Elizabeth Bird
1,231 Articles
Last 30 days
Last 6 months
Last 12 months
Last 24 months
Specific Dates
From:
To:
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Stevie by John Steptoe
Lists of "classic" picture books are often white white white, with the occasional racist inclusion. That's why I'm always on the lookout for picture books from the past that could be deemed "classic" and come from a variety of different perspectives and voices. When it occurred to me the other day that we hadn't done Stevie yet on this show, I was a little mad at myself. It wasn't that we hadn't done a Steptoe before (see: Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters) but this was the book that put the man on the map.
Review of the Day: Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
There are kids out there that like comics and like realism and have long been starved for illustrated stories of the past. Hand them this book, and then hand it to all the science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts too, because this is a book for everyone. Impossible to forget, undeniable in its delights.
Press Release Fun: Announcing the Winners of the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards!
Comics are a form of literature both near and dear to my heart. This past year I had the pleasure of heading up the children's committee of the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. Here are the winners in the children, middle grade, and YA categories.
The Complete Listing of All Public Children’s Literature Statues in the United States (2019 Edition)
Having started this list in 2013, and subsequently updated it in 2017, today I give you the full monty. Readers have been very good about suggesting titles, so here is what I've been able to add.
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Shrek! by William Steig with Special Guest Lucy Knisley
We are pleased as punch to introduce you to special guest star and graphic novelist, Lucy Knisely. Naturally we asked what book she'd like to do and to our infinite delight she selected one we'd never done. Today's magnificent title Shrek! We get to talk about whether or not Shrek is actually Superman, how the succulent wedding bouquet was ahead of its time, and what this book has in common with the film US.
Review of the Day: A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
Lisa Moore Ramée has taken the complexity of the real world, with all its police shootings and racism and destructive tendencies and made it personal for young readers. I don’t care what kid you hand this book to. Every single one of them will understand what’s going on here and, maybe, what’s going on in the wider world. The new required reading.
Children’s Literature Statues of the U.S.: A Call for Entries
The time has come, dear readers, to update the Complete Listing of All Public Children's Literature Statues in the United States once again. If you happen to know of an obscure one that I could be missing, lay it on me and I'll add it to the upcoming updated post.
Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books: Some of the Best of 2019
Meet the most necessary and least loved age range of children's books.I have been carefully combing through every last easy book and early chapter book I could get my grubby little hands on and, with the help of my co-workers, I've come up with a good, if imperfect, list.
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
To celebrate this podcast being picked up by SLJ, Betsy and Kate tackle Sendak's best known book. Does it deserve its everlasting fame and glory? Find out for yourself! And believe me, there is a special kind of challenge in finding new things to say about this old chestnut.