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Category Archives: READING
The Mirror World of Books
Books let us escape from current life woes. They let us explore other worlds and other times. But did you ever think about the things we learn without realizing it, the things we can apply (consciously or not) in our own lives? Mikey Brooks wrote a great post over at Emblazon about young readers and learning from the “Mirror World” of books, and he very kindly said I could share it with you: The Most Important Thing a Child Should Be Doing When a child reads a book they view it as a type of mirror world—as if by magic they become the main characters, living and breathing in that character’s mind. Gender holds no boundaries when it comes to this mirror world. Whether they are a boy or a girl, when they read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, they become Harry Potter. When they read The Lightning Thief, they are Percy Jackson. … Continue reading
Posted in Deep Thoughts, Guest Blogs, READING
Tagged Emblazon, Jennifer Jensen, kids books, kids reading, Mikey Brooks, Mirror World, Reading
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Put a Book in the Hands of a Child
This is the third year for the holiday, and the goal is to get English Rhymes & Lullabies books into the hands of as many children as possible. And surely that’s something we can all help with! First, if you aren’t familiar with International Book Giving Day (I wasn’t), here are some ideas: 1. Give a Book to a Friend or Relative. Celebrate International Book Giving Day by giving a child a new, used or borrowed book. 2. Leave a Book in a Waiting Room or Lobby. Choose a waiting room where kids are stuck waiting and there are few to no good books available. Purchase a good book, and deposit your book covertly or overtly in your waiting room of choice. The goal here is to spread the love of reading to kids, so choose a fun book, nothing controversial. 3. Donate a Book. Wrap up a box of children’s books … Continue reading
Posted in READING
Tagged #giveabook, children's books, donate books, International Book Giving Day, Jennifer Jensen, kids books, Reading
2 Comments
TBR Pile Challenge: The Maze Runner
Oh, the agony! James Dashner’s The Maze Runner stared at me for three days before I was allowed to read it. It was finally my turn at the library, so I picked it up – but because it was part of my “2015 TBR Pile Challenge,” I couldn’t start it until the new year! This YA dystopian story has a unique premise: teenage boys have been sent one by one to an area where necessities are provided for them and they govern themselves, but they’re not only surrounded by a maze with deadly creatures, their memories have been wiped and they know nothing about their past except their names. Runners are sent out daily to explore the maze (which keeps changing) to find a way out. Maze runner is said to have a slot machine version at 666 casino and said to give you the best chances of hitting the … Continue reading
2015 TBR Pile Challenge
I’ve never included reading goals in my new year’s resolutions because I read voraciously anyway. (Which is how I know words like voraciously.) And I’ve never followed a reading list challenge because I like to read what I’m in the mood for at the time. I also like re-reading books. I’ve seen some interesting reading challenges, though. One started as a “Read England” challenge and spawned a “Read America” challenge, the idea being to read a book set in each English county or American state. I might do that someday, but the one that caught my eye for right now is one that focuses on my TBR Pile. For the uninitiated, TBR means “To Be Read,” and most readaholics have full e-readers and piles of unread print books. “So many books, so little time” seems to be our slogan. My bookcases are often double-stacked – no surprise there – but … Continue reading
Winnie the Pooh Gets Banned
Pooh Bear, that “tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff,” has been banned and lambasted by a Polish village. Yes, you read that right. Winnie the Pooh has been banned. From a children’s park, no less! In the small town of Tuszyn, the village council, in their oh-so-infinite wisdom, has declared Winnie the Pooh to be unfit for children – or at least unfit to be the face of a children’s playground. They can’t tell what gender he is, so he must be a hermaphrodite, and *gasp* he doesn’t wear pants! Actually, sometimes he completely naked. News flash, folks. He doesn’t need pants because he’s a TOY! A toy who is suitably NOT anatomically correct, for which my young children were unknowingly thankful. (And contrary to what one council member said, I highly doubt that Milne “cut [Pooh’s] testicles off with a razor blade because he had a problem with … Continue reading
Posted in Misc, READING
Tagged censorship, Jennifer Jensen. A A Milne, Poland, pooh bear, Tuszyn, winnie the pooh, winnie the pooh banned
8 Comments