"For Girls" and "For Boys"

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Desmarais
Keyword(s):  
Target Audience ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Good Question ◽  
Good Book ◽  
Firm Commitment ◽  
The Right ◽  
Dedicated Team ◽  
Gender Specific ◽  
The Way

Dear Readers,Occasionally, I receive books from Canadian publishers that are marketed and labeled as “for girls” and “for boys." Not surprisingly, this practice is considered offensive by many people because it so obviously aims to exclude readers. So how exactly do I handle these gender-specific books when they arrive in my mailbox? Good question! I put them on the reviewer shelves outside my office, making them available to our dedicated team of Deakin reviewers to decide for themselves whether they wish to read and review books that are so obviously gender segregated. In other words, we don’t censor books.You can imagine my surprise when I read a pledge on March 16th by literary editor Katy Guest that the Independent on Sunday will no longer review any book which is aimed exclusively at boys or girls. Guest explained, “What we are doing by pigeon-holing children is badly letting them down. And books, above all things, should be available to any child who is interested in them” (http://www.independent.co.uk). I wholeheartedly agree that children’s books should be available to all children, but the irony here is that Guest has made a firm commitment to not review gender-specific books, making them unavailable to Independent readers. She warns publishers not to send books in “glittery pink covers” because they will “go straight into the recycling pile along with every Great Big Book of Snot for Boys.” Naturally, many journalists and readers were appalled and swiftly denounced Guest’s decision to ignore an entire category of children’s books.Publishers have their reasons for marketing books the way they do, and while we may not agree with their strategies, they have every right to market their books to a target audience with pink covers, sparkles, co-packaged toys, multimedia, etc. They are doing what they believe is necessary to help readers figure out what to buy, just like we reserve the right to review all genres of children’s books to help our readers decide what to read. Rest assured, if we review children’s books that are too narrowly marketed to one gender, we’ll say so and we’ll also be frank with our readers about why it is or is not a good book. So, dear publishers, please continue to send us your gender-labeled books, but be advised that we’ll want to understand and assess why your book does not appeal to all children. Happy reading (to readers of all genders)!Robert DesmaraisManaging Editor

scholarly journals “Bestimmt wird alles gut”: Journeys and Arrivals in Contemporary German Children’s Books

2021 ◽  
pp. 357-373
Author(s):  
Anneli Fjordevik
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Picture Books ◽  
Foreign Country ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
World War ◽  
Leaving Home ◽  
The Right

In the last few years, many people from war-torn countries have left home to seek safety in distant countries. Refugees have come to Europe to an extent that has not been seen since World War II. It is estimated that around 50% of the refugees are children under eighteen and many of them have ended up in Germany. The fact that many people leave their homes and become foreigners in new countries is also noticeable in literature. In recent years, an increasing number of books on this topic have been published, not least children’s books. This chapter considers how escape from war and the arrival situation are depicted in eight picture books published 2016-2017 in German. My focus is on whether the fact that the families have to escape to a foreign country is problematised in any way: How do the children (and their families) in the books deal with the new language and with communication? Are there any difficulties concerning identity and “otherness”? What expectations/reflections (such as whether or not they made the right decision) on the new life – if any – are being related? How does the stress affect them and their families? And do the stories about leaving home and arriving in a foreign place have entirely happy endings?

scholarly journals M.E.R. – 'Reg op ereplek' as kinderboekskrywer

Literator ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-82
Author(s):  
G. Wybenga
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Literary Context ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

M.E.R. – 'The right to a place of honour' as the author of children’s books A recognition of M.E.R.’s writing developed late in her career. One of the reasons for this was most probably that she was almost exclusively involved in writing for children in the 1920s and early 1930s. Her many publications for children included not only “Kinders van die Voortrek” and the well-known “Karlien en Kandas”, but many more. It was only in the late 1940s after she had published books for adults that she received recognition for her work – which did not happen in the case of her earlier children’s books. Although she is at present regarded as a pioneer of children’s literature, these books have still not been accepted as part of the canon. This article attempts to indicate why she is considered a pioneer by situating her work in the literary context of the time. By analysing the individual books for children as texts in their own right, the article demonstates that dichotomising her work into literature for children and literature for adults is not justified. From the onset till the end of her career M.E.R.’s publications form one continuous oeuvre. The same trends observable in her early work for children are present in the later work for adults.

How Buckinghamshire’s Early Children’s Book Collection found a place in cyberspace: Florence Nightingale would be amazed

2002 ◽  
Vol 103 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 267-272
Author(s):  
Michael Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
International Project ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Florence Nightingale ◽  
Technical Issues ◽  
The Way

This article uses a narrative to describe the way in which one project, centred round the restoration of a collection of historic children’s books, developed into a much wider international project. It looks at the managerial issues and some of the technical issues concerned and draws a number of conclusions about how such projects can be developed. In particular it looks at the role of partnership, project management and the frequently under‐appreciated role of publicity and promotion. It examines the ways in which project partners need to agree criteria and methods of working, as well as the key role played by specialist staff and various supporting organisations.

scholarly journals ABOUT THE WAY AND THE "TWO VOICES" IN THE POETIC WORLD OF IVAN TSANEV

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Plamen Penev
Keyword(s):  
Children's Books ◽  
Poetic Language ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Creative Development ◽  
The Real ◽  
Lyrical Subject ◽  
Two Sides ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Child Characteristic ◽  
The Way

The text is a synthesized literary-historical touch, introducing into the nature of one of the most contributing contemporary Bulgarian poets. Which is a humanism-apology of the human and the complete man, and the poetic language in the books for children and for the “adults” is two sides of the indivisible creative development. With the lyrical subject of the “big world” the real entry into the poetic essence, reached in the children’s books, is prepared. And what cannot be called by the voice of the “big man” is already possible by the voice of the “child/ characteristic of the child.” There the achieved peace was achieved, the existential, tragic loss was overcome. The ideological and aesthetic creative integrity has been achieved simultaneously with the rounded double-headedness of this dualistic lyrical duet.

scholarly journals I Walk With Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness by Kerascoët

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Terri Beach
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Target Audience ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Distinct Colour ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Insight Into

Kerascoët. I Walk With Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness. Random House Children’s Books, 2018. This is a wordless picture book from French illustrators, Kerascoët. This husband and wife duo, Marie and Sébastien solely illustrate, without the use of text, the ability to combat bullying in modern society. They accomplish this difficult task by placing emphasis on the characters’ emotions through the use of distinct colour throughout the images, clearly depicting the story’s message. Because there are no words, this amazing resource provides students with the ability to interpret the book individually, creating unique perspectives such as an idea, "who else needs help other than Vanessa?" This book provides fresh insight into how society can unite together by creating a positive chain reaction when faced with bullying. Throughout the illustrations, this team accomplished this task extremely well, by providing the audience with diverse characters, creating a sense of belonging. This allows the reader to view the characters as if they were looking at their own reflection, seeing into their lives, therefore enabling them to relate to the book. With this, I truly believe that it is essential for children's books to act either as a window or a mirror for children.      Overall, I feel that this book is ideal for a target audience of pre-kindergarten to grade two. The drawings are simplistic, with few details, allowing children to predict the storyline easily, leaving a thorough investigation of the book. I cannot wait for students to "read" this book to me.  Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Terri Beach

Laughing all the way: Humor in children's books

1995 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Davey Zeece
Keyword(s):  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
The Way

The Right to Imagine: Reading in Community with People and Stories / Gente y Cuentos

PMLA ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 746-752
Author(s):  
Marcy Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Military ◽  
Inside Out

In Córdoba, Argentina, a library of books once banned by the military junta's censors (1976–83) now resides at a center called the Espacio para la Memoria (“Space for Memory”). The site, where prisoners were once held and tortured, houses workshops inviting schoolchildren to think about this terrifying period in their history. Under the junta, even children's books were banned, and after reading a few of these titles with the children who visit the center, the workshop leaders ask them why they think the books were prohibited. One of the reasons the censors gave for prohibition was that these books offered “unlimited fantasy.” To explore this idea, in one workshop the kids sang the song “The Backward Kingdom” (“El reino del revés”), by the well-known Argentine singer María Elena Walsh. After hearing the charming lyrics (birds swim, fish fly, babies have beards, 2 + 2 = 3, etc.), students brainstormed to generate their own inside-out or upside-down examples. One child mentioned raining up, another suggested that big kids nap while little kids play, and a third proposed cars driving on the sidewalk while kids play in the street. Upset by this disorder, one of the children exclaimed, “No, that's impossible!” until the boy who imagined cars on sidewalks explained, “But we're just imagining!” His classmate responded, “Oh, okay, in that case it's possible.”

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