Senor Parrot's Perch

Over on Elizabeth Kennedy’s About.Com website for children’s books, there is a survey about who should censor our children’s books. When completing it, I chose “other”, because I felt that both parents, educators and librarians should be involved. In fact, I don’t even think that much of what is screamed is censorship at all, but is respect for parents’ rights to determine what is appropriate to read. Here is the response I left on the website:

I think that everyone should be involved in what children should be reading. As a parent, I frequently see thinly veiled, deliberate attempts by educators to make available, even force, our children to read books that many parents find offensive or that denigrate parents moral values and undermine their parental influence.

In compulsory activities, like public k-12 education, parents have a right to enter into the discussion of what is appropriate in the classroom and in the library, as well. This isn’t censorship and it isn’t banning, because no one is saying that the book can’t be sold or published. It is acting on behalf of the parents who are ultimately responsible for raising their children as best they can.

In excluding certain books from public schools, these books’ availability has been limited to a certain extent, but only limited. Other parents can obtain these books and provide them to their children, if they choose. No one is stopping them. If someone were, then that would be censorship.

Public schools frequently court fights with parents when they deny parents a role in determining what is appropriate for their children. They court fights when they pooh-pooh parents’ concerns, or belittle them, or ignore them. They court fights when they include offensive books in the curriculum and force students to either hide their books from their parents to prevent a row, or to challenge their instructor by choosing an alternative book for class. These fights undermine parents’ trust and support for public education. These fights undermine public support for public education.

In light of this, school administrators, teachers, and librarians should be sensitive to the broad range of moral sensibilities of the parents of their students and respect those moral sensibilities rather than turn blue in the face and begin screaming.

While searching for Leprechauns at the Alicia Ashman branch library two Saturday’s ago, I came across Pamela Duncan Edwards, the author of “The Leprechaun’s Gold” and illustrated by Henry Cole. Next to it were an armload of other books she had written. I glanced at one, then another, and another and ended up with them all. Pure gold is what I got.

Pamela Duncan Edwards, native of England, (more…)

I finally started that story! I got about 1/3 of the way through. Its been percolating in my mushy brain for years. I got about 1/3 of the way through during my lunch break yesterday.What story is that? Its a kids story about Easter. Specifically, its about the little donkey that carries Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

After all these years, why now? (more…)

My youngest daughter gave me a sailing calendar for Christmas. I get one every year and hang it above my desk where I can see it every time I look up. This year’s calendar is almost an act of cruelty. February’s picture is an aerial photo of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia .

This picture isn’t even a hint of the beauty in the calendar.The calendar shows the archipelago meandering across the ocean with endless beaches, piers jutting out, and boats moored in the peaceful, amazing blue water. Sometimes I catch myself looking at the picture and dreaming of quitting my job and moving my family over there. I wonder…

Now, I sail on Lake Mendota, Madison, WI. Here is a picture of the lake today. Click on it and it gets much bigger. Its from the LakeCam at the UW. There is another Lake Mendota webcam here that you can control. Its not as good as it used to be, simply because there is so much building going on at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, that the buildings are obscuring the view. You can use this one to find ice-fisherman out on the lake. Not exciting to watch.

Not the best day for a sail. Not even Ice Sailing. It was probably about one degree below zero this morning. Ah, French Polynesia, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Tuamoto, how I wish I was there!

Childrens Books for Valentines Day – Picture Books and Beginning Readers

Elizabeth Kennedy�shares her�fun list of Valentines Day books. There’s still plenty of time to run out to the library or your local bookstore to check these out. I’m printing the list and taking it with on my regular Saturday post-swimming lessons library visit with my kids.� If you’ve got favorites to add, travel over to her site and add them on.

Andrea Vinley Jewell writes over at Family.org, Focus on the Family’s website,�that

“In today�s fast-paced world, reading often rides in the backseat of the entertainment car. While advances in technology have made for impressive entertainment choices, it’s important to remember that reading is the only entertainment medium that�s also an essential life skill.”

She goes on to list specific benefits: Reading

• boosts intelligence,
• provides competence in school and for future jobs,
• and inspires the imagination like no digital medium can. (more…)

Phil Vischer, creator of Veggie Tales, spins this powerful fable of two pigs, neighbors and�opposites. Its a good little book, emphasizing God’s grace and love, and the powerful transformative power of His grace and love. The book is excellently illustrated by Justin Gerard, and published by Tommy Nelson. Go get it, read it to your kids, and pay attention for yourselves, as well. (more…)

Wild Weather: Floods!, A Hello Reader Science Level 4 book, by Lorraine Jean Hopping, Illustrated by Jody Wheeler. Scholastic Books, 2000.
�
�A fun and interesting book all about floods; their cause, effects, destruction and benefits, punctuated by stories of people swept up in them, both as victims and heros, and as scientists. This book is a good introduction to weather, its effects and scientific inquiry. Its reading level is appropriate for 2nd graders or older.

Be sure to ask your child questions about what they learned:

• What do scientists do to help us learn about flooding?
• What is a tsunami?
• How can a flood possibly be beneficial?

Thinking is fun, questions help us understand, and children love to show off what they have learned to their proud parents and family.�Questions deepen our children’s interest in a topic. It will do the same for your, as well!

Every night we read with both our children. The oldest is nine and the youngest is 3. Both will have birthdays in a few months. With six years between them, we almost always read something appropriate for each of them.

Both get the bible then their stories. The youngest gets the bible through�one of the many�children’s bible story books she has. The pictures keep her interest and are appropriate to her level of understanding. (more…)

Over in the Wall Street Journal, they announced that� Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 7th of the series, will be published July 21. The announcement came today on JK Rowling’s website.

�It’ll be expensive, the WSJ reported� “Scholastic Children’s Books, her U.S. publisher, said it would offer a hardback edition at a suggested retail price of $34.99, a deluxe edition at $65 and a reinforced library edition at $39.99.” Better start saving those pennies, especially since home equity loans have lost some of their appeal as interest rates have edged up and housing markets have cooled in most locales in the country. (more…)