Tiny Treasury

It’s the War of Words Wednesday! Since next week starts the official “back to school” week for most schools in the US (I know that you folks in the Southern Hemisphere start first term in January), I thought I would focus on great school-themed books. Beverly Cleary is one of the best authors when it comes to capturing the spirit of first day angst, be it kindergarten or 3rd grade. So, today’s War of Words Wednesday is a battle of two Cleary books…

Which Beverly Cleary book reminds you most what it was like to be in elementary school?

Ellen Tebbits

or

Ramona the Pest

Beverly Cleary, school, Ellen Tebbits, Ramona the Pest

So here’s a twist on the War of Words Wednesday. Since we’ve been talking about censorship this week, I am interested to see which, of any, of these banned books you think should be removed from school libraries. This is a list of books subjected to banning in the US and UK which I compiled using information from the library at the University of Pennsylvania, The File Room Project and the American Library Association. The list includes books which have been deemed inappropriate for minors or students over time.

Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Twelfth Night (use of adult language, sex, violence) - Shakespeare
Little Red Riding Hood (alcohol reference) - Brothers Grimm
Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn (racial slur) - Mark Twain
Forever (sexuality) - Judy Blume
Of Mice and Men (inappropriate language) - John Steinbeck
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (sexuality, adult language) - Maya Angelou
Harry Potter series (magic, witchcraft) - J.K. Rowling
The Great Gatsby (sexuality) - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Catcher in the Rye (adult language) - J.D. Salinger
The Color Purple (sexuality, violence, racism) - Alice Walker
Gossip Girl series (sexuality, drug use, adult language) - Cecily von Ziegesar
Charlotte’s Web (death, potentially offensive to Muslims) - E.B. White

Do you agree with any of these books being banned? If you don’t believe that banning is appropriate, should there be an age restriction on any of them?

Are any books missing from the list?

censorship, banned books, Catcher in the Rye, Gossip Girl, Charlotte’s Web, The Color Purple, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Little Red Riding Hood, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, Judy Blume, Of Mice and Men, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Great Gatsby

It seems that celeb moms/authors are everywhere these days: Jamie Lee Curtis, Madonna and even Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell). So today’s War of Words Wednesday question is:

Which celeb parent would you want to see pen a new kids’ book?

Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis, Geri Halliwell, Ginger Spice

It’s war of words Wednesday!

And believe it or not, there’s not a lot going on in the children’s book world these days. It seems that there is a collective holding of breath for an upcoming release about a guy named Harry…

So, in light of the petition posted to save Harry Potter, today’s question is:

Would you rather JK Rowling save Harry and continue the series or write another series based on a different character?

Harry Potter, JK Rowling

We’ve been having a couple of interesting conversations on some of the message boards about the issue of authors and ownership. Those conversations inspired this week’s War of Words Wednesday.

Authors are often paid to produce material which becomes the property of the employer. In a recent case, a series of columns penned by John Grogan is being published by the Philadelphia Inquirer without Grogan’s consent or participation. So today’s question is:

Who was in the right in this debate: Grogan or the Inquirer?

And as a follow-up question:

Do you think that writers give up the right to protect/edit/promote work if the work was produced for a specific purpose (for example, a column or a blog)? If a writer is paid to produce a piece of work, should the person or company who paid for the work be allowed to alter, delete or promote it without permission from the writer?

author, blogger, permission, copyright, protect, promote

Yet another tweak on the War of Words Wednesday… It’s summer (and it’s hot in Philly) so I’m trying to think of light and fun things to do for the WOW.

Today’s question is inspired by ABC’s sitcom-name fiasco:

What TV show (past or present) would you rename to reflect or spoof a kids’ book title or famous line/lyric - and why?

Okay, I’m tweaking the War of Words Wednesday a little bit today… Instead of offering a couple of choices, I’m asking an open-ended question.

This summer, a number of films based on books are being released: Harry Potter and Nancy Drew to name two. So, my question to you is…

What children’s book would you like to see most made into a film?

Since I’ve been posting about summer - with the heat on its way - I’m curious to know what you look for in a summer read:

Something compelling which can take a few days or something quick and light?

And a follow-up question, what’s your most favorite summer read ever?

I’ll start. When I was 12 years old, I read Gone With the Wind. A little risque, for sure, for a 12 year old, though maybe not by today’s standards. I remember being so enamored with the story. I would sit outdoors on the deck and read and read.

summer reading, children’s books

Despite the fact that my own dog went on a tear through the garbage this morning that I must now clean up, today’s War of Words Wednesday is all about Heartwarming Animal Stories (inspired by my review of Bad Dog, Marley!):

Which is the bigger tug at your heartstrings: Sounder or Old Yeller?

Old Yeller, Sounder

Okay, my disclaimer: you know that I haven’t read any Harry Potter. But I have followed it in the media. And I know that in the Deathly Hallows version that someone dies. So, today’s War of Words Wednesday question is:

Who do you think dies in Deathly Hallows: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger or somebody else?

And yes, this is all just speculation for fun. It’s what we do on War of Words Wednesday. Nobody knows anything, right? No spoilers. Play nice.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Deathly Hallows

It’s War of Words Wednesday! Cal Ripken, Jr., recently released a children’s book about adversity, The Longest Season.

Which modern day baseball player would you most want to pen a children’s book:

the Phillies’ Ryan Howard or the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez?

Cal Ripken Jr., The Longest Season, baseball, A-Rod, Ryan Howard, Phillies, Yankees

I’m a huge Nancy Drew fan. You’ll probably pick up on this eventually - that’s why I was so excited about the Tell Me True question on yesterday.

I owned all of the hardback books as a kid - and my older brother owned all of the hardback books in the Hardy Boys series. I read both and I used to argue with Rob about which was better (Nancy, hands down).

And that’s exactly the question today: it’s War of Words Wednesday! Today’s question is:

Which is the better detective series, the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew?

This is the last War of Words Wednesday for April. This month, I focused on princesses, largely based on my daughters’ collective obsession on them as of late. While looking through princess books, reviews and sites, I could definitely tell that there was a divide in the way that folks viewed princesses. Mostly, they love them or hate them, there is very little gray. But there was also clearly a divide in the type of princesses that were preferred. It seems that those that adore the classics (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty) abhor the modern princesses (Jasmine, Ariel) and vice versa.

So today’s War of Words Wednesday is:

When it comes to princesses, do you prefer the classic princesses or the modern princesses?

modern, classic, princess

The Meg Cabot series The Princess Diaries was a huge hit. Since the debut of the series, there have been fourteen more Princess Diaries books. So, which is the better sequel:

Princess in the Spotlight (Vol II) or Princess in Love (Vol III)?

Meg Cabot, The Princess Diaries

It’s the War of Words Wednesday! Since I recently posted about Disney princesses, which princess is the most daring?

Ariel (Little Mermaid, seeking out the human world) or Jasmine (Aladdin, sneaking out of the palace to see how the rest of the world lives)?

Disney, princesses