The Children's Literature Podcast

This show starts with some hilariously wholesome news about how Fantastic Mr. Fox broke into the Twickenham Library, and of course Orkney Library had to weigh in.

Then it’s on to our main segment, which is just a tad heavier what with it being about how the current challenges presented by AI art were forseen by George Orwell . . . way back in 1949.

Here’s the back story about how Francis Scott Key came to be trapped on a boat in Baltimore harbor for 25 hours, waiting to see if in the morning . . . the star-spangled banner would still be there!

Here’s a reading of the moderately racy, earliest printed version of Jack and the Beanstalk. There’s nothing really dirty in here, but please listen to it on your own before deciding to share it with kids.

This story, first printed in 1734 in a wild collection of funny stories called “Round About Our Coal Fire, Or, Christmas Entertainments” includes:
– a saucy but non-explicit description of a wedding night
– mild 18th century potty words
– literal actual description of potties
– a vertical pub crawl
– a princess that can turn into a monster
– aaaaand a slightly different version of the giant’s famous catchphrase

I hope you enjoy what this story was like before it got all cleaned up by the Victorians. And again, maybe don’t share this one with the kids.

Taking Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy and turning it into a Gen Z musical was . . . a mistake.

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s best known plays and a rite of passage for high school students. Shakespeare is always up for reinterpretation, but sometimes moviemakers get a little carried away. Find out why this historical epic/Gen Z pop musical/fractured fairy tale/serious drama/romantic romp failed. Big time.

Enough of you expressed interest in a sing along, so let’s do it! Here’s how you can participate:

And here is the backing track video to help you sing along:

Downloads:
Lead sheet for “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
MP3 download of the backing track

A fight over picture books happened in the highest court of the United States. Government run schools in Montgomery County, Maryland, made nine LGBTQ+ picture books a mandatory part of the English curriculum for preschoolers and elementary aged children. Hundreds of parents objected, as they previously had the right to be notified about these books and choose whether or not their children could be opted out during those lessons.

So what’s even in these books? I examined them for their literary and artistic quality, their effectiveness at spreading their messages, and whether or not I think they belong on the English curriculum, which requires books of high artistic and academic quality.

HBO has announced the actors playing the three leads of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger in its new adaptation of the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling. I had big problems with their casting choice for Snape, as it deviates too far from the text, changing the character and introducing themes to the plot that just don’t belong. But I am very happy with the casting choices for these kids, and I hope they have a great time making the show — without having to deal with weirdo adults.

Not all picture books are for children. Joke books for grownups are a lot of fun, but some authors use “children’s books” to fight political and cultural battles. While I support the rights of authors to publish anything they like so long as no laws are broken, I don’t approve of using children or children’s literature as political props, and grownups should think twice before pushing these books — and a bunch of adult burdens — onto children.

I asked you to share what it was like for you when you found out that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father, and you did NOT disappoint! The fact that so many strangers were able to share similar experiences is proof of the staying power of Star Wars as a great story — mediocre modern additions aside. This is a perfect test to find out if a story counts as “great literature” — can people come together and talk about how it affected them? Do they share the story down the generations? Can we laugh, reminisce, debate, and fall in love with the story all over again?

This was so much fun and I hope to do it more with all of you in the future.

Double feature! In this fireside fairy tale, I share the (relatively) modern first printed versions of The Three Little Pigs, which started out as a tale about Pixies. Later on, it’s a wolf who goes after the pigs, but the cleverest of the three definitely comes off better in the end.