September 2008 Archives

Sandra Hanken, author of Sky Castle has an interesting new project: turning old clothing into a keepsake bear with BecomingBears.com. The bears in the Photo Gallery are pretty adorable. What a great use for that old baby clothing you've been saving!

Tim Kreider of the Baltimore City Paper has a fascinating look at the importance of children's books in shaping people:

... the reading we do as children may be more serious than any reading we'll ever do again. Books for children and young people are unashamedly prescriptive: They're written, at least in part, to teach us what the world is like, how people are, and how we should behave--as my colleague Megan Kelso (The Squirrel Mother) puts it, "How to be a human being."

Perhaps I'm biased, as an unabashed book-lover, but like Kreider, some of my strongest childhood memories are centered around reading the very books the article focuses on. I'm certain they've shaped who I've become. What I'm curious to know is: is this true of most people, or only of people who grow up to revere the literary world?

One of my favorite Illumination Arts artists, Arlene Graston is now selling Fine Art prints of her work at Jane Kahan Folio. Arlene is the illustrator of In Every Moon There is a Face. She has an open edition of prints available for all the artwork in the book, as well as a limited edition of some of her other projects. The artwork is simply stunning, so if you're in need of something to adorn your walls, be sure to check it out.

The Buried Editor over at Buried in the Slush Pile has posted a challenge for kidlit readers throughout the internet: "read at least one banned book before the end of Banned Book Week on October 3."

In the past, I've posted about And Tango Makes Three, a picture book about two male penguins who raise a chick together. However, other than that, I've never heard much about picture books being banned.

Color me surprised when a quick Google search brought up this list of frequently challenged children's books, which includes several picture books--and their reasons for being challenged.

Did you know that Where's Waldo has been challenged because one of the (tiny) women in an illustration is laying face down sunbathing without a bathing suit top? Or that Robert Munsch's I Have to Go has been challenged for including the word "pee"?

It's always fascinating to find out what books people have tried to ban, and why. I, for one, will try to check out several of these books before Banned Book Week next month.

Election season is well upon us, and you may be looking for books on American history and politics for your children. Well, Illumination Arts may not have any history books just yet, but the latest issue of the Horn Book Newsletter has some short reviews of several good books for kids, including Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote and the "very funny" Madam President.