“… expansive, visual, and alive for today’s young readers.” It’s Poetry Month So We’re Talking Melodies of the Weary Blues with Shamar Knight-Justice
"Good poetry does not just sound pretty. It tells the truth and reaches you whether you are ready for it or not, and Hughes has always had that kind of staying power." Happy April! We love Poetry Month and we love today's book.
Recent Posts
CLICK! Photographers Make Picture Books: A Discussion with Leonard Marcus and a Team of Featured Photographers
"I think we all have experienced the outsider status of being an illustrator whose work is photographic." Meet a slew of talented photographers, alongside a featured interview with curator/scholar Leonard Marcus himself!
Meet the Outstanding Comics Award and All That It Entails: A Talk with Jennie Law
ALA gives out comics awards now? How did that happen? How do you join? And what books are they awarding? We speak to the Chair of the GNCRT to find out all the answers to all these questions.
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Book Reviews
Review of the Day: The Moon Without Stars by Chanel Miller
That Chanel Miller’s writing is some of the strongest literary fiction coming out today is without question. But shhhh! Keep it to yourself, children. That’s just between you and this book.
Review of the Day: The Muéganos by Jaque Jours
Jours adeptly takes an incredibly silly idea and manages to make it poignant and universal in one fell swoop. This is a story about breaking a family apart, but in the best way possible.
Review of the Day: My Bicentennial Summer by G. Neri, ill. Corban Wilkin
Neri takes the facts of what happened when his family embarked on the road trip to beat all road trips, and ties that summer during the bicentennial into the state of the country today. Deeply fun, utterly smart, and visually arresting.
More Recent Posts
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Max’s Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells
"A chocolate chicken is not a thing." And yet here we are. Somehow we've not seen this particular Easter book on this podcast before. How will it fare amongst the pantheon of Max books?
Publisher Spotlight Spring/Summer 2026 Preview (Part Four)
Today I would like you to make the acquaintance of new books coming out from Helvetiq, Kalaniot, Kube, Little Island, and NubeOcho.
“To pay attention is our endless and proper work.” Melissa Sweet Talks Goldfinches and Mary Oliver
In a mix of poetry and science, this potential award-winner is a labor of love on every level. I discuss its creation with Melissa Sweet and she shows off a multitude of working sketches from the book.
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A Talk with the Team Behind Racial Literacy in Libraries (which I may have helped to co-write)
"I hope this book convinces folks that racial literacy deserves to be a part of how every library serves their patrons, and that people feel empowered to turn that goal into reality." The go-to guide for equitable librarianship is finally here. Now meet the creators.
“…like threading a fistful of needles at once.” Maryrose Wood Talks the Art of the Sequel with a Whole New Bad Badger Novel!
"A writer can’t be afraid to make a big mess, to really crack the thing open and find out what the book wants to be. That includes cracking yourself open, too." We have a grand talk today with a grand author.
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Red Book by Barbara Lehman
Wordless and a winner (of the Caldecott Honor variety) we discuss Lehman's best known book and how it has aged since its publication long ago.
Cover Reveal: I Am NOT Grumpy! by Caroline L. Perry, ill. Sydney Hanson
Are you read for the cutest (and mistakenly grumpiest) critter to hit a picture book page? We've the reveal and the interior spreads here today.
From the Archives (2021)
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Apr 1, 2026
Robin Currie on CLICK! Photographers Make Picture Books: A Discussion with Leonard Marcus and a Team of Featured Photographers
"Fascinating - I wonder how AI has impacted photo picture books. ..."
Apr 1, 2026
Robin Currie on Publisher Spotlight Spring/Summer 2026 Preview (Part Four)
"Pig instead of sheep - how do people think up this great stuff! ..."
Mar 31, 2026
Mary Zdrojewski on Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Max’s Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells
"I'll be using the old Weston Woods video on Bookflix with my classes later this week. :) ..."
Mar 30, 2026
Robin Currie on Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Max’s Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells
"I am a softie for Max and Ruby - even the later ones. I cannot imagine why the chocolate chicken/duck is not available i ..."
Mar 27, 2026
Serafina on Publisher Spotlight Spring/Summer 2026 Preview (Part Four)
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Mar 26, 2026
Betsy Bird on Newbery/Caldecott 2027: Spring Prediction Edition
"Mmmmhmmm. Particularly egregious after we just saw women killing it in the Winter Olympics. And thank you for letting me ..."
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Mar 24, 2026
Nancy Johnson on “…like threading a fistful of needles at once.” Maryrose Wood Talks the Art of the Sequel with a Whole New Bad Badger Novel!
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Robin Currie on Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Red Book by Barbara Lehman
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Mar 22, 2026
Betsy Bird on Newbery/Caldecott 2027: Spring Prediction Edition
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