Run Away!

September 25th to October 2 is Banned Books week. (In Canada there is also Freedom to Read week which takes place in February.) See who’s banning what: an interactive map of book bans and challenges: http://bit.ly/cqI0jK

From the New Humanist~Tibet, sausages and masturbating mice. As Banned Book Week concludes, Anne Rooney explores the hidden restrictions on what children are reading. http://bit.ly/bQqQMP

For further reading on the subject of censorship in children’s books, have a look at my review of Else-Marie and Her Seven Little Daddies. North Americans and Swedes may share a love for  pre-fabricated particle board, but we have entirely different bathing rituals.

PS: The only book that was ever banned in my house was a teen novel called Go Ask Alice, because it was about drugs. I read it several times, in spite of my mother, and I’m proud to say the only drug I’ve ever experimented with is the type of crack available in bookstores. And I may have licked a toad or two.

From the Guardian: Raymond Briggs: ‘The picture book is the best field for an illustrator‘ http://bit.ly/9in8RI I love Raymond Briggs, and this is a great little video~from nursery rhymes, to Fungus, to the Snowman. Awesome.

Good Grief, Moon!  Most alarming news this week…things you never wanted to know about Margaret Wise-Brown. From Mental Floss, a rather disturbing portrait of Ms Wise-Brown~ http://bit.ly/9E2Aqa This short article adds a whole other level of meaning to Runaway Bunny.

David Sedaris, Squirrels and Chipmunks, with illustrations by Ian Falconer. What’s not to love?http://t.co/lMl1hny (via NPR)

Great new blog discovery: Boyz Read Lots of great ‘boy-centric’ picture book reviews and suggestions.

Funniest tweet this week: “It is the 50th anniversary of The Flintstones, the inspiration for the crazy cartoon world of Creationism.” Carl Maxim

Next review: Didn’t I say this last week? Why, Halloween, of course!