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Reviews 2016

October 23, 2024 by Betsy Bird

Review Rewind: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Today, take a trip back in time with me to 2016 when I first reviewed The Wild Robot. A glimpse into an assessment of a modern classic.

November 18, 2016 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Snow White by Matt Phelan

Snow White: A Graphic Novel By Matt Phelan Candlewick Press $19.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-7233-1 Ages 9-12 On shelves now I’d have said it couldn’t be done. The Snow White fairytale has been told and retold and overdone to death until there’s not much left to do but forget about it entirely. Not that every graphic novel […]

November 14, 2016 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders

Five Children on the Western Front By Kate Saunders Delacorte Press (an imprint of Random House) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-553-49793-9 Ages 9-12 On shelves now Anytime someone writes a new prequel or sequel to an old children’s literary classic, the first question you have to ask is, “Was this necessary?” And nine times out of ten, […]

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Review of the Day: The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat

November 4, 2016 by Betsy Bird

The Cookie Fiasco By Dan Santat Additional Art by Mo Willems Hyperion Books for Children (an imprint of Disney) $9.99 ISBN: 978-1484726365 Ages 3-6 On shelves now See, this is tricky. Very tricky indeed. On the one hand, as a reviewer of children’s books, not bound to any single periodical, I have the freedom to […]

Review of the Day: Grandmother Fish by Jonathan Tweet

October 28, 2016 by Betsy Bird

Grandmother Fish: A Child’s First Book of Evolution By Jonathan Tweet Illustrated by Karen Lewis Feiwel and Friends (an imprint of Macmillan) $17.99 ISBN: 978-1250113238 Ages 3-6 On shelves now Travel back with me through the Earth’s history, back into the farthest reaches of time when the sand we walk today was still rock and […]

Review of the Day: Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina

October 19, 2016 by Betsy Bird

Juana and Lucas By Juana Medina Candlewick Press $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-7636-7208-9 Ages 6-9 On shelves now Windows. Mirrors. Mirrors. Windows. Windowy mirrors. Mirrory windows. Windows. Mirrors. Sliding doors! Mirrors. Windows. In the world of 21st century children’s literature, diversity should be the name of the game. We want books for our children that reflect the […]

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Review of the Day: What Color Is the Wind? by Anne Herbauts

October 12, 2016 by Betsy Bird

What Color Is the Wind? By Anne Herbauts Translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick Enchanted Lion Books $19.95 ISBN: 978-1-59270-221-3 Ages 5 and up On shelves now I’m going to have a hard time of it when my kids grow up. When I had them I swore up, down and sideways that I wouldn’t turn into […]

Review of the Day: Are You an Echo? by David Jacobson

October 6, 2016 by Betsy Bird

Are You an Echo? The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko Narrative and Translation by David Jacobson, Sally Ito, and Michiko Tsuboi Illustrated by Toshikado Hajiri Chin Music Press $19.50 ISBN: 9781634059626 Ages 5 and up On shelves now Recently I was at a conference celebrating the creators of different kinds of children’s books. During one […]

Review of the Day: Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet

September 27, 2016 by Betsy Bird

Cloud and Wallfish By Anne Nesbet Candlewick Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-8803-5 Ages 9-12 On shelves now Historical fiction is boring. Right? That’s the common wisdom on the matter, certainly. Take two characters (interesting), give them a problem (interesting), and set them in the past (BOOOOOORING!). And to be fair, there are a LOT of dull-as-dishwater […]

Review of the Day: They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel

September 21, 2016 by Betsy Bird

They All Saw a Cat By Brendan Wenzel Chronicle Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-4521-5013-0 Ages 4-7 On shelves now It’s funny. Unless you’re a teacher or librarian, a grown adult that does not work or live with children will come into very little contact with picture books. Then, one day, they produce a few kids and […]

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