Judy Blume is controversial?!  Say it ain’t so! 

Judy Blume is liberal?  You are kidding me!

Please, can we get past the fact that Judy Blume is not only controversial and liberal but also a very strong voice and advocate for women’s rights?  It’s a no duh sort of thing.  But obviously some in the pro-life movement were surprised like Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com.  He opens his article railing against Judy Blume’s letter of support for Planned Parenthood with:

Famous children’s author Judy Blume is no stranger to controversy, but she’s added to herself to a list of people who will be remembered for something more devastating.

He goes on to solicit complaints about her support for Planned Parenthood.  Which is just fine.  You go use that freedom of speech!

But remember that critical thing about free speech!  It swings both ways and Blume’s fans have decided to express their support of her stance.  You can find it on Twitter and Facebook.  Planned Parenthood said on Friday that Blume has received over 25,000 messages of support.  This compares to the 300 emails against Blume’s support.

Blume was one of those authors in my childhood that I read again and again.  My mother bought me my own copies of the books which was a big deal for a family living on a small teacher’s salary.  I started to list my favorite books of hers, but it became her bibliography.  I never did read Forever as a teen or preteen because by that point I was reading adult fiction.  Funny since now as an adult I read teen and children’s fiction!

Please add your voice of support for Blume, or your voice against her support if that’s how you feel.  Free speech and the freedom to read is what it’s all about.

Gerald McDermott came to my library today!  I know that this may be the sort of thing that big time New York City librarians have happen every day, but it is quite unusual here in central Wisconsin.  He came as part of the Fox Cities Book Festival which I am president of this year. 

He spoke before a small but very responsive group about his art, his books, and his relationship with Joseph Campbell.   He also spoke beautifully about myth.

Here are a sampling of quotes from him:

“A myth is a story that is not true on the outside but true on the inside.”

When drawing you should “capture the energy” and not aim for perfection.

Joseph Campbell said “Myth is what we call other people’s religion.”

We got to hear him tell his Coyote and Pig Boy books.

He showed us slides of an amazing exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Tacoma based on his books.

And we got to hear about his next big project which will be illustrating Joseph Campbell’s favorite myths. 

He was a great speaker, gentle rather than forceful, an artist taking us along with him on a journey in myth. 

One of the small gems I jotted down was that he starts his books by telling the story aloud 15-20 times before he writes them down.  Because they come from an oral tradition, he starts there. 

I also loved his art project he did with children where they put mounds of paint in the center of a page and then fold it in half, smooshing the paint.  It is then opened back up and the kids find a creature in the symmetrical blob and outline it in black.  They then get to write a story about the creature they have found.

His paintings are on display at the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum.  I can’t wait to see them!

Isn’t it cool?!  A Google logo done by Eric Carle.  Just had to share because it certainly brightened up my dreary spring day.

BBC has a lovely interview with Philip Pullman about his books, writing, religion and much more.  The questions were submitted to the BBC from all over the UK.  There is a lot to love here with insight into Pullman’s process, questions about the Christian attacks on his work, and finally at the very end this gem for librarians:

How important is the Campaign for the Book, and what value do you place on libraries, especially for young people?
Kate Garnett, Guernsey, UK

It’s very important. Books should be at the heart of every place of learning, and every community should have a library where children are welcome.

Listen to Jon Scieszka on NPR as he talks about his new book, Knucklehead.  If you haven’t read it already, then run out and get it!  I have seen several reviews saying that it misses its intended audience, but I completely disagree.  My 7 and 11 year old sons adored having it read aloud to them. 

You can read my gushing review here.

A nice newspaper interview with David Shannon in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Shannon talks about his inspiration for his books coming primarily from his family.  The article also talks about his upcoming book, Too Many Toys.  Nicely, the article ends with a brief look at how Shannon became a picture book illustrator and the final paragraphs are perfect:

While he’s won fame and fortune as a children’s-book author, however, Shannon says he’s still learning things about the picture-book format and using picture books to tell a story.

"I think I have the best job in the whole world," he said.

Isn’t it nice to have an article underline that writing and illustrating for children is not easy!  It’s a nice foil to the innumerable celebrities who try their hand at it and almost always fail spectacularly at this "simple and easy" format.

The Poetry Foundation has announced that Mary Ann Hoberman will be the second U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate. 

Here is a quote from their press release:

The award, which includes a $25,000 cash prize, aims to raise awareness that children have a natural receptivity to poetry and are its most appreciative audience, especially when poems are written specifically for them.  “Generations of readers who first discovered poetry in the books of Mary Ann Hoberman remember it not as a dry textbook encounter but as a moment of joyous play.  Her poems tease young minds even as they please young ears with rhythm and rhyme.  We honor her for a lifetime of writing poetry of lasting value for young readers,” said John Barr, president of the Poetry Foundation, in making the appointment.

Hoberman has written so many charming poetry books for children!  This is a well-deserved honor.