Video Sunday - La Bibliotheque

Today we look at the library. Why? Because there are roughly a million videos on YouTube involving libraries and getting people into them. The best way to do so is to get the children while they're young. Now when I saw this video on Becky's Book Reviews, the memories just starting flooding back. I remember this routine like it was yesterday. What else is residing in my brain that I don't know about?



And correct me if I am wrong, but didn't this contemporary commercial totally rip-off Sesame Street?



Beautiful. Not that I wasn't equally swayed as a child by Reading Rainbow.



Speaking of Reading Rainbow, this one amuses me horribly. First of all, Levar seems to be participating in some kind of Rex Harrisonish song styling. Then there's the fact that the sign says "FREE LIBRARY" which is a term I haven't seen in my lifetime. I'll have to ask my grandmother about it. And the first librarian in this video? Fab.



Gotta get me some hot pink spandex shirts and purple skirts to wear. I adore that she still wears a bun. Otherwise how do you know what her profession is? Then the whole video becomes Pippin. I'd mind, but I've a soft spot for Pippinish behavior. Y'know, they still rerun old Reading Rainbows on PBS these days. I love the thought of some kid catching this on the telly, then asking their parent what a record is. My library still has them. Does yours?

I remember all of these. But this one from The Electric Company? Not so much.



If you pause it quickly enough you'll see that the "I" at the end appears over a book titled, "The Truth About Weight Control". Odd. Speaking of which...



Cell-u-leet? 1987 was a glorious year.

Straight From the Horse's Mouth

Awww. This is adorable. YouTube has put up all these booktalks done by kids for books they particularly enjoy. Book Moot has the scoop, plus four talks of interest. My sole problem with this is that anytime a kid finishes I keep expecting the three note "Ba-dum-bum!" that would play after the kid booktalks on Reading Rainbow.

Thanks to Book Moot for the link.

Not That I Don't Love Spongebob Too

I'm not one for panel series. Seems to me they tend to overprice themselves and I just end up talking with the participants at ALA meetings anyway half the time. But this one... this one is different. This one I have an active interest in.

Best opening line for a panel ever? It's Spongebob's world and we're just living in it. I can dig it, man.

This panel, the second in a series organized by New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT), will explore the evolution of children's media - from wholesome to edgy - and look at what's in store in the future. Participants will ask some tough questions: What happens when the goal posts of taste, wholesomeness and educational value are moved? What are the differences between media created for children and media created for teens and adults? What factor does money play in determining what is suitable entertainment for children?

People of my generation tend to slip into Cranky Old Codger Mode when the subject of children's television programming comes up. "You whippersnappers don't know what it was like. Why in MY day we had Reading Rainbow, The Electric Company, 3-2-1 Contact, GOOD Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and a bunch of shows I can't even REMEMBER. You kids today with your crummy corporate shows. Do they even teach sign language on Sesame Street anymore? Huh? Huh? What about kids with Down's Syndrome? How many of those do you get on the show these days?"

I could go on. You see why this panel appeals to me.

The real highlight? I was just discussing with the Kidlit Drink Night attendees that Reading Rainbow may still exist. Now I see that Twila C. Liggett, founder of the show, will be on the panel. I'll ask her.

The whopping great price to attend? $10 if you're a nonmember. I'm there. Let me know if you'll be showing up as well.