Happy Birthday, Dr Seuss!

March 2 is the day readers everywhere, children and adults should pause and think where would we be without The Cat and the Hat.  Dr Seuss is the favorite author of many, his stories have brought us delight, laughter and important thoughts about how we treat others. 

  

And then there is the "controversy thing".  Just google him and see what interesting bits of information comes up.  Many I have heard through the years although I didn't know, If I Ran the Zoo has the first recorded use of the word nerd.  Which makes me laugh, because the word nerd has taken on its own history evolving from weird, offensive, funny and now everyone wants to be one.  His books also speak to the influence a children's book can have on society.  I remember the first time I read the Lorax, I thought, wow...this is so true and this is something we can learn from, something to think about.  However, the logging industry was not too happy and groups within the industry came out against it with something called  "The Truax". (look it up)  So, a book sitting on the shelf in the children's section of the library with colorful pictures and the small Lorax with a big voice made a whole industry feel like they needed to defend themselves. It's probably because everything Theodor Seuss Geisel writes is always well said which delights most and scares some.

The Butter Battle Book  (1984) is another one of the "let's get upset about this" books.  It's basically just a cautionary tale about what can happen if you keep trying to one up the other especially over something so silly.  So, some places and some countries had it pulled off the shelves for awhile.  It's also been analyzed by many and the subject of papers, thesis' and dissertations. Just what does it all mean?  Simple, just read the book.

Baffling to me is  why And to Think I saw it on Mulberry Street was rejected 27 times before being published in 1937 but yet  there are so many not well written children's books sitting on shelves everywhere.  It is comforting to know that his wonderful words and pictures became books even the ones published after is death such as Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories, which should be sitting on your book shelf right next to the others.

So, have green eggs and ham for breakfast and remember the man that helped us think on top of the box.

Theodor Seuss Geisel

1904-1991

You Can't Read That Book

There are several lists out there of books that at one time or another have been banned in certain community schools, libraries and society as a whole at different times in history.  It's  interesting to examine the lists and read the books that are on it. In many cases you have read these books many times and are quite surprised to see it on the list and when you see the reason it was banned are further baffled.   Of course, for the most part  these books aren't banned anymore but it makes me think about how it occurred, did the librarian quietly remove the book from the  shelves putting it in a desk draw under papers so no one would even know to read it.  Or  was it set out on display with a sign saying, THIS BOOK IS BANNED, DO NOT READ! And did that make it all the more appealing, were readers curious, did a copy get passed around on the sly?  How many took the warning at face value and never opened the book and how many thought this is a decision I should make for myself and my child?  As we all know that someone saying DON'T makes us want to do it all the more.

It's funny how at one time a book that was forbidden  becomes beloved.  The perfect example of that would be....Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  When it was first published people were afraid of it because it shows the boy experiencing anger and yelling at his mom, evidently a big NO NO.   Today, it is on the list of top 100 must read children's books, way at the top.  And they made a movie!  My son loved that book and I must of read it to him 50 times.  It never occurred to me that is was inspiring him to misbehave, my guess is that he came up with that entirely on his own.

I think much of the worry is the same premise as cartoons.  When we watch them when we are young we laugh at the violence and nothing about it scares us.  I can remember watching Looney Toons as an adult and the violence bothered me, made me uncomfortable and I just didn't enjoy it as much as I did as a child.  But do I think children shouldn't watch them, of course not.  In fact it is a gift that there are adults that write and create media for children that speaks to them and their fears.  everywhere we will  all be better off.  There is a book by Audrey Woods titled Heckedy Peg and it is a story about a mother who's children are kidnapped and turned into different kinds of food by a wicked witch.  The mother has to determine which  food is what child by knowing their personality.  It kind of sounds gruesome but my son loved this book and took comfort in the story and the outcome because of course the Mother knows her children and gets it right.  He requested that I read this story to him over and over again.  Children learn and confront their taboos in different ways then we do and the sooner we start realizing  that in school, at home and everywhere we will all be better off.

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss books is The Lorax and can you believe it is also on the list?  It  was a metaphor for the environment when people in 1971 did not want to hear it.  Ironically, it was recently published that half of our wildlife has disappeared in the last 40 years.  Maybe we should of paid attention and everything you need to know IS in a children's book.

So, content and how it fits into your world is completely up to you.    Instead of getting upset about a little Lorax that wants you to be more responsible with the environment consider this book that was published in Great Britain in 1929.  It is titled... The Big Book of Nursery Tales and the first story is Cinderella and on the last page  it says:

"May I try on the slipper?" asked Cinderella, peeping in at the door.

"You! you little kitchen slut! shrieked her sisters:  "who ever heard of such impertience!"  But Cinderella took the glass slipper and put her pretty little foot in; it was a perfect fit.

 It seems like that would be a little more difficult to explain to your child than  why a Lorax thinks we should take care of our earth. 

Visit www.blisstree.com to view one of the lists of controversial Picture Books, it's an interesting read and more importantly it's your freedom.

A New Book to Look For...

Herve' Tullet did it again!  His new book, Mix it Up, was published recently.  If you are a fan of Push Here you are going to love this book.  In a world of everything electronic here is a book that interacts with the reader in a "natural" way with just words and pictures on paper.   As I finished reading the last page and carefully closed the book, I said out loud...he is a genius.  A CREATIVE GENIUS!

Mr. Tullet was born in Normandy in 1958.  He worked as an Art Director for 10 years.  In 1994 his first book for children was published and since then his books are a favorite among children and adults. Lucky for us they are translated from French so that we can enjoy them here in the U.S.

There are many Herve Tullet books to choose from so go to your favorite book seller and start collecting, there is even a Push Here Game.   Children will love receiving this book as a gift.

When Baby Billy was born, his family noticed something odd:

He had a Mustache.  And so begins a hilarious book titled... Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos.  It is  cleverly illustrated by Joy Ang.  It's one of those books where the illustrations need the words and the words need the pictures.  I am the studio manager for a Dance Studio and teachers often read books in our foundation classes.  So, I placed this book in the studio for the teachers  and I also included mustache stickers for everyone to wear while the book was being read.  All the students enjoyed the story and had a fun time with the mustaches.   After each class as students would return to the lobby  to go home I felt the need to announce to the parents why their child was a wearing a mustache.  It was just so much fun.  The following week I placed the book in the lobby so the parents could read it as well.  Many students saw the book and immediately picked it up for their parents to read to them.  They obviously knew the story and were excited to hear it again.  I'm not going to tell you anything about the story because I want you to read it for yourself.  

Side Note:  I think this would be an interesting  baby gift, you could included a pack of mustache stickers.:)

Recently the Dance Studio Director, Kathryn rescued a stack of children's books from a church rummage sale and brought them to the studio for me to look at.  She was intrigued by the title of one of the books, are you ready for this...it was called Slugs by David Greenberg.  It begins...Swallow a Slug by its tail or its snout, feel it slide down, feel it climb out.  The story continues on in that fashion with Dissect a Slug with scissors, Poke one with a tweezer, Pop one in the microwave, Freeze one in the freezer.  And I will tell you in the end the slugs get their revenge.  The book kind of reminds of Tod Browning's cult classic movie "Freaks".  It turned Kathryn's stomach and she said, "this can not really be a book" and "I think this book might of scarred some children for life". So, I looked it up and according to the comments on the website A Good Read, it is a beloved children's book from the 1980's.  Evidently, Grandma used to read it to her grandchildren.  David Greenberg wrote other books like "Bugs".  He also wrote "Crocs" and one called "Skunk".  I think I will explore his other books and get back to you because I am not really sure what to think.   But in the mean time is Slugs someone's favorite childhood book, let me know???


Additional Note:  At the dance studio I put different books in the lobby every week, some library books, some we own.  It is rewarding to see the children run to the table, grab a book and bring it back to Mom or Dad to read.  

Possibly the Father of Abstract Art...Kandinsky

"I could hear the hiss of the colors as they mingled."

 --Vasily Kandinsky

"I let myself go.  I had little thought for houses and trees, drawing colored line and blobs on the canvas with my palette knife, making them sing just as powerfully as I knew how."

   --Vasily Kandinsky

The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mary Grandpre`is a new book I wanted you to know about.  It is actually historical fiction, it's colorful and the text describes and easily explains how Vasily Kandinsky became one the first abstract artists.  (some consider him the father of abstract art) I love books like this that teach children new things in a way they can understand and retain.

What's ironic is that it is thought that Kandinsky probably had a harmless genetic condition called synesthesia.  One sense triggers a different sense, for example allowing them to hear colors, see music, taste words or smell numbers,  look it up and read more, very interesting condition.

Also, look up the color cerulean, a word you don't hear used much but a wonderful color.

If you have a fledgling artist,  I think this is a great story to read to them... it displays finding your own way to express your art.  Enjoy!

A Rabbit's Tale

When I was around seven years old my dad brought home a wild baby rabbit.  My dad was a builder of roads and in the company's process of clearing the land a mother rabbit and her babies (except one) was killed.  His  fur was soft and brown like cocoa, his nose pink like rose petals.  A baby bunny...there is nothing sweeter.  My dad, however did make it clear that we would raise him to adulthood  but he was a wild animal and it would not be fair to him to make him a pet.   He would have to return to the woods, well, new woods anyway.  I named him Peter Cottontail.  We fed him milk from an eye dropper and my dad made  a cage for him to sleep in but he was also occasionally aloud to hop around and explore the house, much to my delight .  Bunnies become rabbits very quickly  and soon the day arrived when I had to let him go.  Behind our house was a canal and beyond that was undeveloped woods.  My dad had built a bridge across the canal and on that day he walked across and let Peter Cottontail hop into his future as a creature of the forest.  I stood in the backyard, heart broken with salty drops of water spilling from my eyes.  I'm sure I saw him come back to the water's edge several times over the following couple of weeks and then I never saw him again.  Sounds dramatic I know, but he was my first experience of letting go of something I loved.  

So, for the longest time my favorite book,  a Golden Book, was The Whispering Rabbit by Margaret Wise Brown.  Garth Williams illustrated him so sweetly you couldn't help but love him.  In the world of children's literature the Rabbit has a place right at the top from the white rabbit in Lewis Carroll's, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Aesop's Fable, The Tortoise and the Hare.  And I realize in the latter you mostly root for the Tortoise but you have to admit there is something charming about the overly confident rabbit.  The rabbit is also represented in many legends and myths such as the East African Legend, How the Hare Told the Truth About His Horse and the Afro-American Folktale, Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby.

If rabbits were not already appealing creatures,  Beatrix Potter sealed the deal with, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  It really was quite genius on her part that she insisted they be published in the form of a small book, just perfect for little hands to hold.  When my son was young we checked out every single one of her books from the library and had a Beatrix Potter's characters marathon.   One regret I have was that I didn't buy that charming box with a handle that has all of her books in it, I would still love to have that, you are never too old.   There  is a 2006 movie titled, "Miss Potter" and it stars Renee Zellweger.  It is a biopic that illustrates  how she originally succeeded in getting her stories and illustrations published.  It's interesting and entertaining.

For me, the ultimate Rabbit tale and my absolute favorite  is Margery William's, The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real).  There is nothing more magical than as a child believing your favorite stuffed animal had thoughts and feelings, I know I did.   I love the way Ms Williams taps into that which only a child believes.  The book was first published in 1922 and is still one of the most beloved books of all time.  It is interesting the way Ms William's childhood habits as well as Ms Potter's foreshadow what they were to become.  Ms William would trace animals from her father's books and cut them out and pretend  to feed and care for them.  Ms Potter would draw the animals she saw when her family would go to Scotland or Lake Country in the Summer.  Thanks to both of them for their lasting contribution of stories we will remember always.

If your  reader is crazy about Bunnies there is a wonderful book titled, Bunnies-Bunnies-Bunnies, A Treasury of Stories, Songs and Poems and inside Walter Retan has compiled all your favorites in one delightful book.  

So, curl up on the couch with your child, their stuffed bunny and your favorite bunny book and read!