Someone once said that a good writer, whether for children or adults, has one story, which s/he keeps telling in various disguised ways; the fantastic writer has two stories; and the genius has three. Shakespeare, for example, could write tragedies, comedies, and histories with equal brilliance. In the world of children’s books, you can count the geniuses on one hand. In the pieces in this section, we write about them all – the good writers, the terrific writers, and, yes, those geniuses.
Listen to the Recess! Clip https://recess.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/Soup-Month.mp3 Author John Cech Air Date 1/5/2000 Soup Transcript My old world mother-in-law made the kind of soup that would restore peace and tranquility at the end of the most terrible horrible no-good very bad day. It was ambrosia–one soup had 14 vegetables, and we still don’t know to this […]
Today is the birthday of Jacob Grimm, and Rita Smith is here today to discuss the life and influence of the Brother Grimm.
Listen to the Recess! Clip https://recess.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/Poor-Richards-Almanac.mp3 Author Rita Smith Air Date 12/28/1999 Poor Richard’s Almanac Transcript Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac made its first appearance in print on this date in 1732. Franklin saw the Almanac as an opportunity for educating the public, both children and adults, because both read them, and he considered it, […]
Listen to the Recess! Clip https://recess.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/Gift-Books.mp3 Author John Cech Air Date 12/16/1999 Gift Books Transcript We always give books to the young people in our family for the holidays and birthdays. The books don’t have batteries (usually) or need any assembling–and if they’re good enough, they’ll last for a long, long time. This year, I’m […]
Listen to the Recess! Clip https://recess.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/Patty-Duke.mp3 Author John Cech Air Date 12/14/1999 Patty Duke Transcript Today is the birthday of one of the most durable actresses of theater, television, and films– Patty Duke–who was born Anne Marie Duke in 1946. Her managers changed her name at the beginning of her acting career when she was […]
Listen to the Recess! Clip https://recess.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/Joel-Harris.mp3 Author Rita Smith Air Date 12/9/1999 Joel Harris Transcript “Imagine a 19th century version of ‘The Simpsons,’ directed by Quentin Tarantino, in which Bart, Nelson and Mr. Burns are constantly getting medieval on each other.”1 That is how Hal Jacobs, an Atlanta writer, describes the folktales in Uncle Remus, […]
Listen to the Recess! Clip https://recess.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/Little-Engine-That-Could.mp3 Author John Cech Air Date 12/8/1999 The Little Engine That Could Transcript Once, at a very scholarly conference, I met someone who told me, when he discovered that I was interested in children’s books, that there was one book that had mattered most to him in his life. Every […]
Listen to the Recess! Clip https://recess.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/Orphan-Stories.mp3 Author Linda Lamme Air Date 12/7/1999 Orphan Stories Transcript Here’s Linda Lamme with a review of two recent children’s books that might end up on your gift list this year. Holiday times, when we traditionally come together with our families, offer us an occasion to think about those without […]
Listen to the Recess! Clip https://recess.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/Hans-Andersen.mp3 Author John Cech Air Date 11/30/1999 Hans Christian Andersen Transcript Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the publication in 1835 of the first volume of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales, Told for Children. Andersen called it his first booklet; in it were “The Tinderbox,” “Little Claus and Big Claus,” “The […]
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Perhaps you think you’re hearing a recent recording of farm animals, but this is really a very rare children’s book from the late 19th century called The Speaking Picture Book.