Reflections - Redeemed Reader

Toward a Positive Multiculturalism in Children’s Books (and a Book List)

By Janie | May 17, 2017

It’s no wonder classic children’s books feature characters with racist attitudes—the authors of those books also had some racist attitudes. We looked at the problem …

Sad Dog Stories: They’re a Thing–and a Necessity

By Betsy | May 15, 2017

Does the Dog Die? “Miss Wanda,” I stage whispered to the children’s librarian across from me, “I need to know. Does the dog die?” I was holding …

Historical Racism in Children’s Books–What do we do?

By Janie | May 10, 2017

The website Reading While White dedicates itself to issues involving the dreaded “-isms” in children’s literature: racism, anti-Semitism, ableism, classism, sexism, and more. A post …

Peter Spier, Reissued

By Janie | May 9, 2017

Yesterday we received the sad news that Peter Spier, illustrator of classic children’s books, had passed away on April 27. Given his age (89) and …

Unreal Feminism: Here We Are–But Who Are We?

By Janie | April 18, 2017

The suffrage movement in the early 20th century was about giving women the vote. The feminist movement of the 1970s, beginning with Betty Friedan’s The …

Musical Mondays and Theology Thursdays: How to Use Christian Resources with Kids

By Betsy | April 10, 2017

We love to track down solid biblical resources for you to use with your families, Sunday School classrooms, and Christian school classrooms. Not only do …

Don’t Take Yourself (or Your Reading) Too Seriously!

By Betsy | April 1, 2017

Today, in my leisure reading, I came across some good “fifty cent” words: pandemonium, benefactors, stratosphere, maligned, facilitate, photons,… I also noticed some terrific literary …