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When ‘Here’ Is Home, But ‘Here’ Keeps Changing — A Family Flees In ‘Story Boat’

When illustrator Rashin Kheiriyeh first read the manuscript of Story Boat, she recognized the children in it immediately. Kheiriyeh’s family fled Iran after war broke out in 1980 — she remembers what it was like to leave everything behind, to escape to a safer place. So Kyo Maclear’s story, about a little girl and her family who […]

Kids Around The World Are Reading NPR’s Coronavirus Comic

How do you explain coronavirus to kids? Last week, NPR published a comic, written by Malaka Gharib, geared to children about the newly discovered virus. NPR also recently published the comic in Chinese. Since then, the comic has been translated into other languages — including Braille, Finnish, Bahasa Indonesia, Italian, Russian, and Lithuanian— and is finding an audience in schools and libraries as well […]

‘The Undefeated’ Wins Caldecott, And ‘New Kid’ Picks Up Newbery

It is a universally acknowledged truth that a curious reader in want of a good book needs only direct their footsteps (and questions) to the nearest librarian. Librarians, after all, are always a font of good book suggestions. So naturally, when a whole bunch of them get together for the American Library Association’s annual midwinter […]

Opera: Magical Lilies, A Family Curse & A Half-Winged Prince Take Center Stage in “The Thirteenth Child”

This post first appeared on Once Upon a Blog on July 19, 2019. Composer Poul Ruder is probably best known for his well-received, operatic adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which was called “an outstandingly effective piece of music theater” by Opera News and as “a riveting, kaleidoscopic score” by The New York Times. With […]

Will Disney’s New Little Mermaid Be Part Of Your World, Or Is She #NotMyAriel?

Art by Denver Balbaboco (click name for portfolio link) IG: denvertakespics (see IG & image details at this link) Halle Bailey is to be Disney’s newest princess as Ariel in the upcoming Disney live-action “The Little Mermaid” This post first appeared on Once Upon a Blog on July 9, 2019. “It was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination […]

“Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin” Screening

Join us for a screening of “Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin” on April 4, 2019. The documentary centers on the life of acclaimed feminist writer Le Guin. The film, director and producer Arwen Curry writes, “is a journey through the writer’s career and her worlds, both real and fantastic. Viewers will join the writer […]

“Our Children’s Trust: Youth Activism & the Legal Right to a Stable Climate”

On Wednesday, February 6th, 2019, the University of Florida will host a conversation with youth activists and legal and climate science experts defending the rights of all Floridians to a stable climate. The event, which will take place in Ocora (Main Room) of Pugh Hall from 6 to 8 PM, will feature: Isaac Augspurg & […]

Mocking the Caldecott

Alachua County Library, Gainesville Florida I spent a delightful Sunday afternoon with graduate students, professors, and librarians discussing Caldecott contenders. The event was organized by the District and the University of Florida’s Center for Children’s Literature and Culture. I was invited by Suzan Alteri, Curator of the Baldwin Collection. Discussion Titles A Big Mooncake for Little […]

“The River Bride”

“The River Bride: A Grim Latino Fairy Tale” was staged by the Arizona Theater Company in December 2018. The play draws from Brazilian mythology, featuring a boto – a shapeshifting dolphin that seeks to seduce women. The press release provides a brief summary of the play: Once upon a time, in a fishing village […]

Mock Caldecott 2019

On January 13, 2019, UF faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, librarians, and community members gathered at the Alachua County Library for the Center’s annual Mock Caldecott. During this event, attendees read a selection of the best picture books from 2018 in an attempt to predict which book will win this year’s prestigious […]

Center for Children's Literature and Culture