With so many great titles out there for children -- as opposed to the bullshit marketing term of "young adult" -- and with boys as protagonists in so many of them, it's a shame that so many boys end up losing interest in reading. I guess I'm not surprised. Stargirl? Speak? Other sensational, wrist-slitter titles? Thanks for the mess, "young adult" marketers!
What was the story about the kid who hits his ball off the tether and has to chase it all over town? My grandma would always read that to me.
The Berenstains have good children's books, too. The B Book should be read at every poetry reading just to spite the melodramatic losers.
Those are good ones. The cool thing is there are lots of brand new picture books that every bit as good and better.
Mo Willems: The guy is a genius. These books are for the little ones, and they are great. http://www.mowillems.com/
David Shannon: A whole series of David books, that are my favorites. There are Diper David books for the babies, and No David books for the preschool and up. For slightly older (or more sophisticated) kids A Bad Case Of Stripes great. Also Good Boy Fergus and Alice The Fairy. http://www.scholastic.com/titles/nodavid/nodavidindex.htm
I completely forgot about Willems and Shannon. Willem's 'Pigeon' book are hilarious, and Shannon's 'David' books are a big staple as well.
Not book related because all my 4 year old reads are books in Japanese and I can't keep up, but Yo! Gabba! Gabba! on Nick jr is quickly becoming my favorite kids show. I dvr'ed to dvd and I watch these alone.
Things Adults Wish Kids Would Like Rather Than What They Actually Like
is so very very real. The market share commanded by these Things is just overwhelming, plus the imperative to raise a ???cool??? kid is a fucking pox on my generation, and it???s all made worse by the fact that kid-having members of my approximate age--I guess because we came up on some Free To Be You And Me shit--seem pretty roundly convinced that the particular nostalgia/retro-aesthetic that we're (intentionally or unintentionally) forcing on our kids is inherently more benign than the starchier variety our parents may have (intentionally or unintentionally) forced on us. And it may be, but forcing is forcing, and one of the tougher pills I've had to swallow the last couple years is the recognition that a lot of the stuff that I remember so brightly and positively from my childhood is in fact laced with some questionable shit: Dr. Seuss books with coolies, Richard Scarry stories with seal-skinning, all this shit where boys have adventures while girls bake cookies, etc.
Divorced of my own personal attachments and nostalgia, finding truly good kid's books--truly right kid's books, if you know what I mean--is fucking tough, man.
I didn't have a lot of traditional kiddie picture books. I never saw Harold And The Purple Crayon until a few years ago. During WWII Crocket Johnson did a cartoon strip about a boy who had a fairy godfather who smoked his dad's cigars, drank his liquor, gambled at the Elves, Gnomes and Little Men's Club and cursed, and wasn't too good at magic. Barnaby's parents were worried about his fixation on this "imaginary" friend, who they kept almost meeting.
From Left to right Atlas The Giant (don't comment on his size, he is a very sensitive mental giant), a lion who escaped from the circus when Mr O'Malley left his cage unlocked, Barnaby, His friend (who's name I can't remember) Gus the ghost, his dog who talks, and Mr O'Malley (the fairy godfather, note the wings) doing a card trick which is about the limit of his magic.
I had 2 thick hard back books with these cartoon stories. All very WWII, like scrap metal drives and air raid practices and none of it would be considered appropriate today.
Not book related because all my 4 year old reads are books in Japanese and I can't keep up, but Yo! Gabba! Gabba! on Nick jr is quickly becoming my favorite kids show. I dvr'ed to dvd and I watch these alone.
You know junior is reppin' Yo Gabba to the fullest. Biz's Beat of the Day is his favorite.
Things Adults Wish Kids Would Like Rather Than What They Actually Like
is so very very real. The market share commanded by these Things is just overwhelming, plus the imperative to raise a ???cool??? kid is a fucking pox on my generation, and it???s all made worse by the fact that kid-having members of my approximate age--I guess because we came up on some Free To Be You And Me shit--seem pretty roundly convinced that the particular nostalgia/retro-aesthetic that we're (intentionally or unintentionally) forcing on our kids, is inherently more benign than the starchier variety our parents may have (intentionally or unintentionally) forced on us. And it may be, but forcing is forcing, and one of the tougher pills I've had to swallow the last couple years is the recognition that a lot of the stuff that I remember so brightly and positively from my childhood is in fact laced with some questionable shit: Dr. Seuss books with coolies, Richard Scarry stories with seal-skinning, all this shit where boys have adventures while girls bake cookies, etc.
Divorced of my own personal attachments and nostalgia, finding truly good kid's books--truly right kid's books, if you know what I mean--is fucking tough, man.
I don't think kids are going to see those things, though. And I don't think it's indoctrination if you serve up those books. You turned out to be a good man and I would doubt that seeing coolies or reading about seal-skinning and girls baking cookies while boys played set you back.
Things Adults Wish Kids Would Like Rather Than What They Actually Like
is so very very real. The market share commanded by these Things is just overwhelming, plus the imperative to raise a ???cool??? kid is a fucking pox on my generation, and it???s all made worse by the fact that kid-having members of my approximate age--I guess because we came up on some Free To Be You And Me shit--seem pretty roundly convinced that the particular nostalgia/retro-aesthetic that we're (intentionally or unintentionally) forcing on our kids, is inherently more benign than the starchier variety our parents may have (intentionally or unintentionally) forced on us. And it may be, but forcing is forcing, and one of the tougher pills I've had to swallow the last couple years is the recognition that a lot of the stuff that I remember so brightly and positively from my childhood is in fact laced with some questionable shit: Dr. Seuss books with coolies, Richard Scarry stories with seal-skinning, all this shit where boys have adventures while girls bake cookies, etc.
Divorced of my own personal attachments and nostalgia, finding truly good kid's books--truly right kid's books, if you know what I mean--is fucking tough, man.
James you are right that there is a lot of crap out there. Moralistic books that pound home some agenda. PC Books that make you want to puke. Overly witty books written for parents. Inappropriate books filled with racial and sexual stereotypes. Disney books that sell only because they look like the dvd. Gimmick books with buttons and bells.
But don't panic! Every book recommended on this list I know is either great, or I want to check it out because I hadn't heard of it before.
Jan Brett, Janel Cannon. Have you read Stellaluna and The Mitten. These books are great, kids love them, all the stuff above, it's a great time to read children's books.
I can't speak highly enough of Daniel Pinkwater's books for both young children and young adults.
I think Lizard Music is just awfully sublime. Its delving into the workings and the mania of the solitary-kid mind is really lovely, and the race stuff--though infrequent--is done honestly and done well (to paraphrase: "There were only four black kids at my school, and I tried talking to them a few times but you could never get near them because they were always surrounded by a crowd of white kids trying to prove how they weren't prejudiced."). It's a good Chicago/land book, too ("McDonaldsville"? "Hogboro"? Real heads know), and is a better invisible-mountain book than Mount Analogue. Lastly: The very first time--the very first time--I heard Ornette Coleman's Dancing In Your Head, I thought: "Oh shit--this must be what that lizard-band music sounded like."
Things Adults Wish Kids Would Like Rather Than What They Actually Like
is so very very real. The market share commanded by these Things is just overwhelming, plus the imperative to raise a ???cool??? kid is a fucking pox on my generation, and it???s all made worse by the fact that kid-having members of my approximate age--I guess because we came up on some Free To Be You And Me shit--seem pretty roundly convinced that the particular nostalgia/retro-aesthetic that we're (intentionally or unintentionally) forcing on our kids, is inherently more benign than the starchier variety our parents may have (intentionally or unintentionally) forced on us. And it may be, but forcing is forcing, and one of the tougher pills I've had to swallow the last couple years is the recognition that a lot of the stuff that I remember so brightly and positively from my childhood is in fact laced with some questionable shit: Dr. Seuss books with coolies, Richard Scarry stories with seal-skinning, all this shit where boys have adventures while girls bake cookies, etc.
Divorced of my own personal attachments and nostalgia, finding truly good kid's books--truly right kid's books, if you know what I mean--is fucking tough, man.
I don't think kids are going to see those things, though. And I don't think it's indoctrination if you serve up those books. You turned out to be a good man and I would doubt that seeing coolies or reading about seal-skinning and girls baking cookies while boys played set you back.
What's the answer?
Well, so far my answer has been to try to find books without that shit in them. Spend an extra ten minutes at the bookstore instead of just repurchasing my own warm memories and bouncing, you know?
Things Adults Wish Kids Would Like Rather Than What They Actually Like
is so very very real. The market share commanded by these Things is just overwhelming, plus the imperative to raise a ???cool??? kid is a fucking pox on my generation, and it???s all made worse by the fact that kid-having members of my approximate age--I guess because we came up on some Free To Be You And Me shit--seem pretty roundly convinced that the particular nostalgia/retro-aesthetic that we're (intentionally or unintentionally) forcing on our kids, is inherently more benign than the starchier variety our parents may have (intentionally or unintentionally) forced on us. And it may be, but forcing is forcing, and one of the tougher pills I've had to swallow the last couple years is the recognition that a lot of the stuff that I remember so brightly and positively from my childhood is in fact laced with some questionable shit: Dr. Seuss books with coolies, Richard Scarry stories with seal-skinning, all this shit where boys have adventures while girls bake cookies, etc.
Divorced of my own personal attachments and nostalgia, finding truly good kid's books--truly right kid's books, if you know what I mean--is fucking tough, man.
I don't think kids are going to see those things, though. And I don't think it's indoctrination if you serve up those books. You turned out to be a good man and I would doubt that seeing coolies or reading about seal-skinning and girls baking cookies while boys played set you back.
What's the answer?
Well, so far my answer has been to try to find books without that shit in them. Spend an extra ten minutes at the bookstore instead of just repurchasing my own warm memories and bouncing, you know?
Or you could take ten minutes to explain to your kids that although Dr Seuss wrote wonderful books he did so in a less enlightened time?
Things Adults Wish Kids Would Like Rather Than What They Actually Like
is so very very real. The market share commanded by these Things is just overwhelming, plus the imperative to raise a ???cool??? kid is a fucking pox on my generation, and it???s all made worse by the fact that kid-having members of my approximate age--I guess because we came up on some Free To Be You And Me shit--seem pretty roundly convinced that the particular nostalgia/retro-aesthetic that we're (intentionally or unintentionally) forcing on our kids, is inherently more benign than the starchier variety our parents may have (intentionally or unintentionally) forced on us. And it may be, but forcing is forcing, and one of the tougher pills I've had to swallow the last couple years is the recognition that a lot of the stuff that I remember so brightly and positively from my childhood is in fact laced with some questionable shit: Dr. Seuss books with coolies, Richard Scarry stories with seal-skinning, all this shit where boys have adventures while girls bake cookies, etc.
Divorced of my own personal attachments and nostalgia, finding truly good kid's books--truly right kid's books, if you know what I mean--is fucking tough, man.
I don't think kids are going to see those things, though. And I don't think it's indoctrination if you serve up those books. You turned out to be a good man and I would doubt that seeing coolies or reading about seal-skinning and girls baking cookies while boys played set you back.
What's the answer?
Well, so far my answer has been to try to find books without that shit in them. Spend an extra ten minutes at the bookstore instead of just repurchasing my own warm memories and bouncing, you know?
Or you could take ten minutes to explain to your kids that although Dr Seuss wrote wonderful books he did so in a less enlightened time?
My two-year-old's grasp of historical context is minimal, so for now I just read her the Dr. Seuss books without coolies in them. It seems to be working out okay.
Things Adults Wish Kids Would Like Rather Than What They Actually Like
is so very very real. The market share commanded by these Things is just overwhelming, plus the imperative to raise a ???cool??? kid is a fucking pox on my generation, and it???s all made worse by the fact that kid-having members of my approximate age--I guess because we came up on some Free To Be You And Me shit--seem pretty roundly convinced that the particular nostalgia/retro-aesthetic that we're (intentionally or unintentionally) forcing on our kids, is inherently more benign than the starchier variety our parents may have (intentionally or unintentionally) forced on us. And it may be, but forcing is forcing, and one of the tougher pills I've had to swallow the last couple years is the recognition that a lot of the stuff that I remember so brightly and positively from my childhood is in fact laced with some questionable shit: Dr. Seuss books with coolies, Richard Scarry stories with seal-skinning, all this shit where boys have adventures while girls bake cookies, etc.
Divorced of my own personal attachments and nostalgia, finding truly good kid's books--truly right kid's books, if you know what I mean--is fucking tough, man.
I don't think kids are going to see those things, though. And I don't think it's indoctrination if you serve up those books. You turned out to be a good man and I would doubt that seeing coolies or reading about seal-skinning and girls baking cookies while boys played set you back.
What's the answer?
Well, so far my answer has been to try to find books without that shit in them. Spend an extra ten minutes at the bookstore instead of just repurchasing my own warm memories and bouncing, you know?
Or you could take ten minutes to explain to your kids that although Dr Seuss wrote wonderful books he did so in a less enlightened time?
My two-year-old's grasp of historical context is minimal, so for now I just read her the Dr. Seuss books without coolies in them. It seems to be working out okay.
Seuss's stance on Asian Americans is shameful. He was for internment camps. I wonder if he had regrets about it?
Things Adults Wish Kids Would Like Rather Than What They Actually Like
is so very very real. The market share commanded by these Things is just overwhelming, plus the imperative to raise a ???cool??? kid is a fucking pox on my generation, and it???s all made worse by the fact that kid-having members of my approximate age--I guess because we came up on some Free To Be You And Me shit--seem pretty roundly convinced that the particular nostalgia/retro-aesthetic that we're (intentionally or unintentionally) forcing on our kids, is inherently more benign than the starchier variety our parents may have (intentionally or unintentionally) forced on us. And it may be, but forcing is forcing, and one of the tougher pills I've had to swallow the last couple years is the recognition that a lot of the stuff that I remember so brightly and positively from my childhood is in fact laced with some questionable shit: Dr. Seuss books with coolies, Richard Scarry stories with seal-skinning, all this shit where boys have adventures while girls bake cookies, etc.
Divorced of my own personal attachments and nostalgia, finding truly good kid's books--truly right kid's books, if you know what I mean--is fucking tough, man.
I don't think kids are going to see those things, though. And I don't think it's indoctrination if you serve up those books. You turned out to be a good man and I would doubt that seeing coolies or reading about seal-skinning and girls baking cookies while boys played set you back.
What's the answer?
Well, so far my answer has been to try to find books without that shit in them. Spend an extra ten minutes at the bookstore instead of just repurchasing my own warm memories and bouncing, you know?
Or you could take ten minutes to explain to your kids that although Dr Seuss wrote wonderful books he did so in a less enlightened time?
My two-year-old's grasp of historical context is minimal, so for now I just read her the Dr. Seuss books without coolies in them. It seems to be working out okay.
Seuss's stance on Asian Americans is shameful. He was for internment camps. I wonder if he had regrets about it?
Things Adults Wish Kids Would Like Rather Than What They Actually Like
is so very very real. The market share commanded by these Things is just overwhelming, plus the imperative to raise a ???cool??? kid is a fucking pox on my generation, and it???s all made worse by the fact that kid-having members of my approximate age--I guess because we came up on some Free To Be You And Me shit--seem pretty roundly convinced that the particular nostalgia/retro-aesthetic that we're (intentionally or unintentionally) forcing on our kids, is inherently more benign than the starchier variety our parents may have (intentionally or unintentionally) forced on us. And it may be, but forcing is forcing, and one of the tougher pills I've had to swallow the last couple years is the recognition that a lot of the stuff that I remember so brightly and positively from my childhood is in fact laced with some questionable shit: Dr. Seuss books with coolies, Richard Scarry stories with seal-skinning, all this shit where boys have adventures while girls bake cookies, etc.
Divorced of my own personal attachments and nostalgia, finding truly good kid's books--truly right kid's books, if you know what I mean--is fucking tough, man.
I don't think kids are going to see those things, though. And I don't think it's indoctrination if you serve up those books. You turned out to be a good man and I would doubt that seeing coolies or reading about seal-skinning and girls baking cookies while boys played set you back.
What's the answer?
Well, so far my answer has been to try to find books without that shit in them. Spend an extra ten minutes at the bookstore instead of just repurchasing my own warm memories and bouncing, you know?
Or you could take ten minutes to explain to your kids that although Dr Seuss wrote wonderful books he did so in a less enlightened time?
My two-year-old's grasp of historical context is minimal, so for now I just read her the Dr. Seuss books without coolies in them. It seems to be working out okay.
Seuss's stance on Asian Americans is shameful. He was for internment camps. I wonder if he had regrets about it?
He did have regrets.
Most Americans were viciously anti-Japanese during WWII(they did attack us you know). Most Americans of that generation have come to regret the interment camps and the racist language and views they held against Japanese.
In 20 years we will look back at our hatred of Muslims and Arabs and our support for indefinite imprisonment and torture with shame.
I think his depiction of people from far off lands in books like If I Ran The Zoo are tolerable. You can explain even to a 2 year old that people don't really look like that. You can explain that people who live far away are just like you and me.
You can explain that people who live far away are just like you and me.
except that they like to subjugate their women by forcing them to wear sheets that cover their entire bodies, beat them for misbehaving and making them undergo barbaric cicumcision rituals, and they use their children as decoys and human shields while they blow up other innocent boys and girls for playing mixed gender soccer games at their schools and run around carving people's heads off who disagree with them. But otherwise, they are just the same.
You can explain that people who live far away are just like you and me.
except that they like to subjugate their women by forcing them to wear sheets that cover their entire bodies, beat them for misbehaving and making them undergo barbaric cicumcision rituals, and they use their children as decoys and human shields while they blow up other innocent boys and girls for playing mixed gender soccer games at their schools and run around carving people's heads off who disagree with them. But otherwise, they are just the same.
Do you really wanna discuss how fucked up western civilization actually is or do you wanna just get by day to day eating your cheeseburgers and not acknowledging the part that you play in the everyday suffering of the rest of the world?
You can explain that people who live far away are just like you and me.
except that they like to subjugate their women by forcing them to wear sheets that cover their entire bodies, beat them for misbehaving and making them undergo barbaric cicumcision rituals, and they use their children as decoys and human shields while they blow up other innocent boys and girls for playing mixed gender soccer games at their schools and run around carving people's heads off who disagree with them. But otherwise, they are just the same.
Do you really wanna discuss how fucked up western civilization actually is or do you wanna just get by day to day eating your cheeseburgers and not acknowledging the part that you play in the everyday suffering of the rest of the world?
^^^^This one freaked me out as a kid. If I remember right, some of the stories are a little gruesome, and there's some song in there about how worms eat you when you die. urgh.
I want someone to do a parody of this cover and call it "The Yay."
Comments
I just recently discovered, and fell in love with, this book (although the one i got has a different cover):
Wish i had this when i was little.
What was the story about the kid who hits his ball off the tether and has to chase it all over town? My grandma would always read that to me.
The Berenstains have good children's books, too. The B Book should be read at every poetry reading just to spite the melodramatic losers.
This book is about colonialism.
I completely forgot about Willems and Shannon. Willem's 'Pigeon' book are hilarious, and Shannon's 'David' books are a big staple as well.
is so very very real. The market share commanded by these Things is just overwhelming, plus the imperative to raise a ???cool??? kid is a fucking pox on my generation, and it???s all made worse by the fact that kid-having members of my approximate age--I guess because we came up on some Free To Be You And Me shit--seem pretty roundly convinced that the particular nostalgia/retro-aesthetic that we're (intentionally or unintentionally) forcing on our kids is inherently more benign than the starchier variety our parents may have (intentionally or unintentionally) forced on us. And it may be, but forcing is forcing, and one of the tougher pills I've had to swallow the last couple years is the recognition that a lot of the stuff that I remember so brightly and positively from my childhood is in fact laced with some questionable shit: Dr. Seuss books with coolies, Richard Scarry stories with seal-skinning, all this shit where boys have adventures while girls bake cookies, etc.
Divorced of my own personal attachments and nostalgia, finding truly good kid's books--truly right kid's books, if you know what I mean--is fucking tough, man.
Oh. Hell. Yes. I Frickin' loved this book when I was a kid. Just brilliant.
Also:
I didn't have a lot of traditional kiddie picture books. I never saw Harold And The Purple Crayon until a few years ago. During WWII Crocket Johnson did a cartoon strip about a boy who had a fairy godfather who smoked his dad's cigars, drank his liquor, gambled at the Elves, Gnomes and Little Men's Club and cursed, and wasn't too good at magic. Barnaby's parents were worried about his fixation on this "imaginary" friend, who they kept almost meeting.
From Left to right Atlas The Giant (don't comment on his size, he is a very sensitive mental giant), a lion who escaped from the circus when Mr O'Malley left his cage unlocked, Barnaby, His friend (who's name I can't remember) Gus the ghost, his dog who talks, and Mr O'Malley (the fairy godfather, note the wings) doing a card trick which is about the limit of his magic.
I had 2 thick hard back books with these cartoon stories. All very WWII, like scrap metal drives and air raid practices and none of it would be considered appropriate today.
You know junior is reppin' Yo Gabba to the fullest. Biz's Beat of the Day is his favorite.
I don't think kids are going to see those things, though. And I don't think it's indoctrination if you serve up those books. You turned out to be a good man and I would doubt that seeing coolies or reading about seal-skinning and girls baking cookies while boys played set you back.
What's the answer?
**************************
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned.
James you are right that there is a lot of crap out there. Moralistic books that pound home some agenda. PC Books that make you want to puke. Overly witty books written for parents. Inappropriate books filled with racial and sexual stereotypes. Disney books that sell only because they look like the dvd. Gimmick books with buttons and bells.
But don't panic! Every book recommended on this list I know is either great, or I want to check it out because I hadn't heard of it before.
Jan Brett, Janel Cannon. Have you read Stellaluna and The Mitten. These books are great, kids love them, all the stuff above, it's a great time to read children's books.
I want to party with this guy. Poppin' bottles of apple juice, animal crackers by the case, alladat!
regardless of whether Raj is attempting to raise "cool" kids or not, it seems like they're turning out pretty damn cool.
I think Lizard Music is just awfully sublime. Its delving into the workings and the mania of the solitary-kid mind is really lovely, and the race stuff--though infrequent--is done honestly and done well (to paraphrase: "There were only four black kids at my school, and I tried talking to them a few times but you could never get near them because they were always surrounded by a crowd of white kids trying to prove how they weren't prejudiced."). It's a good Chicago/land book, too ("McDonaldsville"? "Hogboro"? Real heads know), and is a better invisible-mountain book than Mount Analogue. Lastly: The very first time--the very first time--I heard Ornette Coleman's Dancing In Your Head, I thought: "Oh shit--this must be what that lizard-band music sounded like."
Well, so far my answer has been to try to find books without that shit in them. Spend an extra ten minutes at the bookstore instead of just repurchasing my own warm memories and bouncing, you know?
Or you could take ten minutes to explain to your kids that although Dr Seuss wrote wonderful books he did so in a less enlightened time?
My two-year-old's grasp of historical context is minimal, so for now I just read her the Dr. Seuss books without coolies in them. It seems to be working out okay.
Seuss's stance on Asian Americans is shameful. He was for internment camps. I wonder if he had regrets about it?
they should really burn up all his books.
He did have regrets.
Most Americans were viciously anti-Japanese during WWII(they did attack us you know). Most Americans of that generation have come to regret the interment camps and the racist language and views they held against Japanese.
In 20 years we will look back at our hatred of Muslims and Arabs and our support for indefinite imprisonment and torture with shame.
I think his depiction of people from far off lands in books like If I Ran The Zoo are tolerable. You can explain even to a 2 year old that people don't really look like that. You can explain that people who live far away are just like you and me.
except that they like to subjugate their women by forcing them to wear sheets that cover their entire bodies, beat them for misbehaving and making them undergo barbaric cicumcision rituals, and they use their children as decoys and human shields while they blow up other innocent boys and girls for playing mixed gender soccer games at their schools and run around carving people's heads off who disagree with them. But otherwise, they are just the same.
I just got this for my girlfriends 8 year old son...he LOOOOVES it
Do you really wanna discuss how fucked up western civilization actually is or do you wanna just get by day to day eating your cheeseburgers and not acknowledging the part that you play in the everyday suffering of the rest of the world?
Saba brings only sweetness and light.
These books turned me into the mountain man I am today:
^^^ Found that one underneath the pullout couch at our old cabin on Widow Lake when I was little. Mama said it was good. Read it all in a day.
And, of course...
Oh hells yes! both of these, straight classique!
^^^^This one freaked me out as a kid. If I remember right, some of the stories are a little gruesome, and there's some song in there about how worms eat you when you die. urgh.
I want someone to do a parody of this cover and call it "The Yay."
D. Castillo revealed.
local youth bay experience related.