Our 2026 Preview Episode!
Travis: In the latest episode of The Yarn, Colby and I look ahead to 2026. We talk about upcoming books, make some predictions, and realize that fanclubs don’t exist anymore.
We hope you enjoy this episode.
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Filed under: All Episodes
About Travis Jonker
Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.
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Travis and Colby. My jaw just dropped with shock when in your latest episode, you asked each other, “Well, are we up for doing another year of The Yarn?” What? Of course you are! You must be! You are Travis and Colby–the invincible, the entertaining, and the uniquely knowledgeable regarding picture books. There’s no one else filling this niche quite as savvily as you guys. I’m tempted to actually revive the old fan club phenomenon–The Yarn’s Travis Yonker and Colby Sharp Fan Club–if you will only commit to carrying on with your diamond-in-the-rough work. I know it is “work” too.
I so empathized with what you said about only finding time to read for a handful of minutes before zonking off to sleep each night. I’m a mom of six and a fine artist running a business, and I’m in the same boat of longing to read hard copy books in more scenarios than the doctor’s office and in bed at 10:45p.m.
Guys, I laughed out loud when you asked if there ever were book clubs for authors, and then wondered about whether the The Babysitter’s Club did–I was a member of the official Babysitters’ Club Fan Club (You could send in your info to Scholastic, and they’d mail members a white folder w/a blue logo, a notepad for emergency numbers, and pencil, I think. Joy!)
Of course, my 11 year-old self had to start my own babysitting business in my neighborhood after that. With every payment after a gig, I’d head to the local university’s bookstore, and buy the next book in the series. I think I had up to book #40, maybe? So much fun! Ann M. Martin and Scholastic had something good going there. Thirty years later, I found ten of those same books kicking around in my closet, and gave them to my 12 and 14 year-old girls. They inhaled the books, checked out the graphic novels, then dressed up as The Babysitter’s Club members with their friends for Halloween last fall. Too fun.
A few more responses to episode #253:
• I loved the hot tip to check out Dan Santat’s “Sashimi”! EEEK! So excited! And because of you, my entire family of eight devoured his graphic novel, “A First for Everything”–because of your interview last year. (I gave a copy to my oldest daughter who’s just headed to Italy, Greece, England, and France with a college humanities tour this spring, and it felt like just the thing to don her traveling shoes.
• As your #1 Fan (Not so scary, as Syndrome, but perhaps with equally unruly hair) my vote for creators for you to interview, would be Portuguese/American illustrator, Brisida Magro, whose work is fresh, optimistic, and with a hint of vintage stamped on it. I adore her work so much.
•And yes, please, to having Shannon Hale back on the show. You are so right–she IS so intelligent, and knowledgable about the craft of writing and publishing, and just funny to hear as she spins her own yarns of experience in the field of children’s lit.
•Also, yes to interviewing Jennifer Holm! I can’t believe you get to talk to all these greats, and share the results with the rest of us.
Thanks again, gentlemen, for giving of your time. You may never know how many readers listen to your fine work, but we’re here–soaking it up, basking in your research, and knowledge, and quirky personalities of enlightenment. Bless you. Pick up the books, and carry on.
Sincerely,
Your fellow librocubicularist, Emily R.