Tiny Treasury

There’s an email forward that’s been going around the internet for weeks now, telling people to boycott the film version of The Golden Compass as well as the books. The gist of the emails is that the author, Phillip Pullman, is anti-Christian. While it’s true that Pullman is an atheist, the anti-Christian statement is mostly based upon two quotes from the author. Both quotes, while certainly provocative in nature, are taken out of context, making them seem far more subversive and offensive than they are when the interviews are read in their entirety.

The His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass is the first book of the series) is the story of how a girl discovers a plot to separate children from their “daemons”, which are animal-shaped physical manifestations of the soul in the universe of the books. Both adults and children have daemons, but only children’s daemons can change shape, which makes them valuable to the villains, for mysterious reasons. The story is about the science and morality behind the existence of daemons (souls), and the power of these souls. It’s a profoundly moral story. There’s no question that there are anti- religious elements in the book. But in regards to those elements Pullman said in an interview, “As for what it’s against - the story is against those who pervert and misuse religion, or any other kind of doctrine with a holy book and a priesthood and an apparatus of power that wields unchallengeable authority, in order to dominate and suppress human freedoms.”

One of the quotes used to justify the boycott is “my books are about killing God.” But in the same interview Pullman says “That’s not to say I disparage the religious impulse. I think the impulse is a critical part of the wonder and awe that human beings feel. What I am against is organised religion of the sort which persecutes people who don’t believe. I’m against religious intolerance.” The “God” in his books isn’t the God worshiped by Christians. The God in his book is a God in an alternate universe with a corrupt church trying to stop the spread of good and wisdom.

Another quote the anti-Pullman camp is jumping on is from a different interview when Pullman says, “I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.” What the email doesn’t add is the rest of the quote that continues, “Mr. Lewis would think I was doing the Devil’s work.” Pullman is specifically answering a question about what C.S. Lewis would think of his work. He’s not saying that he’s trying to undermine Christian belief. He’s saying that’s what someone else would think. The author isn’t against Christianity, Catholicism or religion in general, he’s anti-religious intolerance and against the dogmatism and oppression of the church.

If you’ve read the complete interviews and still disagree with the author’s viewpoint and don’t want to read the books that’s one thing. It just irks me that based upon a few emails and memos from people who haven’t seen the movie or read the books that parents all over the country are going to forbid their kids from reading an award winning trilogy.

I should add that I am completely against censoring books for children for any reason except age-appropriateness. I am all for dialogue between parent and child and think that it’s imperative for parents to monitor what their kids read. But I think it’s most important for parents to read along with their children and discuss the books they read rather than forbidding them from reading them altogether. Though I wouldn’t necessarily agree with the decision, if a parent were to take the time and read the book before deciding they didn’t want their child to read it I wouldn’t complain. As a parent it’s your right to make decisions for your family.

As for the movie, it doesn’t bother me that parents may not want their children to see it. I’ve read the books and I don’t think they’re appropriate for young children. As far as I know the movie is rated PG-13, and if it’s true to the book I wouldn’t recommend kids much younger seeing the movie since the books were written for a young adult audience. Based on my classroom experiences, kids much younger than seventh grade wouldn’t even understand the books for the most part, so a PG-13 rating seems spot on. In other words, while I haven’t actually seen a movie in the theater for two years now, if I were to see this movie and parents with children under ten were in the audience I’d be annoyed.

I have to admit that I’m reticent to see the film because I don’t want it to ruin the books for me. The books are remarkable. I can’t recommend them enough. But I have hope. One blogger who has seen the movie writes, “It is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Go see it in the biggest theater you can.”

Unless you’ve been media deprived the past few days you’ve probably heard that J.K. Rowling outed everyone’s favorite wizard, Albus Dumbledore. Frankly, I’m a bit underwhelmed by the news. Since the series has been completed and Dumbledore’s sexuality never came into play, why does it matter now?

Here’s an article from the Harry Potter Fan Zone:

You can read more from Stacey, the new blogger at Hogwarts Herald.

Doppelganger at 50 Books has compiled a list of books for preschools that feature female characters. Thank you, Doppelganger!

* Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
* The Miss Spider series by David Kirk
* Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole
* The Frances series by Russell and Lillian Hoban
* The Paper Bag Princess, A Promise is a Promise, Angela’s Airplane, David’s Father, Millicent and the Wind, Moira’s Birthday, Murmel Murmel Murmel, Pigs!, Something Good, Stephanie’s Ponytail, and The Boy in the Drawer by Robert Munsch
* Chrysanthemum, Lily and her Purple Plastic Purse, and Julius, The Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes
* The Little House and Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
* Helga’s Dowry and Adelita by Tomie DePaola
* When I’m Sleepy by by Jane R. Howard and Lynne Cherry
* The Charlie and Lola series by Lauren Child
* Big Momma Makes the World and Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root
* The Princess Knight, plus many other titles by Cornelia Funke
* The Seven Chinese Sisters by Kathy Tucker and Grace Lin
* The Library by Sarah Stewart
* Moonstruck by Gennifer Choldenko
* Roxaboxen by Alice Mclerran and Barbara Cooney
* A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
* The Balloon Tree by Phoebe Gilman
* Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty Macdonald
* Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
* The Little Princess series (which, trust me, is NOT all princess-y) by Tony Ross
* The Daisy series by Jane Simmons
* Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
* If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond
* Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
* Ugly Truckling by David Gordon
* Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems (I can vouch for this one. The story is cute and the illustrations are fabulous.)
* Lizzy’s Lion by Dennis Lee
* Ganzy Remembers by Mary Grace Ketner
* Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful of Cats by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Joan Rankin
* Who Said Boo? by Anne Miranda
* Attic of the Wind by Doris Herold Lun and Ati Forberg
* Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink
* George and Martha: One Fine Day by James Marshall
* Maggie and the Pirates by Ezra Jack Keats
* Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne
* Fairy Wings by Lauren Mills
* Dahlia by Barbara McClintock
* Red Riding by Jean Merrilla
* Outside, Over There by Maurice Sendak
* Peg and the Yeti by Kenneth Oppel
* Bullfrog Builds a House by Rosamond Dauer and Byron Barton
* Petronella by Jay Williams
* A Cowboy Named Ernestine by Nicole Rubel
* Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson
* Little Red Cowboy Hat by Susan Lowell
* Eloise by Kay Thompson
* Sleepless Beauty by Frances Minters
* Christina Katerina and the Box by Patricia Lee Gauch
* The Maggie B by Irene Haas
* The Stella series by Marie-Louise Gay (Bonus: She has a little brother named Sam!)

More of what we’re reading here next week, and thanks to some of the Readergirlz for stopping in and commenting!

The internet’s first literary awards are back.

Because The Cybils is a blogger-run, blogger-inspired awards process, we operate with the expectation of openness and transparency. If you have any question about the process—any question at all—please feel free to e-mail Anne or Kelly at any time.

Nominations are open in the following categories:

Fantasy/Science Fiction
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Fiction
Non-Fiction: Middle Grade and Young Adult
Non-Fiction Picture Books
Poetry
Young Adult Fiction

Here are the rules:

The book must have been published in 2007:

* Only one book per category;
* Click on a category and read the description;
* Click on “comments” and type in the author and title;
* Make sure your book isn’t already listed, please.

Nominations close Nov. 21, so take your time and come back often.Thanks for joining us!

The seven stories in Judy Blume’s “Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One” (which I finally finished) revolve around third grader Abigail, the Great One, and her little brother first grader Jake, the Pain. Written for ages 4-9, the target age group will definitely relate to the sibling bickering in this fun and easy to read chapter book. Abigail is afraid to ride a bike but too embarrassed to admit it to her friends. Jake is afraid to get his hair cut for fear the barber will cut off his ears. The situations are sweet and true to life and James Stevenson’s illustrations are delightful.

Judy Blume’s stories aren’t all so kid friendly according to parents. Blume’s books are some of the most challenged books in schools and libraries across the country. One of my father’s favorite stories is that when I was little I read books faster than he could buy them. By the age of five I was reading books well above my maturity level because I could. One night when I was five I was in bed reading “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and I called him into my room. “Dad,” I asked, “what’s a period?” My poor, flustered father had to try to explain menstruation to his slightly grossed out kindergartener.

When I was eight my aunt took me out shopping with her and we stopped to browse at a used bookstore. I recognized Judy Blume’s name on the cover and had her buy me a copy of “Forever” for a quarter. I got home and read the entire thing in one sitting, not quite mature enough to really understand what it was about, but old enough to know it was steamy stuff. It was only when I lent it to my best friend that I got in trouble. Her mother was outraged that I’d lent her a book with obscene language and sexual content. In retrospect, my “bad influence” may have been one of the reasons her parents moved out of the neighborhood.

While I don’t plan on purchasing young adult novels for my future early elementary grade children, I certainly hope that they’ll learn to appreciate Judy Blume’s stories about young love, friendship, and insecurities. Her books were groundbreaking at a time when books about love were either chaste or preachy, and the characters in young adult novels didn’t experience the down and dirty, uncomfortable moments that most actual young adults experience on a daily basis.

Five of Judy Blume’s books are on the ALA’s list of 100 Most Challenged Books of 1990 to 2000. She continues to fight censorship.

“[I]t’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.” — Judy Blume

Five books my son is currently obsessed with

1. Johnny Tractor’s Fun Farm Day
This tractor shaped John Deere book features a color on each two page spread and is chock full of pictures for little ones to label. There are “burds” and “ap-pulls” and cows who say “mmmmmmm,” there are “booberries” (just wait until he has the cereal!) and pigs and corn and a number of animals, food items, and farm sights my son has has yet to verbalize. I imagine this on won’t get old for a while.

2. From Head to Toe
Eric Carle’s animal book (published in 1997 so it was new to me) invites kids to copy the movements of the animals and say, “I can do it.” From Head to Toe introduces both animals and body parts. Sam loves to thump his chest like a gorilla.

3. The Fast Rolling Little Engine That Could
Not the best retelling of the classic tale, but it has wheels and a clasp that snaps it shut when you’re finished reading. My mechanical little guy loves opening the book, making me read it to him, snapping it shut, and wheeling it around. Repeatedly.

4. The Going to Bed Book
This was our good night story for months until he started crying and slamming it shut when we brought it out. Now he prefers to read it during the day. Sandra Boynton’s fun and familiar animal cast gets ready for bed. Sam loves the page when they all crowd together to brush their teeth. My favorite page is when they exercise before bed.

5. Counting Kisses
Karen Katz’s kiss and book was another bedtime favorite banished to daytime readings. The tired little baby in the book is kissed and hugged and loved by mama, dada, grandma, sister, cat and dog until she’s peacefully asleep. Sam likes to kiss the baby and name the family members. He’s not yet into getting kissed repeatedly while we read the story, but I imagine that’s yet to come.

I’m one of those parents who doesn’t like to buy character merchandising from movies or television. You won’t see me buying anything with an Elmo, Dora, or Diego on it. But I’m not too uptight to accept and use gifts that are character related, so Sam does have some Thomas plates and bowls, and some other character items. The good news is that Sam doesn’t recognize Elmo when we pass the creepy photography studio that uses him to lure people in and he doesn’t actually know that Dora is everywhere- on cups, sneakers, blankets, pencils, T-shirts, etc. He doesn’t watch enough TV to know he’s supposed to WANT these things yet.

Want aside, now that the weather is most decidedly fall like here on the east coast, Sam’s fallen in love all over again with the book A Day at the Beach, a Dora the Explorer book. With colorful pages, a few Spanish words for good measure, and lots of items to find and label, Sam loves the book. He likes pointing to and naming the birds and balls on each page and as his vocabulary increases he’s discovered the turtle and fish. Dora and her (creepy, though I’ve never really watched the show so maybe he’s not quite as creepy on TV?) friend boots put on sunscreen, buy lemonade, and throw out their trash. I didn’t want to like it, but A Day at the Beach is a great picture book for the toddler set. It’s brightly colored, interactive, and Sam finds new things to talk about each time we read it. I imagine that kids who watch the show will love it even more.

We took a bunch of books out of the library last week, and to my husband’s dismay “My Book of Trucks” was not Sam’s immediate favorite. Instead he went straight for “I Can, Can You?” and hasn’t yet picked up any of the others.

“I Can, Can You?” is a board book featuring full color photographs of children with Down Syndrome going about their day. Each page shows a different child engaged in a different activity like eating, drawing, and going down a slide. Sam’s particularly interested in the baby building with blocks. Each time he picks up the book he turns right to that page, points and says, “Baby! bock.”

The children featured are mostly white, though two Asian children and one African-American child are also shown. The text is repetitive, engaging and subtly encouraging. It’s perfect for a toddler or a preschooler with or without Down Syndrome, though I’d imagine it would be most reassuring for a child with Down Syndrome, who probably doesn’t get to see to many books with pictures of kids like them.

I’ve been looking for books about the Jewish High Holidays appropriate for toddlers. A board book would be ideal with short sentences and bright, interesting pictures. According to Amazon no such book exists. All I could find were books appropriate for ages 4-8. But a closer look showed several books that seem to be toddler appropriate.
Sammy Spider’s First Rosh Hashanah doesn’t have an age range listed, but using the search inside feature it looks like it would be on target for ages 3-6.

Apples and Honey: A Rosh Hashanah Lift-the- Flap as a lift-the-flap book is probably geared towards pre-schoolers based on the excerpt on amazon, but with the lift-the-flap feature I’d think they were aiming for younger children as well. Unfortunately the lone reviewer says the pages are flimsy. Flimsy doesn’t last with my toddler. Even sturdy doesn’t last when he’s teething.

If your child is older you’ve got several books to choose from. Here are a few fiction books about the High Holidays
On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Reading level: ages 4-8
40 pages

The World’s Birthday: A Rosh Hashanah Story
Reading level: ages 4-8

And a few non-fiction

Apples and Pomegranates: A Family Seder For Rosh Hashanah
Reading level: ages 4-8

Celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: With Honey, Prayers, and the Shofar
ages 4-8

Do any readers have any suggestions for books I haven’t linked? Board books I may not have found?

Happy New Year!

Judy Blume’s Tale’s of a Fourth Grade Nothing published 35 years ago still remains a classic. Younger readers from all generations can connect with poor Peter Hatcher who is completely overshadowed by his little brother Fudge. Fudge was so popular with young readers that Blume wrote four more books about him.

To celebrate the anniversary the complete set of Fudge books are being released in a box set with a new look. The set will be available in October. You can pre-order at Amazon.

Read more about Fudge and Peter at Judy Blume’s website.

Judy Blume, Fudge books, box set, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, young readers

One of the golden rules in the world of kids’ toys, TV, and books (besides the one that says you must be a celebrity to write a children’s book) is that girls will play with boy toys, read boy books, and watch boy TV. But the reverse is not true. Boys do not play with Bratz dolls, read The Babysitters Club, or watch Dora. Yes, there are exceptions (including my son, who likes to make sure Barbie gets her turn going down the slide). But gender-neutral, feminist fuming aside, it’s a pretty hard and fast rule, whether we like it or not. So when MotherTalk knocked on my door with this book review, I was immediately interested to see how James Patterson broke the rules in Maximum Ride 3 and whether he would get away with it. I mean, Patterson is a 60-year-old white guy who writes books middle aged men read on the beach. How on earth would he 1)write a story from a 14-year-old girl’s point of view, and 2)get boys to like it? But after reading the entire book in two days, all I know is he succeeded.

“Maximum Ride” is the name of the book’s eponymous heroine, a 14-year-old wise-cracking girl who kicks serious butt. Genetically engineered to be two percent bird, she sports giant wings that let her fly into battle against evil scientists, robots, and other nefarious types. As a mother figure to the other bird children, she is alternately tough and tender, leading them on an escape from the lab where they were raised and into a campaign to save the world.

I felt sorry for Max. At 14, she shouldn’t be a mother figure. She shouldn’t have to save the world. She shouldn’t be on her own, taking care of other kids. I mean, I know 14-year-olds who still sleep with stuffed animals. But she is on her own, and the fate of the world does rest on her (feathered) shoulders. Her voice is angry and authentic, right down to the sarcastic distrust of the grown-ups who’ve screwed everything up, and I found myself wanting to cheer for her and hug her at the same time. Not that she would let me.

Joining Max in her save-the-world mission is Fang, a technically talented bird guy who uses his blog to mobilize kids around the world and becomes Max’s love interest at the same time. (And the blog? It’s real- check it out.) So even the most testosterone addled boy who refuses to cheer for Max will find a hero in Fang and the rest of the flock.

All around, I give Maximum Ride 3 two thumbs up. I’ve already ordered the first two books in the series so I can read them before number four comes out next spring. As for the movie … bring it on!

And Tango Makes Three, a book about two male penguins parenting an egg topped the ALA’s list of most challenged books in 2006 by parents and administrators, due to homosexual themes. In fact, four of the top ten books were challenged due to homosexual content.

A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.

The “10 Most Challenged Books of 2006″ are:

1, And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell;

2, Gossip Girls series by Cecily Von Ziegesar;

3, Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor;

4, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler;

5, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison;

6, Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz;

7, Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher;

8, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky;

9, Beloved by Toni Morrison;

10, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.

Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin is just wildly amusing, one of my favorite kids’ books. And it’s also one of my kids’ favorites because they can read along - the text is very simple (and witty!).

I was really glad to see this video clip on YouTube of the book being read aloud - with sign language.

You can download versions here from PBS - or order videos.

Those are just some of the questions that Sam, one of the main characters of Stella, Star of the Sea asks his big sister, Stella, in one of the most delightful children’s books in my home.

I didn’t buy this one, I’ll confess. My friend, Kristin, bought it for my daughter; my daughter’s middle name is Estella and Sam is Kristin’s son. The two are the best of friends and Kristin thought the book concept - of older girl Stella leading around young Sam - was fitting. It quickly became a favorite in the house, not just because of the names of the characters but also because of the poetic nature of the book. And by poetic, I’m not just referring to the imagery in the words and the cadence of the text, which is really lovely to read. I’m also referring to the illustrations which are absolutely beautiful - the illustrations are so soft and yet still stunning - that it takes your breath away. Really. And on each page, there’s a little story within the story. Your children will have fun exploring it.

The book is the first in a series by award-winning Montreal artist Marie-Louise Gay of Canada. Gay clearly captures the spirit of young children with her words and her illustrations. And you can’t find a more perfect example of that spirit than when Stella explains to Sam that starfish were once shooting stars “who fell in love with the sea.” Trust me when I say that you and your children will fall in love with this book.

Marie-Louise Gay, Stella

Like you didn’t think the first place I’d pick would be Philadelphia…

I’m kicking my reviews of books this week that reference specific places - not just generally “in the city” or “on Generic Street, USA” - whether in title, text or setting. And the first book on my list is Good Night Philadelphia.

Good Night Philadelphia, authored by Adam Gamble and illustrated by Cooper Kelly, is part of the Good Night Our World series. Other books in the series include Good Night San Francisco, Good Night Atlanta and Good Night New York City. The premise of the series is, as you could imagine, “to celebrate special places in a way that young children… can easily relate to and enjoy with their families.”

And if Good Night Philadelphia is typical, the series more or less hits the mark. The book introduces the reader to places that are familiar to Philadelphians, though I’m not sure if those who haven’t spent a considerable amount of time in Philadelphia would quite understand or appreciate all of the spots chosen to “visit”.

The opening page missed the boat, I thought. Literally. There is a stretch of Philadelphia along the Schuylkill River (which no one outside of Philadelphia can pronounce) referred to as “Boathouse Row.” If you’ve been to Philly, you know Boathouse Row. And yet, the illustrations of Boathouse Row aren’t accompanied by any reference to it. Instead, the author says “Good morning, Schuylkill River” which is both difficult to pronounce if you aren’t familiar with it, and nearly impossible for new readers. Boathouse Row is simple - and the more common name for the stretch. I’m not sure whether this is a flaw because Gamble doesn’t know the area or if it was purposeful. But I didn’t think it a terribly good start.

After the opening pages, however, the book hits all of the right notes. The author makes stops along Philly’s notable tourist sites such as the Art Museum and Fairmount Water Works - and even stops to wonder what Rodin’s Thinker is thinking. There’s the obligatory mention of cheesesteaks (and thankfully not at Pat’s or Geno’s) as well as the Betsy Ross House and the Liberty Bell. The book is nicely illustrated - I thought the colors popped nicely and worked well with the board book format. I especially liked the crowd scenes, such as in Reading Terminal. It adds considerable interest to the book and encourages lots of finger pointing and question asking of the “Who’s that?” variety.

It’s short and sweet, as picture books - especially board books - should be. It’s a nice introduction to the City, and really does hit most of the main tourist attractions (what, no mention of our infamous sports teams?). I would definitely be inclined to pick up another in the series for my kids for the next time that we travel to New York City, Maine or any of the other places featured in the series. I agree that it’s a nice way to remember a trip without cheesy commercial references and at $9.95, it’s not priced badly either.

Philadelphia, Good Night Our World