David's Radio Interview

David M. Lewis-Colman, one of my sons and the author of Race Against Liberalism: Black Workers and the UAW in Detroit, was interviewed last night by Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash, hosts of "Building Bridges," on WBAI, 99.5 FM in New York City. It's a great interview--totally engaging and interesting! Mimi called David's book: "A Must Read!"
You can hear the interview at:
http://archive.wbai.org/files/mp3/090126_190001bbridges.MP3

Sophie and Elizabeth and Susan

Last night, we had an unexpected, but totally delightful overnight with Sophie. Unexpected meant that all my research notes, documents, books, manuscript pages, etc. etc. for my current project Stirring Up The World: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, A Biography of a Powerful Friendship were spread out in my basement office; a shared space when Sophie comes where we draw together and read books, and play zoo and circus, etc.
"Is this your book?" she asked as we were replacing primary source documents with elephants, lions, clowns, a circus band, etc.
"Yes."
"What is it about?
"It's about two women--Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony."
Opening the picture research folder on my computer, I showed her this picture (the first one taken of them together, 1870).
"They were really good friends and reformers who fought to make the world a fairer and better place for women. They lived a long time ago."
"Oh," Sophie interjected, "when women couldn't vote."
She knows at age 5 what I didn't learn much, if anything about, until years after I earned a masters degree in history! I'll bet she'll never take the vote for granted!
She's also on the road to acquiring a storehouse of powerful role models.

Inauguration Day

On inauguration day, I joined about 1,000 other people to watch the event on a large screen at BergenPac,  the performing arts auditorium in Englewood, NJ, where I've lived for twenty-nine years.  The first picture: the girl who led us loudly and clearly in the Pledge: she's a first grader at the school my three sons attended many years ago. The second:  Mayumi, who sat to my right (I was in an end seat).  Throughout the event, we--strangers before that moment--held hands and hugged. The next day she sent me an email in all caps: "THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING EACH OTHER TODAY--HISTORICAL MOMENT." 

The other two pictures are a sampling of the enthusiasm and excitement that was replicated around the world! 

On Writing

Check out the piece, "Henry Street Settlement Sewing and Craft Program Survives Budget Cuts," in today's New York Times about Ruth Taube, a role model for all ages, written by Susan Dominus. It's a fine example of nonfiction writing, in particular the way Dominus presents Taube, weaves in relevant facts, and ends with a great quote. With the article, there's a audio of Ruth Taube telling how she made her daughter Hester's wedding gown & how she learned to sew. Here's the link
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/nyregion/09bigcity.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%22Big%20City%22&st=cse

Sophie's Picks

This post reflects one of the "issues" I raise in my children's literature classes: that adults--not children--typically decide the definition of "kid friendly" and do the reviewing, award-bestowing, buying, "leveling," selecting, (e.g. many principals select a book-of-the-month to be read to all grades), etc.. There's a presumption that adults know what's best for kids to read (hummm, perhaps that belief turns some kids off to reading?). While there's merit to that presumption, I think it's important to let kids be the "boss" of what they read, (even, in my case, when that means having to read a Disney-produced princess book)!

Yesterday we had a special treat of "Sophie-Sitting" (i.e. "babysitting"): pick-up from kindergarten; "hanging-out," including the Columbia University bookstore that has a children's book section and big comfy leather chairs; bath, including playing "sea lion" ( I was the trainer who thought up tricks for Sophie, the sea lion, to perform after which I would "throw" her "fish, squid, etc." to "eat"!) Sophie picked books for bedtime reading: the "coolest one", she said, was Explorabook: A Kids' Science Museum in a Book, by John Cassidy The Exploratorium, www.klutz.com (a Christmas gift from Sue-the-scientist, i.e. Sue Kirch, a science educator at New York University, see posts 10/08/07; 9/19 & 29/08; 11/17); the "funniest" was The Jellybeans and the Big Dance by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger; another "cool" book was Spot the Difference. We also read The Adventure of Isabel by Ogden Nash, illustrated by Bridget Starr Taylor, with the refrain, "Isabel, Isabel didn't worry/Isabel didn't scream or scurry;" Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee (a fun book to read with a physics lesson & delightful illustrations www.boxerbooks.com); The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett; and The Beautiful Butterfly Book by Sue Unstead, illustrated by Gill Tomblin.

I was also interested to see Sophie set aside some books in her library as "baby-books." When we're not in the throes of bedtime, I'll follow up & ask her: What makes a book a 'baby-book"?

Finally we ended up with me making-up another "Sparkle & Sophie" story, which she loves. Making-up stories is not my forte. Sophie, however, doesn't seem to mind my fumbling --perhaps because she'll prompt me when need be, e.g., last night I was going on and on about Sparkle & a little bug, when Sophie asked, "Grammie, isn't it time for Sophie to come."