A friend and colleague of mine, Steven Withrow, told me today about a very interesting project. He’s working with award-winning author, journalist, and filmmaker Edward J. Delaney to film a documentary about children’s literature, entitled The Library of the Early Mind. They are travelling the country interviewing prominent children’s authors about their work and genre. Just a sampling includes Padma Venkatraman, Lois Lowry, Brian Selznick, Mary Ann Hoberman, Carolyn Coman, and Natalie Babbitt.
So far, Steven says his experiences with these authors have been “amazing.” I can see how it could be since this is such a wonderful idea. There is a general lack of recognition for children’s literature among mainstream America, and a film like this – especially if showcased at film festivals – will go a long way toward raising people’s consciousness about this genre.
Both of my girls love books and reading, and I firmly believe that this is because I have read to them since they were babies. Children’s and young adult books are such a pervasive part of our culture and an important component in educating growing generations. I’m really looking forward to seeing what these authors have to say and how these two very talented individuals tell their stories.
If you’d like to check out this project or see some clips of the interviews, visit The Children’s Lit Project.
I remember being in middle school, I loved Dav Pilkey's captain Underpants series. Of course, there was not much text compared to the pictures, but it was always an entertaining read. Of course, I do not know much about children's novel writers these days, but it is always good to see there are writers dedicated to write for our future generations.
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