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Reviews 2014

December 29, 2014 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Hansel and Gretel by Neil Gaiman

Hansel and Gretel By Neil Gaiman Illustrated by Lorenzo Mattotti Candlewick $16.95 ISBN: 978-1-935179-62-7 Ages 6 and up When a successful writer of books for adults decides to traipse headlong into the world of children’s literature, the results are too often disastrous. From Donald Barthelme’s self-indulgent Slightly Irregular Fire Engine to the more recent, if […]

December 6, 2014 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Halfway Home by Christine Mari Inzer

Halfway Home: Drawing My Way Through Japan By Christine Mari Inzer Naruhodo Press $11.95 ISBN: 978-0-9907014-0-8 Ages 12 and up On shelves now There’s been a lot of talk about the role of the reviewer when it comes to self-published books. Horn Book Magazine makes a point of not reviewing self-published fare of any sort. […]

November 29, 2014 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Lulu and Pip by Nina Gruener

Lulu & Pip By Nina Gruener Photography by Stephanie Rausser Cameron & Company $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-937359-60-7 Ages 3-7 On shelves now To what do we credit the distinct increase in children’s books containing photography this year? I posed that very question to a group of children’s book photographers not that long ago and the answers […]

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Review of the Day: Neighborhood Sharks by Katherine Roy

November 21, 2014 by Betsy Bird

Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands By Katherine Roy David Macaulay Studio – Roaring Brook (Macmillan) $17.99 ISBN: 9781596438743 Ages 7-12 On shelves now. When you’re a librarian buying for your system, you come to understand that certain nonfiction topics are perennial favorites. You accept that no matter how many […]

Review of the Day: The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Russell Brand

November 14, 2014 by Betsy Bird

Russell Brand’s Trickster Tales: The Pied Piper of Hamelin By Russell Brand Illustrated by Chris Riddell Atria Books (a division of Simon & Schuster) $19.99 ISBN: 978-1-4767-9189-0 On shelves now. If there is a trend to be spotted amongst the celebrity children’s books being released these days then I think it boils down to a […]

Review of the Day: Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers

November 5, 2014 by Betsy Bird

Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters By Oliver Jeffers Philomel (an imprint of Penguin) $26.99 ISBN: 978-0-399-16791-1 Ages 6 and up On shelves now Beware ever becoming a brand, my sweet, for that way lies nothing but unhappiness and ruin. Or not. I think the only real and true problem with […]

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Review of the Day: Water Rolls, Water Rises: El Agua Rueda, el Agua Sube by Pat Mora

October 11, 2014 by Betsy Bird

Water Rolls, Water Rises: El Agua Rueda, el Agua Sube By Pat Mora Illustrated by Meilo So Children’s Book Press (an imprint of Lee & Low Books) $17.95 ISBN: 978-0892393251 Ages 4-8 On shelves now. Sometimes I wonder what effect the televised ephemera I took in as a child has had on my memories and […]

Review of the Day: Caminar by Skila Brown

October 3, 2014 by Betsy Bird

Caminar By Skila Brown Candlewick Press $15.99 ISBN: 978-0763665166 Ages 9-12 On shelves now Survivor’s guilt. Not the most common theme in children’s books these days. Not unheard of certainly, but it definitely doesn’t crop up as often as, say, stories about cupcakes or plucky orphans that have to defeat evil wizards. Serious works of […]

Review of the Day: Fox’s Garden by Princesse Camcam

September 23, 2014 by Betsy Bird

Fox’s Garden By Princesse Camcam Enchanted Lion Books ISBN: 978-1-59270-167-4 $14.95 Ages 3-6 On shelves now. Have you ever read a picture book multiple times, enjoying it with each and every read, and then find later that it was wordless . . . and you didn’t even notice? Now THAT is the mark of an […]

Review of the Day: At Home in Her Tomb by Christine Liu-Perkins

September 16, 2014 by Betsy Bird

At Home in Her Tomb: Lady Dai and the Ancient Chinese Treasures of Mawangdui By Christine Liu-Perkins Charlesbridge $19.95 978-1-58089-370-1 Ages 9-12 On shelves now When I say the word “mummy” what springs into your mind? Movies starring Brendan Fraser? Egypt and scarabs and rolls of crumbling papyrus? Absolutely. But what if I told you […]

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