It’s guest post time again, and Fred Guida has returned with another classic in mind. Remember Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce? Then take it away, Fred!
About Elizabeth Bird
Elizabeth Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.
Review of the Day: Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson
April 2, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Sharp and smart. Kind and caustic. Occasionally acidic, but in a nice way, today’s review is of the kind of book that wakes up dreamy readers and forces the darned kids to think a little. Precisely what we would have all been waiting for, had we but known to want it.
A Good Old-Fashioned Nonfiction / Informational Fiction Debate
April 1, 2020 by Leave a Comment
A rip-roaring conversation (with only minimal bloodshed) between myself and author Amy Alznauer about the border between fiction and nonfiction in the realm of children’s books and how carefully it should be guarded.
A Nicer Guy You Couldn’t Hope to Meet: Saying Goodbye to Thomas Anthony “Tomie” dePaola
March 31, 2020 by 2 Comments
Saying goodbye to a giant.
Beth Ferry Q&A on Fox & Rabbit
March 31, 2020 by Leave a Comment
With the patience of a Frog & Toad and the tone of a gentle French import, Fox & Rabbit just begs for a reread. So I did it one better. I interviewed the author. Today, Beth Ferry stops on by to talk foxes, rabbits, and why you don’t need a mouth to show someone how you feel.
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis, ill. Laura Cornell
March 30, 2020 by Leave a Comment
For WEEKS Kate has been bugging me to find her a celebrity picture book. When I finally did, she found it deeply degrading to women. Why? As you’ll see, today’s book hasn’t aged particularly well.
Review of the Day: Outside In by Deborah Underwood, ill. Cindy Derby
March 26, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Right now, in the Spring, when the world seems scary, this may be the comforting book about what’s beyond our back doors that we all need right now.
Hey, Whatever Happened With the Rabbit hOle? The Future of the World’s First Explor-a-Storium
March 25, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Imagine a place that turns the entire notion of children’s books and museums on their head. Picture an Explor-a-Storium a.k.a. an interactive children’s museum where everything inside is children’s book related. Mad, you say? Absolutely. Now check out how close we are to completion…
Report from China from an International School Librarian: Making Sense of School Closures
March 24, 2020 by 4 Comments
A librarian that’s personally witnessed the SARS outbreak, Arab Spring, the onset of H1N1, swine flu, the ouster of President Morsi, Ebola, and now COVID-19 offers advice and perspective on school shutdowns.
Guest Post: Wrestling with School Library Closures by J. F. Fox
March 24, 2020 by 2 Comments
There will come a time when this pandemic ends and we can get back to business as usual. Which is to say, the business of fighting to protect our school libraries and school librarians from the chopping block. Written before the arrival of COVID-19, author J.F. Fox’s piece here today is no less timely for what it has to say.
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus, Jose Aruego, and Ariane Dewey
March 23, 2020 by Leave a Comment
In this episode you will find a multitude of plover adjacent ideas, thoughts about developmental issues and when it’s right to seek help vs. let things work out on their own, and why it’s weird Leo isn’t a lion. Like, not even a little bit.
Review of the Day: Clever Hans by Kerri Kokias, ill. Mike Lowery
March 19, 2020 by 2 Comments
I don’t think it’s ridiculous at all to suggest that this book pretty much has it all. For the animal lovers, a cute and smart colt. For the mystery lovers, a true tale that lays out the clues, the detectives, and the surprising solution. And for lovers of science, this is a superb recounting of how people learn more about the natural world around them.
Ancient Wisdom for Trying Times. An Interview with the Duo Behind The Fabled Life of Aesop
March 18, 2020 by 1 Comment
Essentially this could be considered a college course on both the role fables have played in history over the centuries, as well as a deep dive into what it takes to make a book as exquisitely beautiful as this one.
Call for Submissions: How Do Books For Our Youngest Readers Inspire Action Towards Equity?
March 17, 2020 by Leave a Comment
The Illinois Reading Council is excited to announce a call for manuscripts for a special issue of their double-blind, peer-reviewed journal. The theme is: How do Books for our Youngest Readers Inspire Action Towards Equity?
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, ill. Helen Oxenbury
March 16, 2020 by 5 Comments
Nothing! Kate gets introduced to Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury for the very first time. We take a deep dive into the bear’s motives here. Amongst other things.
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