Publications about books for children and young adults
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Epic Tales’s Hansel & Gretel (2012) revisits the well-known fairy tale with tongue firmly in cheek. An affable bookseller/storyteller named Silvertongue narrates the story of an impoverished woodcutter, his shrewish wife, and their two children. The plot contains several differences from more traditional versions of the story: Tiny, bad-tempered gnomes are ubiquitous in the illustrations and [...]
Some kidlit happenings in and around Boston this month: The Edward Gorey House’s 2013 special exhibit “Edward Gorey’s Vinegar Works” opened for their 2013 season on April 18th. The exhibit covers the “three volumes of moral instruction” in Gorey’s Vinegar Works boxed set: The Insect God, The West Wing, and his best-known work, The Gashlycrumb [...]
There are some story worlds readers just don’t want to leave behind. This has happened to me oh so many times: I race to the end of book, breathlessly finish, and then feel totally abandoned. I read the acknowledgements, the author’s information, and then I sit, staring, wishing there were more. With Delirium Stories: Hana, [...]
Or, Maybe I’ve Gotten Less Discerning Since Having a Second Kid. I recently saw Oz, the Great and Powerful in IMAX 3-D. Having read mostly 2-2.5-star reviews, I wasn’t expecting much. But when their grandparents are willing and available to babysit your two small children (“Go, see a movie!”), it doesn’t have to be Citizen [...]
Every year on April 23rd, World Book Night provides volunteers with specially-printed free books to distribute in their communities. Each volunteer selects a title from a list of thirty adult, YA, and children’s books, then picks up twenty copies from a local bookstore or library. Which book would you choose? On Monday, fellow Horn Booker [...]
This afternoon subscribers to our monthly newsletter Notes from the Horn Book receive its nonfiction counterpart Nonfiction Notes. Editor in chief Roger Sutton has an important (and happy!) announcement about the newsletter’s schedule. You’ll also find reviews of recommended nonfiction books for all grade levels, covering these subjects: – the Holocaust – explorers and exploration [...]
Tomorrow we’re hosting the free Fostering Lifelong Learners: Prescribing Books for Early Childhood Education conference with Reach Out and Read and the Cambridge Public Library. Pediatricians, educators, critics, and librarians will speak about early learning and literacy from birth to preschool. Over the last few weeks Roger gave several of the presenters his “five questions” [...]
It feels like everyone (the Horn Book included) is talking about Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park (St. Martin’s Griffin, February 2013) — and for good reason. I recently read it when it up was for starring in the May/June issue (it was a shoe-in), and mourned the fact that Rachel Smith and I hadn’t come [...]
In honor of National Poetry Month, we’ve compiled a list of poetry books for a wide range of ages, all recently published and recommended by The Horn Book Magazine. There’s something for everyone: anthologies and verse narratives; silly poetry and serious poetry; love poems and lullabies; free verse, formal verse, and brand-new verse forms. What [...]
On Wednesday afternoon, Hervé Tullet, author of Press Here (2011, Chronicle Books) and the new I Am Blop! (2013, Phaidon Press), gave a presentation here in the Boston area at the Brookline Public Library. He was in NYC earlier this month, so I think he’s traveling around a bit. I strongly recommend going to see [...]
Newbery, Printz & Caldecott