5.20.2013

Vintage Children's Book: How Animals Sleep, illustrated by Jack Keats

I feel like a curmudgeon for saying this, but what is happening with girl's toys and play costumes? Everything is pink, glitter and bling. I understand many little girls of a certain age love the color pink and go through a princess stage. But it looks to me like a rather disproportionate number of girls toys are promoting limited ideals for girls: be a princess, rock star or a celebrity. 

Where is this all going? I don't know. It would take up too much time and space on this post and I'm sure you don't want to read it. But I do like books like this one illustrated by Jack Keats - How Animals Sleep. It's interesting and real life. There. Off my podium. Nuff said.










How Animals Sleep
By Millicent Selsam
Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats
Scholastic Book Services, 1962

6 comments:

  1. Do you know I've never liked pink - there I've said it! But I do like your book, thanks for sharing. Barbara
    marchhousebookscom.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  2. I avoided as much of all that as I could with my oldest two; mainly because I didn't like pink and sparkle and bling, myself; but it is a LOT harder with my 3 year old! We have an old Ezra Jack Keats, "The Indians Knew". There are also a lot of great old "Let's Read and Find Out About Science" books and we have a few great Duvoisin non-fiction (The Remarkable Egg, The Magpie's Nest, The Beaver Pond)

    ReplyDelete
  3. (Oops, The Magpie's Nest isn't his, it's just on the shelf next to The Remarkable Egg. It's by William Stobbs.).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, I only have a son so don't have to deal much with pink sparkles ,etc. At least, not so far! I love the blue and brown palette of this book. Kind of back in style. And sleeping postures are still in vogue, still so interesting to us. I bought a book sometime in the last six years about couples' sleeping postures and how you can try different ways of sleeping to find new ways of relating to your partner. Jury still out on whether or not that works! Fun and funny choice of animals--hippos AND walruses! Ezra Jack Keats--The Snowy Day?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes, that's the same Keats. I think this was an interesting idea for a book.
    My new way of sleeping is in another room! (I get the best rest that way)

    ReplyDelete