I don’t remember much before I was three. I have flashes of imagery from preschool. Tuna casserole. Co-ed bathrooms. Puzzles. Big Bird. I don’t remember my dad leaving, and I definitely don’t recall an empty feeling when it was just me and my mom, together in a two-story house intended for a big family. My […]
September
16
On the Road Again, with David and Mike
posted by CBethM
David LaRochelle: Several years ago, Mike Wohnoutka and I were commissioned to create an early literacy program for libraries here in Minnesota. It included reading one of our books, writing a story together with the kids, drawing, singing, dancing, and puppetry. We visited 59 libraries that year and spent manyhours together in the car, driving […]
September
15
Inspiring Future Space Travelers by James McGowan
posted by CBethM
Space is cool. You don’t need me to tell you that. (Unless you’re one of those people who experience “cosmic vertigo” and can’t think about space without getting woozy, in which case you might need me to tell you it’s cool, so we can move on and stop discussing space. In that case, space is […]
September
13
10 Best Books Starring Kangaroos by Margaret Robson Kett
posted by CBethM
It’s the animal holding up one side of the Australian coat-of-arms. Europeans who encountered First Nations people speaking Guugu-Yimidhirr language in what is now northern Queensland over two hundred years ago heard them describe this strange animal as ‘ganjurru’. The kangaroo is adorably quirky and seems purpose built for picture books about mother-child relationships. My […]
September
12
Fun Facts from a Paleontologist! by Dr. Dean Lomax
posted by CBethM
Dr. Dean Lomax shares some facts from his new pop-up book Prehistoric Pets. Did you know… 1. …that Velociraptor is more closely related to living birds than to dinosaurs like Triceratops? That’s because birds are dinosaurs! 2. …that Tyrannosaurus rex lived closer in geological time to humans than it did to Stegosaurus? 3. …that the […]
September
11
JULIA CHILD AND THE TRUTH OF WITHOUT SEPARATION, SORT OF by Larry Dane Brimner
posted by CBethM
I suppose I blame it all on PBS. It was, after all, the YouTube of my youth. It was also one of three television channels we were able to pick up on the massive black-and-white TV that graced our living room, circa 1963. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was in the White House, and I […]
September
10
Honest, Human Characters by Kara Bietz
posted by CBethM
My elementary school was built in 1922. A sprawling, two-story brick structure with massive, leaded glass casement windows, marble floors and cavernous classrooms. The one thing Charles S. Ashley School lacked in the early 1980’s was a proper library. Instead, it was housed in the enormous auditorium, an afterthought. One long row of metal bookshelves […]
September
07
Scientifically Ever After by Sarah Albee
posted by CBethM
Nerdy Friends, I’m excited to introduce you to my new book, Fairy Tale Science. I’ve loved fairy tales since I was very young, although my older sister is fond of reminding me what a pain in the neck I was when our babysitters read them to us. I interrupted with lots of questions. For instance: […]
August
31
Weathering the Storm Together by Dan Yaccarino
posted by CBethM
Across all boundaries of geography and politics, the COVID-19 Pandemic has changed how we live. No doubt it has profoundly affected you and your loved ones. As a children’s book creator, I wanted to dream up a story that would somehow express this very difficult experience we were all going through, with little preparation. We’ve […]
August
30
How I Made Peace With Dogman by Susan Hansen
posted by CBethM
I confess I was always a little disappointed when my students would choose a Dogman book over one from my carefully curated and painstakingly displayed classroom library. But I would bite my tongue and never let on my true feelings about their choice. From avid readers to emerging ones, everyone loves Dogman. They are graphic […]
