100 Scope Notes

The recent discovery of an unpublished work by a children’s literature icon has readers around the world taking notice. A never-before-seen sequel to The Foot Book was found in a writing desk owned by the late Dr. Seuss.

While this once-in-a-lifetime find is being heralded as a lost masterpiece, The author’s estate has taken to calling it “The Pamphlet.”

Here’s an exclusive first look:

The cover of the recently discovered sequel to THE FOOT BOOK by Dr. Seuss

“I thought we checked all the drawers,” said a spokesperson for the late author, “It’s kind of the first thing you do when a famous author dies. Check all the drawers. I don’t know how we missed this until now.”

The book will be published as-is this fall. Click here to see the first page.

When asked about the decision to publish the work as-is, a spokesperson for the publisher said, “When you encounter the lost work of a master, you don’t touch it. I don’t know why Dr. Seuss chose to cryptically put the word “Krames” in the corner of the cover, but it’s his creative vision. Also, there are some weirdly detailed tips on hemorrhoid health in this book, but we have to assume this is exactly the message he wanted to deliver to the world.”

A side by side comparison of The Foot Book, and its recently discovered sequel:

Reader reaction has been a mix of shock and joy with many applauding the author’s knack for surprising audiences.

“When you told me there was a long lost sequel to The Foot Book,” said longtime Seuss fan Rupert Ruperton, “you could have let me guess probably 250-300 different body parts before I could have named the subject of this book. And then to top it off he completely switched up his illustration style? The guy was a genius.”

The publisher has confirmed that this will be the author’s final posthumous release.

(This is an April Fools’ work of fiction)

5 Books Worth Reading About the History of Children’s Lit

Travis Jonker — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 04:01:00 +0000

Lately I’ve been going back and re-reading Leonard S. Marcus’s history of children’s literature Minders of Make-Believe. It’s gotten me back into the historical mode, pulling out things I’ve read and looking for new.

If you’re interested in the history of children’s books, here are four more titles I recommend.

Tell Me a Story: Fantastic Children’s Books from the Library of Congress by Hannah Freece

This one is the newest book on the list. Freece pulls out some of the most interesting books in the LOC collection (and they have a BIG collection to pull from). Interspersed with short essays from all the living National Ambassadors for Young People’s Literature.

A Caldecott Celebration: Seven Artists and their Paths to the Caldecott Medal by Leonard S. Marcus

Leonard S. Marcus is going to show up on this list more than once – the guy is thee children’s literature historian. This book is short and sweet, telling the Caldecott stories of seven world-class picture book creators. Lots of great behind the scenes images in this book.

Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature by Betsy Bird, Julie Danielson, and Peter Sieruta

This trio of children’s book blogger GOATS pulls out the most interesting, unique, and funny mishaps, controversies, and conspiracies in children’s lit history.

100 Years of Children’s Book Week Posters by Leonard S. Marcus

This one is more of a visual coffee table book, which is perfect for the subject matter. I love seeing all the great illustrators who have created (in some cases, pretty far out) CBW posters.

2026 Books from CSK Winners

Travis Jonker — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 04:01:00 +0000

Today is for CSK. I scoured the internet for any and all 2026 books by past Coretta Scott King author and illustrator Medal and Honor winners.

Did I miss one? Let me know in the comments.

Previously . . .

2026 Books from Newbery Winners

2026 Books from Caldecott Winners

2026 Books from Geisel Winners

2026 Books from Pura Belpré Winners

Now on The Yarn Podcast: Sara Pennypacker!

Travis Jonker — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 04:01:00 +0000

Over on The Yarn Podcast, Colby talked with award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Sara Pennypacker about her latest novel The Lions’ Run.

Sara is such a pro and this conversation is one I think you’re going to like.

Subscribe below to catch every episode of The Yarn:

iTunes

Spotify

Stitcher

National Poetry Month is Coming! How to Make Book Spine Poems with Your Students or Patrons

Travis Jonker — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 04:01:00 +0000

Ever since I discovered Nina Katchadourian’s Sorted Books project, I’ve been banging the drum for book spine cento poems. National Poetry Month (April) is coming up, and it’s the perfect time to give it a shot. It makes a great program for kids (or former kids). So . . .

Here are my tips for creating a book spine cento:

Check out the book spine poem gallery for inspiration.
Get to a place with plenty of books. A library works nicely. Or a large home collection.
Start looking at titles, and see what strikes you. Arrange and rearrange in your head. The best part of this type of poetry is the fact that you don’t know where you’ll end up.
Have a pencil and paper with you to write down titles that stand out. Start arranging on paper. This way you don’t have to pull all the books off the shelf until you have your final poem.
Don’t be afraid to use the library catalog (if available) to look up titles with specific words or phrases that fit.
Once you have your poem, pull the books from the shelf arrange them, and take a picture of it.

Additional Resources:

What is a cento?

Sorted Books by Nina Katchadourian

National Poetry Month website

Be Still My Children’s Book Nerd Heart: The Digital Kerlan Collection

Travis Jonker — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 04:01:00 +0000

If you love to dig into the history of children’s books, you should check out Minnesota University’s Kerlan Collection Digital Archive (curated by the wonderful Lisa Von Drasek).

If you spend some time looking, you can uncover all sorts of gems, like original Corduroy artwork by Don Freeman:

I’m finding all sorts of cool and unexpected things there, like the original Amelia Bedelia dummy illustrated by Fritz Siebel, and more.

Click here to visit.

2026 Books from Pura Belpré Winners

Travis Jonker — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:01:00 +0000

I searched high and low for 2026 books from past Pura Belpré Illustrator and Author Medal and Honor winners. I spotted quite a few so I’m sharing them here today.

Did I miss one? Let me know in the comments.

Previously . . .

2026 Books from Newbery Winners

2026 Books from Caldecott Winners

2026 Books from Geisel Winners