I aquired a free poster of Goldilocks and the Three Bears which is hanging over Mirette's bed. One day, I decided it was time to tell her the story.
I started off with Goldilocks' mother allowing her to go into the forest as long as she stayed on the path. We got to the part where she goes in the house and eats the porridge and sits on the chair and then, um, I forgot why she decided to go upstairs to the bedroom. I made something up. Thankfully, I remembered the part about the bears coming home. "this porridge is too hot, too cold, just right--blah blah blah." But what happens after they find Goldilocks? I couldn't remember. Also, I didn't want to make it too scary for her, after all she is only a toddler. So I made up some ending where they went back and had dinner together.
I skimmed through a book called The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bruno Bettelheim. Basically, he explains that fairy tales have many-a psychological-purpose. Though the parent may be afraid to read the darker stuff, it's really empowering for the child. Usually, it's about overcoming something dark, or learning how to cope with something. So psychologically speaking, my need to sugarcoat Goldilocks was, perhaps, not needed.
Anyway, all this to say that I decided to brush up on my fairy tales and learn what really went down in the forest with Golidlocks and the bears. What I found is that there is the stuff that is always the same and the stuff that changes from story to story (I guess that's the beauty of fairy tales--they are very flexible--stemming, I'm sure, from the oral tradition from whence they came).
Before me sit six versions of Goldilocks.
1. The very flamboyant Jan Brett's Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1987)http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8749317886050281919#editor/target=post;postID=918195194777360091
2. Golidlocks and the Three Bears (2003) Retold by Jim Aylesworth, Illustrated by Barbara McClintock
3. The 3 Bears and Goldilocks (2008) by Margaret Willey, Illustrated by Heather M. Solomon
4. The Three Bears: A Folk Tale Classic (1972) by Paul Galdone
5. Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1988). This one is a Caldecott Honor book though I have no idea why. The pictures are not particularly amazing in my opinion. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8749317886050281919#editor/target=post;postID=1966727367403836666
6. Goldilocks and the Three Bears (2008) by Lauren Child; Photography by Polly Borland and Emily L. Jenkins. This book is really cool. It's written by the woman who does the Charlie and Lola series. The photographers set up these amazing real live sets using dolls and a three foot high house.
Why is she in the woods in the first place?
In two of the books Goldilocks just appears with no context (the books start off with the story of the bears). In the other books, Goldilocks goes into the woods to get muffins in the next town, in search of adventure, to collect firewood, and to pick flowers. In almost every version she is curious, or mischevious.
How does she stray from the path?
She chases a butterfly, a bird, or goes in search of the house because her mom tells her not to.
Why does she enter the house?
She smells the porridge (yep, in every book it is porridge), she wants to play, and/or she's just curious.
Why does the chair break?
The "just right" chair isn't just right, she rocks on it too hard, or leans back too far.
Why does she go upstairs?
She sees the stairs and gets curious, she gets tired after eating all the porridge up, she rocks so hard on the chair that it tires her out.
What happens after the Bears find Goldilocks
The little bear gets to keep her red shoes that Goldilocks leaves behind, the bears never see her again, she decides to obey her parents from now on.
Of course, each book is written with it's own voice and funny details. It's amazing how one story can offer so much uniqueness. Though the bones are the same, the illustrations, voice, and details are all over the map.
Suffice it to say, I think I have now brushed up on my Goldilocks storytelling.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Book of the Day: Bread and Jam for Frances
Bread and Jam for Frances
Author: Russell Hoban
Illustrator: Lillian Hoban
Harper Collins (1964)
I remember the Frances series from my own childhood. Taking it home from the library with Mirette was akin to my visiting with an old friend.
Frances, an adorable badger, only wants to eat bread and jam. Her parents, in a move that's straight out of the parenting book Love and Logic, do as she wishes. Eventually she gets bored of eating only bread and jam thus imparting the age old wisdom--be careful what you wish for.
I love kids books that teach something, but also remind us adults of some life truth.
Reading this book made me wonder, if the author and illustrator, husband/wife team, had some children that grappled with an issue like this. The book is written from a very intimate angle.
Time to investigate!
Russell Hoban (1925-2011) is a very well known fantasy writer. In fact, it seems he is much better known and revered for his grown-up novels such as one called Riddley Walker.
As an interesting aside: (From an excellent Salon.com article http://www.salon.com/2011/12/21/russell_hoban_the_last_cult_writer/: He was the kind of writer who inspired fans to celebrate his birthday by distributing sheets of yellow, A4-size writing paper (a recurring motif in his fiction) inscribed with favorite quotes in subway trains, parks and other public places around the world).
His wife, at the time, Lillian Hoban illustrated the Frances books. Just as I suspected, the plot ideas were taken from the real life escapades of their four children.
A few websites say that the family went to visit London in 1969. The family went home as planned, but Russell stayed in London, got divorced and had three more children with his second wife. What the websites don't say is what really happened. Was Lillian crushed or relieved? How did the kids handle this? Did they accept the new wife and kids? These are the things I want to know, but the world wide web remains mum on the scandel this may have created. (though I did read somewhere that he was estranged from his youngest daughter, the one that bread and jam is about).
There's so much more on this guy--what a character, so check out the Salon article or this one in The Guradian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/14/russell-hoban
Author: Russell Hoban
Illustrator: Lillian Hoban
Harper Collins (1964)
I remember the Frances series from my own childhood. Taking it home from the library with Mirette was akin to my visiting with an old friend.
Frances, an adorable badger, only wants to eat bread and jam. Her parents, in a move that's straight out of the parenting book Love and Logic, do as she wishes. Eventually she gets bored of eating only bread and jam thus imparting the age old wisdom--be careful what you wish for.
I love kids books that teach something, but also remind us adults of some life truth.
Reading this book made me wonder, if the author and illustrator, husband/wife team, had some children that grappled with an issue like this. The book is written from a very intimate angle.
Time to investigate!
Russell Hoban (1925-2011) is a very well known fantasy writer. In fact, it seems he is much better known and revered for his grown-up novels such as one called Riddley Walker.
As an interesting aside: (From an excellent Salon.com article http://www.salon.com/2011/12/21/russell_hoban_the_last_cult_writer/: He was the kind of writer who inspired fans to celebrate his birthday by distributing sheets of yellow, A4-size writing paper (a recurring motif in his fiction) inscribed with favorite quotes in subway trains, parks and other public places around the world).
His wife, at the time, Lillian Hoban illustrated the Frances books. Just as I suspected, the plot ideas were taken from the real life escapades of their four children.
A few websites say that the family went to visit London in 1969. The family went home as planned, but Russell stayed in London, got divorced and had three more children with his second wife. What the websites don't say is what really happened. Was Lillian crushed or relieved? How did the kids handle this? Did they accept the new wife and kids? These are the things I want to know, but the world wide web remains mum on the scandel this may have created. (though I did read somewhere that he was estranged from his youngest daughter, the one that bread and jam is about).
There's so much more on this guy--what a character, so check out the Salon article or this one in The Guradian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/14/russell-hoban
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Book of the Day: Sleepover at Gramma's House
Sleepover at Gramma's House
Author: Barbara Joose
Illustrator: Jan Jutte
Philomel Books (2010)
Way back in August, I profiled Mama, Do You Love Me? http://miretteandmommy.blogspot.com/2011/08/mama-do-you-love-me.html
It took me a while to realize that today's adorable book is writen by the same author, Barbara Joose. Just like Mama, Do You Love Me? the language is extremely fun, interesting, unusual and playful. Here's the opening three pages: "goodie, goodie, goodie. . I'm packing up my little trunk my little overnighty trunk my nighty in my nighty trunk." Isn't that fabulous?
Later in the story, Gramma and the little elephant switch roles. Gramma begs for a story and her little grandkid elephant tells her one because she loves her "honey so." This cracks me up in part because Mirette wil say things to me like, "okay honey bunch" and all my other pet names for her. The book radiates love and warmth with the two of them falling asleep inside a hug. Ahhh!
Too bad Mirette's gramma lives in Florida, she's been begging for a sleepover.
For information on Barbara Joose (and there's a lot of good stuff), see the above link.
Jan Jutte is from the Netherlands: Here is his website: http://www.janjutte.nl/engels/home%20test.htm
The two of them have teamed up for another book called Rowar!
Author: Barbara Joose
Illustrator: Jan Jutte
Philomel Books (2010)
Way back in August, I profiled Mama, Do You Love Me? http://miretteandmommy.blogspot.com/2011/08/mama-do-you-love-me.html
It took me a while to realize that today's adorable book is writen by the same author, Barbara Joose. Just like Mama, Do You Love Me? the language is extremely fun, interesting, unusual and playful. Here's the opening three pages: "goodie, goodie, goodie. . I'm packing up my little trunk my little overnighty trunk my nighty in my nighty trunk." Isn't that fabulous?
Later in the story, Gramma and the little elephant switch roles. Gramma begs for a story and her little grandkid elephant tells her one because she loves her "honey so." This cracks me up in part because Mirette wil say things to me like, "okay honey bunch" and all my other pet names for her. The book radiates love and warmth with the two of them falling asleep inside a hug. Ahhh!
Too bad Mirette's gramma lives in Florida, she's been begging for a sleepover.
For information on Barbara Joose (and there's a lot of good stuff), see the above link.
Jan Jutte is from the Netherlands: Here is his website: http://www.janjutte.nl/engels/home%20test.htm
The two of them have teamed up for another book called Rowar!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Book of the Day: The Kissing Hand
The Kissing Hand
Audrey Penn
Illustrations: Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak
Tanglewood Press (1993)
Found on my friend's Pinterest board (she said it made her cry every time she reads it), I decided to check it out from the library. I wonder how I did not know about this book during my School Counseling years. I actually am wondering why I didn't think of it--such a simple and clever idea that I can see really working. There have been many a child (and parent) with separation anxiety over the years that would have benefited from this book.
It's a tale about a little raccoon named Chester who wants to hang out with his mommy rather than go to school. The mommy kisses his hand and explains that it goes straight to his heart and he can always think about the kissing hand when he feels sad or lonely. Chester decides to give a kissing hand to his mom, so that she can also feel the love when they are apart.
I recently went away for the weekend and although Mirette does not really have a big issue with separation, I tried this. It was so great and it made me feel much better about leaving and it was a way to celebrate and acknowledge our love.
Audrey Penn wrote a companion book called A Pocket Full of Kisses. This book is about Chester's indignation that his little brother also gets a kissing hand. The mom has to explain that there is enough love to go around that his brother's kissing hand doesn't negate his kissing hand.
Geez, just once could I read a bio. of one of these writers and not get totally immersed. It seems like most of them have fascinating lives or do something else that is really interesting and Audrey Penn is no exception. She was a ballet dancer and a choreographer for the Olympic figure skating team, but she had to stop after becoming seriously ill with arthritis (her blog indicates that she still suffers from these ailments). She has many other books that look great and focus on helping children get through something. A relatively new one is called Chester and the Big Bad Bully.
Another interesting thing about her is that she workshops her books at schools in the DC area. So the kids actually help her with the re-writing process and give her ideas. Her mom compiled a book of her journal writings called Happy Apple Told Me that was quite successful. She developed the Kissing Hand idea when her daughter was afraid to go to kindergarten.
Not to much on the illustrators but here's what I know:
Ruth Harper: http://www.rutheharper.com/index.php?p=1_4
Nancy M. Leak: A Maryland artist specializing in printmaking
Teacher's Idea for the first day of Kindergarten: http://www.kinderthemes.com/thekissinghand.html
All kinds of kissing hand activities: http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/KissingHandPrintablesandIdeas.htm
And more: http://littlegiraffes.com/teaching-ideas/95/the-kissing-hand-activities/
Audrey Penn
Illustrations: Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak
Tanglewood Press (1993)
Found on my friend's Pinterest board (she said it made her cry every time she reads it), I decided to check it out from the library. I wonder how I did not know about this book during my School Counseling years. I actually am wondering why I didn't think of it--such a simple and clever idea that I can see really working. There have been many a child (and parent) with separation anxiety over the years that would have benefited from this book.
It's a tale about a little raccoon named Chester who wants to hang out with his mommy rather than go to school. The mommy kisses his hand and explains that it goes straight to his heart and he can always think about the kissing hand when he feels sad or lonely. Chester decides to give a kissing hand to his mom, so that she can also feel the love when they are apart.
I recently went away for the weekend and although Mirette does not really have a big issue with separation, I tried this. It was so great and it made me feel much better about leaving and it was a way to celebrate and acknowledge our love.
Audrey Penn wrote a companion book called A Pocket Full of Kisses. This book is about Chester's indignation that his little brother also gets a kissing hand. The mom has to explain that there is enough love to go around that his brother's kissing hand doesn't negate his kissing hand.
Geez, just once could I read a bio. of one of these writers and not get totally immersed. It seems like most of them have fascinating lives or do something else that is really interesting and Audrey Penn is no exception. She was a ballet dancer and a choreographer for the Olympic figure skating team, but she had to stop after becoming seriously ill with arthritis (her blog indicates that she still suffers from these ailments). She has many other books that look great and focus on helping children get through something. A relatively new one is called Chester and the Big Bad Bully.
Another interesting thing about her is that she workshops her books at schools in the DC area. So the kids actually help her with the re-writing process and give her ideas. Her mom compiled a book of her journal writings called Happy Apple Told Me that was quite successful. She developed the Kissing Hand idea when her daughter was afraid to go to kindergarten.
Not to much on the illustrators but here's what I know:
Ruth Harper: http://www.rutheharper.com/index.php?p=1_4
Nancy M. Leak: A Maryland artist specializing in printmaking
Teacher's Idea for the first day of Kindergarten: http://www.kinderthemes.com/thekissinghand.html
All kinds of kissing hand activities: http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/KissingHandPrintablesandIdeas.htm
And more: http://littlegiraffes.com/teaching-ideas/95/the-kissing-hand-activities/
Book of the Day: On the Day You Were Born
On The Day You Were Born
Debra Frasier
Red Wagon Books (1991)
Mirette turned three! Her teacher asked us to bring some photos of Mirette as a baby and also to write up the story of her birth to read to the other kids. After sharing with the class, the teacher read On the Day You Were Born.
What a special and meaningful ritual. Apparently, Mirette was glowing throughout it and loved having the special story read aloud. We have the book in our shelf as well and it's one of those in the same vein as Goodnight Moon that makes a perfect gift for a new babe. (we got three of them as gifts when Mirette was first born).
Debra Frasier uses bold, celestial pictures to talk about all the things the earth was doing on the day your child was born: "On the day you were born gravity's strong pull held you to the Earth with the promise that you would never float away. . ." I guess it could be classified as kind-of new-agey, but it's a great one to celebrate the miracle of bringing a child into the world.
Ms. Frasier grew up in Vero Beach, Florida on the beach and spent many long hours beach combing and making collages out of found objects. She settled in Minnesota. She sounds like a serious kayaker and canoer, even keeping a blog of her journeys (which I actually want to read at some point). I also discovered that she has many other books that look really cool! Her website is chock full of good stuff: well thought out activities for parents/teachers to use, videos, books and her bio. Here's the link: http://www.debrafrasier.com/index.html
Debra Frasier
Red Wagon Books (1991)
Mirette turned three! Her teacher asked us to bring some photos of Mirette as a baby and also to write up the story of her birth to read to the other kids. After sharing with the class, the teacher read On the Day You Were Born.
What a special and meaningful ritual. Apparently, Mirette was glowing throughout it and loved having the special story read aloud. We have the book in our shelf as well and it's one of those in the same vein as Goodnight Moon that makes a perfect gift for a new babe. (we got three of them as gifts when Mirette was first born).
Debra Frasier uses bold, celestial pictures to talk about all the things the earth was doing on the day your child was born: "On the day you were born gravity's strong pull held you to the Earth with the promise that you would never float away. . ." I guess it could be classified as kind-of new-agey, but it's a great one to celebrate the miracle of bringing a child into the world.
Ms. Frasier grew up in Vero Beach, Florida on the beach and spent many long hours beach combing and making collages out of found objects. She settled in Minnesota. She sounds like a serious kayaker and canoer, even keeping a blog of her journeys (which I actually want to read at some point). I also discovered that she has many other books that look really cool! Her website is chock full of good stuff: well thought out activities for parents/teachers to use, videos, books and her bio. Here's the link: http://www.debrafrasier.com/index.html
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Need to Know: Birds
Birds
Author: Kevin Henkes
Illustrator: Laura Dronzek
Greenwillow Books (2009)
Another reason kids read is, quite obviously, the need to know. One of the most beautiful things about being a mom is watching MIrette absorb information. I am astounded when she blurts out something---like "Mommy, let's go plant a conifer tree." Where did she learn that? In this case, it was a lesson about trees at school, but books give our kids the opportunity to learn about such a wide range of stuff!
I am reading a book right now called Up. It's about a mother and her young daughter who go hiking together. The mom homeschooled her daughter and wrote that she and her husband decided to homeschool "because we feel children should be met where they are at, intellectually and otherwise." I respect homeschooling parents, but for me--I don't feel like I know enough to be the sole provider of my child's education. I find it thrilling when she learns something that I didn't teach her. I wouldn't have ever thought to talk to her about conifer trees and I don't really know all that much about them, but I love that she knows that.
Likewise, books teach Mirette things I would never have thought of on my own. (and they teach me things too). It reminds me of the Zen beginner mind, where us adults get this lovely chance to learn new things in a fresh way. We've read books about loons, books about soccer, books about India.
But the book I chose to represent The Need to Know is Birds. In part, because it is so simple and so beautiful in its simplicity, but also because I read it to Mirette every night when she was a baby and it was the first book that she opened on her own (realizing that it was a book not a chew toy).
Our favorite page is a snowy bare tree with one little red bird and text that reads, "sometimes, in winter, a bird in a tree looks like one red leaf left over."
I have been a big fan of Kevin Henkes ever since I turned his book Chrysanthemum into a play for a forth grade class. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife and two kids. After my blog post yesterday on Peter Sis, Kevin Henkes seems like a boring kind-of guy. He didn't defect, he doesn't write screen plays, his father didn't get stuck in Tibet for two years. He just seems like a good solid man. Here's his website with lots of videos, coloring sheets and a great q and a: http://www.kevinhenkes.com/?page_id=154
Author: Kevin Henkes
Illustrator: Laura Dronzek
Greenwillow Books (2009)
Another reason kids read is, quite obviously, the need to know. One of the most beautiful things about being a mom is watching MIrette absorb information. I am astounded when she blurts out something---like "Mommy, let's go plant a conifer tree." Where did she learn that? In this case, it was a lesson about trees at school, but books give our kids the opportunity to learn about such a wide range of stuff!
I am reading a book right now called Up. It's about a mother and her young daughter who go hiking together. The mom homeschooled her daughter and wrote that she and her husband decided to homeschool "because we feel children should be met where they are at, intellectually and otherwise." I respect homeschooling parents, but for me--I don't feel like I know enough to be the sole provider of my child's education. I find it thrilling when she learns something that I didn't teach her. I wouldn't have ever thought to talk to her about conifer trees and I don't really know all that much about them, but I love that she knows that.
Likewise, books teach Mirette things I would never have thought of on my own. (and they teach me things too). It reminds me of the Zen beginner mind, where us adults get this lovely chance to learn new things in a fresh way. We've read books about loons, books about soccer, books about India.
But the book I chose to represent The Need to Know is Birds. In part, because it is so simple and so beautiful in its simplicity, but also because I read it to Mirette every night when she was a baby and it was the first book that she opened on her own (realizing that it was a book not a chew toy).
Our favorite page is a snowy bare tree with one little red bird and text that reads, "sometimes, in winter, a bird in a tree looks like one red leaf left over."
I have been a big fan of Kevin Henkes ever since I turned his book Chrysanthemum into a play for a forth grade class. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife and two kids. After my blog post yesterday on Peter Sis, Kevin Henkes seems like a boring kind-of guy. He didn't defect, he doesn't write screen plays, his father didn't get stuck in Tibet for two years. He just seems like a good solid man. Here's his website with lots of videos, coloring sheets and a great q and a: http://www.kevinhenkes.com/?page_id=154
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Book of the Day: Komodo!
Komodo!
Peter Sis
Green Willow Books (1993)
Peter Sis is another one of those creative souls who has range and style! In some ways, he reminds me a little of Steve Kellogg. His books have tons of detail and fun stuff hidden within the pages. Hey readers, sorry for the length of this post, but there are too many interesting things about this guy.
Komodo! is about a boy and his parents who go to visit a Komodo dragon in Indonesia. His parents find it touristy and annoying, but the little boy goes off by himself for a few minutes and runs right into a dragon (or is it his imagination?).
The first page is an illustration of hundreds of children lined up for a school picture. The text says, "it is always easy to find me in school pictures because of my dragon T-shirt." Of course, Mirette and I madly search for the kid with the dragon shirt and, truth be told, she found it before I did. There are also a lot of interesting perspectives, some as if you are in an airplane looking down on a crowd of people.
Peter Sis wrote another book called Madlenka that I really like and almost previewed for this blog. It's about a little girl who has a tooth that is falling out. She goes around her NYC block to tell her grown-up friends and it's almost as if she has gone around the world. It's a charming book with cut outs and the pleasure of having to turn the book around to read some of the text. Yet, it is a little bit, well, insensitive in that her friends include a French baker, an Italian ice cream truck driver, a German storyteller, an Asian shopkeeper, a Latin American grocer. The criticism is that Europe got divided out into several different countries while the Asian shopkeeper sells all Asian things lumped together and the Latin America grocer has little pictures on the side that are supposed to depict all of Latin America. Included under people is a picture of a native with bow and arrow in a loin cloth.
I guess this is yet another reminder to look closely at our literature and the secret messages it conveys to our children. I have no doubt in my mind that Peter Sis was writing a book to celebrate diversity, but in the end it's a little bit offensive.
His work includes wonderfully simple books like Fire Truck and Ballerina, artistically compelling books like Tibet Through the Red Box and a visual memoir of his life in Czechoslovakia called The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (a book I incidentally gave to a friend for a birthday gift because I thought it was so interesting).
As mentioned above, Peter Sis grew up in Czechoslovakia during the cold war. (You must read his memoir--it's fascinating). He had a thing for Western culture--beat poets, the Rolling Stones etc. His father was a film maker and his mother an artist. He followed suit in both those directions with awards in both film making and illustrations. I can only imagine his delight when he collaborated with Bob Dylan.
He came to Los Angeles in 1982 to make a film for the Olympics. The Eastern bloc decided to ban the Olympics and he was told to come home. Instead he was granted asylum and somehow met up with Maurice Sendak who helped him with his career. He has done a ton of stuff like designing a set for the Joffrey Ballet and creating the poster for the movie Amadeus. He currently lives in New York with his two children.
His official website: http://www.petersis.com/index2.html
Wow, totally fascinating: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/01/05/sunday/main261975.shtml
Cool Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LovauoreX_k
Peter Sis
Green Willow Books (1993)
Peter Sis is another one of those creative souls who has range and style! In some ways, he reminds me a little of Steve Kellogg. His books have tons of detail and fun stuff hidden within the pages. Hey readers, sorry for the length of this post, but there are too many interesting things about this guy.
Komodo! is about a boy and his parents who go to visit a Komodo dragon in Indonesia. His parents find it touristy and annoying, but the little boy goes off by himself for a few minutes and runs right into a dragon (or is it his imagination?).
The first page is an illustration of hundreds of children lined up for a school picture. The text says, "it is always easy to find me in school pictures because of my dragon T-shirt." Of course, Mirette and I madly search for the kid with the dragon shirt and, truth be told, she found it before I did. There are also a lot of interesting perspectives, some as if you are in an airplane looking down on a crowd of people.
Peter Sis wrote another book called Madlenka that I really like and almost previewed for this blog. It's about a little girl who has a tooth that is falling out. She goes around her NYC block to tell her grown-up friends and it's almost as if she has gone around the world. It's a charming book with cut outs and the pleasure of having to turn the book around to read some of the text. Yet, it is a little bit, well, insensitive in that her friends include a French baker, an Italian ice cream truck driver, a German storyteller, an Asian shopkeeper, a Latin American grocer. The criticism is that Europe got divided out into several different countries while the Asian shopkeeper sells all Asian things lumped together and the Latin America grocer has little pictures on the side that are supposed to depict all of Latin America. Included under people is a picture of a native with bow and arrow in a loin cloth.
I guess this is yet another reminder to look closely at our literature and the secret messages it conveys to our children. I have no doubt in my mind that Peter Sis was writing a book to celebrate diversity, but in the end it's a little bit offensive.
His work includes wonderfully simple books like Fire Truck and Ballerina, artistically compelling books like Tibet Through the Red Box and a visual memoir of his life in Czechoslovakia called The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (a book I incidentally gave to a friend for a birthday gift because I thought it was so interesting).
As mentioned above, Peter Sis grew up in Czechoslovakia during the cold war. (You must read his memoir--it's fascinating). He had a thing for Western culture--beat poets, the Rolling Stones etc. His father was a film maker and his mother an artist. He followed suit in both those directions with awards in both film making and illustrations. I can only imagine his delight when he collaborated with Bob Dylan.
He came to Los Angeles in 1982 to make a film for the Olympics. The Eastern bloc decided to ban the Olympics and he was told to come home. Instead he was granted asylum and somehow met up with Maurice Sendak who helped him with his career. He has done a ton of stuff like designing a set for the Joffrey Ballet and creating the poster for the movie Amadeus. He currently lives in New York with his two children.
His official website: http://www.petersis.com/index2.html
Wow, totally fascinating: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/01/05/sunday/main261975.shtml
Cool Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LovauoreX_k
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