100 Scope Notes
December 31, 2012 by Betsy Bird
It’s a Tiger! By David LaRochelle Illustrated by Jeremy Tankard Chronicle Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8118-6925-6 Ages 4-8 On shelves now There is an art to reading a picture book but I’ve not encountered many schools that actually teach that skill. Librarians will learn it in their graduate courses, of course, but what about parents and […]
December 5, 2012 by Betsy Bird
The Chicken Problem By Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson Random House $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-375-86989-1 Ages 3-7 On shelves now. I was once in Prospect Park in Brooklyn when I passed a very small child wearing a porkpie hat running as fast as his chubby legs could carry him. Behind him his father yelled out (to […]
October 22, 2012 by Betsy Bird
Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters By K.G. Campbell Kids Can Press $16.95 ISBN: 978-1-55453-770-9 Ages 4-8 On shelves now When writing a picture book it can sometimes be a good idea to take a universal childhood annoyance and then build upon it in a satisfyingly ridiculous manner. And kids, let’s face it, are often annoyed. They have […]
September 20, 2012 by Betsy Bird
Creepy Carrots! By Aaron Reynolds Illustrated by Peter Brown Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3 Ages 4-8 On shelves now A children’s librarian is half media specialist, half psychic. It isn’t enough to have to know the books in your collection. You have to know what that pint-sized patron standing before […]
September 8, 2012 by Betsy Bird
Jonathan & Martha By Petr Horacek Phaidon Press Inc. $14.95 ISBN: 978-0-7148-6351-1 Ages 3-7 On shelves now Ever tried to write a picture book before? Blooming bloody hard work they are. Synthesizing a point down to as few words as possible without sacrificing story or character is akin to trying to cram a muffin into […]
August 25, 2012 by Betsy Bird
Cat Tale By Michael Hall Greenwillow (an imprint of Harper Collins) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-06-191516-1 Ages 6-10 On shelves August 28th When we are old and gray and the stars gleam a little less brightly in the wide firmament above our heads, I have no doubt that there will STILL be children’s librarians out there debating […]
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August 11, 2012 by Betsy Bird
Step Gently Out By Helen Frost Photographs by Rick Lieder Candlewick Press $15.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-5601-0 Ages 3-8 On shelves now I have lots of little soapboxes scattered around my home that I like to pounce on in idle moments. Big soapboxes. Little soapboxes. Anyone who knows me is forced to hear me expound from one […]
July 31, 2012 by Betsy Bird
Up! Tall! And High! (but not necessarily in that order.) By Ethan Long G. P. Putnam’s Sons (an division of Penguin) $15.99 ISBN: 978-0-399-25611-0 Ages 4-8 On shelves now There was a running gag going around earlier this year that either Dan Santat was the Matthew Cordell of 2012 or Matthew Cordell was the Dan […]
July 20, 2012 by Betsy Bird
The Word Collector By Sonja Wimmer Translated by Jon Brokenbrow Cuento de Luz $14.95 ISBN: 978-8415241348 Ages 4-8 On shelves now What is the ultimate goal of the picture book import? When someone takes the time to bring over and translate a work for children, they’re expecting that book to be able to say something […]
May 11, 2012 by Betsy Bird
East Dragon, West Dragon By Robyn Eversole Illustrated by Scott Campbell Atheneum Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-689-85828-4 Ages 4-8 On shelves now Sometimes the obvious can also be the impossible. Take dragons, for example. Now say you’re a children’s librarian and a five-year-old approaches your desk and asks you for […]
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by John Chrastka
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by Karen Jensen, MLS
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