Betsy Bird

You want a hilarious middle grade full of action, social commentary, a Black girl heroine with wits, smarts, and humor, and an alternate world scarily close to our own? This way please.

On this podcast episode we speculate about Pincus's love of the booty, what the Broom Handle owes The Simpsons, and Kate even works in a Bob's Burgers reference (so, really, there's something for everyone here).

"Don’t use bicycle slang. Leave that to the boys." We have a ribald and wonderful conversation with Brenna Jeanneret about her latest picture book, nonfiction and all.

Today, we're going to zero in instead on the l'il guys. The small publishers that produce rare, wild, interesting, strange books for kids. The kinds of books that upset expectations.

A magical defunct theme park? Living carousel creatures? Automaton birds? Mental health issues? I talk to Kate Milford today about her latest.

“I don’t hate these rhymes!” It’s a return to New Zealand today with a local classic that has long eluded our particular podcast. Will the little black terrier with the catchy name capture the hearts and minds of these Yankee sisters or will his charms elude them entirely? On this episode we discuss books that […]

Hope you like books about dogs! And old men who float. And proto-bios, wordless fables, sneaky jackals, and the occasional chopped toe. Here's what's on offer in the autumn.

I'll tell it to you straight. This discussion of an upcoming picture book reads more like an intensive course of picture book making than your average Q&A. And you get to read it for free, you lucky ducks!

Oblivious bears, pumas, salamanders, Jesus, and the occasional cyclops populate today's jam-packed preview. Take a gander. You might see something you like.

Illustrator Elly MacKay’s incredible cut paper artistry and Nora Nickum’s smart text highlight the risk, the bravery, and the ingenuity of massive creatures facing a difficult world.