Penguin threat level: RED
Warning: today’s news discusses some highly controversial material, including, but not limited to, illustrated penguin families. Read at your own risk…
- In honor of National Poetry Month, NPR’s Nancy Pearl recommends 8 books of poetry worth reading. She also explains, in a refreshingly straightforward way, why she chose each collection. In addition to great voice, Pearl looks for accessibility in the poems she reads: “I [...] appreciate writers who use everyday language and straightforward diction, without any attempt to puzzle or frustrate the reader. But at the same time I want the poems to somehow say more than the words themselves do.” To peruse Pearl’s choices and listen to some of the poems being read, check out the full article, “Character and Voice: Picks for National Poetry Month.”
- Banned books. Really? Are we still having this debate? Unfortunately, the answer is yes, as the ALA’s 2009 Top Ten most challenged books list reminds us. Topping the list is middle-grade and YA novelist Lauren Myracle, which may come as a shock to readers familiar with her family-friendly Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen series. Apparently her teen series TTYL (with novels written entirely in instant message) is not as squeaky clean, and it beat out the uber-threatening And Tango Makes Three (a picture book–based on a true story–about two male penguins raising a chick together) for the number one slot. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky came in third, just ahead of (no surprise here) To Kill a Mockingbird. I would go on, but it’s too disheartening…you can see the full list on the ALA website and read others’ reactions at the Guardian and ShelfLife.
- In happier news, Omnivoracious has an “Omni Crush” on Lyle Walks the Dog, the first Lyle the Crocodile book to come out from author/illustrator Bernard Waber since 1998. Really, Omnivoracious blogger Lauren Nemroff says it all: “Oh, who doesn’t love Lyle? He’s sweet and funny, hard-working, and a big, bright, Zen presence making his way down the cacophonous streets of Manhattan.”
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