Then there's always the old "truth in advertising" approach (Photo by Chris Harrison) There's no doubt that a name is an important thing. It's a symbol of what makes you unique, the way you identify yourself to the world, and (depending on who you ask) it has an enormous impact on how you're perceived by others. So it's no wonder that the subject of baby names is so wildly popular... and so fraught with peril. Because names are such a big deal, and the process of naming a tiny, helpless human being is so overwhelming, people have strong opinions about what makes a good name. We giggle at outlandish names like Ima Hogg or Shanda Lear or twins called Lemonjello and Orangejello. Many of us have, upon hearing an especially strange moniker, blurted out something insensitive like, "Who would name a child that? That's child abuse!" We all have our pet peeves about other people's name choices, and we certainly know what names we don't like. So when it comes to naming a baby, many of us agonize over it to the point of obsession. We pore over books and sites of impossibly long lists, and we batter search engines with a barrage of name-related queries. We dig deep into our family trees for useful names or previously unknown lineage. We fret over obscure name meanings, potential schoolyard taunts, unflattering rhymes, and accidentally funny initials. Once you exclude the minority of parents committed to family names and those who had names picked out before they'd gone on their first dates, there are three main camps of namers that we've observed: Top 40 Acts - From traditionalists sticking by steadfast classics like Elizabeth and Jacob to trendier parents riding a recent vogue (like the ongoing trend of last names as first names), these folks prefer names that are well-tested. Why dig deeper in the popular names list when there are so many good choices right at the top? Obscurists - Perhaps bored by their own common names, competing with wacky celebrity names, or trying to be the coolest hipster parents on the block, these folks consult lists of literary, historical, or (sometimes bizarrely specific) arcane monikers. Of course, when enough new parents latch onto a formerly esoteric name or look back to their grandparents' generation's names, we get a new boom of Olivias and Henrys for the Top 40 parents to enjoy. Creative Types - Not content with the existing field of choices, these folks want something utterly unique, crafting avant garde spellings or completely new names. Sometimes their handiwork has such mass appeal that they shoot up the charts: "Nevaeh" (yep, that's "heaven" spelled backwards) was virtually unknown before 2001 but now ranks 34 in the United States. Likewise the epidemic of "-adens" (Brayden/Jayden/Hayden/Kaden) and first-syllable-of-one-name-plus-"lyn" names (Kaylyn/Adalyn/Emmalyn/Jazlyn) had to start somewhere. Get these three groups into a discussion of baby names and even the most even-tempered and cheerful parents start to look like toddlers fighting over a shovel in a sandbox. The Creative Types and Obscurists think the Top 40 Acts are boring conformists; the Obscurists and Top 40s think the Creative Types are illiterate weirdos; and the Creatives and Top 40s think the Obscurists are pretentious hipsters. Everyone thinks that anyone who doesn't agree with them is dooming their children to lives of misery and mockery, and everyone is defensive of their own choices. Aren't baby names fun? If you're finding the process of naming your offspring so daunting that you're reconsidering having kids at all, remember that kids named Archibald Leach, Lucille LeSueur, Chaim Witz, Demetria Gene Guynes, and Elgin Baylor Lumpkin turned out all right -- as Cary Grant, Joan Crawford, Gene Simmons, Demi Moore, and Ginuwine -- after slight makeovers. Suggested Sites... Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names - their 2009 stats show that there will be no shortage of Isabellas, Sophias, and Jacobs in the class of 2027. For girls, the E and A sounds still hold great appeal, with Emmas and Ellas and Avas aplenty, and for boys the -aden names show no sign of abating. NameBerry - obsess over names here, with dozens of lists of names, blogs on name trends, and much more. NameTrends.net - graph groups of names and watch name trends over time. The Baby Name Wizard: Name Voyager - unbelievably addictive visual display of name popularity over time.

Directory categories: Baby Names, Parenting, Pregnancy and Birth, Names, Name Humor

Archived under: Babies, Fanatics, Humor, Kids, Names, Parenting, Words

Post a comment (2) | Email this posting

Looks like George was getting curious around the cloning machine (Photo by Alan Turkus) Over the past week, we’ve saluted both International Children’s Book Day and National Library Week by asking our fellow Yahoo!s what books they read when they were kids. As we close this series, we find that some of the old standbys turn up again and again. Max: I have a bunch of great books I remember: "Curious George," by Margret and H.A. Rey. This one is pretty famous, and should be on any list of childrens' books. The story follows a monkey named George who is taken in by the Man in the Yellow Hat. George (as you may have gu"essed from the title) is very curious and ends up getting into a lot of mischief, but it's okay because the Man in the Yellow Hat is always able to resue him. The original story is quite possibly the best, but they’re all fun to read, with outstanding artwork. The "Madeline" series by Ludwig Bemelmans follow Madeline, a little girl who lives in a boarding school with eleven other little girls and their teacher, who is a nun, and who gets into all sorts of adventures around Paris. The language is very simple, and the art is excellent; it's so good that I ended up buying a set only a few years ago just for the art. "My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother," by Patricia Polacco, has remained in my memory because it is about the relationship between a girl and her older brother who are entangled in sibling rivalry, but who realzie in the end that, though there might be friction between them, they're still siblings and actually friends. There are quite a few other Patricia Polacco books, and all of them have excellent artwork. "Sadako And The Thousand Paper Cranes," by Eleanor Coerr, is a very touching true story about a Japanese girl named Sadako, who developed leukemia from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during WWII. She was confined to a hospital bed, where she began folding paper cranes in order to cure herself. In the Japanese culture, folding a thousand cranes grants the person one wish. Unfortunately Sadako died before she could make her thousand peace cranes. This book is more somber than the others, but is still very touching and has remained in my memory, even after many years. Andrea: I loved -- still love -- "Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book," especially the page about the Jedd who made his bed out of pom poms that he grew on his head. I adored spending time with Laura Ingalls in "Little House in the Big Woods," especially -- remember the maple sugar candy that they made on the snow?! And I was well acquainted with Betsy, Tacy, and Tib in the books by Maud Hart Lovelace. I was a bashful girl, like Tacy Kelly was, but I’m also a writer, like Betsy. Ezra Jack Keats made such vivid and delicious pictures in his stories (my favorites were "The Snowy Day: and Jennie’s Hat" -- I can still hear the crunch crunch crunch of Peter’s steps in the snow. And who else remembers "Jenny and the Cat Club" by Esther Averill? It was about a cat club in Greenwich Village. They’d have moonlight adventures and misunderstandings and do funny things like dance the sailor’s hornpipe. The pictures were most satisfactory! Dave: When I was a really little kid, I loved Don Freeman’s “Mop Top.” All I remember now is that it was about a boy who refused to get his hair cut and all the trouble that ensued -- and that I made my poor mother read it to me about a million times. But as I grew up, my absolute favorites (other than Superman comics, that is), were three series: "Danny Dunn," "Miss Pickerell," and "Homer Price." All three were about unlikely scientists, and it’s odd that I would like them, since I have no aptitude for science. Danny Dunn was a kid who was always getting into trouble by misusing the inventions -- anti-gravity paint, homework or smallfying machines -- created by Professor Euclid Bullfinch. Miss Pickerell was an eccentric old lady who had a farm and was always finding herself in odd situations and places -- like Mars, or under the ocean, or in the Arctic. Homer Price was another teen who invented things himself -- like a doughnut-making machine. Everything always somehow turned out for the best in all three series, but I never noticed until now how similar they all are. Regardless, they were good fun in the ways they made you think about problem-solving. Well, that wraps up our look at the books we loved as kids -- and that we love to read to kids. Please join us tomorrow when we return to our regular programming. Suggested Sites... International Children's Book Day - it's passed, but it's never too late to celebrate. National Library Week - it was last week, but they still have books for you. Ezra Jack Keats Foundation - information about Ezra Jack Keats, his characters, and efforts to promote children's literacy. Patricia Polacco - information about the author and her books. Danny Dunn, Pseudoscientist - so what if his science is the best? He's a teenager!

Directory categories: Childrens's Literature, Children's Authors, Dr. Seuss, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Ezra Jack Keats

Archived under: Auto Racing, Books, Children, Children´s Literature, Dr. Seuss, Events, Fiction, In Character, Literature, Nostalgia, Parenting, Reading, Science, Science Fiction, Scientists, Writers

Post a comment (2) | Email this posting

Looking for great kids' books? Here's where to start (Photo by Monterey Public Library) Last week, we began our salute to International Childrens Book Day by polling our fellow Yahoo!s about their own favorite childrens' books. Little did we realize it was also National Library Week last week, so while we'd like you to purchase these books so the kids in your life can have tangible memories to pass on, we also know that in these tough economic times, it's not always possible. So check your local library; your friendly librarian can recommend any number of classic tales for kids. Paige: "Watership Down" by Richard Adams is a story of how a group of brave rabbits make a dangerous journey to find a new home when tractors destroy the peace of their warren. As they journey, they meet and overcome many difficult challenges. There are several heroes in this story: Fiver, a small rabbit who can see the future; his brother Hazel, who becomes the group's leader; and Bigwig, the biggest rabbit in their group. They also have a bird-friend named Kehaar, who helps them fight off General Woundwort, an evil chief-rabbit from another warren. I loved this book because the characters sometimes speak in rabbit language ("Lapine"), and there are stories of interesting rabbit legends, such as their folk-hero El-ahrairah, and Frith, the god-figure who promised that rabbits would always thrive in the world. Max: The "Amelia Bedelia" series by Peggy Parish. I loved the "Amelia Bedelia" books, which center around a maid who mistakes directions (because of homonyms). The books teach children that any sentence in the English language can be interpreted in different ways, such as when Amelia is told to cook a can of beans, and she literally puts a can of beans on the stove without actually opening it, or when she was told to pitch a tent, and she threw it like a baseball. I remember these books because they were so humorous. Fabiola: My favorites are "Zanna Bianca" ("White Fang") by Jack London, "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe, "I Viaggi di Gulliver" ("Gulliver’s Travels") by Jonathan Swift, "Le Avventure di Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi, and "Incompreso" ("Misunderstood") by Florence Montgomery. These books are special to me because they made me think about family relationships and also made me develop my own creativity and fantasy worlds. Astrid: My favorite book is "Ronia the Robber's Daughter" by Astrid Lindgren. I loved this book (and still think it's one of the best books for children), because of the amazing experiences Ronia had. It’s thrilling as well as being about friendship. Diane: Mary Downing Hahn's "The Doll in the Garden." It isn't a book I read during my own childhood, but is one that a college friend of mine read. She told me that she remembered reading it for school, and described the plot and the characters -- but also she wasn’t 100% sure she hasn’t just imagined it. I was determined to figure out what this mysterious story was, so I did a Yahoo! search using the plot as my query. I figured out what the book probably was, checked it out from my local library, and surprised her with it. She thought it was "freaky" that I was actually able to find the book based on the scant description she gave me. I read it before passing it on to her and thought it was a great story filled with mystery and fantasy. Heather: I wasn't allowed to watch much television as a kid, so I grew up completely engrossed in books. My favorite childhood author, hands-down, was Roald Dahl, but I also adored books like The Farthest-Away Mountain by Lynne Reid Banks (who also wrote the "Indian in the Cupboard" series), and "From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg. After all, who wouldn’t want to hide out in a museum in New York City? We’ll be back with tomorrow with the final chapter in our childrens' book extravaganza. Suggested Sites... International Children's Book Day - it may have passed, but it's never too late to celebrate. National Library Week - it was last week, but they still have books for you. Roald Dahl.coma - author of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," and a host of others. Astrid Lindgren - creator of Pippi Longstocking and Ronia. Lynn Reid Banks.com - official site for the author.

Directory categories: Childrens''s Literature, Children's Authors, Jack London, Astrid Lindgren, Roald Dahl

Archived under: Authors, Books, Children, Children´s Literature, Events, Fiction, In Character, Libraries, Literature, Nostalgia, Parenting, Reading, Writers

Post a comment (0) | Email this posting

Books are food for more than just the mind, apparently (Photo by Roger) We'd originally planned on ending our salute to International Childrens Book Day today, but so many of our fellow Yahoos were so anxious to share their childhood favorite books, that we’ll have to extend the series into next week. Hopefully, these titles will tide you through the weekend. Paige: "The House of Sixty Fathers," by Meindert deJong is about a Chinese boy who escapes with his farming family when their village is attacked and burned by Japanese troops at the start of World War Two. The family has only a few possessions left -- a piglet, some ducklings, and the old boat in which they escape. The father hears that the Americans are building a new airfield in the next town, so he travels there with the mother and their baby daughter. The little boy is left behind in the boat to guard it. It rains during the night, and the boat drifts lose from its moorings. When the boy wakes up, he is in a strange and unfamiliar place in the countryside. This is a story of how he came to befriend an American pilot, whom he rescues from the Japanese, and comes to live in a barracks with 60 soldiers who become his surrogate fathers. Max: "Strega Nona," by Tomie dePaola. Strega Nona was very memorable for its great art and funny story. Strega Nona is the town witch who has a magical cauldron that can make spaghetti. She employs Big Anthony to help with chores. However, Big Anthony is quite clumsy and after seeing Strega Nona making spaghetti, decides to make some of his own when she leaves town. Unfortunately, he didn't think about how to stop the pot, and the spaghetti overflows the whole town and wreaks havoc! Strega Nona comes back and blows three kisses to make the pot stop, but she makes Big Anthony eat all the spaghetti as punishment. "Knots On A Counting Rope," by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. I don't remember much about this book because I was very young (about 6) when we read it in school. However, I do remember seeing it on "Reading Rainbow," and that it’s about a grandfather who tells his grandson (who was born blind) about his birthright. Even through his disability, the boy trains horses for a race. I remember this book vividly because the pictures were done so well. Laura: I loved reading these to my son: "Goodnight Moon," by Margaret Wise Brown, "Guess How Much I Love You," by Sam McBratney, and all of Dr Seuss's books. These I loved reading as a child: Richard Adams's "Watership Down" and "Jonathan Livingston Seagull," by Richard Bach. Nancy: I grew up a serious kid, so I remember reading biographies of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and other famous people. I also read a lot of Chinese Kung Fu series that are like American chapter books. When my daughter was young, we both enjoyed Beatrix Potter's beloved "Peter Rabbit" stories. Lupe: One of my first favorite books from when I was a child was "Momo," by Michael Ende. This is one of the first longer novels I read, and it opened my to about the importance of friendship and the dangers of consumerism. I can't wait to read this book to my kids. It's a tender story and a great read. Even though it was published the year I was born, it's still up to date. Hopefully, these memories will bring back some of your own hours spent with a good book. Suggested Sites... International Children's Book Day - it may have passed, but it's never too late to celebrate. Tomie.com - official site for writer and artist Tomie dePaola. Reading Rainbow - the series is over, but the lessons remain. Margaret Wise Brown.com - home of the author of some of the most beloved childrens' books ever. Peter Rabbit.com - everything about Beatrix Potter.

Directory categories: Children's Literature, Children's Authors, Dr. Seuss, Margaret Wise Brown, Beatrix Potter

Archived under: Authors, Beatrix Potter, Books, Children, Children´s Literature, Dr. Seuss, Events, Fiction, In Character, Literature, Nostalgia, Parenting, Reading, Witches, Writers

Post a comment (2) | Email this posting

It's not just kids who love "The Lorax" (Photo by Dan Ancona) This week, we've been saluting International Children’s Book Day by asking our fellow Yahoo!s to tell us about their favorite childhood books. As we continue the poll, we can see some of them aren't unique choices. Lydia: I have two childhood books that I remember clearly: "The Giving Tree" and Ann McGovern's "Too Much Noise." Great simple books with great life lessons. And you can't mention childhood books without mentioning Dr. Seuss! My favorite book from Seussville is "The Lorax." Another great book with a great life lesson -- and the first book in my baby's book collection. Marie B.: My favorite children's books are Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree" and E.B. White's "The Trumpet of the Swan." I liked them because they're about sacrificing for others and overcoming adversity, respectively. Hélène L.: I knew "Lambert the Sheepish Lion" by heart before I knew how to read. The story, adapted from a Disney short animated movie, tells the story of a lion cub who's delivered by Mr. Stork to a mommy sheep by mistake. She raises the lion cub, but all his friends make fun of him because he doesn't know how to jump gracefully or bleat. But one night, a wolf attacks the sheep, and Lambert's lion instincts suddenly kick in. He defeats the wolf, which brings him all the admiration of his peers. My second favorite was "Tintin in Tibet," by Hergé. A plane crash! Tchang the Chinese kid rescued by the Yeti! The quest to find him! My dad couldn't pretend that the story ended on page 10, so he had to read all 43 pages. But then I cried so hard because while Tintin managed to rescue Tchang and bring him back to civilization, the poor Yeti was left alone in the mountains. Liz G.: My favorite children's book of all time is "Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or There Must Be More to Life," by Maurice Sendak. Jennie the dog decides to leave home one day. When the houseplant argues that Jennie "has everything," she replies: "There must be more to life than having everything!" Jennie finds that what she must seek in the world is "experience," and in its pursuit, she has all kinds of surreal adventures. For a third grade book report, I made a life-sized cardboard replica of Jennie's suitcase and reproduced its contents as best I could. I still enjoy re-reading the book and studying its marvelous illustrations. We'll return tomorrow to close out the week of childrens’ favorites. We hope we've helped" spark" some memories of your own and given you ideas of what stories to share with the kids in your own life. Suggested Sites... International Children's Book Day - it may have passed, but it's never too late to celebrate. Seussville - official site for Theodore S. Geisel. Shel Siverstein.com - official site, with biography, and information about his books, movies, and songs. American Masters: Maurice Sendak - PBS biography of the author and illustrator. Tintin.com - home of the boy reporter and adventurer.

Directory categories: Childrens''s Literature, Children's Authors, Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, E.B. White

Archived under: Animation, Authors, Books, Cartoons, Children, Children´s Literature, Disney, Dr. Seuss, Events, Fiction, In Character, Literature, Maurice Sendak, Nostalgia, Parenting, Reading, Shel Silverstein, Writers

Post a comment (0) | Email this posting