Neumeyer responded with scholarly esprit, but he was hard put to equal his partner’s digressions. The works of Jorge Luis Borges, the wonders of Japanese court poetry, the inadequacy of The Yellow Submarine – having found a sympathetic spirit, Gorey let loose a torrent of opinions about anything in his path.

This article is filed under Art, Books, Children's Literature, Non-Fiction Reviews, Writers.

Martin Scorsese, Hollywood titan, enjoys a special reputation for directing violent, foul-mouthed crime flicks. Admittedly, he does this very well, but the notoriety of movies like Taxi Driver, Casino, and most recently The Departed tends to eclipse the true diversity and scope of his body of work. Even when his choice of material seems misguided, [...]

This article is filed under Books, Children's Literature, Literary Themes, Movies, Science Fiction and Fantasy, The Fourth Wall, Writers.

This week, Julia Rhodes and I (Dan Fields) recall a bygone era, when entertainment for kids – specifically the musical accompaniment – got as much attention and thought as anything produced for an adult audience. It’s not meant strictly to pick on Elton John, but he seems an appropriate figurehead for the rather bland trends in children’s movie music today. This is not your typical twentysomething anti-Disney rant. It is a cry of nostalgic woe, and includes a number of selections from pre-downhill-slide Disney. Please enjoy, and remember some songs you might like to track down and show your own kids.

This article is filed under Best Movies, Children's Literature, Humor, Movies, Music, Television, The Fourth Wall.

Well, Susan, 2004-05 by Maira Kalman [Image source: How Blog] The intelligent curating at Philadelphia’s Institute of Contemporary Art always makes a walk through its galleries worthwhile. The ICA should also be lauded for the tremendous variety of subjects and media that it tackles. In past years, the small museum has explored video art, experimental [...]

This article is filed under After Image, Art, Children's Literature, Design.

Matchless was originally composed by Maguire for the radio, and the story retains a sense of immediacy which makes it a quick read. Some pages contain only a sentence or two, and Maguire has included his own “illuminations” or sketches, to illustrate the story. There’s a lovely energy to Maguire’s drawings which complements the action of the story, and he plays with light and shadow in the same way visually as he does textually. These two formatting choices make the book ideal for children, something which is not true for his other re-imaginings.

This article is filed under Children's Literature, Fiction Reviews.

Sometimes, feeling different is the root of feeling lonely. Ezra Jack Keats’ whimsical Regards To The Man In The Moon chronicles Louie’s having to tell his new stepfather, Barney, that he’s being teased because Barney is a junk man. Barney responds by equipping Louie for a trip to the moon and Louie benefits from Susie’s stepping forward and volunteering to accompany him to the moon.

This article is filed under Children's Literature, Non-Fiction Reviews.

Suppose one’s made a viable, literate translation that succeeds in conveying the narrative or expository sense of an original. What if it turns out that one’s own culture resists it, and refuses to receive it?

This article is filed under Children's Literature, Linguistics, Non-Fiction Reviews.