The other day I had the unique pleasure of promoting some of my favorite 2019 books of the year with a room full of librarians. As in any kind of promotion, you tailor your talk to the needs and wants of your listeners. And what do librarians need at any and all times? Readalouds! Now […]
I don’t know what it took to make Mr. Nogginbody come into the world, but whatever confluence of the planets allowed this madcap exercise in increasing hijinks to happen, I say let’s have more of it! In a sea of picture books that remain unmemorable five minutes after you’ve read them, Mr. Nogginbody hits the nail on the head. Hard.
When I became a children’s librarian the most nail-biting aspect of the job was, without a doubt, storytime. Granted, this may have had something to do with the fact that part of my training meant doing a storytime for adults. Kids, as it turns out, are a completely different ballgame. My earliest attempts at reading […]
To be fair, every single picture book, with the exception of the wordless ones, is a readaloud. You’re not supposed to just silent there silent and stony when a child’s on your lap. Picture books are meant to engage through the voice of the reader. That said, not all of them do well when it […]
They All Saw a Cat By Brendan Wenzel Chronicle Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-4521-5013-0 Ages 4-7 On shelves now It’s funny. Unless you’re a teacher or librarian, a grown adult that does not work or live with children will come into very little contact with picture books. Then, one day, they produce a few kids and […]
Who Broke the Teapot?! By Bill Slavin Tundra Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-77049-833-4 Ages 3-5 On shelves now In the average life of a child, whodunits are the stuff of life itself. Who took the last cookie? Who used up all the milk and then didn’t put it on the shopping list? Who removed ALL the […]
A Toucan Can, Can You? By Danny Adlerman Illustrated by Lindsay Barrett George, Megan Halsey, Ashley Wolff, Demi, Ralph Masiello, Wendy Anderson Halperin, Kevin Kammeraad, Pat Cummings, Dar (Hosta), Leeza Hernandez, Christee Curran-Bauer, Kim Adlerman, and Symone Banks Music by Jim Babjak The Kids at Our House Children’s Books $19.95 ISBN: 9781942390008 Ages 3-6 On […]
One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree By Daniel Bernstrom Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of Harper Collins) $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-06-235485-3 Ages 3-6 On shelves May 3rd Like any children’s librarian, I like to assess each picture book that crosses by my eyeballs for readaloud potential. While every picture book (even […]
This is the kind of award librarians should know about and don’t tend to. For anyone searching for good picture book readalouds, this list is invaluable. Read on: Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy Announces 2016 CLEL Picture Book Awards Shortlists Denver, Colorado, December 15, 2015 – Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL) announces the Shortlist […]
Robo-Sauce By Adam Rubin Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri Dial (an imprint of Penguin Books) $18.99 ISBN: 978-0525428879 Ages 4-6 On shelves October 20th. When I whip out the old we’re-living-in-a-golden-age-of-picture-book-creation argument with colleagues and friends, they humor what I’m sure they consider to be my hyperbole. Suuuuuure we are, Betsy. Not prone to exaggeration or […]
Hug Machine By Scott Campbell Atheneum (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-4424-593509 Ages 3-7 On shelves August 26th Do you remember that old Shel Silverstein poem “Hug O’ War”? This may be considered sacrilege but did you ever notice how the guy could do something brilliant one moment, like “Sister For Sale” […]
The Grudge Keeper By Mara Rockliff Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler Peachtree Press $16.95 ISBN: 978-1-56145-729-8 Ages 4-7 On shelves now. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that the phrase, “There’s no use crying over spilled milk” was invented with the intention of comforting a two or three-year-old. Small children, one learns, […]
The Simples Love a Picnic By J.C. Phillipps Houghton Mifflin Harcourt $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-544-16667-7 Ages 3-7 On shelves now I am on a mission. A quest. A journey to find the funniest picture books published for children in a given year. It isn’t an easy thing to do. First, you have to deal with the […]
By the way, I’m having a baby in late May. Did I fail to mention that before? Having a blog is so awfully odd, because you’re never quite certain how much to tell (and the case of Melissa Anelli just drills that home). That said, I’ve been running into a lot of friends and folks […]
Have You Seen My Dragon? By Steve Light Candlewick Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-6648-4 Ages 2-6 On shelves April 8th When I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan I would get this little thrill every time my city appeared in a children’s book. Which is to say, every time it was mentioned in Horton Hatches the Egg. […]
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