Update: June 26, 2015It's official. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled 5 to 4 in favor of marriage equality (see Justice Kennedy's closing paragraph summation which poignantly concludes, "it is so ordered.") Here's hoping this "kidlit" gets revisited with fresh eyes and an empathetic lens to see how profoundly meaningful this is for children whose families have been denied this … [Read more...]
May 8, 2012 Happy Children's Book Week all! (May 7-13 2012) No secret I prefer media that has a social enterprise tie-in or a deeper message than the vapid values of commercialism circulating in the mainstream, so was thrilled to see this Surfrider Foundation "protect the oceans" message wrapped in a girls empowerment, active how-to book for kids, called My Mommy Taught Me … [Read more...]
Feb. 27, 2012 Upon hearing of Berenstain Bears’ co-founder Jan Berenstain’s passing at 88 this past Friday, I’d like to send deepest condolences to the family, especially sons Mike (illustrator) and Leo (business) who continue to uphold the stories and standards of their parents’ gentle parables after 50 years and over 300 books of "kidlit" entertainment. To honor Jan’s … [Read more...]
Aug. 31 2011 Transitioning back to school is tough, especially when media and marketing blitzes the ‘what could be’ fear dynamics of peer acceptance based on what you wear, how you look, and who you sit with at lunch. (Target's music teacher ad/video sums in satire well, "if your kids want to sound cool, they need to look cool") Now toss in the social media promises and … [Read more...]
Feb. 14, 2017 Valentine's Day Update: More ways to encourage reading, with therapy dogs (via MindshiftKQED Learning) and a few "Kidlit" picks for Valentine's Day that streamed across my desk, here and here...Off to my new tutoring gig at Reading Partners.org! Jan. 16, 2017 MLK Weekend: Book Three of March is out with Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell and John Lewis' much needed … [Read more...]
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