Pogalam vaanga! (Come on, let’s go!): thoughts on family and language

by Tulika Publishers, pictures by Rajiv Eipe, 2013 This is a book review of a book that I can’t read. Our children are growing up in the USA, but our families have roots in other countries, other cultures, and other languages. My husband’s family are originally from Tamil Nadu, the southern most state in India. … Continue reading Pogalam vaanga! (Come on, let’s go!): thoughts on family and language

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site: Why are the anthropomorphised vehicles all male?

by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld This is a rhetorical question. Perhaps it has been asked and answered before. However, considering that vehicles have no gender at all, as they are, in fact, vehicles, then the least I can do is mix up the pronouns in this one. The book is quite sweet … Continue reading Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site: Why are the anthropomorphised vehicles all male?

The Vital Importance of Illustrations

For babies, toddlers, young children, the pre-literate and the newly-literate and for many others, the pictures really matter in a book. The illustrations don’t just accompany the story, they are part of the story experience. Children see the pictures for themselves – the words they hear from you. And the illustrations give you something to … Continue reading The Vital Importance of Illustrations