The Kerlan Award is given annually by the Friends of the Kerlan Collection in recognition of singular attainments in the creation of children’s literature and in appreciation for the generous donation of unique resources...

This is an annotated list of current titles recommended for purchase. I appreciated the short descriptions in Spanish and English and the recommended ages for reading aloud and sharing. The selections range from books for...

Children’s Literary Obituaries: What We Lost in 2019 Betsy Bird over at School Library Journal has shown a light on a few children's literature creators who have left "earthly bonds" this past year. What I...

When Holly from the Red Balloon and I make our gift giving recommendations on Minnesota Public Radio, there is never enough time for all the books that we loved during the year. We are...

John Borger, 1951- 2019   John Borger, was one of the nation’s preeminent first amendment lawyers, spending four decades before retiring from the Faegre Baker Daniels law firm in 2017, protecting the freedom of...

Holly Weinkauf  from the Red Balloon and I have selected more books than we have time to talk about on MPR today Friday December 6, 2019 at 11:00 am. Here is just a taste. PICTURE BOOKS...

Best of the year If I had to choose one picture book that resonated with me for most of the year it would be Kao Kalia Yang's A Map Into the World illustrated by Seo Kim. It...

Finish this sentence Thanksgiving is the third  (whoops fourth, thank you to the many readers who emailed me) Thursday in ... That's right November. Thanksgiving is a United States holiday that celebrates... Yeah, I was kind of confused...

Walter Wick, A Drop of Water "The most spectacular photographs ever created on the subject of water appear in this unique science book by Walter Wick. The camera stops the action and magnifies it so...

This was my First Fridays presentation on October 4, 2019. "Canine characters take center stage as we examine the works of significant children's book artists and writers. We will investigate the illustrations and text from...

 About the First Fridays Series First Fridays is a series of intellectually stimulating talks made possible by a generous gift from Governor Elmer L. and Mrs. Eleanor Andersen in honor of former University Librarian Dr....

What does this mean?   What is Banned Book Week? Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number...

At the 20th Annual Minnesota Children’s Book Festival The Kerlan Friends from the University of Minnesota Children’s Literature Research Collection shared Writing Boxes and writing with children and teens. Writing Boxes: the Reading /Writing Connection by...

Storytelling Storytelling is one of the tools in the children’s librarian box for supporting literacy in our family clientele. For some attendees to story time programs it is the first time reading aloud has been...

Books Around the Table A potluck of ideas from five children's book authors and illustrators is one of my favorite blogs written by children's book makers. I had been meaning to write about them for awhile. To...

Read this Book! Every wonder what to read next?  When I was a young pup librarian the process of recommending a book was called "Readers Reference." Now it is called Readers Advisory. Every once in while,...

The Thing About Bees: a love letter by Shabazz Larkin Every once in a great while, when I am opening the mail, a book, an F&G (advance unbound copy of picture book "Folded and Gathered...

Lee Bennett Hopkins died yesterday. Hopkins’ husband, Charles Egita, announced Lee's passing. My facebook and twitter feed blew up. I kept it together. I had meetings to go to and deadlines to meet but I...

Merbaby's Lullaby   Board books don't get a lot of love in the review media. Yet what could be more important to a child's development as a reader? Recently I saw a neighbor who I hadn't...

Writing Boxes: The Reading/Writing Connection in Libraries Get the download or the finished book here.   What? You wrote a book? "Every library, no matter how small or how large, including public, academic, and others, can and I...

The Sacramento Public Library chosen as site for 2020 Arbuthnot Lecture Neil Gaiman will deliver the 2020 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture in Sacramento, California in Spring 2020. “The Arbuthnot selection committee considered Gaiman’s body of...

Arbuthnot Site Announcement! The 2020 Arbuthnot Lecture with Neil Gaiman site announcement is at the ALSC Membership Meeting Monday, June 24 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Location: Washington Convention Center, 144A  Neil Gaiman will deliver the 2020 May Hill Arbuthnot...

Vera B. Williams I have been thinking about Vera B. Williams a lot lately. I have been rereading her books. I have been paging through pictures of her. I had met her a few times. In...

ALA Poetry Blast! If you have never heard a poem spoken, it's like never hearing a song sung. --Ashley Bryan   If you are going to the American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington DC put the Poetry Blast...

Scieszka and Smith's Pig Book turns 30 Revisiting The Childhood Classic 'The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs!' 30 Years Later From Forbes. Thank you Betsy Bird @Fuse Eight for pointing me to this story. Thirty years...