Alvin Schwartz’s collection of haunting tales Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is an important gateway drug into the world of the supernatural. And as terrifying as the stories about brides locked forever in an attic trunk truly are, it’s the artwork by Stephen Gammell that kept you up at night.
Are you shitting me? It’s the wicked illustrations that got my 10yr old apathetic ass into reading more books; WTH people?!
Recent outrage in the tumblrverse!
(via Araboh.com : Educational games, free downloads and Arabic learning for Kids)
Found by way of this blog post on the Araboh website.
Normally I’m not a huge fan of books being marketed for the “lessons” they contain, but this is NPR, so the “lessons” are things like diversity, bullying, death, and cliques… sounds solid to me.
One of my favorites! The whole thing is great, but the first few minutes are what apply to this blog.
From this great review (written by Katie Henderson):
There are all kinds of ways to be different, and kids need media that intelligently and sensitively addressees diverse identities, looks, and lifestyles. When Life Gives You O.J.is a welcome addition to the collection. The satisfying little novel by occasional Slate contributor Erica S. Perl is written from the perspective of Zelda, a sixth-grade girl with a freckle face and dark brown, bushy hair (Hoorah!). After her beloved grandmother passes away, Zelda is unwillingly transplanted from Brooklyn to Vermont. There, the family moves in with her grandfather, Ace, a kooky figure with A PROCLIVITY TO SPEAK IN CAPS-LOCK YIDDISH. Zelda is desperate for a dog, and Ace proposes they persuade her parents with a “practice dog:” an orange juice container that Zelda must walk, feed, and care for daily.
I want to read this novel!!!
toward the scholarly study of children's literature and culture.
