This book belongs to....

So, this weekend’s storytelling was on bugs. Creepy, I know. None of the young princesses who attended last weekend’s “Fancy Nancy” soiree returned this Saturday. Wonder why? The creepy crawly theme failed to keep Tinka’s attention. But, the event wasn’t a complete waste.

In my discussion of “Fancy Nancy” last week, I expressed my desire to see better ethnic diversity and representation in children literature and film. I guess the saying is true: You have not because you ask not! Thank God I asked because to my pleasant surprise, I discovered an interesting read. The book, featuring two young African American boys on its cover, was “You Can Do It!” by Tony Dungy. What a great find! I loved the illustration and theme. Linden, the main character and Tony’s younger brother, has issues finding his “it”. You know, his ”it”. All of his siblings seem to know what their hearts passions are except him. His dad gives him wise advice regarding the role of prayer in determining what his “it” (read:his desired career) will be. Linden especially enjoys making others smile and learned that dentist do as well. He is actually a dentist today. This book is recommended for readers 4 and up. This is definitely a great read with a great message.

Isn't She a Doll!

My recent trip to BN really caused a stir and thus, has inspired a number of my upcoming posts.

In addition to my formal introduction to “Fancy Nancy” (in my best British accent, nose pointing upward), there were two little princesses that remained on my mind long after the storytelling ended. The first one that I noticed was around six years of age and had beautiful olive skin. I can’t say for certain what her ethnicity was but I am almost positive that she wasn’t of African American, Caucasion, or Hispanic descent. OK, so what was so special about her? I’m getting to that. She held a beautiful chocolate baby doll in her arms. Wow, I thought. Perhaps she picked up someone else’s doll by mistake.

But, upon closer examination, she and her doll wore matching dresses. I, immediately, scanned the room for her parents, to see if my hypotheses on her ethnicity was correct. Though I was correct, I was a bit perplexed. I certainly don’t credit myself with knowing what motivated the selection of this doll of a darker hue but I’m sure this adorable girl picked and pointed to the doll and outfit she preferred best. It was probably as simple as that. What conclusions can we draw from this doll selection? Unsure. Does the selection have any roots in self-hate? Doubt it. Is this princess suffering from low self-esteem? Probably not.

This brings me to the next princess I noticed carrying a doll. She was a gorgeous chocolate complexion and was attending with an older woman possibly her grandmother. Her doll was Caucasion. Now what was I to make of this? I was forced to use the logic as I did with the princess with the chocolate doll. Perhaps, the gorgeous brown girl merely chose the doll she preferred. Today, kids have a lot of say in purchases.

But, I was instantly reminded of the social experiment conducted over fifty years by psychologist Kenneth Clark called the “doll test”. This experiment was used to help make the case for desegregation in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education. Clark’s experiment included probing questions that exposed some disturbing complexities about race and self-esteem.

My singular yet random observation at a book store yields only a few “hopeful” hypotheses. So, I must give both little princesses credit for choosing the doll that they preferred and assume that their decisions stemmed from places of wholeness and innocence.

Fit For a Princess

As I turned the corner, I was overwhelmed by a mix of bright pink and yellow party decorations streaming from shelf to shelf and the swarm of miniature “princesses” donning sparkly tiaras, oversized cosmetic jewelry and even elaborate princess costumes. Did I miss the memo? It's 2pm on Saturday, no one told me Barnes and Noble was hosting a girls-only birthday party. The crowd was abuzz, chatting anxiously until the guest of honor arrived. Who might that be you ask? “Fancy Nancy”. Again, you ask, Who might that be? She's the fictional character for whom a book series is based.

I consider myself to be “in the know” with all things girly. But, this, I admit, never once registered on my “girly girl” radar. Where have I been? How did I miss the book phenom that is known by an adjective describing her fashion sense and her first name? Thankfully, Tinka donned her pink and white striped outfit with matching pretty-in-pink shades or she would've really been underdressed. Anywho, I consider this my formal introduction into the land of “all things pretty”.

I was so taken aback by the festivities, I admit to not catching the storyline of the books that were read. However, I did learn that “Fancy Nancy's” creator is taking in a pretty penny from her huge following. Apparently, the tiaras, jewels and costumes are all a part of the “Fancy Nancy” brand which can be purchased at, none other than, destination affordable fashion, Tar-je' (That's Target for all my English speakers). In-te-res-ting.

I will reserve my opinion until I read several titles from the series. While I am all for “girl power”, I need to see better ethnic diversity and representation in children's literature, toys, programming, and movies. Anybody know where the Disney film “The Princess and the Frog” is in production? Until my next post, Au revoir!

This book belongs to....

Just ask me how many books Tinka has in her personal library? Twenty and counting. (That's twice as many as mommy.) Regrettably, I was not an avid reader as a child or for much of my adult life. I, on the other hand, preferred to tackle a complicated math or physics problem instead. There was always something “more interesting” to do than to engage myself in literature. (What those things were escape me). In hindsight, I wish I’d embraced the wonderful world of books as a child. I am, admittedly, a self-described techie and number-cruncher. As an adult and new parent, there’s often the nagging desire to improve upon the life that your parents provided or the experiences that molded you into who’ve you become.

I began reading to Tinka when she was in the womb. Her favorite titles (read: my favorites) were “Peter’s Chair” and “What Does Baby Say?”. I am committed to reading to her regularly. My husband is an avid reader, with hundreds of titles to his collection. I believe that children often imitate their parents. So, I am also committed to reading for leisure. No pain, no gain, right?!

Selected Barnes and Nobles stores offer storytelling throughout the week for toddlers and children. We’ve attended several times and I have been quite impressed with how well the storyteller is able to engage her young audience. Tinka REALLY enjoyed (read: we both enjoyed) the two books read about time-telling. The storyteller did a lot of question and answer, which really got Tinka’s legs moving. Usually, a group activity, also sharing the book’s theme, accompanies the reading. We (read: I) made a clock out of paper plates, magazine clippings and straw piping.

Fortunately for us, most of her collection was received as gifts. As I am not an advocate of frivolous spending, especially in light of our not-so-great economic state, I strongly suggest borrowing your favorite titles from your public library especially before your little one begins teething or wants to put things in his mouth. (Always want to cut down on germs). Your local library will have plenty of good titles to choose from and at no cost to you. One word of advice, if you’re buying new books, I highly recommend the plastic versions, they hold up better against teething.

Each week, as part of my “This book belongs to” book series, I’ll share one of Tinka’s favorites. Stay tuned….. Happy Reading!