She writes for children. She writes for adults. She writes and she writes and she writes. Now she has a new book out and a new trailer. I talk to Sy Montgomery about what it really takes to be a “good creature” in 2020.
Book Trailer Reveal: My Name is Wakawakaloch by Chana Stiefel and Mary Sullivan
May 15, 2019 by
Wrack my brain though I have, I can’t think of a picture book that specifically discusses the mispronunciation of the protagonist’s name. I mean, we’ve had lots of name-related picture books. My Name Is Yoon. Chrysanthemum. The Name Jar. Alma. But about the way you say it specifically? Hmmm.
Board Book Trailer Reveal: You Are Light by Aaron Becker
February 12, 2019 by
If you know Aaron Becker’s name it’s probably from that magnificent quest trio of picture books, Journey, Quest, and Return. Becker took a seemingly simple form, the picture book, and gave it breadth and depth without sacrificing child-interest and focus. But apparently that wasn’t enough of a challenge because now he’s created a board book and it’s a doozy of a marvel.
Book Trailer Premiere: It’s Not Hansel and Gretel by Josh Funk
November 29, 2018 by
It’s a little crazy but do you know how hard it is to find a decent edition of Jack and the Beanstalk these days? The Galdone version is, I’m sorry, really weird and the E. Nesbit too long. Honestly, one of the best versions I’ve run across is Josh Funk’s It’s Not Jack and the […]
Book Trailer Reveal: Lily & Kosmo in Outer Outer Space by Johnathan Ashey
November 27, 2018 by
The book trailer. It’s a weird invention. When publishers started to create them, the librarians, booksellers, and educators sat back and tried to figure out their ultimate purpose. It’s been a little more than a decade since their emergence and I don’t think we’re any closer to determining their final purpose. I’m working on a […]
Book Trailer Reveal: King Alice by Matthew Cordell
September 20, 2018 by
Yesterday I produced my Fall Prediction listing of 2019 Caldecott and Newbery contenders. But what if one of those books wins the Caldecott or Newbery Award proper? You know what happens in these cases, don’t you? Either the poor winner is so overwhelmed by the question “What’s Next?” from a populace expecting brilliance that they […]
Book Trailer Reveal: Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh
July 3, 2018 by
Let me tell you a little something about reveals. They slot neatly into two categories: Cover Reveals and Book Trailer Reveals. Now Cover Reveals are pretty doggone easy. You just say you’ll show the book jacket of a book, even though you have the sneaking suspicion that somebody on Netgalley or edelweiss has probably already […]
Book Trailer Reveal: Heartbeat by Evan Turk
April 26, 2018 by
Someday in the future, children’s literary scholars will specialize in fields like Historical Children’s Book Trailers. They will sift through a century or two’s worth of trailers, marking the significant changes, the highs, and the lows. And when they come to the late teens of this century, I hope that they’ll pause a moment and […]
Video Sunday: Wenzelian
March 18, 2018 by
A Video Sunday!! How long has it been? Too darn long, that’s what I say. And as it just so happens, we’ve a veritable plethora of goodies for you! So I think I’ll start with the official announcement of the very first Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. I chaired the Children’s category this year, so […]
Video Sunday: “My hero, my mentor, and my friend in my head”
January 7, 2018 by
Video Sunday is back, baby! After our extended month-long hiatus it’s time to stretch the old video muscles and get back in play. Now I don’t know about you, but this first video excites me considerably because it features an illustrator (and sometimes author) that I have never had the chance to see speak in […]
Video Sunday: Storytime Now
September 17, 2017 by
Top o’ the Sunday to you! Let’s get down to business, shall we? First up, the best of the best of the best. Now I have scoured the internet for information on whether or not documentarian Frederick Wiseman will be showing Ex Libris, his latest film on New York Public Library, on PBS any time […]
Book Trailer Premiere: Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos by Monica Brown, ill. John Parra
August 14, 2017 by
Every generation gets the Frida Kahlo picture book biography it deserves. Now at some point here I’m going to write an article about why some female figures get picture books biographies while others do not, and what trends in the greater pop culture landscape control these choices. Happily, I am of the opinion that the […]
Book Trailer Premiere: How to Make Friends With a Ghost by Rebecca Green
August 1, 2017 by
There are book trailer premieres and then there are book trailer premieres. When Tundra Books asked if I might be interested in premiering the trailer for Rebecca Green’s simply adorable How to Make Friends With a Ghost, I thought it might be fun. Still, you know what’s even more fun that a trailer premiere? A […]
Video Sunday: “Butters. Plural.”
July 9, 2017 by
I just love the Evanston Public Library crew. Our librarians are uniquely talented souls. For example, each year they produce a new stop animation summer reading video. This year they got a bit ambitious and upped their game to a stop animation Rube Goldberg summer reading video. In other news, I thought this next video […]
Book Trailer Premier: How It Feels to Be a Boat by James Kwan
June 19, 2017 by
Let me be clear – I don’t actually post every book trailer I’m asked to premiere. If I’m lucky, I may already love a book and then find myself offered the chance to debut it after previously falling for it hook, line, and sinker. How It Feels to Be a Boat by James Kwan fits […]
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