What’s better than photos of famous writers? Photos of famous writers with their pets, that’s what! My favorite:
I need to keep that kitten-on-the-shoulder shot in mind for future author photos. Of course, I’ll need to one-up Twain and have a kitten on each shoulder. Bring on the kittens!
Make sure to check out all the pictures; they’re so cute! And if you still need some more bookish animals, check out these pictures of cats and their books.
(image: The Atlantic)
What a beautiful print, inspired by J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan:
It really captures the sense of longing and struggle in Peter Pan as Wendy navigates having to grow up. It’s part of a whole series of lovely prints based on quotes from classic children’s books.
(image: Emily McDowell)(via Design Mom)
Coming in 2013, C.S. Lewis is to join fellow British writers in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner:
“Vernon White, Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey, said Lewis was an “extraordinarily imaginative and rigorous thinker and writer…[Lewis] was able to convey the Christian faith in a way that made it both credible and attractive to a wide range of people…[He] had an enduring and growing influence in our national life”.”
Based on this list of writers memorialized in Westminster Abbey, the only other children’s author I can find is Lewis Carroll. I’m curious to see if any others will follow Lewis, or if Westminster Abbey will include Lewis’s friend and writing buddy, J.R.R. Tolkien. Whatever happens, I’m glad to see Lewis recognized for his contributions to literature and British life.
(image: Wikipedia)
A few more links to get you through Monday:
Happy Friday, everybody! Let’s dive into this week’s edition of fifteen-word book reviews:
1. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Fun European adventure. Would have had teen me planning my own trip.
2. Corduroy by Don Freeman
I remember being really nervous that Corduroy would never find a button or a home.
3. The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot
I mentally recite “I had not thought death had undone so many,” on crowded subways.
4. Croak by Gina Damico
Lots of great death-related puns and fun world-building. Nice to see an aggressive protagonist, too.
5. It’s Thanksgiving by Jack Prelutsky
Liked this way better than real Thanksgiving as a kid (I was a picky eater).
You may know the stories, but do you know the Brothers Grimm? Check out the fun trivia in this video from AbeBooks:
I was curious to hear about the editing to stories like Rapunzel. We tend to think Disney tones down classic fairy tales for family audiences, but apparently the Grimms felt that some versions were a bit too scandalous as well.
What does it take for a book to connect with teen readers, and can you teach those books in the classroom? At Slate, Jessica Roake says: “Young readers need a new coming-of-age classic, a book that has yet to be discovered and co-opted by the culture,” because apparently JD Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye just doesn’t do it for teen readers anymore.
I don’t want to argue that The Catcher in the Rye is still what Roake wishes it were–a novel that’s ‘cool,’ that gets passed from reader to reader and deeply affects students. But I think she forgets that English classes aren’t always about reading on your own and discovering books. Most teachers have to work from a syllabus, make students write essays, and analyze metaphors.
A heads up: this is not fun. This is not adventure reading.
Not to say English class can’t be an excellent place to discover literature. I remember diving into The Great Gatsby and being surprised at how awesome it was. But there’s also an aspect of work to it. You’re not allowed to discover the book in our own way because, most often, the teacher is working to make sure the entire class understands the text. It’s a totally different setting than discovering a thrilling and controversial book on your own.
My own Catcher in the Ryeexperience was a good one. I had a fantastic English teacher who didn’t shy away from the book’s racier aspects. (Our final essay was an analysis about the use of “fuck you” in the last few chapters.) I thought a lot about what it meant to save your essential innocence in a world determined to destroy it. I’m really glad I read it in a classroom setting that pushed me to analyze the book.
But I think Roake has a good point–The Catcher in the Rye isn’t a surprise in the same way it was when it was first published. We all know about Holden’s angst and the novel’s use of swears and sex (which are pretty tame compared to what you see on tv). And that’s okay. I don’t think you need to say “we should get rid of it in English classes because it’s not a secret powerful read anymore.” I think it’s still an enormously valuable text and can lead students to a lot of other books–especially YA novels like The Fault in Our Stars, Speak, Story of a Girl, etc. Roake’s suggestion of Black Swan Green sounds awesome, too.
Basically, we should open up syllabi to different and unexpected books. You never know what’s going to connect with students. But I don’t think that should come at the expense of rejecting older works because students already know about them. Students can find something in The Catcher in the Rye or Black Swan Green or Hamlet or Antigone.
Oh my lord, I love this Glass family tote bag by I Miss You Already:
Franny and Zooey > The Catcher in the Rye.
(image: I Miss You Already)(via Book Riot)
When you have a holiday birthday, you feel a special kinship with the other people who have them as well. (Mine is Valentine’s Day.) So when I heard that Katherine Paterson’s birthday is today, I gave a little cheer. What an awesome person to add to the holiday birthday team!
Check out Anita Silvey’s Children’s Book-a-Day Almanac for more info on Paterson’s life and works. I’d say she’s most famous for Bridge to Terabithia, the book that makes everyone cry. I most remember her for Jacob I Have Loved, which I found to be an emotionally complex book about jealous and love and self-loathing and bravery.
Silvey sums up Paterson’s work well here: “…she brought quality, consistency, and emotional intensity to everything she wrote. Clearly one of the most significant children’s book writers of the twentieth century, she continues to craft quality books that change the way her readers look at their world.”
Completely agree. Today, let’s raise a glass (of pumpkin juice?) to Katherine Paterson!
Happy St. Crispin’s Day! For all you Shakespeare fans out there: