Author Julie Gilbert Discusses the Writing of Her New Book ‘Giant Love’
Julie Gilbert Today, we delve into the enduring relevance of the themes explored by Pulitzer Prize -winning author Edna Ferber
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From “Pepper & Me.”Credit…Beatrice Alemagna A story of gross beauty from David Sedaris and Ian Falconer, a scabrous tale from Beatrice Alemagna, and more. From “Pepper & Me.”Credit…Beatrice Alemagna Bruce Handy is the author of three picture books: “The Happiness of a Dog With a Ball in Its Mouth,” “The Book From Far Away” and “What if One Day … ” His next picture book, “There Was a Shadow,” will be published in April. Jan. 26, 2024 Who’s good-looking? Who’s not? Those are loaded questions that, these days, kid lit mostly avoids. Just last year, Puffin Books scrubbed descriptors such as “attractive,” “fat” and “old hag” from new editions of Roald Dahl’s children’s works. I found that silly — let Dahl be Dahl; use him as a teachable moment — but I understand the impulse. We’re all beautiful! Except that the marketplace keeps insisting otherwise, not just on movie screens and Instagram but at school and on the playground. Four new picture books dare to flirt with body negativity, exploring unattractiveness from myriad angles. From “Pretty Ugly.”Credit…Ian Falconer The big news is PRETTY UGLY (Toon, 32 pp., $18.99, ages 5 to 7) , from David Sedaris and the late Ian Falconer (of “Olivia” fame) — a dream team. I wish I liked the book more. The title, a thesis in two words, is clever, and the heroine, Anna Von Ogre — yes, a young ogress — demonstrates an appealing, Olivia-esque joie de vivre as she does species-appropriate things such as stomping on flowers. Anna also enjoys making “terrible” faces, and one day, when she makes “the scariest face of all,” turning her normal mug, with two buck teeth and a wart on the end of her nose, into something more like Emma Stone’s, her family is horrified. Worse, the face gets stuck; woe ensues until a denouement that puts a literal spin on inner beauty (and might be a tad gross for the very young). My reservation about the book is that while it flips the traditional aesthetic order, it doesn’t do much to subvert it. Maybe that’s not […]
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Julie Gilbert Today, we delve into the enduring relevance of the themes explored by Pulitzer Prize -winning author Edna Ferber
The Mallorcan Joana Marcús is a young bestseller in Spain and America, writer of young adult novels with a romantic
