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August 8, 2007 by Betsy Bird

Tiddlings

August 8, 2007 by Betsy Bird   6 comments

  • Fun Fact of the Day:  Guess who has just come out in support of Junie B? None other than SPOGG (The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, to you). I’m just pleased as punch that there even IS an entity named SPOGG out there. Anyone play the game Beyond Balderdash where you have to make up names for acronyms?  If I were to name SPOGG I might call it the Social Philanthropic Order of the Gentle Grammarians.  But that’s me.  Here’s their statement on Junie B: "For the record, SPOGG is a huge fan of Junie B. Jones. Parents who refuse to read it because of the grammar are missing serious hilarity, as well as the opportunity to point out the errors and talk about language with their kids. Kids would much rather you correct a book character’s grammar than their own, so it’s actually a terrific teaching opportunity." Jolly good show.  I wouldn’t argue with them either.  It is wise to never debate an entity that rhymes with the word "hog".

  • In other news, I’m loving the Onion article, Final Harry Potter Book Blasted For Containing Spoilers.  Someone had to say it.  I’m just glad it was them.

  • Finally, I was trying to reference an obscure foreign children’s film from Europe as seen on that old Nickelodeon show Pinwheel and I found a very useful listing on Wikipedia.  To my very great surprise, Pinwheel (a show that was unfairly labeled the poor man’s Sesame Street) contained multiple foreign animated shorts that were based on works of children’s fiction.  There was King Rollo, based on a David McKee character.  The French short Emily (called Emilie in France) was based on books by the French children’s book author Domitille de Pressense.  And apparently Simon the Land of Chalk Drawings wasn’t the Harold and the Purple Crayon rip-off I’d always thought it was.  It was based on books as well.  Somehow my brain has cancelled out the existence of West Germany 1974 World Cup mascots Tip and Tap, though.  If you are uncertain as to whether or not you ever saw Pinwheel as a child (and it  did require having cable in the early 1980s) perhaps this will jog your memory. 

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. rams says

    August 8, 2007 at 1:57 am

    For that matter, who knew that the voice of Teeny Little Superguy was Wolfman Jack?

  2. sarah says

    August 8, 2007 at 9:50 am

    Thanks for the Pinwheel posting! I had started to believe that all those trippy, cool animations were a figment of my imagination, as no one seems to remember it.

  3. Joyce Moyer Hostetter says

    August 8, 2007 at 11:16 am

    As you’ve noted, Ann Fay Honeycutt, the protagonist/narrator of my book, BLUE does not exactly speak the king’s English. When I’m asked about this in school visits, I like to encourage students and teachers to correct her grammar.

  4. adrienne says

    August 8, 2007 at 11:22 am

    Now I’m going to have the theme song of Pinwheel going through my head for the rest of the day — except all I can remember is “Pinwheel, pinwheel, spinning around… hm, hm, hm, hm… and you’ll see what I found.” Now I’m going to have to do an Internet search to find the lyrics.

  5. eisha says

    August 8, 2007 at 1:30 pm

    Oh my god, it’s like you just lit up a long-darkened corner of my brain. Pinwheel! Yes, I remember Pinwheel!

  6. Amy W. says

    August 8, 2007 at 9:33 pm

    Yes, Pinwheel! I was a big fan of that show when I was a wee one. I endured many mockings from my older siblings in the name of Pinwheel! Thanks for the nostalgia. You made my day!

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