Monday, May 24, 2010

Harry Potter musings























I like this book a great deal...under Landmark books, what she writes about J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books is spot-on for me: "I am deeply grateful to J.K. Rowling ...I feel immensely lucky that they (children) all got to participate in the birth of a landmark...as I looked around that night (a midnight book store party for HP books)...I saw many parents with their eyes shining with tears, just as mine were. We were all feeling the awesome power of a book bringing us together. The brilliance of HP, in addition to many other things, was that it was the story of a young boy who had already experienced a huge amount of loss in his life, but by going to a magical place, Hogwarts, he was able to recapture magic, and therefore childhood. The upside-down common sense of that, that you have to grow up in order to recover childhood, was sheer genius. In addition...this author recognizes the innate wisdom of children, their sense of justice, and themes that are not easy to grapple with...the books were a balm for a post 9/11 world."

It goes on and I certainly am not being timely with my HP posting, but I, too was so grateful my older children were able to have Harry Potter in their childhood...that kind of getting lost in another world wonderful - as well as introducing so many children to the power of reading...

Friday, May 21, 2010

Monday, May 3, 2010

Round up

Why do children like the macabre and scary? I can almost picture the sweet Damien-like face of the tot "wolf going to eat the baby, mommy...". Elizabeth Kennedy has this nifty click-on calendar over on About.com....
No big-fisted angry parents in YA lit (the most terrifying adults seem to be inside children's books like the guy living in the shack in Appelt's The Underneath...)
Raising a Reader Tips never unwelcome to my filebox (which essentially is this blog since I am a horror at updating it for actual timely readers).
And I just get a kick out of this barebones assorted fingerplays blog...someone who is even more - oh hell, it's my filebox and deal with it - than I am....
head on over to Sun pours down for a cool photo.