Search Results for: blog a cautionary tale

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale – Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems recently won a Caldecott Honor. It’s the sequel to Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale which also won a Caldecott Honor in 2005. The books are both illustrated with drawings on top of black and white photographs. According to Willems website, he pronounces “Knuffle” with a hard “K” The word “knuffle” is Dutch for snuggle. In Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale the reader meets a little girl named Trixie. She’s old enough to walk, but not yet talking. The book shows Trixie and her daddy walking through the neighborhood to … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Week in Review: August 7 to August 11

We have had a busy week in the baby blog! If you haven’t had time to catch up on all your reading, here it is all in one place. Grab a cup of coffee and have a seat! August 7 Why Banning Formula Isn’t Awful This week the New York City Department of Health banned free formula in New York City public hospitals in an effort to promote breastfeeding. The internet has been abuzz about the ban both for and against it. Although I actively promote breastfeeding when possible, I actually think that banning formula is good economic sense. Read … Continue reading →

A Cautionary Bath Time Tale

If you parent one child, I’m sure you’ll leave this blog thinking this woman is a terrible mother. But for those of us who have more children, while we may not have made the same mistake, that feeling of being overwhelmed and disjointed is not so far distant. Honestly, I can’t really judge this mom. A young mother in Brooklyn was caring for her 11 month old daughter and another two year old and they were getting their daily bath. And then she smelled the rice burning down the hall. As you may guess if you haven’t read the story, … Continue reading →

A Cautionary Tale

Tami Martin of Florida is a very brave young woman indeed. In a recent new news interview, she came forward to explain how she became a paraplegic after a minor traffic accident in which the operational speed was 30 miles per hour. What was her crime? One I am afraid I among many others out there in blog land am guilty of; reclining in the passenger seat with feet on the dashboard and seat belt buckled. Essentially, the seat belt works against you, causing severe injuries. The maker of the van her mother was driving happened to be a Ford, … Continue reading →

Stand Up for Yourself Already, Cinderella

Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella,” the particular version of the story adapted by Walt Disney, is another fairy-tale-as-morality-lesson. Disney ditches The Brothers Grimm when he makes “Cinderella;” even more strangely the credits cite Perrault’s story as the “original,” when in fact the rags-to-riches trope is an ancient and global motif. Even ignoring that the Brothers’ Grimm version predates Perrault’s. The reason I’m so fixated on the issue of adaptation is because I found Perrault’s “Cinderella” odious. The main moral (which cannot be mistaken; the end of the story is followed by an explanatory poem titled “Moral”) is that it doesn’t really matter … Continue reading →

The Crazy Origins of Pinocchio

“Pinocchio” started its life as an 100-some paged 1883 Italian novella by Carlo Collodi. Walt Disney was introduced to the story by one of his staff during production on “Snow White,” and he loved it so much he made it his next film. Given the greater length of the original “Pinocchio” than, say, one of the Brothers Grimms’ super short stories, I don’t have the space to do a full compare/contrast between the Disney film and its source text. What I’ll do instead is list the most notable differences between the two versions. Perhaps the most shocking disparities between Collodi’s … Continue reading →

Jeff Conaway Dead at 60

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This is one of those blogs that I just knew I’d be writing soon. Jeff Conaway, who was best known as playing Bobby Wheeler on “Taxi” and Kenickie in Grease, has died at age 60. He went to the hospital on May 11 and was in critical condition for much of his stay. His illness was first attributed to a drug overdose, but later officials said it wasn’t, but his drug use had caused him to wait too long to seek medical help. He was taken off life support last Thursday after slipping into a coma. I think Radar put … Continue reading →

Giving Cotton Swabs the Boot

You have probably heard the old adage – never stick anything smaller than your elbow in your ear. Now if you are like me, you probably don’t follow that rule. But, NPR reported last week that following that rule is very, very important. Even if we think we know what we are doing, our ear is very sensitive and in just a matter of seconds, you can do real damage. Margaret Chessor, a Michigan grandmother, is a good example of how bad things can go. She was cleaning her ear with a Q-tip when an insect flew in front of … Continue reading →

Zack Weinstein Adds to the Diversity of Glee

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If you are a Gleek like I am (a fan of the new Fox series “Glee”), you’ve probably noticed the popular show about a high school glee club features quite a diverse group of characters. Puck and Rachel are Jewish, Artie is in a wheelchair, Tina is an Asian with a stutter (albeit fake), Quinn is the popular but pregnant cheerleader, Kurt is gay, and Mercedes is African American and overweight. Even the guidance counselor, Emma, is a germaphobe. This week, the show introduced a new character – Sean. Sean is a football camp friend of Finn’s who has suffered … Continue reading →

The Best Kind of Distraction

My son is adorable. He’s just recently joined the “4 months old” club and I couldn’t be prouder of him. He sits up better every day. He’ll look into your eyes and smile. He’ll laugh. He’ll play with toys you put in front of him. He’s gaining talents in every area. It is amazing to me that he’s cuter each and every day. He shares that trait with my wife. So allow me to paint a picture for you. This is a cautionary tale to all parents of newborns and I share it to caution you of the dangers that … Continue reading →