Teen Librarian Toolbox
October 10, 2026 by Betsy Bird
When you find something this intelligent, beautiful and, yes, on occasion, funny, that’s a book worth holding on to tight. I review a fabulous Korean import.
September 4, 2026 by Betsy Bird
Anxious children, kids that feel deeply for animals, and young people who are worried about some big change in their lives will all be able to particularly relate to what Goodbye, Koi is telling them: sometimes, you have to give up what's familiar for a chance to glimpse the sky.
August 20, 2026 by Betsy Bird
Extraordinarily beautiful and more than a little wise, now you can convert your verse loving science haters and convert your science hating poetry-lovers, all in one fell swoop.
August 3, 2026 by Betsy Bird
I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed.
July 16, 2026 by Betsy Bird
Practically wordless, this author/illustrator debut title manages to capture the beauty, pathos, and sheer wonder of ballet while, at the same time, touching on the joys and anxiety of performance AND pulling off some visual acrobatics in the art.
June 5, 2026 by Betsy Bird
Illustrator Elly MacKay’s incredible cut paper artistry and Nora Nickum’s smart text highlight the risk, the bravery, and the ingenuity of massive creatures facing a difficult world.
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May 22, 2026 by Betsy Bird
You want a hilarious middle grade full of action, social commentary, a Black girl heroine with wits, smarts, and humor, and an alternate world scarily close to our own? This way please.
May 8, 2026 by Betsy Bird
Thoughts on gatekeeping, children's books, diverse voices, and how you can create a picture book that somehow, remarkably, gets everything right, all at once.
April 24, 2026 by Betsy Bird
When your kids have devoured the samey samey GNs out there and they want a comic that’s a cut above (and doesn’t look like anybody else), that’s when you hit ‘em in the Chernobyl. Far and away a favorite of the year.
April 12, 2026 by Betsy Bird
If you want your child to read books that they’ll forget in a month’s time, hand them pablum. If you want them to think, rethink, and return to a book for the rest of their life? This is what you give.
Teen Librarian Toolbox
by Amanda MacGregor
Good Comics for Kids
by Renee Scott
Politics in Practice
by John Chrastka
100 Scope Notes
by Travis Jonker
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