100 Scope Notes
April 28, 2017 by Betsy Bird
So I was at the New England chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators this weekend. It turns out, this is the largest regional chapter in the States. And viewing the 700+ attendees myself firsthand I can certainly believe it. Many thanks, then, to Josh Funk, Sera Rivers, & Marilyn Salerno for […]
April 26, 2017 by Betsy Bird
York: The Shadow Cipher By Laura Ruby Walden Pond Press (an imprint of Harper Collins) $17.99 ISBN: 9780062306937 Ages 9-14 On shelves May 9th. A wise bookseller friend of mine once said (and I’m paraphrasing here because she bloody tweets too often to locate the precise words), “If you work in a bookstore you are […]
April 24, 2017 by Betsy Bird
Yesterday was spent at the New England SCBWI Conference in Springfield, Mass. Today is being spent moving all my stuff across the street into my brand new home. As will tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. And the day . . . you get the picture. To combat this incessant […]
April 21, 2017 by Betsy Bird
My Valley By Charles Ponti Translated by Alyson Waters Elsewhere Editions (an imprint of Archipelago Books) $24.00 ISBN: 978-0914671626 Ages 4-8 On shelves now. I’ve written a lot about the state of translated children’s books in America lately. It is what it is. Generally speaking, Americans can be a bit cagey when it comes to […]
April 20, 2017 by Betsy Bird
Not a terribly long list today, I’ll confess, but want to know a little secret? Come close. I’m buying a house. Yep! After living in nothing but apartments (and currently renting a home that doubles as both a mystery house and a hospice for yellow jackets) I’m finally being a great big grown-up and owning […]
April 18, 2017 by Betsy Bird
And we’re back! Okay, so to continue yesterday’s post, let’s look at each holiday (post-Easter) and I’ll list the one book that typifies that holiday to me. Earth Day Green City by Allan Drummond Paired with his other books (Pedal Power: How One Community Became the Bicycle Capital of the World and Energy Island: How […]
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April 17, 2017 by Betsy Bird
I was tooling about the Twitter feeds yesterday, as one does, when I came across some folks promoting John Hendrix’s Miracle Man as an Easter book. A great book, no question, though like most Christ stories (Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, and yes all my references are 1970s musicals, why?) it sorta leaves the resurrection for […]
April 13, 2017 by Betsy Bird
It stands to reason. I mean, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Author Chris Barton has specialized in the un-specializable. From the moment his career began he has maintained an unerring love for stories that haven’t just been untold in the realm of children’s nonfiction books, but adult nonfiction as well. Remember […]
April 12, 2017 by Betsy Bird
It’s Poetry Month, my dulcet darlings! That can mean only one thing. Time to come up with a new way of writing poetry. Today, the challenge is simple. Write original poetry, that makes sense, entirely out of the titles of books published in 2017. For my purposes today I think I’ll work entirely in the […]
April 11, 2017 by Betsy Bird
A New School Year: Stories in Six Voices By Sally Derby Illustrated by Mika Song Charlesbridge $16.99 ISBN: 978-1580897303 Ages 5-12 On shelves June 27th Sometimes I think that easy readers are the hardest books for kids to write. Those are the beginner books where the word count is limited and you have to somehow […]
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