Children's Book Day 2025 is on Wednesday, April 2, 2025: What types of children's books are you buying and or checking out from the library these days?
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 is Children's Book Day 2025. Keeping it Simple (KISBYTO): International Children's Book Day Children's Book Day
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Falling on Hans Christian Anderson's birthday celebration, Children's Publication Day celebrates children's books and encourages children to check out.
We own about a hundred or so children's picture books. My 5 kids are between the ages of 17 and 7. I've always liked the books I grew up with; the classic Dr. Seuss and Robert McCloskey books. I also like books that have realistic portrayals of people and situations. Sure there can be dragons or monsters, but the author should not stretch the disbelief too far.
We all like books that make us think and pictures that either simple or complex you can notice things.
One thing my wife and I hate are books cranked out with lessons to learn. Bernstein Bears and Winnie the pooh do this nowadays. One character is selfish or another is afraid of the dark and by the end of the story the problem is resolved.
Hate those books.
Gender stereotypes in children's books?
Women, in early history, were thought to be weak. Women of the olden days were valuable for bearing children. This mindset was kept by many in the early 1900's. Even in the 50's and 60's, it was a woman's job to cook, clean, and keep the house in order. But people soon began to see that women were strong individuals who could, if they pleased, do on their own. And now we have reached a point in America where it is obvious that a person of either gender and of any ethnicity is just as capable as another. But the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian-Andersen, and Walt Disney were not for our time. By this, am merely saying that the times affect the culture. Pop culture, specifically.
Now as for the characters themselves:
Snow White was obedient and spent her time diligently, while still keeping a smile on her face. She was mistreated, but still had a soft spot for everyone. She knew how to get things done. And the dwarfs respected her. As for the prince, Snow White didn't just do nothing all day waiting for him. The prince came to kiss her alive because he loved her, not because she waited around long enough.
Aurora was also cursed without cause. Aurora was cut off from the outside world, yet she remained content with her simple life. Aurora truly fell in love with Phillip, as he did with her. Aurora wasn't waiting for him, though. *He* approached *her*. Aurora fell into the deep sleep, the prince again found her because he loved her. Not because she begged him.
Now. The other Disney princesses.
Cinderella was treated cruelly by other and was unloved. She wasn't sitting around waiting for a prince, she was being pushed around and was, too, cut off from the outside world. But Cinderella wasn't looking for a man. She just wanted to be free. She was excited enough about going to a ball-- she couldn't care less about meeting some prince there. She didn't even know it was the prince when she met him. She wouldn't have cared if he was a poor village boy because she genuinely fell in love with him at the ball.
Ariel, restricted from the world above, merely happened to fall in love with a human-- she wasn't going to the surface all the time to look for handsome men, she was curious about the life on land. Eric never saved Ariel, though. In fact, Ariel's actions ultimately led to the safety of the kingdom. Atlantica, as well as her relationship with her father, was restored.
Belle didn't need saving, either. In fact, *she* saved the Beast's life. She loved him-- she fell in love with a "monster" because she saw the good in him. She didn't judge him by his "cover". She was willing to give up her own life for her father. Belle wasn't one of the swooning village girls who fell all over Gaston. She stood up for herself and knew what was important.
Jasmine had a strong personality. She was royal, and could have gotten any man she wanted, but she wanted to marry for love. She respected herself and wouldn't let someone treat her like "a prize to be won". She was kind and clever though. She, like Ariel, was curious about the land she had never seen before. She didn't go into the village looking for a man, she wanted to explore.
Pocahontas was irritated with John because he thought she was a "savage". *She* saved *his* life, too. She, too, knew her worth and wouldn't let someone who was different than her put her down. She taught John to open his eyes and his mind to the world, to let new ideas in. He didn't enjoy life until Pocahontas entered his life to show him how.
Mulan also saved her "prince's" life. She saved all of China! And before she left for battle, she was *pushed* into courting. She wasn't even interested in marriage at the time, much being swept off her feet by a prince. She wasn't working to impress Shang, but to achieve what *she* had set out to do. He fell in love with her nonetheless.
Tiana disliked Prince Naveen when she met him. She wanted to pursue her own business-- she wasn't the least bit concerned with finding herself a man, and she found Naveen obnoxious. *She* taught *him* that you have to work to achieve your dreams-- that they won't fall into your lap.
Rapunzel knew work comes before play. When Rapunzel first met Flynn/Eugene, she wasn't interested in his charms. She paid no attention to his flirtation. She was focused on getting out of her tower, not finding a prince. She didn't plan on falling in love. In the end, they saved *each others'* lives.
So you see. These are not gender stereotypes. They are distinct individuals with different personalities. Each Disney princess has admirable traits that we can learn from. They are strong young women who know the values of kindness, friendship, bravery, and *true* love.
What is this children's book?
Gooney Bird Greene
Book - Looking Back
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imageIt seemed like an ordinary October day in Mrs. Pidgeon's second grade classroom until the door opened and a red-headed girl introduced herself. "I'm Gooney Bird Greene," she said. "That's Greene with an 'e' on the end, and I'd like to have a desk right smack in the middle of everything." Gooney Bird Greene was wearing pajamas and cowboy boots, and carrying a lunchbox and a dictionary. Mrs. Pidgeon's classroom would never be the same. , by