One Star Review, Guess Who? (#237)
Can you guess the children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads?
Recent Posts
What’s Your Chaos Tolerance Level? or When the Read Aloud Works TOO WELL
Every school librarian has a different chaos tolerance level when it comes to storytime, and I've seen them all.
The Most Popular Books in Our School Library RIGHT NOW
Here it is, the unfiltered, up-to-the-second look at the most popular books in our school library. For context: our school serves kindergarten through third grade. In this popular titles list you’ll find some Jasper the Rabbit, some American Girl and Ripley’s, and of course, a solid showing from Dav Pilkey [...]
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Book Reviews
Review: Gnome and Rat by Lauren Stohler
When you read an early graphic novel as excellent as Gnome and Rat, so many other books look boring in comparison.
Books on Film: I Need a New Butt!
An assistant principal was fired for reading I NEED A NEW BUTT! to students
More Recent Posts
Cover Reveal Q&A: Gennifer Choldenko’s LAST NIGHT AT THE CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD
Newbery Honor winner Gennifer Choldenko has a new book out next summer with an intriguing title: Last Night at the Carnival Graveyard. Today we'll take a look at the cover for the first time.
Name That LEGO Book Cover! (#79)
Can you name these 3 books by their LEGO-fied covers?
Nominate Your Favorites for the 2026 Undies and Endies Awards!
The best (see: only) case cover and endpaper awards in children’s literature are back! Together with Mel Schuit and Carter Higgins, the 2026 Undies and Endies are officially up and running. It’s time to submit your favorite case covers and endpapers of the year. First up, the Undies Case Cover Awards. What’s a case cover, […]
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Notes on September 2026
In September . . . . . . we checked in on some Newbery and Caldecott prospects. The Mock Newbery and Caldecott lists over at Goodreads are always worth a peek. . . . I shared 10 (and then a lot more than 10) books I’m looking forward to this fall. Why share just 10? […]
Books on Film: Eliza Kinkz Takes Requests
Personally, I’m still recovering from the completely epic Eliza Kinkz cover reveal/interview over at A Fuse #8 Production recently. But while recuperating, I wanted to highlight a very cool solution she devised for a common author visit problem. As Eliza shares here, her school visits would often end with student drawing requests going unmet. To […]
Books for WHO WOULD WIN? Fans
Over at the New York Times, I shared 10 books for fans of the the Who Would Win? series. I leaned into the “versus” aspect of those books, with some fiction, nonfiction, picture book, and early reader options. FYI: I’m sharing the gift link to read below, but the New York Times website has changed […]
An Interview with a Legend: Lois Lowry Visits The Yarn Podcast
Colby talks with a living legend.
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Recent Comments
Oct 8, 2026
Sharon Verbeten on What’s Your Chaos Tolerance Level? or When the Read Aloud Works TOO WELL
"The old school Jan Thomas books seem to hit well with my crowd--especially Can You Make a Scary Face? or Are you Ready f ..."
Oct 8, 2026
Laura L on What’s Your Chaos Tolerance Level? or When the Read Aloud Works TOO WELL
"Abner and Ian get Right-Side Up. Every kid was dying to be the kid who shook the book. After a few read-aloud, I would ..."
Oct 8, 2026
Betsy Bird on What’s Your Chaos Tolerance Level? or When the Read Aloud Works TOO WELL
"That is a great question. It's the ultimate goal of any author, isn't it? To have a book that burns storytime down. In m ..."
Oct 6, 2026
Wes Skillings on Cover Reveal Q&A: Gennifer Choldenko’s LAST NIGHT AT THE CARNIVAL GRAVEYARD
"Last Night at the Carnival Graveyard immediately caught my attention because a mechanical T-rex, a mysterious nighttime ..."
Sep 18, 2026
Sharon Verbeten on MORE to Note: Fall Books I’m Excited About
"Thanks for this fun look! I Will Eat you In the End is one of the funniest meta books I've read in a while! ..."
Jun 7, 2026
John Schu on Exclusive Cover Reveal: THIS IS A THEATER by John Schu, illustrated by Jaime Kim
"Thank you, Travis! ..."
May 28, 2026
RachelJ on Should a Book Stay ‘Of the Era’, or Should it Get an Update?
"I HATE this. Books are supposed to teach us about the time they were written and/or set. How else will girls appreciate ..."
May 20, 2026
Betsy Bird on The 2026 Children’s Lit Animal Rankings
"Now let's talk about animals that are the stars of their own books. Because I'm seeing a plethora of puffins this year, ..."
May 19, 2026
Travis Jonker on The 2026 Children’s Lit Animal Rankings
"Seriously! ..."
May 19, 2026
marjorie ingall on The 2026 Children’s Lit Animal Rankings
"Dang, the axolotl is really punching above its weight. ..."
May 6, 2026
Travis Jonker on 10 to Note: Spring 2026
"Thanks, Katy! ..."
May 6, 2026
Katy Tanis on 10 to Note: Spring 2026
"Oooh. Excited to read some of these! Loving the Bear for the Day cover. ..."
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