ISU's Banned Book reading highlighted by national librarian association

A photograph from ISU's annual banned book this year reading made it to the big time in the librarian world.  Check out this link to the AL Focus, on the website of the American Library Association.  You'll see a photo of Jacob and I after we both read at the reading sponsored by Milner Library.  How fun to see such a grand photo!  Thanks to Toni Tucker and staff for sending the photo to the ALA and organizing the reading.

I thought Jacob did a great job reading a selection from Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren.  We had reviewed the possible books to read from and he chose a Junie B. book because we have had so much fun reading Barbara Park's books.  Then Jacob's acting classes kicked in as he practiced ahead of time and worked on the timing (credit to TheatresCool and ISU's Creative Drama for kids).  His mom and I are frequently amazed at his poise and confidence in performing. 

Glad to see that Milner Library gets promoted on the ALA site -- kudos to them!  Thanks to Milner for inviting both of us to read.

Andrea Immel's Presentation on Fables

Why do we prefer fairy tales over fables?  In her presentation, "The Fable that Morphed: Retelling The Wenceslaus Hollar 'Of the Court Mouse, and Country Mouse' 1665 Etching From 'The fables of Aesop paraphras'd in verse by John Ogilby'Town and Country Mouse," Andrea Immel, the director of the Cotsen Children's Library at Princeton University Library, raised this fascinating question during her lively discussion of four versions of the famous fable illustrated and retold by John Ogilby, William Godwin, Thomas Bewick, and Beatrix Potter.

Immel presented her talk, sponsored by the Center for Children's Books and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, at the University of Illinois on May 6.  As I listened to her lecture, like all good presentations, Immel got me to thinking about the differences between fables and fairy tales.

I, too, have also thought it was a bit curious that John Locke, in his influential Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693), should praise the fable, but condemn the fairy tale.  Both are fantastical stories often involving talking animals and in many, although not all cases, point to moral.  Is "Little Red Riding Hood" less moralizing or didactic that "The Town and Country Mouse."

It is true that most fables do have the moral tacked on to the conclusion as was  the case of Charles Perrault's Histories, ou contes du temps passe, avec des Moralitez (1697), his collection of fairy tales that was published only four years after Some Thoughts Concerning Education. It is also true that often times fairy tales have been liberated from the overt moral that has hung over the conclusion of fables. But a moral can often times been easily teased out. One of the reasons fairy tales  were assigned as appropriate reading for children is that they combined instruction and delight.

But over the years, as Immel noted, fables have earned the reputation of being simply didatic, while fairy talesJerry Pinkney's The Lion and the Mouse (2009) were seen as more entertainment.  But she showed how different retellers or illustrators can discover differing morals in the same fable, which is a common practice with fairy tales.  But perhaps a more significant difference between fairy tales and fables are that many fairy tales are wishfulfillment, while fables are survival stories that show how to negoitate in a world of unequal distribution of power.  While most of us would want to be Cinderella, who wants to be the country mouse, or even the town mouse?

But given the recent economic downturns, which have made clear the distinctions between the haves and the have nots--Wall Street vs Main Street, perhaps we are about to experience a revival of fables.  With Jerry Pinkney winning the Caldecott Award for his  picture book retelling of Lion and the Mouse (2009) perhaps we moving into new era of the fable.

Lewis Carroll and the Creation of the Alice Industry talk

I'm putting the finishing touches on "Lewis Carroll and the Creation of the Alice Industry," my talk to the Friends of the Milner Library on Tuesday, March 30.

Here are a few images that I will be discusing:

Flora Rankin in "No Lessons Today" 1863. Photograph by Lewis CarrollPhoebe Carlo in Henry Savile Clarke's Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Dream Play, 1876.Alice Biscuit tin, 1892.

Talk on Lewis Carroll next Tuesday

The Friends of Milner Library have kindly invited me to speak at their spring meeting about "The Place of Lewis Carroll in Children's Literature."  My talk will be Tuesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. in the Bone Student Center Founders Suite. 

I plan to give a talk and slide presentation based on my recent book from Routledge with a focus on Carroll as a book author, publisher, marketer, entrepreneur, scholar.  I will examine the importance of the Alice books within the history of children's literature -- including why they're pivotal in the field. I thought I would also briefly touch on some of the myths and misconceptions of Carroll.  I'm also working in a few thoughts about the recent Alice in Wonderland film as well.

Thanks to Toni Tucker at Milner for organizing the talk and to Eric Jome for additional publicity from Media Relations.