I am delighted to welcome author Tony Bradman to MWD to celebrate the launch of the 30th Anniversary edition of his much-loved picture book Through My Window. We will be talking about it here as well as a … Continue reading ...
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Through My Window – 30th Anniversary edition
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By: Maeve Friel,
on 10/22/2014
Blog: An Awfully Big Blog Adventure (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Guardian Teen Books, Larry and Friends, R:J: Palacio, Shaun Tan, Marjane Satrapi, David Almond, Benjamin Zephaniah, Eileen Browne, Jack Ezra Keats, Maeve Friel, #WeNeedDiverseBooksUK, Add a tag
I am sure that everyone reading this is aware that Guardian Teen Books recently celebrated a week focussing on diversity in books for children.
Benjamin Zephaniah whose Terror Kid is the Guardian Teen Book Club choice says:
And there you have it: the criterion must be the quality of the literature. I see little value in writing or publishing books to satisfy some sort of quota to reflect the percentages of ethnic or racial populations or other minorities.
The Guardian published a list of 50 books chosen to represent all manner of cultural diversity, from the amazing Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman to Oranges in No Man´s Land by Elizabeth Laird.
Here are a few of my favourite books that are outstanding in every way and that also open windows on to different ways of seeing the world.
The Arrival, by Shaun Tan, is a wordless book about the experience of emigration/immigration, following the lonely journey of a man to a new country where everything is different and inexplicable. (He signed my copy when he spoke at a Children´s Books Ireland conference a few years ago and it is one of most treasured possessions.)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, is a graphic novel based on her experiences during the cultural and political upheaval of the Iranian revolution after the overthrown of the Shah. This is a real eye-opener from the first pages showing tiny girls swathed in unfamiliar and unwanted veils in their school playground.
My Dad´s A Birdman, by David Almond, illustrated joyfully and colourfully by Polly Dunbar, is a terrific book about a young girl and her dad who is so overwhelmed with grief that he goes off the rails. It is suffused with love and tenderness and faith in the act of flying as Dad and daughter take part in a madcap and magical contest to sprout wings and fly across the river.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio is the story of Auggie, a boy with a shocking facial disfigurement who is
starting 5th grade after years of home schooling: imagine how he is dreading it - “I won´t describe what I look like. Whatever you´re thinking, it´s probably worse.
I would like to add two more joyful books to the mix:
From Tangerine Books, a wonderful picture book, Larry and Friends, by Ecuadorian illustrator Carla Torres in collaboration with Belgian/Venezuelan writer Nat Jasper celebrating the modern melting pot that is New York. 
www,maevefriel.com
www.maevefriel.com/blog
You can also find me on Twitter @MaeveFriel
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By: Zoe,
on 4/17/2012
Blog: Playing by the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Helen Oxenbury, Axel Scheffler, Sally Gardner, Korky Paul, Federation of Children's Book Groups, Eileen Browne, Add a tag
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By: Marjorie Coughlan,
on 2/5/2016
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JacketFlap tags: Interviews, Middle-Grade, Oxford University Press, Project X, Skin Deep, Frances Lincoln, Barrington Stoke, Tony Bradman, Eileen Browne, My Brother's Keeper, Janetta Otter-Barry, MWD interview, All in the Family, MWD Theme - All About Balance (Disability & Special Needs), Through My Window, A&C Black, Anzac Boys, Give Me Shelter, In a Minute, Stories of WW1, The Boy and the Globe, The Frankenstein Teacher, The Orchard Book of Sword Sorcerers and Superheroes, Tom Bradman, Under the Weather, Wait and See, Young Merlin, Add a tag
Blog: (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Interviews, Middle-Grade, Oxford University Press, Project X, Skin Deep, Frances Lincoln, Barrington Stoke, Tony Bradman, Eileen Browne, My Brother's Keeper, Janetta Otter-Barry, MWD interview, All in the Family, MWD Theme - All About Balance (Disability & Special Needs), Through My Window, A&C Black, Anzac Boys, Give Me Shelter, In a Minute, Stories of WW1, The Boy and the Globe, The Frankenstein Teacher, The Orchard Book of Sword Sorcerers and Superheroes, Tom Bradman, Under the Weather, Wait and See, Young Merlin, Add a tag
By: Marjorie Coughlan,
on 2/5/2016
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JacketFlap tags: Eileen Browne, MWD Reviews, Books, Picture Books, Frances Lincoln, What's New, Tony Bradman, MWD book reviews, Through My Window, Add a tag
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Through My Window – 30th Anniversary edition
written by Tony Bradman, illustrated by Eileen Browne
(Frances Lincoln, 2016)
Little girl Jo has to stay … Continue reading ...
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By: Maeve Friel,
on 10/22/2014
Blog: An Awfully Big Blog Adventure (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Guardian Teen Books, Larry and Friends, R:J: Palacio, Shaun Tan, Marjane Satrapi, David Almond, Benjamin Zephaniah, Eileen Browne, Jack Ezra Keats, Maeve Friel, #WeNeedDiverseBooksUK, Add a tag
I am sure that everyone reading this is aware that Guardian Teen Books recently celebrated a week focussing on diversity in books for children.
By diversity, they mean “books by and about all kinds of people… boys, girls, all different colours, all different races and religions, all different sexualities and all different disabilities and anything else you can think of – so our books don’t leave anyone out.”
“I love diversity. I love multiculturalism… It makes Britain´s music interesting. It makes our food interesting. It makes our literature interesting and it makes for a more interesting country … To me it’s not about black, white, Asian; it’s about literature for everybody.”
And there you have it: the criterion must be the quality of the literature. I see little value in writing or publishing books to satisfy some sort of quota to reflect the percentages of ethnic or racial populations or other minorities.
The Guardian published a list of 50 books chosen to represent all manner of cultural diversity, from the amazing Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman to Oranges in No Man´s Land by Elizabeth Laird.
Here are a few of my favourite books that are outstanding in every way and that also open windows on to different ways of seeing the world.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, is a graphic novel based on her experiences during the cultural and political upheaval of the Iranian revolution after the overthrown of the Shah. This is a real eye-opener from the first pages showing tiny girls swathed in unfamiliar and unwanted veils in their school playground.
starting 5th grade after years of home schooling: imagine how he is dreading it - “I won´t describe what I look like. Whatever you´re thinking, it´s probably worse.
I would like to add two more joyful books to the mix:
Larry, the New York dog, holds a party for all his amazing immigrant friends among them Magpa the pig from Poland who became a tightrope artist, Laila the Iranian entomologist, Edgar the Colombian alligator street musician, Ulises, the Greek cook and a host of other talented and tolerant newcomers to the city – all apparently based on real people and how they met up.
As you can see, the illustrations are divine - this is Layla, the Iranian entomologist who works at the museum.
And finally, another great classic is The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1963), possibly one of the earliest American picture books to feature a young African-American hero – although this is never mentioned in the text. It simply tells the story of a young four year old boy discovering snow in the city for the first time.
www.maevefriel.com/blog
You can also find me on Twitter @MaeveFriel
0 Comments on Diversity in Children´s Books - Maeve Friel as of 10/23/2014 4:08:00 AM
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By: Zoe,
on 4/17/2012
Blog: Playing by the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Helen Oxenbury, Axel Scheffler, Sally Gardner, Korky Paul, Federation of Children's Book Groups, Eileen Browne, Add a tag
Within just a few hours of arriving back in the UK last week I was off to the annual conference organised by The Federation of Children’s Book Groups (FCBG). The FCBG is a UK charity which works both locally and nationally to promote reading for pleasure amongst children.
Local groups run meetings for both adults and children interested in children’s books, author visits, and book themed activities. On a national level, the FCBG organises the Red House Children’s Book Award, promotes National Share a Story Month, and National Non-Fiction Day, and hosts an annual conference packed with author, illustrator and publisher talks amongst other things.
Having recently joined the National Executive of the FCBG this was my first time at conference. I had a tremendous, inspirational time, and here’s a flavour of who I saw and what I got up to:
Friday night saw a special party to celebrate 25 years of Winnie the Witch. Winnie’s illustrator, Korky Paul, gave a great talk about his work (revealing the reason behind Winnie’s crumpled hat). He also showed us his stripy socks which was a particular delight to me as last time I met him we talked about underpants.
Saturday morning kicked off in the most fantastic fashion, with Eileen Browne (author and illustrator of Handa’s Hen amongst many others) interviewing Axel Scheffler. Axel was quiet, unassuming and charming.
Axel revealed that the Gruffalo we now know and love started life as something rather more menacing – I hope you can see the grumpier, meaner Gruffalo in the photo below. Later he also revealed that the BBC are currently working on an animation of Room on the Broom for Christmas 2012.
First thing Sunday morning Sally Gardner gave an passionate talk about her background and her life with dyslexia. Sally did not learn to read until she was 14, and by this time she had been labelled as “unteachable”. Her’s is a remarkable life story, almost impossible to believe if you have read I, Coriander, a book set partly in 17th-century London and partly in a magical fairy world, which is both beautiful and lyrical, and a book I think many 8-12 year old (girls) would adore as much as
4 Comments on The Present, last added: 4/18/2012
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Oh My God! Zoe because it is *you* I am very very happy, anyone else and I’d have died of jealousy! All those authors seem like old friends, though this far we’ve only known them through their books. Sigh. What a treat!!!
Wow, it sounds like an AMAZING conference! Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for your offer of getting in touch if we’d like to know more. I contacted the FCBG a few months ago to enquire about joining, as well as potentially setting up my own group as I couldn’t find any near where I live. I have a lifelong obsession with children’s books and worked as a primary school teacher prior to stopping work for a bit to bring up mt two small children. I am now contemplating a slight change in career direction and looking at ways I could work to share my love of children’s literature to promote reading for pleasure as an invaluable life skill from birth onwards.
I have heard nothing back from the FCBG, so your most recent post has prompted me to enquire once again and find out whether you know how I could join? Many thanks in advance for reading this lengthy post and for any advice you are able to give!
Me, me, me! For going next year, that is. I sent a membership enquiry a week or so back but I think it might have got lost in the ether/general excitement of the conference. Meanwhile, I’m just going to sit here oozing jealousy.
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Choxbox, I think you would have found the conference fascinating… perhaps one year you’ll be able to make it…
Rosalind and Elli – I have emailed you…. but great to hear you are interested in becoming members/ setting up a local group – YIPPEE!
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