Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/reading-matters/5024651/
The old “Free to Be… You and Me” LP provided the soundtrack for my children’s early years, and they still recite lines of dialog (“You’re bald as a ping pong ball!” or the sarcastic “Ladies first, ladies first”) from Marlo Thomas’ groundbreaking anthology. Subtitled “A different kind of book for children and adults to enjoy together”, both book and record were a delight. They provided a gentle whack on the side of the head, particularly in their early view of gender equality.
In a similar vein but a few years later, Tomie de Paola published Oliver Button is a Sissy (recently reprinted for a new generation) in which a shiny pair of tap shoes give a bullied boy a chance to shine. de Paola was an early pioneer in encouraging kids to think and act outside the box. Today, there’s no lack of gender-focused titles in an era when glass ceilings are crashing everywhere, and children are (mostly) free to be themselves. Oliver Button is a Sissy by Tomie de Paola (Simon and Schuster, 1979) Ages 4 – 8.
Julian is a Brooklyn boy who, from his first glimpse of folks gloriously attired on their way to the annual Coney Island Mermaid ...