Betsy Bird
@fuse8.bsky.social
Blog about kids books? You bet (A Fuse #8 Production). Library degree? You know it. Books for kids? Five. Books for adults about kidlit? Two. Podcasts about kids books? One (Fuse 8 n’ Kate). Having fun! https://afuse8production.slj.com
Take a trip into the future, where the new crop of Norton Young Reader books tackle protests, codes, swallows, and the environment. Check out the upcoming titles here today! #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/25/p...
Publisher Preview: Norton Young Readers (Spring 2026)
Take a trip into the future, where the new crop of Norton books tackle protests, codes, swallows, and the environment. Check out the upcoming titles here today!
afuse8production.slj.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Take a trip into the future, where the new crop of Norton Young Reader books tackle protests, codes, swallows, and the environment. Check out the upcoming titles here today! #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/25/p...
I may have gotten a little carried away with how many books I did for this year's @npr.org Books We Love list for 2025. I CARE NOT! #kidlit 📚👍 apps.npr.org/best-books/#...
Books We Love
Here are 380+ great reads from 2025 handpicked just for you by NPR staffers and trusted critics.
apps.npr.org
November 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I may have gotten a little carried away with how many books I did for this year's @npr.org Books We Love list for 2025. I CARE NOT! #kidlit 📚👍 apps.npr.org/best-books/#...
"This is the episode of Kate being annoyed by the silliest of things." In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday we tackle a 1987 publication, complete with kohlrabi on the @fuse8nkate.bsky.social podcast. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/24/f...
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Alligator Arrived with Apples: A Potluck Alphabet Feast by Crescent Dragonwagon, ill. Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey
afuse8production.slj.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:12 PM
"This is the episode of Kate being annoyed by the silliest of things." In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday we tackle a 1987 publication, complete with kohlrabi on the @fuse8nkate.bsky.social podcast. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/24/f...
Reposted by Betsy Bird
There is a post circulating on Bluesky encouraging the moving of a frozen turkey straight into a pot of hot oil. We are combating this misinformation the best way we know how - through the power of dance music.
November 23, 2025 at 1:31 PM
There is a post circulating on Bluesky encouraging the moving of a frozen turkey straight into a pot of hot oil. We are combating this misinformation the best way we know how - through the power of dance music.
Reposted by Betsy Bird
I’ve noticed something about Daniel Nayeri. With every middle grade novel for kids that he writes he gets a little bit funnier. A little bit faster. And this latest title? It’s a little bit one of the best books of the year. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/10/17/r...
Review of the Day: The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri
I’ve noticed something about Daniel Nayeri. With every middle grade novel for kids that he writes he gets a little bit sharper. A little bit sleeker. A little bit funnier. A little bit faster. And thi...
afuse8production.slj.com
October 17, 2025 at 11:11 AM
I’ve noticed something about Daniel Nayeri. With every middle grade novel for kids that he writes he gets a little bit funnier. A little bit faster. And this latest title? It’s a little bit one of the best books of the year. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/10/17/r...
"The mode of operation in writing about one’s past is searching for the hidden patterns. They are there in the first place but only the hindsight examination avails them to you." @eugeneyelchin.bsky.social recounts his teenaged years in Russia:. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/21/t...
“… to tell the truth they must create an artifice.” We Discuss Memoirs, Comics, and I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This with Eugene Yelchin
afuse8production.slj.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:16 PM
"The mode of operation in writing about one’s past is searching for the hidden patterns. They are there in the first place but only the hindsight examination avails them to you." @eugeneyelchin.bsky.social recounts his teenaged years in Russia:. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/21/t...
Holy moly, I get to be on The Yarn with @100scopenotes.bsky.social! This is gonna be fun! theyarn.slj.com/2025/11/16/p...
POP! Betsy Bird is on The Yarn
Back in late June I talked with author, librarian, and Fuse #8 Production blogger Betsy Bird about her excellent 2025 picture book POP! GOES THE NURSERY RHYME.
theyarn.slj.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Holy moly, I get to be on The Yarn with @100scopenotes.bsky.social! This is gonna be fun! theyarn.slj.com/2025/11/16/p...
Bold and brassy (but never bratty) the iconic pig reaches her 25th year, and we've her editor and publisher on hand for a quick Q&A. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/20/i...
Icon: A 25th Anniversary of Ian Falconer’s OLIVIA and a Talk with Caitlyn Dlouhy and Justin Chanda
Bold and brassy (but never bratty) the iconic pig reaches her 25th year, and we've her editor and publisher on hand for a quick Q&A.
afuse8production.slj.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Bold and brassy (but never bratty) the iconic pig reaches her 25th year, and we've her editor and publisher on hand for a quick Q&A. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/20/i...
"We have all made some kind of pilgrimage in our lives; we are all in transit, searching for the best path to a life full of opportunities and shared happiness." A talk with the author and the translator of a seminal work. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/19/p...
Pilgrim Codex: Let’s Talk Migration, Translation, and Why This Book is Far Too Timely with Vivian Mansour and Carlos Rodríguez Cortez
afuse8production.slj.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:07 PM
"We have all made some kind of pilgrimage in our lives; we are all in transit, searching for the best path to a life full of opportunities and shared happiness." A talk with the author and the translator of a seminal work. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/19/p...
My pettiest post returns! It's The Scourge of Upside Down Knitting Needles! How did we do in 2025? afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/18/t...
November 18, 2025 at 12:16 PM
My pettiest post returns! It's The Scourge of Upside Down Knitting Needles! How did we do in 2025? afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/18/t...
Is this our first discussion on the @fuse8nkate.bsky.social podcast of a self-published picture book that got picked up by a major publisher later? Perhaps. It's the certainly the first recommended by a Kardashian. #kidlit afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/17/f...
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
Is this our first self-published picture book that got picked up by a major publisher later? Perhaps. It's the certainly the first recommended by a Kardashian.
afuse8production.slj.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Is this our first discussion on the @fuse8nkate.bsky.social podcast of a self-published picture book that got picked up by a major publisher later? Perhaps. It's the certainly the first recommended by a Kardashian. #kidlit afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/17/f...
Reposted by Betsy Bird
Teachers! Librarians!
It's time for the Sibert Smackdown.
The perfect Mock Sibert activity for kids who love nonfiction.
tinyurl.com/3c9harym
It's time for the Sibert Smackdown.
The perfect Mock Sibert activity for kids who love nonfiction.
tinyurl.com/3c9harym
It’s Time for the Sibert Smackdown!
The Sibert Smackdown is an activity intended to build enthusiasm for the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal , which is given each y...
tinyurl.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Teachers! Librarians!
It's time for the Sibert Smackdown.
The perfect Mock Sibert activity for kids who love nonfiction.
tinyurl.com/3c9harym
It's time for the Sibert Smackdown.
The perfect Mock Sibert activity for kids who love nonfiction.
tinyurl.com/3c9harym
How does an able-bodied person write about a person with disabilities and do it without their own assumptions and discomfort getting in the way? A talk with author Seema Yasmin of an incredible new chapter book bio. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/14/p...
Palestinian. American. Comedian. Disabled. A Talk with Seema Yasmin About Maysoon Zayid: The Girl Who Can Can
How does an able-bodied person write about a person with disabilities and do it without their own assumptions and discomfort getting in the way? A talk with the author of an incredible new chapter boo...
afuse8production.slj.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:30 PM
How does an able-bodied person write about a person with disabilities and do it without their own assumptions and discomfort getting in the way? A talk with author Seema Yasmin of an incredible new chapter book bio. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/14/p...
"I really wanted to do a story about people playing across abilities – the way my kids and their friends play. Deal with the logistics later, the first step is the imagination. Adventuring for the sake of adventure." We talk with Howie Shia. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/13/t...
“These tiny people are going to save the world.” A Ra! Ta! Ma! Cue! Talk with Howie Shia
afuse8production.slj.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:12 PM
"I really wanted to do a story about people playing across abilities – the way my kids and their friends play. Deal with the logistics later, the first step is the imagination. Adventuring for the sake of adventure." We talk with Howie Shia. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/13/t...
"Death is very confusing to the living, and stories can help us navigate the strange displacement in the wake of bereavement." A talk with Kevin Maillard and Rafael López about a necessary book for a modern age. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/12/f...
For the Inevitable Tough Moments: A Talk with Kevin Maillard and Rafael López about And They Walk On
afuse8production.slj.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:04 PM
"Death is very confusing to the living, and stories can help us navigate the strange displacement in the wake of bereavement." A talk with Kevin Maillard and Rafael López about a necessary book for a modern age. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/12/f...
"She had so much hope for saving this planet. We mustn’t disappoint Jane." We talk today with Jane Goodall's picture book biographer Patrick McDonnell about her life and legacy. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/11/m...
Memorium…Jane: Patrick McDonnell Discusses Jane Goodall
afuse8production.slj.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:13 PM
"She had so much hope for saving this planet. We mustn’t disappoint Jane." We talk today with Jane Goodall's picture book biographer Patrick McDonnell about her life and legacy. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/11/m...
Reposted by Betsy Bird
some years, Circulatory System Walking Through the Kitchen Day just completely sneaks up on you
November 10, 2025 at 1:28 PM
some years, Circulatory System Walking Through the Kitchen Day just completely sneaks up on you
And the official trend of 2025 children's literature is... gushy yellow fruit for the win! #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/10/a...
All Hail the Year of the Banana: The Official Children’s Literature Trend of 2025
And the official trend of 2025 children's literature is... gushy yellow fruit for the win!
afuse8production.slj.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:08 PM
And the official trend of 2025 children's literature is... gushy yellow fruit for the win! #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/10/a...
I'm prepping for my 31 Days, 31 Lists extravaganza in December, particularly the holiday list. This year I've seen a SLEW of spectacular Hanukkah titles, but far less memorable Christmas ones. The exception? I am QUITE fond of @adamrex.bsky.social's latest. Behold:
#The13thDayofChristmas
#The13thDayofChristmas
November 9, 2025 at 10:28 PM
I'm prepping for my 31 Days, 31 Lists extravaganza in December, particularly the holiday list. This year I've seen a SLEW of spectacular Hanukkah titles, but far less memorable Christmas ones. The exception? I am QUITE fond of @adamrex.bsky.social's latest. Behold:
#The13thDayofChristmas
#The13thDayofChristmas
Reposted by Betsy Bird
pre-writing a devastating obituary for your enemy is god-tier hating of a kind you don’t often see anymore. renaissance haterism. beautiful stuff.
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:55 AM
pre-writing a devastating obituary for your enemy is god-tier hating of a kind you don’t often see anymore. renaissance haterism. beautiful stuff.
Shapes! Shrews! History! Legalese! And, to top it all off, speculation on whether or not life as any meaning. It's a slew of interesting books in today's publisher preview from @pubspotlight.bsky.social! #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/07/m...
Myrick Marketing/Publisher Spotlight Publishing Preview (Fall 2025): Cicada Books, Creston Books, and Cuento de Luz
Shapes! Shrews! History! Legalese! And, to top it all off, speculation on whether or not life as any meaning. It's a slew of interesting books in today's preview.
afuse8production.slj.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Shapes! Shrews! History! Legalese! And, to top it all off, speculation on whether or not life as any meaning. It's a slew of interesting books in today's publisher preview from @pubspotlight.bsky.social! #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/07/m...
Want to start your own children's book magazine? Why not talk to someone who has? SHELF is a remarkable new addition to periodical collections everywhere, and we talk to its founder. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/06/p...
Periodically Pleasing: A Talk with Helen Hancocks of SHELF
Want to start your own children's book magazine? Why not talk to someone who has? SHELF is a remarkable new addition to periodical collections everywhere, and we talk to its founder.
afuse8production.slj.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Want to start your own children's book magazine? Why not talk to someone who has? SHELF is a remarkable new addition to periodical collections everywhere, and we talk to its founder. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/06/p...
Just in time for Native American Heritage Month we've a preview of Diné cartoonist, zinester, and librarian @jooliefiveash.bsky.social's upcoming graphic novel debut! #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/05/a...
A Soggy Stump Deep Dive: Preview THE FROGGY LIBRARY by Julie Fiveash
Just in time for Native American Heritage Month we've a preview of Diné cartoonist, zinester, and librarian Julie Fiveash's upcoming graphic novel debut!
afuse8production.slj.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Just in time for Native American Heritage Month we've a preview of Diné cartoonist, zinester, and librarian @jooliefiveash.bsky.social's upcoming graphic novel debut! #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/05/a...
Folks, I think it's fair to say that the Persian myths on your library shelves are in serious need of an upgrade. Happily, one is here, and we're talking about it today. I talk with Ryan Bani Tahmaseb about the rather gorgeous PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/04/g...
“… good and evil, life and death, order and chaos.” We’re Talking Persian Mythology Today with Ryan Bani Tahmaseb
Folks, I think it's fair to say that the Persian myths on your library shelves are in serious need of an upgrade. Happily, one is here, and we're talking about it today.
afuse8production.slj.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Folks, I think it's fair to say that the Persian myths on your library shelves are in serious need of an upgrade. Happily, one is here, and we're talking about it today. I talk with Ryan Bani Tahmaseb about the rather gorgeous PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/04/g...
"Then she was smoked, delicately. She was delicately smoked. Delicately smoked was she." Like it when your picture book protagonists are killed off halfway through a book? Then you're gonna LOVE today's book on the @fuse8nkate.bsky.social podcast. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/03/f...
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Arlene Sardine by Chris Raschka
afuse8production.slj.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:08 PM
"Then she was smoked, delicately. She was delicately smoked. Delicately smoked was she." Like it when your picture book protagonists are killed off halfway through a book? Then you're gonna LOVE today's book on the @fuse8nkate.bsky.social podcast. #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2025/11/03/f...