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Getting Graphic: What Kids See

I’ve been musing over a couple of experiences I’ve had in the past week, and I’d like to share them with you. First, I am sure at least some of you have followed the controversy over the, er, “sexy” portrayals of Catwoman and Starfire in the DC Comics “reboot” that has just premiered (and, according to a press release we received today, completely sold out). I won’t go into it here since other people have already done it better and more passionately, but I would like to say that even though these comic books aren’t targeted at little kids, little kids are familiar with them. My son had Iron Man sneakers in size 3T. Last year a friend gave him a Spiderman action figure for his birthday. You can’t say that superheroes are adult territory only once marketers have targeted the kids.

So it doesn’t surprise me that in the wake of all this, Michele Lee, reviewer and zombie editor for MonsterLibrarian.com, interviewed her seven year old daughter about her reaction to Starfire’s new look. And it saddens me so much that a character like Starfire, who is obviously a role model to at least one superhero loving girl, is cheapened not just for adults but also for children. What we see matters.

I want to go past this particular controversy, though, to write about something that nearly broke my heart this week. To backtrack, I am in the midst of taking a class in youth materials in libraries (yes, I have already worked as a children’s librarian and a school library media specialist, but I’ve gotta keep my certification current, and you can always learn something new). This week we’re discussing graphic novels, and I had to pick one from a list of “children’s” graphic novels to discuss. I chose and ordered the book a while back, it came, and immediately my five year old son absconded with it. The book is Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel.

I will freely admit that my knowledge of graphic novels is limited. Someone tells me a graphic novel is for children, I think along the lines of Ook and Gluk: Kung Fu Cavemen from the Future or Dragonbreath (which are smart-alecky, occasionally gross, and imaginative).  We made it through Dragonbreath: Curse of the Were-Wiener here with no problem. My Godzilla-loving, monster-loving child couldn’t put Ghostopolis down. He couldn’t really understand it, but the images grabbed him and he asked so many questions that eventually we sat down and read it.

This is a far cry from Ook and Gluk. It’s about a terminally ill child who is accidentally transported to the afterlife before he dies and has to find a way home.  The themes in this book are not themes most elementary aged children are going to be able to understand or fully process. The artwork is phenomenal, but TenNapel’s vision of the afterlife? Not pretty. Nothing my son hasn’t seen before… after all, he’s the son of the Monster Librarian… but maybe not quite pulled together in this way.

I can tell stories about Hades to my son. He is obsessed with demons(an obsession that could end anytime, and I would be okay with it) and wants to be a mummy for Halloween. But his birthday is around the corner, and suddenly, he didn’t want to turn six, because he was afraid he would die, and he didn’t want to go to the afterlife like the boy in the story, Garth Hale (it took a long time to pry this out of him).

The impact of these images on children is tremendous. It is a huge responsibility, even more so, I think, than in books that have no images or illustrations at all. DC failed so many people by choosing to exploit Catwoman and Starfire… As parents and librarians, it’s clear we cannot just trust someone else’s interpretation as to what’s appropriate. Kirkus suggested that Dragonbreath was appropriate for ages 8-11  and that Ghostopolis was appropriate for ages 9-12. The two books aren’t even on the same planet.

I don’t know exactly what I’m trying to say here except that little pitchers don’t just have big ears. They have big eyes. They don’t necessarily respect boundaries. And what they take away from what they see is different than what we do. So the images we present them with really matter.

Posted on September 27, 2011 by , Reply

Summer Reading At The Library

Summer reading programs are a big focus for libraries at this time of year.  I have to admit that I am not good about keeping track of my kids’ fifteen minute increments  (this is how our library tracks summer reading) probably because they spend SO MUCH time with books. But not everyone spends hours poring over Halloween cookbooks (my son demanded we go to the library today with some urgency so he could check out their copy of Ghoulish Goodies again) and Dr. Seuss. Either way, summer reading is a great excuse to read with your kids (even if it’s a recipe for Mummy Dogs or Spiderweb Cupcakes).

Here at MonsterLibrarian.com we thought we’d recognize some of the libraries that have linked to us as a resource. Clearly they have exceptional librarians if they’ve recognized the importance of providing readers advisory in horror fiction. And they also have summer reading programs.

The Rochester Public Library has summer reading programs for both kids and teens (the teen program starts today). I LOVE the theme for the kids’ summer reading program- “One World, Many Stories”. How cool is that?

The Inola Public Library doesn’t appear to have a summer reading program, but I read the history of the library, and it was a grassroots effort(started by the Inola Homemakers’ Extension Club) to establish it. I can only say that I think the people of Inola, Oklahoma rock.

The Lorain Public Library System has a summer reading program that makes me wish I were a teen in Lorain, Ohio. Teens can actually enter a drawing for a Sony Pocket reader! In addition to programs for kids and teens, there is also an adult summer reading program that runs through August 6. I don’t know why this information is so carefully hidden- I couldn’t even discover the theme of the program. Go sign up.

Morton Grove Public Library puts information about their summer reading program right there on their homepage. Way to go, guys! They also are using the “One World, Many Stories” theme, and have programs for kids, teens and adults.

St. Charles City-County Library District is also using the “One World, Many Stories” theme for their children’s program and the theme “You Are Here” for their teen program. You can access information about the programs from their homepage, but you’ll have to sit through a little slideshow of upcoming programs to get to it.

I think this “One World, Many Stories” theme is so great! It sure beats the summer reading theme at our local library, “Sit! Stay! Read!” Go sign up for summer reading at your own library today!

Posted on June 12, 2011 by , Reply

Summer Reading Is Killing Me!

As the end of school nears (well, here it’s actually over) stories about summer reading loss and editorials in favor of a year round calendar start to make an appearance.  Politics aside, research really does show that kids who don’t read over summer break actually backslide in their reading ability and skills. Enter the required summer reading list.

Here are a couple of books that appear on the the local high school’s reading list for kids going into their sophomore year of high school.

  • Night by Elie Wiesel
  • How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
  • I Am The Cheese by Robert Cormier

Are these really books teens should read on their own? I’m not saying that tenth graders are unable to read the words, but the content is pretty disturbing. To be fair, the list also includes Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and students are required to read only one of the books on the list (there are about 20), while they can choose the other. But still. Kelly Gallagher, author of Readicide, discusses the problem of assigning a book like Night in his book- it’s a powerful book, but not a book I’d call recreational reading. I might be wrong, but I don’t think it’s likely to inspire recreational reading, either.

But there ARE a lot of great resources for encouraging summer reading. Your local library probably has a summer reading program (ours does- in fact, it has separate programs for kids, YA’s and adults), and if you or your kids aren’t intrinsically motivated to pick up a book and read, go sign up and you’ll usually get prizes for reading- free food, books, and so on. Generally the library has lists of books for different age ranges that can get you started.Don’t be scared to ask the librarian (a surprising number of people are).

There are also some fun websites with reading recommendations for kids and teens. I’ll just mention a few.Believe me, there are many!

  • Jon Scieszka, author of many awesome books for kids, has a great program called Guys Read, aimed at, well, getting guys to read. I love the categories of books on the site! You can’t not, with topics like “At least one explosion” and “Mysterious Occurences” stored in their vault. As a bonus, right on the home page, if you scroll down and look under “Let’s Get To The Books”, there is a list of “scary stories”. Guys Read actually promotes scary stories for kids! Go there, check it out, and then check some of those books out of your library.
  • James Patterson also sponsors a website intended to promote reading called ReadKiddoRead. While some of the booklists are outdated, the current reviews are great, and the site is geared toward creating an online community supportive of getting all kinds of kids reading. I’d say this one is aimed much more at parents and educators than Guys Read is, but it’s another resource with suggestions for all kinds of reads.
  • Finally, some good lists for summer reading choices for teens can be found through YALSA, the American Library Association’s division for young adult library services, particularly their “Best of the Best”.

Oh my gosh, it’s a flood of books! Kelly Gallagher would be proud. Pick a couple and read them on your own, or together with your kids, your family, your friends…  Just do it.  And have a great summer.

Posted on June 7, 2011 by , Reply
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