Monday, March 05, 2007

The Latest Craziness on Scrotums and the Periodic Table!

Well, it just keeps coming...But thank Petunia that Susan Patron has an impeccable sense of reason and a clear voice as well as a marvelously creative talent with pen and paper. She has responded to the ridiculous attacks concerning the infamous "scrotum." Read it here

All I can say is I'm glad we have librarians like her keeping the doors of our freedom and the minds of our children open. How uptight and Victorian can people be in the 21st century?

On the lighter side...A wonderfully inventive nonfiction book has been launched. Check it out

I haven't seen the hard copy, yet, but my students are working on nonfiction for children right now, and this looks like a fabulous example of innovation and kid appeal.

So many people assume that nonfiction is the "non-creative" form of children's lit. I've taken a stab at it, myself, and believe me, good nonfiction draws most on a writer's creativity. Find an angle; give the subject life; define a character in terms of his actions and statements rather than just list his credits. Not all nonfiction can get wacky, nor should it, but those little nuggets of nuttiness can show a kid that real life is fun, too!

4 comments:

  1. That book looks pretty fun!

    I know what you mean about NF~ I love writing it, but taking the facts and finding your slant and then presenting it in a fun, fresh way is a lot of work!

    I also love to read good NF.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for posting about Susan Patron's response. I enjoyed reading that very much.

    And that book does look fun. I bet it makes it easier to remember the table too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for stopping by my blog! Hop back here and there... I'm always updating it with some amount of sassiness. Have a good one!
    -Andy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for sharing that article! I work as a librarian myself (in an elementary school) so I can identify with everything Susan said. I've had issues with parents from time to time over the years and it's always a little unsettling. I can't wait to read her book.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks to spammers, this blog is moderated, so don't be alarmed if your comment doesn't appear right away. Thanks for stopping by!