What stories of dignified mice can tell us about human dignity
Few creatures are as repulsive to urban sophisticates as the lowly mouse. Vectors of disease that rummage through our pantries and leave […]
1000 Hours Outside: How to make the ideal a daily inspiration
One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure […]
Jerry Spinelli’s “Mama Seeton’s Whistle” and a landscape without mothers
In an average suburban neighborhood, young children are rarely seen with their mothers during standard business hours. Progress, we are told, is […]
Beatrix Potter’s “The Tale of Jemima Puddle-duck” and teaching children the value of rational fear
An interesting contrast exists between Beatrix Potter’s charming little story of predation, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-duck, published in 1908, and Michael […]
Sydney Taylor’s “All-of-a-Kind Family” and the marvelous art of storytelling
Our culture continues to suffer severe confusion when it comes to stories. We are trapped in a hellish, post-modern landscape in which […]
The interminable rerun or the ultimate experience
Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always […]
Toward order: Holly Pierlot’s “A Mother’s Rule of Life”
The movement from chaos to order is often not a decisive, once-and-for-all decision. Instead, there is a plodding course from disorder and […]
Shirley Jackson’s feminine intellect was not unique
The writing of American gothic extraordinaire Shirley Jackson has received renewed interest in recent years as critics have come to appreciate her […]
Practically Speaking: What to do when you’re angry
Women’s anger has become an influential commodity in the post-modern world. Measures of women’s happiness are declining decade over decade, and “liberated” […]
Simply charming: Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies
Julie Andrews has one of the most recognizable faces and voices in cinema of the past 70 years. Known for her iconic […]