Toddling the Stacks

We all dread teaching our children about death—probably because of the way death figures into our own lives. If we could forestall death's terror by refiguring it as a natural part of lived experience, would it help our children (and us?) to live more purposeful and holistic lives? In this episode, we look at a codex that presents such a life. Tinted with a bittersweet melancholy, this beauti...

Happy 250th Birthday, USA! Shall we try for a few more, do you think? What do Abe Lincoln and Hobbits have in common? How do biographers decide what information to include in biographies? Just as importantly, how do they decide what to exclude? And what has our walk down Caldecott Lane started to tell us about the values of the Caldecott Award? All of these questions and more--somehow in less than...

Happy Pride!  People—and by that we mean corporations—often start Pride off strong and end with a whimper. But we recognize that while Pride is about pride, it's also about resistance. And resistance is a very, very long-form game. Today's episode looks at four picture book iterations of a classic Russian folktale, The Gigantic Turnip: One from the USSR; one from modern Russia; one from...

We wanted to find a Juneteenth book for our little that would address the holiday without requiring a lot of context she just isn't equipped to understand yet. The Gathering Table did just that, showing us a world where Juneteenth is every day that we're able to love and honor our families and community without fear.  Join us for our discussion on this lovingly illustrated ode to family...

How does a story's point-of-view change our understanding of it? ...in a children's book?  Join us for 2023's THE KITTEN STORY: A MOSTLY TRUE TALE. It's a fantastically illustrated story that teaches kids about the inevitability of disappointment on big days; the importance of adopting pets rather than buying them; and, apparently, the need to question power structures!  Visit...

How can children's literature teach lessons, provide representation for marginalized groups, and provide insight into different ways of living--all without being preachy or pedantic?  Join us for our discussion on 2019's THE GIFT OF RAMADAN, a picture book that manages to do all these things beautifully. We'll address the recent Mac Barnett scandal, then do a bit of analysis to unde...

The second entry in our fortnightly Caldecott series focuses on Thomas Handforth's 1938  Mei Li . Books naturally fall in and out of the publication cycle: some get found and republished, others remain dead. Despite having won one of the most prestigious awards in children's literature, Thomas Handforth's stunningly illustrated picture book debut is today out of print and can be qui...

Julia Donaldson is one of the biggest names in children's literature, but her work with illustrator Victoria Sandøy--shall we call it The Tree Trilogy?--has gone largely unnoticed in the U.S. But who doesn't want a children's book filled with specialist knowledge about industrial paper making practices of the 20 and 21C? Adalyn is all about it! Join us for our discussion on PAPER CH...

Every other week, we'll be reviewing Caldecott winners--so we decided to start in the beginning, a very good place to start! The internet is replete with blogs, podcasts, and social media projects undertaking precisely this challenge. ANIMALS OF THE BIBLE, the first "children's book" to win the Caldecott, marks the beginning and end for those projects more often than not.   Joi...

Join us for a thoughtful discussion on a fantastic picture book for children who enjoy learning about food! It's a wonderful read that's become one of my toddler's favorites. In our inaugural episode, we take a look at FOOD TRUCK FEST! written by Alexandra Penfold and illustrated by Mike Dutton. It tells the story of a young family attending the titular food truck festival, using a...