Let's start with the New York Times' biannual Children's Book Supplement. Here's what's available this spring:
- Robert Lipsyte reviews two new children's books (one a picture book, the other for kids 10 and older) about Muhammad Ali.
- Elizabeth Royte considers books about the environment.
- Daniel Handler takes a look at picture book sequels, including Not a Stick and Mo Willems' new pigeon title.
- Larry Doyle reviews Simon's Dream: The Fog Mound, Book 3, by Susan Schade and illustrated by Jon Buller, and has much to say about comics and reluctant readers to boot.
- Danyel Smith reviews new novels by Jacqueline Woodson and Pat Murphy and finds them both "luscious and dangerous." Awesome.
- Elizabeth Devereaux reads Uri Shulevitz's How I Learned Geography and calls it a "masterpiece."
- Jerry Griswold enjoys the new Skippyjon Jones title.
- Sarah Ellis reviews children's books by Judy Blume, Robie H. Harris, and Steve Jenkins
- Roger Sutton has some things to say about lessons and librarians in the new Laura and Jenna Bush picture book.
- Leonard S. Marcus reviews two new books by Walter Dean Myers. (I saw Walter Dean Meyers speak at the SCBWI conference in Los Angeles. He works on three novels at once.)
A rare "on children's books" review: Elizabeth Fishel on Leonard S. Marcus's Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children's Literature in the San Francisco Chronicle. (Wait, no, there's two this week: Michael Sims reviews the Marcus book along with Seth Lerer's Children's Literature: A Reader's History, from Aesop to Harry Potter in the Washington Post.)
Carolyn Hax takes a look at recycled tales in picture books for the Washington Post.
Also in the Washington Post, picture books that "celebrate the fleet of foot."
Karen MacPherson takes a look at children's books "about real lives," including the Uri Shulevitz title, again in the Washington Post.
All this children's book goodness in the Washington Post means we can count on something great from Elizabeth Ward. This week she reviews Young Adult fiction.
And here's more:
This week's interesting article alert: Glenn H. Miller on "How the Grimms' Fairy Tale Gives Children a Model for Living" for the Wall Street Journal.
Diane Stresing reviews Lois Lowry's The Willoughbys for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. (Totally my favorite newspaper name.)
Publishers Weekly shares their reviews online again this week. Lots to read and a few starred reviews.
Mary Harris Russell breaks with tradition and reviews just one book this week in the Chicago Tribune: Blue Balliett's The Calder Game
Wait. I take that back. Mary also has her column featuring five capsule reviews of children's books--this week including the new Rick Riordan--up at the Chicago Tribune.
Interview Alert: Jae-Ha Kim talks to Henry Winkler about his Hank Zipzer books for young readers for the Chicago Sun-Times. (Anyone out there read this series? What do you think?)
Also in the Chicago Sun-Times Deborah Abbott suggests books for Children's Book Week.
Profile Alert: Alice C. Chen talks to Gene Yang (American Born Chinese) for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Picture Books in trouble in the U.K.? An interesting article by Paul Bignell in the Independent claims it's true.
Amanda Craig reviews Michelle Magorian's Just Henry for the Times. (Editorial comment: Magorian's Goodnight Mister Tom is one of my most favorite children's books. Just Henry, Craig writes, is 703 pages and took ten years to write. I am so excited!!) Oh, and Adèle Geras reviews Just Henry for the Guardian and finds it "a novel that's as glorious as a Saturday morning show." Can. Not.Wait.
Whew! What a great week. Enjoy.
