Casual Friday: Lemony Snicket's "Austere Academy" Schooling on Trans Rights and BLM
What can Lemony Snicket tell us about appropriate responses to BLM and how to empathize with trans persons?
Casual Friday: Outbreak in "The Secret Garden"
A self-isolation themed video this week. The Secret Garden begins with a terrifying account of a pandemic allowed to spread in close quarters.
Casual Friday: Winning Reader interest with "Percy Jackson: the Lightning Thief"
The Lightning Thief brings readers in by pushing them away.
Casual Friday: "Peter Pan" and the Riddle of Childhood
It’s only in the 19th century, really, that childhood gets established as a period in life meant for fun, play, curiosity, fantasy and all the other things we associate with childhood.
"The Little Grumpy Cat That Wouldn't" is a Grumpy Cat You Won't Want to Put Down.
Joy, fun, and participation can sometimes become oppressive responsibilities, and therefore obstacles to happiness and identity formation.
The Real Monster at the End of This Book is Your Child
Ever wonder if your child is too obedient? Does she always respect the limits you set for her? Is she sympathetic to other children and supportive when they express their fears?
Well worry no longer, because Little Golden Books and Sesame Street have the story for you!
Childhood, Memory, and Fantasy in "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" and "The Little Prince" (SPOILERS)
Ocean is frustrating for the way it privileges childhood, fantasy, and spirituality, but relegates these to ephemeral glimpses into a higher truth that ultimately has no place in the mundane.
Alexander is a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Kid
Man, that invisible castle thing? You got lazy and didn’t draw a picture, didn’t you, and now you’re upset ‘cause the teacher liked an actual picture better than your blank page? If you’re gonna be a jerk about drawing time, at least have the courage of your convictions to stand by your BS move and not act like you weren’t trying to be clever and lazy. And what have you got against sixteen, mister?