Suspend Your Disbelief

Posts Tagged ‘kids and reading’

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"You can’t take an adult seriously when he’s debating you over why Twilight vampires are O.K. with sunlight."

by Celeste Ng

What to make of Joel Stein? He’s a humor writer who (sometimes) makes serious points, and as a result, his readers sometimes miss the argument beneath the humor, or miss the humor on top of the argument. His latest essay, “Adults Should Read Adult Books,” in the New York Times, is causing quite a kerfuffle: I have no idea what “The Hunger Games” is like. Maybe there are complicated shades of good and evil in each character. Maybe there are Pynchonesque turns of phrase. Maybe it delves into issues of identity, self-justification and anomie that would make David Foster Wallace […]


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Picture books for writers (and their kids)

by Celeste Ng

For a while now, I’ve been concerned about raising a kid who loves to read. Evidently I am not the only one, as shown by the BabyLit series of board books featuring Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Eyre. These books bill themselves as “counting primers”—the “Little Miss Austen” version of Pride and Prejudice includes pages like “2 rich gentlemen” and “3 houses” (that would be Longbourne, Netherfield, and Pemberly)—but they’re clearly intended to introduce at least the elements of these classics to young children. The forthcoming Little Miss Bronte: Jane Eyre features quotes from the novel, like […]


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eBooks? Not in this crib.

by Celeste Ng

News flash: eBooks are growing more popular by the year–wait, make that the minute. But there’s one market where paper books are still king: babies. The New York Times reports that even eBook-reading parents prefer paper books for their tots. This is the case even with parents who themselves are die-hard downloaders of books onto Kindles, iPads, laptops and phones. They freely acknowledge their digital double standard, saying they want their children to be surrounded by print books, to experience turning physical pages as they learn about shapes, colors and animals. Parents also say they like cuddling up with their […]


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Milk + Bookies

by Celeste Ng

In addition to possibly having the best name for a literary charity ever, Milk and Bookies has a worthwhile mission: to bring children books AND to teach children about giving. Says the organization’s site: At Milk + BookiesTM events, boys and girls are provided the opportunity to select, purchase and inscribe books that are then donated to their peers who do not have access to books of their own. The fun-filled events feature music, story time and, of course, milk and cookies. […] Milk + BookiesTM combines two essential and worthwhile efforts: literacy promotion and service learning. While the book […]


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How to save a library? With postcards–and some attitude.

We’re delighted to present the following post by Nicole Aber, our FWR editorial intern. Enjoy! Last summer, I worked a few blocks away from the regal main branch of the New York Public Library near Bryant Park. During the interlude between the end of the work day and the start of a class I was taking, I’d sometimes take refuge in the humbling building, its architectural beauty and breathtaking murals never ceasing to amaze me. So when I came across the story of a young girl aiming to keep the city’s libraries open by writing comical postcards to New York […]


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The Ministry of Stories

by Celeste Ng

It sounds like something out of Harry Potter, but in reality, it’s way, way more magical. Since last fall,the London-based Hoxton Street Monster Supplies has sold a variety of goods from cans of Mortal Terror to Fang Floss. Behind a the store, however, hides The Ministry of Stories, a writing workshop intended to get young Brits excited about writing. Reports Springwise: Once inside the workshop area, the group or class of children collaboratively create a story, which is illustrated by an artist in residence as they build the narrative. Once the story reaches its conclusion, the children must present the […]


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Kids + Books = ?

by Celeste Ng

What happens when you give a kid a book as a present? Sometimes, outrage, as in this video that lit up the liternets in December (via): But I prefer this video, aptly titled “Adorable French Girl Breathlessly Recounts Winnie The Pooh Plot.” (Or his adventures as she recalls them, anyway…) Once upon a time… from Capucha on Vimeo. It’s a stunningly cute example of the magic and wonder a book can create for a child. Don’t you remember getting so gloriously entangled in the world of a book that you sort of forgot where reality stopped and imagination began? (Via.) […]



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