Author: TQ Townsend

This is the 200th audio episode of The Children’s Literature Podcast! All we can say is THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Oh, and I suppose we can say a bit in response to your questions.

The first recorded version of The Three Bears was a poem written and illustrated by Eleanor Mure for her little nephew’s birthday in 1831. It was never published, but was handed down through the years and now resides in the Toronto Public Library’s manuscript collection.

This version of the story is hilarious, with a poetic styling that reminds me of Dr. Seuss’ writing and the goofiness of a Looney Tunes cartoon. I also love that we know the specific author of this story, and that she was clearly the kind of aunt that every kid wants to have!

In the captions for the video version, I have preserved the original spelling and punctuation as written by Eleanor Mure.

I did not like this film.

My brother, Kyle Mortensen, published a wonderful indie book shortly before he died in an accident. He intended to publish three more books in this exciting historical fiction series set during the Warring States period in Japan, but I try to be glad that we at least have the first book, Mists of Iga, which is an action-packed tale of brotherhood, adventure, and mystery that teenagers will get swept up in.

This is a story about orphaned teenage boys who are guided and cared for by two of their father’s friends. It’s an exciting tale with peril, adventure, and great action scenes, but it’s also a story that models the kind of healthy relationships teens need to have with caring adults in order to reach their full potential.

You can purchase a copy of Mists of Iga here. All proceeds go to support Kyle’s wife and three young sons. https://youtu.be/LzvYQ4DTDN8

I am not a fan of The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. It’s a book that portrays mooching, bullying, and gaslighting as good things, but lots of people don’t notice that because, well, it’s really, really pretty.

Middling movies are the hardest to review!

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.