J.K. Rowling’s first book was published 20 years ago today. Did it create better readers, or just more of them?
Children’s Books
The Tender, Wild Realm of Children’s Literature: A Reading List
The plot of the book came to me as I was falling asleep: two girls share a bedroom, and squabble until they have no choice but to divide their room in half. Only one girl has access to the bedroom door. The other has the closet, which turns out to be an elevator. Suddenly, I was […]
The Inevitable and Magical Life of Beverly Cleary, All 101 Years of It
The beloved creator of Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins enters her second century.
A Heart-Shaped Life: Twelve Ways of Looking at Amy Krouse Rosenthal
The author, speaker, and performance artist was far more than her final, heartbreaking Modern Love column.
‘Elephant and Piggie’ Author Mo Willems on the Importance of Teaching Kids to Fail
The beloved author confronts some critical questions.
The Radical Pippi Longstocking
In this 2014 piece for Der Spiegel, Claudia Voigt looks at the life of Astrid Lindgren, a Swedish author best known for her Pippi Longstocking books. If you haven’t revisited the books recently, the exuberant Pippi lives on her own, does as she pleases, and describes herself as “the strongest girl in the world.” In short, she’s a […]