If anybody can think of a way to make picture books as addictive as coffee drinks, then get to work. The picture book business is deteriorating and it's very sad. According to this NYT article, parents are pressuring their children to read chapter books too early. Forcing 5-year-olds to read Tom Sawyer seems like a surefire way to get children to hate books. But some parents think by skipping picture books, they're ensuring their children's path to superior intellect.
I can understand why many parents choose to check out books from the library instead of buying them. After all, picture books are expensive and kids just color in them and rip the pages out anyway. But parents pooh poohing picture books because they deem them unsophisticated is just silliness.
The duet with Katy Perry and Elmo on Sesame Street is WRONG, not because we need to protect our children from Katy Perry, but because we need to protect EVERYONE from Katy Perry. Her music is terrible and she is setting the women's movement back. In the Sesame Street video, she is shown running around with Elmo, but judging by her lack of substance, I wouldn't be surprised if she became Sarah Palin's running mate in 2012.
Kids have to overcome all sorts of problems, I highly doubt Katy Perry's dress will scar them for life. I can't help but wonder why parents are getting so upset over Katy Perry's outfit, but are impassive when it comes to Disney's portrayal of women or Barbie's unrealistic figure and revealing clothes. Is it because Katy Perry is not a cartoon or a plastic doll and thus seems more threatening?
The song "Hot N' Cold" sounds like it was written for Sesame Street. With her clueless expression and catchy, inane lyrics, Katy Perry appeals to a mass market of adults with low IQs. In her video "California Girls," with Snoop Dog, she is snooping around Candy Land, lying naked on a cloud, and commiting obscene acts with whipped cream. Meanwhile Snoop Dog sits on a throne like some kind of candy king god, showing the superiority of the male and relaying the message to women that their job is to be eye candy for men and nothing more.
Let's hope that young girls get the stronger female role models they deserve, not ones who encourage them to act stupid and exploit their bodies to attract men. And let's try harder to recognize sexism, whether is appears in cartoon format or flesh and blood. If adults are stupid enough to listen to Katy Perry's music, it is a given that our poor taste is going to trickle down to children.
I write and draw and teach English to high school students in South Korea. I have worked as a mentor for middle school kids and as a kindergarten teacher at an orphanage. My writing and artwork have been published in Voicecatcher and Out of Place, a literary magazine in Seoul.
