I LOVE to read. I read whatever I can get my hands on, from novels to fluff gossip magazines. Admittedly, I haven't read some of the classics, which I hope to change over the summer.

I'm not sure who compiled this list, but it names the following Ten Books To Read Before You Die:

1. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

2. Lord of the Rings (the series), by J.R.R. Tolkien

3. Harry Potter (the series), by J.K. Rowling

4. The Stand, by Stephen King

5. The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown

6. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

7. Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown

8. Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand

9. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

10. The Ultimate Hitchers Guid to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

Out of the 10 books listed, I've read...three, but have seen a few of the others in movie form. What about you? Have you read the books referenced in the list? Which was your favorite? And if you could amend the list, which would you add or take away?

My Beautiful Mommy.

Could have been a really great title for a nice book about how girls find beauty in their mothers. Heck, I could even picture writing something like that- it wouldn't be all about physical beauty, though I always think it's wonderful how children tend to view their mother's as beautiful. No, it could be about older children recognizing the INNER beauty of their mothers.  Could be about seeing older pictures of your mom, "'Fore she was Momma" as the Clay Walker song goes, and recognizing something about your mom you never saw before.

Wouldn't that just be so nice?

Too bad the title is taken.

(I've often had people, LGBT and not, ask me for recommendations of LGBT-inclusive children's books. The American Library Association's new Rainbow List is a good place to start. Originally appeared with slight variation in Bay Windows, March 6, 2008)

Where can children, teens, parents and librarians find new LGBT-themed children’s and young adult books of merit? Starting now, they can turn to the annual Rainbow List published by the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world.

It can be very hard for kids to discover LGBT-themed books, explains retired librarian and schoolteacher Nel Ward, chair of the Rainbow List committee. Even a helpful librarian may have trouble locating titles of interest, since the Library of Congress cataloging information will often use a phrase like "best friends" instead of a description indicating an LGBT relationship. Certain electronic searches will only yield titles on how to prevent homosexuality. "Librarians want lists so they can help kids access these books," Ward asserts.

This is a fun diary as there are so many avid readers on this site. Thanks for the list, Katherine! -Elisa

In the past 7.5 years I have waded through an awful lot of crap in the name of getting my kids to enjoy reading.  And it has worked - they are both big readers (the older one independently; my 4 year old still relies on us to read out loud to him).  But not every moment has been a song of joy.  There is a lot of junk out there, and some gold nuggets among the sea of junk.

I'd be interested to hear what you and your kids have really enjoyed.  Below I list several of the books we have loved, and some we've hated.

I have two boys, ages 4 and 7.5.

Yet another school district has made a fuss over And Tango Makes Three, the book about the chick hatched by two male penguins, and the American Library Association's Most Challenged Book of 2006. The school superintendent of Loudoun County, Virginia, has instructed county elementary schools to take the book out of general circulation and move it to the teacher's reference shelf, after one parent complained. A spokesperson for the schools said:

Developmentally, some students in the younger grades might not have been able to understand this without having an adult, such as a teacher, parent or guardian reading it with them. So we recommended that this would be a book that a child read with an adult so it can be put in context.

I know we had a recent discussion about books on Martin Luther King, Jr.. Cookie magazine conveniently singled out a few books for black history month, which is next month.

Ages 6+
A Taste of Colored Water by Matt Faulkner
Two white children in the ‘60s South are determined to taste the magical beverage they assume must spout from the “colored” water fountain, and end up facing the harsh reality of Jim Crow. This thought-provoking tale is an excellent way to get kids asking questions.

Ages 8+
The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
In this folktale (with CD narration by the author and James Earl Jones), a once-winged people, enslaved in America, have forgotten how to fly—until an old man reminds them. The fantasy tones down the situation’s ugliness without diminishing its impact.

Ages 10+
We are the Ship by Kadir Nelson
Through lifelike oil paintings and voice-of-experience narration, this book re-creates the era of Negro League baseball in stunning detail, as an unknown player recounts his days of brushing shoulders with legends like Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson.

What would you add as recommended reading?

My DH and I were watching a show on BookTV in which they were discussing Ayn Rand's book "Atlas Shrugged."  Since the speaker sounded alot like my DH, I wondered if he'd ever read this book.  He hadn't.  And neither have I, but I sorta feel like I SHOULD have.  That got me thinking of books that you've never read, but wish you had.  

Right now I'm reading "Love in the Time of Cholera" because my DD16 just finished it and can't stop raving about it.  All through the book, I keep thinking - how did I get so old and never have read this book?

It's always a time of celebration when a new LGBT-inclusive storybook appears. Break out the chocolate milk and cookies, then, folks, because Todd Parr, author of LGBT-beloved works such as The Family Book and It's Okay to Be Different, has done it again. Just in time for National Adoption Month comes We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families.

The book, in Parr's signature bright colors and bold lines, is a series of paired phrases like "We belong together because . . . you needed a home, and I had one to share," and "We belong together because . . . you needed someone to say 'I love you,' and we had love to give." Aside from the title, there is no mention of adoption per se. This could be a limitation for those wanting to explain details of the adoption process to a child, but for those wishing to focus on the why and not the how, Parr delivers with sensitivity and gentle humor. Non-adopted children may also find a resonance in the words, for the message of sharing and acceptance goes beyond any specifics of family creation.

As with Parr's other books, this one showcases all kinds of families: a mom and a dad, two moms, two dads, and single parents. The primary-color faces of the characters both convey a sense of racial diversity and somehow transcend our traditional categorizations of it.

Some may find Parr's message too saccharine or his drawings too simple. This is not the only book about adoption you'll want to have on your shelf, for children will want to know about their origins in more detail. Still, few books get at the emotional heart of the matter in so direct a way. The story is appropriate for the very youngest children; even infants may respond to the colors and smiling faces. Just as Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go!, however, enjoys immense popularity as a high school and college graduation present, We Belong Together may become a standard gift for adoptive children (and parents) of all ages.

(Crossposted at Mombian.)

A few weeks ago, we had a conversation here about whether it is harmful for kids to read books that feature characters who have bad attitudes, bad grammar, and bad behavior (the series in question was Junie B. Jones).  The general consensus: whatever gets kids reading is OK, as long as it's not seriously dangerous content.

I was the first to chime in and was enthusiastically in support of any literature that would engage my 1st grader's attention: "When I select reading material for my son, my top concerns: Is it engaging?  Will it foster his love of reading?  Will he enjoy it?  For Junie B. the answers are yes, yes, and yes."

One series of books we discussed were the Captain Underpants books by Dav Pilkey.  The hero in this series is Captain Underpants, a bald man who runs around in just his underpants with a towel for a cape, giving wedgies and lassoing bad guys with his "toilet paper of justice."  It sounded like just the type of book my son would like, so when I saw a bundle of five for just 2 dollars at a consignment sale, I snatched them up and took them home.

And Tango Makes Three, the children’s book based on a true story about two male penguins who adopt an abandoned egg, tops the American Library Association’s list of "10 Most Challenged Books of 2006," "for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group." A challenge, according to the ALA, is "a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness." Other books on the list include Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Beloved, based on "sexual content and offensive language."

As I’ve said before, it seems the right has felt particularly sensitive about penguins ever since they claimed March of the Penguins as an example of "traditional family values."

Personally, I think it’s time for a March of the Penguins on Washington.

What's your favorite book from the ALA list, this year or in the past?

I love books.  No doubt about it.  I'm a reader.  And wandering around a bookstore is my idea of a perfect afternoon (especially when there's someplace to sit for a while!).  But in the last few years, I've learned to love the library.

I'm reposting a review that first appeared with slight modification in Bay Windows (July 12, 2007). I've been away on the R Family cruise (aka "Rosie's Cruise") for a week and not up to any new content right now. More on the cruise later—the short version is that it was a great experience not only for LGBT families, but also other relatives and friends.

Carrie Jones' debut young adult novel, Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend, may at first seem an odd choice for review in an LGBT newspaper. It is not a story about having LGBT parents, nor about being LGBT per se. The protagonist is straight high school student Belle, whose long-term boyfriend Dylan has just come out. Tips explores the broader ramifications of homophobia and closetedness without resorting to stereotypes, however, and if it finds its way into the hands of more teens, LGBT and not, that will be a good thing for all families.