Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for April 7, 2026

 The moon's been in the news lately, and did you know that "Dr. Doolittle in the Moon" came out in 1928 and is considered one of the best in this British author's series? His books began as stories sent home to his children when he was serving in World War I in Flanders and France. On his trip back to England he met a novelist who suggested he compile his stories in a book. "The Story of Dr. Doolittle" was instantly popular when it came out in 1920 and led to many more. Modern readers find some of his writing racist, particularly the epithets hurled by Polynesia the parrot, but the kindly veterinarian at the center of the books remains a beloved character. The author/illustrator is Hugh Lofting, 1886-1947.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 31, 2026

 This British illustrator, born in 1938, created board books for babies and toddlers when she couldn't find any for her own young children. Her wordless small books, made to withstand teething, featured round faced babies and sturdy toddlers in familiar situations in their world. She also illustrated books for children a bit older, such as "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" and "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig." Her favorite part of illustrating is when she is about one third the way through and knows she's on the right track. She says she "can't bear to look at the finished book, because I can't change anything at that point." Now 87 years old and living in London, this is Helen Oxenbury.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 24, 2026

 The March Hare is a character from the tea party scene in Alice in Wonderland, and the illustration by John Tenniel has him wearing something on his head that Victorian readers would have immediately recognized as a symbol of insanity. What was it, and what was the real name of author Lewis Carroll, and when was the book published? The answers would be straw, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and 1865.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 17, 2026

 This Irish author worked as a primary school teacher until the series he created in 2001 became so successful he was able to write fulltime. His 12-year-old main character battles fairies and goblins, using magic and technology. He was named Ireland's Poet Laureate from 2014-2016 and says he wears the medal everywhere, even in the bath. Other books include Spud Murphy and Three Tasks for a Dragon. This is Eoin (pronounced Owen) Colfer, and the books are the Artemis Fowl series.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for March 10, 2026

 Kirkus reviews are considered the "gold standard" of book reviews, so it was a great honor receive a positive one for Nighty Night, Dinos. The School Library Journal is also important, since librarians use it to order books for school and public libraries. I'm also very grateful for the reviewers who said good things on the Goodreads site and also on NetGalley. If you order the book, I hope you'll go through your own independent bookstore, or Bookshop, or Thrift Books, or Familius Publishing--any place except Amazon as Jeff Bezos does not need the money!

Tuesay Kidlit Trivia for March 3, 2026

 This New Jersey author/illustrator based her bunny characters, Max and Ruby, on her own two children, Victoria and Beezoo. Although she said these words over 30 years ago, they resonate today as computer generated AI "slop" invades the world of children's books: "The hand of the artist--a little stained with paint around the fingernails--must be seen. The voice of the writer--passionate and idiosyncratic--must be heard. And whether it is through adventure or humor or pathos, the story and pictures must always touch the heart." This is Rosemary Wells, quoted in Anita Silvey's Children's Books and Their Creators.

Tuesday Kidlit Trivia for February 24, 2026

 This author/illustrator's books, set in Busytown, feature animals which make his art accessible to kids of all cultures, but he's been criticized for assigning only traditional role models to his male and female characters. He got a bit better at this in later books--moms as well as dads took the train to work, boys learned to bake a pie, but Mother Cat never did learn to change a tire. He was born in Boston, served five years in the Army, moved to New York City and hoped to become a commercial artist, but found a job illustrating for Golden Press. His first book, Best Word Book Ever, came out in 1963 and was followed by several other crowded, cheerful colorful books in the late 60's and early 70's. This is Richard Scarry.