A. A. Milne’s poem about turning six gets the age just right.
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Tag Archives: Childhood
What Tennis Meant to Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy picked up tennis late in life, even though at one point seeing it as symbolic of bourgeois decadence. A look at the novel “Resurrection” explains why he changed.
Childhood, Space of Terror & Enchantment
Norman Finkelstein’s wondrous poem “Children’s Realm” (in “The Ratio of Reason to Magic”) examines child’s play spaces and says that the poet also needs play spaces within.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Children's Realm", Norman Finkelstein, William Wordsworth, wonder Comments closed
Children Lit’s Changing Racial Landscape
My mixed race granddaughters have children’s books with protagonists of color. It’s a far cry from the Dick-Jane-and-Sally books of my childhood and of the reality described by Toni Morrison’s “Bluest Eye.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Bluest Eye, Children's literature, racism, segregation, Toni Morrison Comments closed
Swimming with the Water Babies
Swimming with my granddaughters put me in mind of Charles Kingsley’s “Water Babies.” Kingsley helped us enter into the rich imaginative lives of children.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Charles Dickens, Charles Kingsley, Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, swimming, Water Babies, William Blake Comments closed
“Is My Son Mad?” Mary Asks
In Thomas Hardy’s version of Mary, she’s a mother wondering whether her son is mad.
King Looks to Children for Hope
Despite the horrors he describes, Stephen King’s vision is ultimately a hopeful one. The key, as he sees it, is plugging into childhood hopes and imagination.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Intimations of Immortality, It, Stephen King, William Wordsworth Comments closed
Walking Out in the Sun of October
As we enter October, revel in Dylan Thomas’ celebration of the season.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Poem in October", Autumn, Dylan Thomas, October, Seasons Comments closed