Censored

I have a confession to make. I have a complex relationship with Maurice Sendak. It started a long time ago, but, darn it, I’m still affected by it. I’ll give you the basic gist of what happened. From the time I was little, my mom would gather up the kids and we would all walk to the public library, pulling a red wagon of books to return and pushing the stroller of anyone too small to make the trip on foot. So, the Reseda branch of the library is where my memories of choosing books according to my own interests began. However, it is also where I first learned that people have different ideas of acceptable reading material. The majority of the books I chose were greeted warmly by my mother, and I hauled or carried enough of them home to stretch my arms out forever. In fact, I only remember one time when a book got vetoed. As a kindergartner, I wanted to check out Maurice Sendak’s nearly new In The Night Kitchen but it was a no go. Apparently, some women at church had been talking about their suspicions that Mr. Sendak must be a pedophile since some of his illustrations included main character Mickey in the nude. Therefore, I wasn’t allowed to be exposed to his books. It’s weird how things change over time because the only thing I noted about the nakey pictures was that it seems like Mickey is intact. And I’m O.K. with that.
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Kitchen-Caldecott-Collection/dp/0060266686

http://www.answers.com/topic/maurice-sendak

Rise and Shine!

My eldest daughter, a girl after my own soul when it comes to a love of the written word, had me all to herself for five years. It was just the two of us and I felt the tremendous responsibility of parenting and protecting this little person all on my own. I tried valiantly (and, I realize now, futilely) to shield her from feeling left out of the two-parent world. I changed the lyrics of songs and banished all daddy-and- kids books from her rather impressive little library--except one. When someone, I don’t recall who after twenty eventful years, gave my sweet little baby a book about the work day of a farmer and his young daughter, I wanted to politely tuck it away as soon as possible and pretend it got lost somewhere along the way. Sure, it was a simple, beautiful book with rich illustrations, but it didn’t pass the no-daddy test, so it had to go. I didn’t count on one thing: the kid loved the book at first sight. Even at six months old she wanted me to read it multiple times a day. She could make the sounds of all the animals before she could say most words. She didn’t see what her world was missing, only an engaging story. So, Farm Morning by David McPhail not only stayed in our family collection, it has remained a treasured favorite.

http://www.amazon.com/Farm-Morning-David-McPhail/dp/0833573977

http://www.harcourtbooks.com/authorinterviews/bookinterview_mcphail.asp