How to use this Page

What am I reading now? Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie
 

Have you heard? The Lorax is on his way. On Friday, March 2, 2012, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures will be unveiling their adaptation of Dr. Seuss‘ environmental manifesto.

The Lorax

The leap from picture book to silver screen couldn’t come at a more opportune moment. We’re at a point in time where the naysayers can no longer claim that the “green movement” is simply a fad that will run its course. Instead, its importance has been solidified in the collective consciousness.

The Lorax is about to send out his call-to-action yet again. If you haven’t already sprung into action, isn’t it time you did?

What am I reading now? The Lemonman by Natasha Ferrill
 

Razorbill

On Monday, October 17, 2011, I was fortunate enough to interview Lynne Missen, Penguin’s newly appointed Publishing Director for Young Readers, regarding the launch of Razorbill in Canada. Our interview touched on what both Canadian and international readers can expect from Razorbill. And now, without further ado:

What am I reading now? The Tree Girl by Darlene Twerdochlib
 

The New York Times‘ Maria Tatar published an article entitled “No More Adventures in Wonderland” on Sunday, October 9, 2011. The premise of the piece is the prevalence of darkness in children’s literature. Tatar contends that “[c]hildren today get an unprecedented dose of adult reality in their books, sometimes without the redemptive beauty, cathartic humor and healing magic of an earlier time.”

My issue with Tatar’s article is not her vehemence against darkness; I made my thoughts clear on the subject with my post Darkness Too Visible. Instead, my issue springs from the books she calls upon to give validity to her argument: J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter, Philip Pullman‘s “His Dark Materials” and Suzanne Collins‘ The Hunger Games. Tatar uses these books to exhibit that “the savagery we offer children today is more unforgiving than it once was … we have stories about children who struggle to survive.” The truth is, these books are detrimental to her argument because they do not fall under the genre of children’s literature. They come under the umbrella of young adult literature.

The book industry is a business like any other and the aforementioned books wouldn’t be published if there wasn’t a market for them. So, perhaps, the issue isn’t the existence of darkness in children’s literature but rather why it is so prevalent in young adult literature.

0 Comments on “No More Adventures in Wonderland” as of 1/1/1900

I saw this on Twitter the other day and thought it was really interesting – both in principal and in how people responded to it. I was also impressed and encouraged.

I came across a page on facebook that was created (by someone under a ficticious name) thats purpose is to bully, ridicule and say mean and hurtful things about their class mates. While visiting the page, I found several teenage girls that have scheduled sessions with me for their senior pictures. I am emailing them tomorrow to cancel their shoots. I do not want them to represent my business and I am beside myself at how MEAN and CRUEL they were on that page.

Source

This photographer had a few shoots scheduled with some teenage girls. (I’m assuming they were senior pictures, though I suppose the girls could have been in college. Being mean doesn’t have an age limit). Apparently, the photographer ran across a page that her clients had set up for the sole purpose of ridiculing, and bullying (because let’s call it what it is), other people. She was so disturbed by the sheer meanness that she made an executive decision to cancel the sessions with them. Her rationale being, how could she possibly photograph them and make them as beautiful as possible when they were such ugly people on the inside.

I say – BRAVO.

If more people would take a stand whenever other people do stupid things, like be mean to each other on a public forum, or open their mouths before thinking, or do something completely asinine, then perhaps the world would be a nicer place to live.

Just sayin’.

As a small business owner myself, I understand the risk this woman is taking and the risks involved in refusing to provide a service based on our self-imposed moral guidelines. But at some point, and I believe that point is here and now, we need to stand up and say ENOUGH with the bitchy, it’s all about me and puffing up my self-worth attitudes. It’s time to get over ourselves and bring back COURTESY and RESPECT for our fellow human beings.

I’m so tired of people thinking they can act however they want to act and not have to worry about consequences. WRONG. We need to start making sure there are consequences for stupid choices. Whether that’s jail time for stealing, driving school for reckless driving, school suspension for disrupting class, or deliberately posting something cruel on the Internet behind the cover of “anonymity” – there are, or SHOULD BE, consequences for our stupidity. (And just in case you were not aware of it, the ONLY way to stay completely anonymous on the Internet is to never post anything. I can assure you, people are becoming more savvy when it comes to finding faces behind the fake names – so if you don’t want something that you posted online to come back and bite you in the butt later in life – don’t post it).

I realize that people makes mistakes – we’re all human, we have all weak moments. But the more we overlook these moments, the more we try and excuse them away (well, she comes from a broken home, or well, she’s under a lot of stress right now), the more we condition ourselves to just endure it and eventually accept it. And the more we accept or overlook, the worse it gets because being human, we push the envelope, we take it to the next level, we see how much we can get away with before we’re forced to pay the piper.

When do we say enough is enough? We all talk about how we wish things were different, how we wish people would be more considerate and then when an opportuni

A couple of updates that I'm pretty stoked about regarding the ingenius eBook I illustrated recently.

1
Looks like MeeGenius is not only including "Pajama Girl" in it's own iPhone and iPad app, but gave "Pajama Girl" it's very own app!

Add a Comment

On Thursday, May 5, 2011, Pamela Paul of The New York Times wrote an article entitled “New Study Finds Gender Bias in Children’s Books.” Paul sheds the spotlight on the study “Gender in Twentieth-Century Children’s Books: Patterns of Disparity in Titles and Central Characters” published in the April issue of Gender & Society. According to the study “there has been a bias toward male characters — men, boys and, yes, animals — in children’s literature over the last century.”

Janice McCabe, the study’s lead author, examined approximately 6,000 children’s books published from 1900 to 2000. “Of those, 57 percent had a central male character compared with only 31 percent with female protagonists.” In addition, “at most one-third of children’s books published per year included central female characters that are adult women or female animals. But male animals or male adults appeared in 100 percent.”

For those of you who are avid readers of children’s literature, like myself, this is certainly not a revelation. I will be the first to admit that I grew up reading Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George and Winnie the Pooh, to name a few. What do they all have in common? Well, a quick survey shows that the protagonists in each are male. This in no way diminishes these books as classics in the canon of children’s literature but it does illustrate that a fundamental disparity exists.

In truth, whether they realize it or not, girls and young women long for female protagonists in the books they read. I know I did. Hermione Granger is one of the many reasons I adore the Harry Potter series. She is a brilliant, courageous and strong young woman. It’s incredibly empowering to have a female character that is not only equal to but also excels beyond her male counterparts. How often can you say that? Unfortunately, not often enough. And that, dear readers, is the problem.

Now more than ever girls and young women need protagonists that speak to them. Protagonists whose characteristics they can emulate. Hermione Granger‘s brilliance. Olivia the Pig‘s feistiness. Katniss Everdeen‘s strength.

The audience is waiting. It’s time to answer the call.

0 Comments on Where Are All the Girls? as of 1/1/1900

The Gruffalo, a beloved children’s picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, has hit the silver screen.

The Gruffalo

A Magic Light Pictures Production in Germany brought The Gruffalo to life. In fact, The Gruffalo was nominated in the Best Visual Short Film (Animated) category at The 83rd Annual Academy Awards held this past Sunday. Here’s a trailer:

In my opinion, A Magic Light Pictures Production got it right. And let me tell you, I don’t say that very often.

Freedom to Read Week is nearly upon us. The annual event that “encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom” kicks off on Sunday, February 20, 2011.

The importance of Freedom to Read Week is explained with a statement by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council.

“Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms . . . thought, belief, opinion, and expression.”
— Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Freedom of expression is a fundamental right of all Canadians, and freedom to read is part of that precious heritage. Our Committee, representing member organizations and associations of the Book and Periodical Council, reaffirms its support of this vital principle and opposes all efforts to suppress writing and silence writers. Words and images in their myriad configurations are the substance of free expression.

The freedom to choose what we read does not, however, include the freedom to choose for others. We accept that courts alone have the authority to restrict reading material, a prerogative that cannot be delegated or appropriated. Prior restraint demeans individual responsibility; it is anathema to freedom and democracy.

As writers, editors, publishers, book manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and librarians, we abhor arbitrary interpretations of the law and other attempts to limit freedom of expression. We recognize court judgments; otherwise, we oppose the detention, seizure, destruction, or banning of books and periodicals – indeed, any effort to deny, repress, or sanitize. Censorship does not protect society; it smothers creativity and precludes open debate of controversial issues.

Freedom to Read Week is about giving a voice to the silenced. The Freedom of Expression Committee does just this with a week of activities and discussions geared towards greater communication and understanding of the issues at play.

Individuals interested in taking part can consult the calendar for events in their neighbourhood. I don’t think children will dismiss the opportunity to add their voice to the cause when they learn that J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is just one of many banned in Canada.

In the end, it’s all about choice. So, I pose this question: Do you want to be able to choose for yourself?