A Fuse#8 Productions - A librarian at the New York Public Library's The Donnell Central Children's Reading Room, fusenumber8 is a prolific blogger and reviewer plus a lot of fun to read. Her interests are wide ranging, (just about anything to do with children's books), her commentary direct, her wit tart. Enjoy.
Bottom Shelf Books - Authored by Minh Le, in Washington, D.C. this one is a lot of fun. His reviews and commentary are witty and racy. Not to everyone's genteel taste perhaps but I certainly appreciate his slightly off angle and off-color perspective. If I knew how to link to a particular place in a blog I would. In the meantime, try this alternative review of Mike Mulligan and his steamshovel as a sample of Le's style:
Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel Mary Anne are the toast of the town until the arrival of gasoline, electric, and diesel shovels render them obsolete. Unable to find work, Mike and Mary Anne move to a small town in search of employment.Children, repeat after me: Karma's a bitch. As you may recall, the steam engine is what put folk hero John Henry out of commission. The legendary steel-drivin' man died after defeating the steam engine in a race. While Henry won the battle, his death meant that the steam engine won the war. Actually, the steam engine didn't win the war, because the industrial revolution is a heartlessly efficient devourer of souls and steam engines like Mary Anne eventually get replaced, joining John Henry in the dustbin of history.
Mary Anne's descent may be a case of poetic justice, but hers is a struggle that we can all relate to. Everyone strives to prove that they are special... but no matter how hot you are, something new will eventually come along to make you yesterday's news. Just ask Jennifer Lopez.
So kids, take note: Everyone eventually gets trampled by the steady march of time. You're young and cute now, but once that new baby comes along... well, you better start learning your multiplication tables or excel in a sport because you can't get by on your cuteness anymore. Welcome to the real world, punk. Now stop crying and get a job.
A Blog of Bosh - Covers Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, Edward Gorey, James Thurber, Peter Newell and other practitioners of Nonsense literature.
A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy - "A discussion of books, movies, and TV shows; with an emphasis on books for children and teens. And whatever strikes my fancy at the moment. Cheetah is my seven year old niece; Peter Parker is my four year old nephew."
The scope of the blog is broader than just children's literature but that is it's cornerstone. Lot's of reviews and poetry. Substantially oriented to the front-list of books.
Annie's Books - A library director's blog with lots of reviews, especially Young Adult.
Big A, little a - a review rich blog by the editor of the online children's literature monthly The Edge of the Forest.
Book Buds - reviews and more covers it. Lot's of material.
Book Moot - A miscellany of commentary, author discussions, reviews, etc.
BooksForKidsBlog - "A blog which offers book reviews for young people of preschool to high school ages by a children's librarian with decades of experience in reading guidance."
Chicken Spaghetti - A fun mix of reviews, commentary on doings in the book eco-system, and some nice hands-on observations of particular books with particular children. Plus - Chickens!
GottaBook - "Thoughts, opinions, and ramblings about (broadly) children's literature from my perspectives as a writer, parent, and volunteer elementary school librarian. Oh yeah, and poetry of all sorts... with lots and lots of Fibs."
Here in the Bonny Glen - A reflective blog in a holistic fashion on family, learning, home-schooling; and books are in there as well.
Jen Robinson's Book Page - "Promoting the love of books by children, and the continued reading of children's books by adults." Lots of general bookish commentary and reviews, with particular focus on literacy and raising kids who love books.
Kat's Eye Journal - "Musings, rants, and raves on writing, balancing work and family, and life after the MFA."
MotherReader - "The heart of a Mother. The soul of a Reader. The mouth of a smartass." And also a librarian working with children in a public library.
Occassionally sharp tongued perhaps, but I couldn't agree more with her observation "One of the bestselling preschool books of recent times was Walter the Farting Dog. At the same time, the American Library Association named as one of its best books Michael Rosen’s Sad Book, a book in which Mr. Rosen talks about his despair over the death of his son. I believe that, for most of us, what we want lies somewhere between a flatulent canine and overwhelming grief."
Scholar's Blog - "Blog for an English independent scholar of fantasy fiction. WARNING: I will post commentary about books in which I am interested and I may include spoilers, so if you do not like spoilers, do not read this Blog !"
Wands and Worlds - "Fantasy and science fiction for children and teens."
wayfarers all - "children's literature, childhood and culture (and anything else that strikes my fancy)."
wood s lot - OK, not technically children's literature focused but touching on all the things that I think are important in a child's world - art, beauty, poetry.
John Adcox's website with a plethora of folktale and mythology links.
Cheryl Rainfield is an author with a couple of short stories published and various manuscripts in different stages. Her blog description is reasonably comprehensive: "My love of books is what this blog is about. I love sharing good books and resources on finding books, finding out about books, all things related to books, and connecting with other people who like to read and talk about the books they love."
The blog is visually very attractive, links to many other relevant blogs and sites and most importantly is just plain interesting. Well worth a click over to visit. She also maintains a site, Love Yourself, which in turn has a great library of her reviews (check under the Free Stuff for Writers tab and select either Teen Booklists or Picture Book lists).
Your Fairy Bookmother is rich in commentary and practical reviews. "Rachael Vilmar presents news and reviews from the colliding worlds of children's books, young adult books, librarianship, knitting, cooking, and motherhood."
Kids Lit, "Books and More for Children and Teens", is a site rich in reviews, especially in contemporary children's books. The blog is written by Tascha Saecker, a librarian who is the director of a small library in Wisconsin. It is, as she says, a "friendly place where books for children and teens are celebrated."
Propernoun Dot Net is written by a librarian with a rich array of reviews, book news, tidbits about reading, and interesting miscellany.
Saints and Spinners is the blog of Farida Dowler. Ms. Dowler has a particular focus on trickster stories as well as stories told through song. She has also has a pleasant sense of humor - See her series on the blog, Children's Books That Never Were, starting with Angus Lost (platypus edition).