I’m headed to the American Library Association Annual Conference in San Diego next month. I’ll be doing interviewing some folks for The Yarn podcast, including this: . . . signing a few books (The Ship in the Window and Caboose), taking in the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet, and popping into a few programs and sessions. Are you attending? Anything you’re especially excited about ..read more

Supriya Kelkar takes us behind the scenes of her latest book, And Yet You Shine. It’s a nonfiction picture book for older readers about the Kohinoor Diamond told in second person. How did she create this unique book? Listen to the latest episode of The Yarn podcast to find out: Subscribe below to catch every episode of The Yarn: iTunes Spotify Stitcher ..read more

Can you guess the children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads? I did not like this book because I do not like pigs. I also did not like this book because I did like the bed falling down. Click here for the answer. Why do I share these? Click here. If you like this post, you might like my newsletter, FROM THE DESK OF 100 SCOPE NOTES. You can click here to subscribe. Previously . . . One Star Review Guess Who (#1) One Star Review Guess Who (#2) One Star Review Guess Who (#3) One Star Review Guess Who (#4) One Star Review Guess Who (#5) One Star Review Guess Who (#6 ..read more

Mil. As in million. Dollars. That’s what it’s going to cost for some of the most rare children’s books in existence. Your rare Hobbits. Your scarce Potters. Your hard-to-find Harolds. I had a good time checking out the jaw-dropping collection of books available at the Raptis Rare Books website. Click here to take a look ..read more

Did you see it? Stealthily, silently, under the cover of darkness, a little unassuming session appeared on the American Library Association Annual Conference schedule. One minute, nothing, and the next – BOOM! Are you attending ALA this year? Do you like the Newbery? Then this session is so for you. I’m moderating a panel of the 2024 Newbery Honor winners on the PopTop stage on Saturday, June 29th from 9:30-10:20. I hope to see you there ..read more

Last time I dug into the end-of-the-school-year data, I was sharing the most checked out graphic novels at our K-3 elementary school library. Today, we’re looking at picture books. And what can I say, when kids like a character, they really like a character – you’ll see a number of repeat faces on this list. And like last time, we have 10 books here, but due to ties we begin the countdown at #6. #6. The Pigeon Has to Go to School! by Mo Willems #5 (TIE). Disney Frozen: The Enchanted Guide by various #5 (TIE). Frozen by Victoria Saxon #5 (TIE). Unicorns Are the Worst! by Alex Willan #5 (TIE). T ..read more

Visiting The Rabbit hOle in Kansas City, MO is on my list of things I want to do someday. It’s an interactive ode to children’s books, where visitors feel like they are entering the world of their favorite story. NBC Nightly News visited and interviewed the folks who thought up this wonderfully crazy place ..read more

One of my main obsessions (which I share with Betsy Bird at A Fuse #8 Production) is noticing which animals show up in books for kids. Sure, I’ll notice certain animals on the rise or going down in popularity, but what I really want to know is: Which animal reigns supreme? I thought I’d attempt to find out. In this (very) informal study, I searched Edelweiss for different animals in children’s books titles and summaries published in 2024. The totals listed include both fiction and nonfiction books containing that particular animal. I went into this assuming that bears or rabbits would be #1 ..read more

I call it a top 10 list. It contains 10 books. But with all the ties it seems more like a top 5 list. However you look at it, these are the most-checked-out graphic novels of the year at my K-3 elementary school library. Let’s have a look: #5. Karen’s School Picture (Baby-Sitters Little Sister #5) by Katy Farina #4 (TIE). Smile by Raina Telgemeier #4 (TIE). Guts by Raina Telgemeier #4 (TIE). Mayor Good Boy by Dave Scheidt, illustrated by Miranda Harmon #4 (TIE). Lemon Bird Can Help! by Paulina Ganucheau #4 (TIE). Cat Ninja: Welcome to the ‘Burbs by Matthew Cody, illustrated by Chad Thomas #4 ..read more

I like to keep an eye on the book that could potentially be in the running for Newbery and Caldecott Medals. Of course I read A Fuse #8’s posts, but I also check in on the Goodreads Mock Newbery and Caldecott lists every now and then. As always, take these lists with a grain of salt. They can be voted on by anyone with a Goodreads account, and it’s difficult to get a full picture of the year’s books this early in the game. Consider this more of a group of books to keep an eye out for. We’ll check back in later in the year. First up, 2025 Mock Caldecott: Definitely some familiar illustrators h ..read more