Heavy Medal
January 21, 2024 by Betsy Bird
Here we have WWII spy antics, hungry kangaroos, and a hero determined against all odds to help his parents, even if that means fooling Nazis.
October 30, 2018 by Betsy Bird
I’ve heard them called any number of things. Junior chapter books. Young readers. Early chapter books. Just plain old “chapter books”. They’re the transitional readers you hand a child when they’ve graduated from easy books but aren’t ready yet for, say, Harry Potter. And like any book, they have a wide range of reading levels. […]
October 16, 2016 by Betsy Bird
I usually begin with a video of myself whenever I’ve a chance, but this week I’m preempting my own face because this video is the coolest thing ever. By the time I left New York Public Library its Rose Reading Room had already been closed for half a year. Now you get to see the […]
July 7, 2016 by Betsy Bird
The Inquisitor’s Tale or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog By Adam Gidwitz Illuminated by Hatem Aly Dutton Children’s Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House) $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-525-42616-5 Ages 9 and up On shelves September 27th God’s hot this year. To be fair, God has had some fairly strong supporters for quite […]
October 28, 2013 by Betsy Bird
I have a sister. Did you know that? Tis true. She’s not a librarian and her interest in children’s literature pretty much begins and ends with me, which is probably why she hasn’t come up before. One thing she is? Crafty. Crafty as all get out. And the kicker is that she’s just started this […]
September 16, 2012 by Betsy Bird
I think it fitting that I follow up the last Video Sunday bit of teacher enthusiasm with this subsequent sneaky teacher taping. “We’re just smelling books, Mr. Lewis.” That would be Mike Lewis and though they acknowledge him at the start, it’s pretty clear they don’t know he’s taping until much later on. This should […]
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September 13, 2012 by Betsy Bird
Howdy-do, folks. Today I am off to the Yonkers Library to participate in a Charles Dickens panel with some experts in the field. Why me? I don’t precisely know but I’m honored to be asked. Plus the train ride will allow me to read my new Lemony Snicket book (this would be the children’s literature […]
September 11, 2011 by Betsy Bird
Oh good. Now we have a rallying cry. Bonus. Thanks to Maureen Johnson for the link. Travis at 100 Scope Notes recently discovered the author video cache to beat all author video caches. As he puts it “I challenge you to a good ol’ fashioned game of ‘I Bet I Can Find a Video Interview […]
May 30, 2011 by Betsy Bird
So let’s get a grasp on what exactly it is I’m talking about here. Day of Dialog. A day when School Library Journal and roughly 1.5 billion children’s book publishers (read: 16, give or take) get together and attendees (who are mostly children’s librarians and children’s booksellers) get to witness a variety of interesting panels […]
January 16, 2011 by Betsy Bird
Book trailers get based on all sorts of things, but I have never encountered one that took its cue from the book’s own cover. And not in a cheap way either. This rather breathtaking trailer for Adam Gidwitz’s A Tale Dark and Grimm somehow manages to be precisely the right length with precisely the right […]
Teen Librarian Toolbox
by Amanda MacGregor
Politics in Practice
by John Chrastka
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