosed with ALS, better known to many as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  The title is out in May and though I don’t read much that’s for adults, I found the story absolutely riveting.  The Amelia books are referenced occasionally, but the concentration here is firmly on Marissa and her husband.  Pairs well with Roz Chast’s Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

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Birds Art Life: A Year of Observation by Kyo Maclear

BirdsArtLife

Maclear’s one of those Canadian picture book authors that show up with clever books like Virginia Wolf (Kids Can Press) or The Liszts (Tundra) but don’t get bupkiss in award season because of their native land.  More’s the pity since every time I see her name I know the book is going to make me (and countless children) happy.  In this title she creates, in the words of Kirkus, “A meditation on freedom and confinement and the creative tension between the two.”  If you’ve found yourself partial to the tone of her picture books, you’ll probably enjoy this year’s worth of ramblings collected while urban birding.

My Life With Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul

LifeBob

Before she was the editor of the New York Times Book Review, Ms. Paul was the children’s book review editor of the same paper. This latest book is by no means her first.  According to Baker & Taylor she’s also written such interesting sounding titles as Pornified, The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony, and By the Book.  In this title we learn about Pamela’s Bob.  Which is to say, her “Book of Books”.  Since she was sixteen she’s kept track of every single book she’s read in this little tome.  That would make this a book on a book of books, no?

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

LightWeLost

Hey!  My girl!  Jill and I used to be part of the same writer’s group back in NYC, though we’d known one another long before then.  A woman of many hats, she’s as comfortable working for publishers on the editorial side of the table as she is writing books for kids and teens.  Now she has an adult novel (with a distinctly New Adult-friendly cover, I might add) and a whole lotta buzz.  The rights to this puppy have already been sold to 25 countries!  Go, Jill, go!

Over the Hills and Far Away: The Life of Beatrix Potter by Matthew Dennison

OverHillsPotter

Recently I heard someone say that Beatrix Potter invented the art of licensing children’s book characters.  There’s a lot of truth to that, but she was more than just Peter Rabbit and friends.  In this latest bio (which Kirkus calls, “respectful”) we see, amongst other things, the woman’s controlling parents in a sharp light.  Knowing this lends credence to the theory that it was Potter’s mother that yelled at Roald Dahl when he was just a boy (a story and theory you can find in Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature).  I once had the privilege of transcribing some letters Potter wrote to Anne Carroll Moore at NYPL (the letters were kept in our files at the library).  All I can say of her is that she truly cared for her sheep.  Really and truly.  Hope the book mentions that.

Not as many today, I’ll admit.  I’m currently on an airplane headed to NYC to participate in the Mathical Awards.  More soon!

Filed under: Surprising Jolts of Children's Literature

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Beatrix PotterJill SantopoloKyo MaclearMarissa MossPamela Paul

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kate B. says

    February 16, 2017 at 11:19 am

    Kyo Maclear has done pretty well for herself in picking up awards–Canadian awards, international awards, Bank Street recognition…: http://www.kidscanpress.com/creators/kyo-maclear/699 . It might be more fair to say she won’t get bupkiss from ALSC.

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      February 17, 2017 at 12:50 am

      Good point, that.

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