March 4, 2026 by Betsy Bird
2026 may officially be The Year of the Horse, but in the picture book world it seems a lot more like The Year of the Cat. Take a gander at what may be one of the coolest (and most touching) feline contributions to children's literature.
February 25, 2026 by Betsy Bird
Today I reveal the cover of one of the truly great picture books of 2026. I also get to talk to Leo Timmers and ask him about his painting process (something I've wondered about for years).
February 19, 2026 by Betsy Bird
"The very best antidote or response to a stereotype (in life or fiction) is the shining particularity of an individual." We debut Amy Alznauer's middle grade novel and have a marvelous talk about Deaf culture, horses, and stumbling on prophetic ideas from your younger self.
ADVERTISEMENT
February 13, 2026 by Betsy Bird
"An irony of having so many excellent nonfiction books for children is that it can appear that we already know everything: that our world is all mapped, archived, indexed, sorted. That’s not true, of course. But it can feel that way."
February 10, 2026 by Betsy Bird
Imagine a Pinter play as an informational book for kids, highlighting a natural disaster, and you'll have a sense of what author Mary Kay Carson has pulled off with her dual releases in 2026. Hear her words and see her covers!
January 15, 2026 by Betsy Bird
"I wanted my readers to accept themselves, and speak their truths. And so I had to speak mine first." Shifa Safadi joins us today to talk about what it truly takes to write an honest book for kids and also to reveal the cover of this new middle grade work!
ADVERTISEMENT
January 8, 2026 by Betsy Bird
"How do I acknowledge the harm without letting it dominate the story or overshadow the light? How can I stay truthful about the past while keeping the focus on queer joy?" Learn the answers to these questions in this glorious cover reveal and Q&A.
November 28, 2025 by Betsy Bird
"Risk is so much easier when you're not fretting the outcome." Today we talk mistakes, art, and the life of an influential man with the creators of a new picture book bio.
October 28, 2025 by Betsy Bird
Would you like to hear a story? A true one? One told by Laurie Halse Anderson? Discover the tale of how Abigail Adams inoculated her family against smallpox, and see the repackage of Anderson's Fever 1793.
October 9, 2025 by Betsy Bird
"I was gobsmacked by the new research of awe—how it can change the way you think and feel, lessening our anxieties and making us more generous and kind. And I knew I had to write a book for kids..."
Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

