We’ve confessed our love for gingers before. But what we failed to mention is that the sentiment extends way beyond our current obsession with pop culture icons like Molly Ringwald and Conan O’Brien all the way back to childhood. Our favorite books to read back in elementary school always featured redheaded heroines. Why? Because they were just more interesting. Here’s proof.
Manipulating digital images of animals in surreal environments, Steve Ouch created the visual wonderland of SteamPotVille, a children’s book with the attention-grabbing power of a magic-eye poster.
While the story of a world turned upside-down is sure to capture any kid’s imagination, it’s the fantastical fish-eye imagery that will keep you (and them) coming back. Each two-page spread is a detail-rich labor of love, with new elements revealing themselves on repeated reads.
The American Library Association has just released its list of most frequently challenged books of 2009. Lauren Myracle’s ttyl, which is written instant message format, topped the list for its supposed “unsuitability to age group” claim. Suddenly we found ourselves wondering about the books that made the list before emoticons lost their novelty — or even existed, for that matter. Check out a roundup of some of the most surprisingly “controversial” books from the original list, which debuted 20 years ago, after the jump.
Forget about Baby Mozart, it’s time for Baby Angus Young. Does that send a shiver of revulsion or a twinge of delight down your spine? If it’s the latter, then you may be the target audience for Soundscreen Design‘s twist on the classic children’s ABC books. They come in three musical flavors — metal, country, or punk.
Get a headstart on teenage rebellion with Never Mind Your Ps and Qs — Here’s the Punk Rock Alphabet. Nurture the next frontman for your Morbid Angel tribute band with M is for Metal. Or cultivate that high lonesome sound in your wee one with ABC&C: The Country and Western Alphabet. Billed as “perfect for every hipster child,” they’re just as appropriate for the aging music obsessive who wants to remember how to read. Each volume is filled with charming illiustrations and 2-year-old-ready doggerel. See a selection of our favorites after the jump. Read More »
Curious Pages is a blog that scans and posts strange and wonderful children’s books that time forgot. Browsing through its archive, we were reminded of just how weird kids’ books could be — in a good way this time. We caught up with the site’s editors to hear what sparked the idea, and find out their favorite inappropriate and incredible books for kids young and old.
The Huffington Post has compiled a slideshow of the creepiest children’s books ever, and while many of their picks are only off-putting because of their silly bathroom humor, there are a few that we believe could cause deep psychic trauma in a child. Having a pair of gay uncles? Not creepy — in fact, it sounds rather ideal. Having a pair of gay uncles with no respect for personal space who are leering at your gender indeterminate head from behind a curtain? Suddenly we’ve got the heebie-jeebies.
Remember the kid’s book Goodnight Moon? So many of us have fond memories of being lulled to sleep by this comforting classic.
“In the great green room
there was a telephone
and a red balloon
and a picture of —
the cow jumping over the Moon” - Goodnight Moon
Well, brace yourself, because comedians Bruce Worden and Clare Cross have parodied the old favorite and the result is warped. Goodnight Keith Moon — not to be confused with the fantastic biography from Moon’s chaffeur, Full Moon — gives us new-found gems to fall asleep to (and have awful, cold-sweat inducing nightmares about, of course). A sampling? “And two broken sticks/and a pile of sick.” Ah, poetry.
One of our favorite gentlemanly blogs, The Art of Manliness, recently posted a list of their picks for the 50 best books for boys (specifically for ages 9 to 12, but really for boys of all ages). We liked it, but then we thought — what about the girls? Are we going to let our young girls be relegated to Mormon propaganda like Twilight and stories about simpering princesses?
We think not! Here are our top ten choices of books for girls and young women — we have some overlap with TAOM’s list (because why should girls only read books about girls?) but we’ve also picked out some spectacular novels particularly for the young ladies. Our claim: boys will like them too. Let us know what we’ve missed — we limited ourselves to ten and we know there are lots more out there — and tell us about your personal childhood favorites.
A set of illustrations by Andy Warhol depicting the story of the Little Red Hen will be put up for auction in New York on December 9th as part of a 365 item-strong sale by Bloomsbury Auctions. You may not recognize these drawings as Warhols, but we spy a sense of color and whimsy (and a super fabulous hen) that are solid markers of the man himself.
Check out images of Warhol’s work and some more of our favorite book illustrations from Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Charley Harper, and Saul Bass after the jump.
The blogs have been abuzz with anticipation for Kids Go!, the newest endeavor from sweet indie rock standbys They Might Be Giants, and it seems that satisfaction has come sooner than expected. Kids Go! mysteriously became available on Amazon October 24th, though its release date was set for November 3. According to the TMBG wiki, the book was also shipped early to brick and mortar retailers, though the band offers no explanation. Oh well, we’re not complaining.
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