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☆ Trouble brews at The Wall Street Journal, where EIC Emma Tucker faces falling morale and the union edges toward a strike
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Read previewEmma Tucker's arrival at The Wall Street Journal a little over a year ago was met with enthusiasm. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Business Insider talked to a dozen insiders for this story; many of them said they had felt a shift from optimism to angst regarding Tucker and the newsroom generally. A Journal spokesperson said Tucker wasn't available to comment but offered an interview with Taneth Evans, Tucker's associate editor. Evans told Business Insider that the changes were drawn out to give the new leadership time to understand how the newsroom works.

Persons: —, Emma Tucker's, Tucker, She's, effused, Liz Harris, Dow Jones, IAPE, Tucker wasn't, Taneth Evans, Tucker's, Evans, I've, Harris, Emma Tucker, Joy Malone, Rupert Murdoch, Matt Murray, Murray, Elon, Taylor, I'm, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Michael Bloomberg's, Lachlan Murdoch, Adrian Edwards, Axel Springer Organizations: Service, Wall, Business, Dow, Independent Association of Publishers ' Employees, CWA, Associates, Sunday Times, The New York Times, Times, Boeing, News Corp Locations: New York, London, Tesla, Gaza, New York City

☆ The Long, Strange Decline of One of America's Most Influential Brands
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Amanda Chicago Lewis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +39 min

What followed was hundreds of sequels and spinoffs, everything from "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul" to "Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul" to the bestseller I read cover to cover, several times, in sixth grade: "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul." By 2003, research found that more young readers seeking solace turned to the Chicken Soup series than to the Bible. What began as Chicken Soup for the Soul board games and calendars turned into Chicken Soup for the Soul chocolates and Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food. He pointed out that the cover of the original Chicken Soup book "ripped off" Campbell's Soup, to trigger "nourishing and comforting and warming" feelings. He started suggesting outrageous directions Chicken Soup could go in next: "The Chicken Soup pistol!

Persons: I'd, I've, who'd, John Wayne, Jack Canfield, Canfield, Oprah Winfrey, Tony Soprano's, Russ Kamalski, Laurel, Hardy, Tyler Le, Americus Reed, hadn't, he'd, Johnny Nunez, Getty, Clement Stone, Stone, Napoleon Hill's, Norman Vincent Peale's, Mark Victor Hansen, Hansen, Bennett Raglin, let's, Mark Twain, They're, they'd, Kamalski, Preteen's, Christian Woman's, Mother's, —, Wayne Booth, Booth, Barbara Ehrenreich, David Gray, Amy Poehler, Kenan Thompson's, Patty Aubery, I'm, I, blurbing, Bill Rouhana, Amy Newmark, Newmark, Rouhana, Winstar, Ashton Kutcher, Isaac Brekken, Kevin, Reddit, Chicken, Redbox, You've, We're, Kevin fumed, hicken, orth, ince, eason, rance, ike, osses, ives, ake Organizations: John, Hyatt Regency, Soul Entertainment, Nasdaq, Americus, Wharton, Hyatt, Harvard, Triple, Beverly, Hotel, Canfield, University of Chicago, Oklahoma State, Washington Post, Wall, Company, Connecticut —, NASCAR, Hollywood, Consumer Federation of America, CSSE, Hindenburg Research, Sony Pictures Television, GameStop, YouTube, Soup, ust, anfield Locations: Newport Beach , California, Indonesian, Crackle, Canfield, Nigeria, Japan, France, Ohio, West Virginia, Mali, New York, Anaheim, Florida, ,, Teacher's, Baltimore, China, Australian, Darfur, Southern California, Greenwich , Connecticut, Connecticut, Zillow, Canadian, Wells Fargo's, Redbox, ife

☆ The Long, Strange Decline of Iconic Chicken Soup for the Soul Brand
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Amanda Chicago Lewis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +39 min

What followed was hundreds of sequels and spinoffs, everything from "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul" to "Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul" to the bestseller I read cover to cover, several times, in sixth grade: "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul." What began as Chicken Soup for the Soul board games and calendars turned into Chicken Soup for the Soul chocolates and Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food. What began as Chicken Soup for the Soul board games and calendars turned into pet food, barbecue sauce, and — yes — soup. He pointed out that the cover of the original Chicken Soup book "ripped off" Campbell's Soup, to trigger "nourishing and comforting and warming" feelings. He started suggesting outrageous directions Chicken Soup could go in next: "The Chicken Soup pistol!

NEW YORK (AP) — James Patterson never seems to run out of ideas. The ultraprolific author is launching a new middle grade series, “The Time Travel Twins,” about two boys who witness key moments in U.S. history, starting with the era of the Revolutionary War. Released by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and co-written with Tad Safran, the series begins Sept. 9. Like all of my children’s books, the goal of ‘The Time Travel Twins’ is for a kid to finish it and say, ‘Please, give me another book,'" Patterson said in a statement Monday. Patterson's hundreds of books include children's stories, his “Maximum Ride” and “Alex Cross” thrillers, political thrillers co-written with former President Bill Clinton and a novel written with Dolly Parton about the Nashville music scene.

Persons: — James Patterson, ”, Tad Safran, “ I’ve, Patterson, Alex Cross, Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton Organizations: Travel Twins, Little, Brown, Young Readers, Associated Press Locations: Nashville

Learn moreBusiness Insider Reviews has been covering the best pet products for more than five years. AdvertisementWhat types of pet products we coverFood: After hundreds of hours of interviews and research, we carefully selected the best cat foods and best dog foods. We also put dozens of litters to the test for our guides to the best cat litters and natural cat litter. Veterinarians and professional groomers also helped us narrow down the best dog toothpastes, dog dental chews, cat dental products, dog shampoos, and cat shampoos. Her article on pet anxiety in Pet Sitting Magazine was also nominated for The PSI Professional Pet Care Award.

Persons: We've, Ollie, we've, groomers, shampoos, Lisa Sabatini, Lisa, basset, JoAnna Pendergrass, JoAnna, Emory University's, Janelle Leeson, Janelle, Dodo, Shoshi Parks, Shoshi, Phoebe, Christy Caplan, Christy, Sherman, Walter, You'll, Jackie Brown, Jackie, Dr, Julie Liu, Liu, — Organizations: Health, Animal Association, Association of American, Business, Wall Street, JPen Communications, Virginia - Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Emory, Emory University's Yerkes, Primate Research, Insurance, Rover, Shop, USA, Freelance, Shoshi Parks, NPR, Smithsonian, Atlas Obscura, Portland Community College, Dog Writers Association of America, Animal Wellness, Product, Pet Health, Service Locations: Virginia, Shoshi, Oregon, Austin , Texas, Austin

☆ Restrictions on L.G.B.T.Q. Depictions Rattle Hungary’s Cultural World
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Andrew Higgins | More About Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When a far-right member of Hungary’s Parliament invited the media three years ago to watch her shred a book of fairy tales that included a gay Cinderella, only one reporter showed up. But what began as lonely, crank campaign against “homosexual propaganda” by a fringe nationalist legislator, Dora Duro, has snowballed into a national movement led by the government to restrict depictions of gay and transgender people in Hungary. The campaign has unsettled booksellers, who have been ordered to shrink-wrap works that “popularize homosexuality” to prevent young readers from browsing, and also rattled one of Hungary’s premier cultural institutions. The director of the Hungarian National Museum was fired this past week for hosting an exhibition of news photographs, a few of which featured men in women’s clothing, and for suggesting that his staff had no legal right to check whether visitors were at least 18 years old.

Persons: Dora Duro Organizations: Hungarian National Locations: Hungary

☆ Opinion | What I Read to My Son When the World Is on Fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Miriam Udel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Children’s books, which present subtle truths in simple terms, offer a valuable tool in retaining our moral bearings, especially amid a maelstrom of grief and rage. In the books I read with my son, I saw the Palestinian children’s authors of today doing something I recognize from my research on the Yiddish children’s literature of the previous century: striving to help children make sense of the world they stand to inherit while writing a better world into being. Instead of reinforcing conventional nationalism, these works followed the general tendency of Yiddish literature, art and film to explore how culture might define a nation. They were created to write a better world into being: Now we must use them to read a better world into being. Children’s literature can’t solve these problems.

Persons: I’ve, Emily Style, Maurice Sendak, Naomi Shihab Nye, Hannah Moushabeck’s “, Amahl, Marjorie Ingall, Janice Hechter’s, ”, “ Daniel, Ismail ”, Juan Pablo Iglesias Organizations: Palestinian, West Bank, Aida Locations: Gaza, Palestinian American, Palestine, ”, Old City, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Israel

NEW YORK (AP) — The hero of Chris Colfer's next book series is no ordinary boy. “Roswell Johnson Saves the World" is scheduled for publication on June 4, 2024. “I’ve never had so much fun writing a book," Colfer said in a statement. "These characters had me laughing out loud and I spent hours researching everything from astronomy to entomology. After reading about Roswell’s adventures through space, I hope my young readers are as fascinated by science and our galaxy as I am.

Persons: Chris Colfer's, Roswell Johnson, “ Roswell Johnson, “ I’ve, Colfer, ’ ” Colfer, Kurt Hummel, ” Organizations: Brown, Young, Guardians, Globe Locations: New Mexico, “

NEW YORK (AP) — Louise Meriwether, the author and activist whose coming-of-age novel "Daddy Was a Number Runner" is widely regarded as a groundbreaking and vital portrait of race, gender and class, has died. "Daddy Was a Number Runner," published in 1970, tells of a poor Black community in Harlem during the 1930s as seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Francie Coffin. Political Cartoons View All 1206 ImagesIn 2016 the Feminist Press and TAYO Literary Magazine launched the Louise Meriwether First Book Prize for "debut women/nonbinary writers of color." "Daddy Was a Number Runner" was a personal story. After returning to New York in the late 1960s, she joined the Harlem Writers Guild and befriended Angelou and Sonia Sanchez, among others.

Persons: — Louise Meriwether, Meriwether, Cheryl Hill, Hill, Francie Coffin, Francie, I'm, Toni Morrison's, Angelou's, James Baldwin, Jacqueline Woodson, Louise Meriwether, Rosa Parks, Daniel Hale Williams, Robert Smalls, John Birch, Muhammad Ali's, Angelo Meriwether, Earle Howe, Louise Jenkins, Budd Schulberg, Angelou, Sonia Sanchez, Sarah Lawrence Organizations: Amsterdam Nursing, Feminist Press, Columbus Foundation, Los Angeles Times, IMF, World Bank, John Birch Society, Sarah Lawrence College, University of Houston, New York University, UCLA, Watts Writers, South Central, Universal Studios, Harlem Writers Guild, Pine Manor College Locations: Manhattan, Harlem, Puerto Rican, South Africa, Haverstraw , New York, Brooklyn, South, South Central Los Angeles, Hollywood, New York, Pine

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bob Odenkirk has known he wanted to immortalize the playful poems he created with his kids since they were first scribbled down years ago. But you know, that was a hard time for everyone in the country,” Odenkirk recalled of the coronavirus pandemic. I mean, think of any business partner or any project partner you’ve ever had,” the “ Better Call Saul ” star said. Odenkirk said this was in keeping with his philosophy as a parent when he was raising young children. But it is a tricky business and hard to make a living in,” he said.

Persons: Bob Odenkirk, ”, Erin, “, ” Odenkirk, ‘ Let’s, Odenkirk, I’d, ” Erin, you’ve, Saul ”, “ You’re, “ I’m, —, Saul ” — Odenkirk, Tim, Eric Awesome, we’ll Organizations: ANGELES, Pratt Institute, Writers Guild of America, WGA, Alliance, Television Producers Locations: Los Angeles and New York, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Hollywood

NEW YORK (AP) — After 40 years of publishing and millions of book sales worldwide, Isabel Allende is ready to become a children's author. Allende has a deal with Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, for three picture books. Illustrated by Sandy Rodriguez and inspired by Allende's rescue dog, “Perla” is the story of a dog with a big heart, a loud bark and fierce loyalty to her human soulmate, Nico Rico. Perla is joyful, loyal, loves unconditionally and is always ready to protect her family,” Allende said in a statement Wednesday. Allende, 81, is known for such novels as “The House of the Spirits” and “Eva Luna.”Copyright 2023 The Associated Press.

Persons: Isabel Allende, Allende, “ Perla, Sandy Rodriguez, “ Perla ”, Nico Rico, “, Perla, ” Allende, “ Eva Luna Organizations: Philomel, Penguin Young, Associated Press

☆ Nick Hornby Reviews a Short History of the Beatles Before the Band
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Nick Hornby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

THIS BOY: The Early Lives of John Lennon & Paul McCartney, by Ilene CooperIn the early 1980s I was an English teacher at a high school in Cambridge, England. “He introduced John Lennon to Paul McCartney.” I stared at him. Vaughan invented fame. Introducing Paul to John was like introducing ketchup to fries, or causing the Big Bang. By the time John and Paul were 10 and 8, respectively, only 7 percent of 17-year-olds were in school.

Persons: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ilene Cooper, Ivan Vaughan, ”, Vaughan, Paul, John, Paul McCartney ”, “, Cooper, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Peter Sellers, Starchy George Martin Locations: Cambridge, England, Woolton, Liverpool, American

For instance, you can now buy the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids edition for just $104.99. Like all Prime Day deals, this offer is exclusive to Amazon Prime subscribers. Kindle Paperwhite Kids Prime Day dealA great Kindle for kids (and maybe even adults)If you're considering the Kindle Kids for its more enticing price tag, consider the distinct benefits of the Kindle Paperwhite Kids instead. (We don't have a review for the Kids version specifically, but software differences aside, you can learn more about the latest model in our Kindle Paperwhite review)The standout feature of the Kindle Paperwhite Kids is its durability and practicality. The Kindle Paperwhite Kids doesn't just stop at hardware upgrades.

Persons: Harry Potter Organizations: Amazon

☆ Everyone Likes Reading. Why Are We So Afraid of It?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( A.O. Scott | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Among Douglass’s most powerful and painful revelations is that, on the subject of reading, his master was right. Substitute “reading” for “freedom” in that last sentence and the meaning stays the same. Reading liberates and torments us, enlightens and bewilders us, makes and unmakes our social and solitary selves. The methods of reading instruction associated with Columbia University’s Teachers College were in full bloom there. The rooms were furnished with well-stocked, low-slung bookshelves and carpeted risers where young readers could curl up with “just-right books,” selections matched to their interests and levels of proficiency.

Persons: Frederick, ”, Hugh, Mandeville, Prometheus, “ Organizations: Reading, Columbia University’s Teachers College Locations: Brooklyn

☆ Illinois becomes first state to pass law curtailing book bans
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, signed the historic measure into law on Monday in a Chicago library. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, the governor's office said in a statement. "Here in Illinois, we don't hide from the truth, we embrace it," Pritzker said. Under the new law, Illinois public libraries can only access state grants if they adopt the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights, which stipulates that "materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval." Other states may choose to embrace prejudice and divisive ideologies, but our state is going in a better direction," said Democratic State Representative Anne Stava-Murray, who represents Downers Grove, in support of the Illinois measure.

Persons: J.B, Pritzker, shouldn't, Laura Hois, We're, Representative Anne Stava, Murray, Maia Kobabe, Toni Morrison, Amanda Gorman, Joe Biden's, Brendan O'Brien, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Illinois, American, Association's, Republican, PEN America, American Library Association, ALA, ABC, Democratic, Representative, Downers, Thomson Locations: Illinois, United States, Chicago, U.S, Florida, Texas, Downers Grove, Utah , Missouri, Miami, Dade County

☆ Period Fiction: 2 Middle Grade Books About Menstruation and the Politics Beyond It
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Anna Holmes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The first, CALLING THE MOON: 16 Period Stories From BIPOC Authors (Candlewick, 368 pp., $22.99, ages 10 and up), is an anthology of short stories and prose poems. The title “Calling the Moon” is a reference to menstruation, which usually happens once a month and which some of the anthology’s characters call a moon or luna. Many of the young characters are quick-thinking, improvising ways to handle an unexpected emergence of blood, including the wadding up of pieces of toilet paper as a method of absorption. But I blanched at her use of the word “menstruators” to encompass people who have periods but don’t identify as female. I have to think that we can come up with something else, maybe simply “people who have periods.”

Persons: Aida Salazar, Yamile Saied Mendez, Salazar, Mendez, There’s Penny, it’s, Eden, ” McCullough Organizations: THE, “, Young, Casa Locations: Casa Esperanza

☆ A Florida parent tried to get Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem banned from school — and confused her with Oprah
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Florida parent tried to get Amanda Gorman's poetry banned, complaining it could "indoctrinate students." Gorman said she is "gutted," but the school told Insider the poem isn't bannedGorman slammed the situation on Twitter, repeating claims that the school banned the book. "Because of one parent's complaint, my inaugural poem, 'The Hill We Climb,' has been banned from an elementary school in Miami-Dade County." The organization, along with Penguin Randomhouse, filed a lawsuit against a Florida school district over the book bans, the Miami Herald reported. "I wrote 'The Hill We Climb' to that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment.

☆ Children’s Books: Enchanting Art, Fickle Fashion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Meghan Cox Gurdon | Dave Eggers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The unusual design of Dave Eggers’s novel “The Eyes & the Impossible” hints at some sort of unusual content. The edges of the book’s pages are gilded, signaling refinement, while the front and back covers are chunky and made of wood. Grab a Copy The Eyes and the Impossible By Dave Eggers Knopf Books for Young Readers 256 pages We may earn a commission when you buy products through the links on our site. Buy Book Amazon Barnes & Noble Books a Million BookshopLike the design, the story on offer combines rough nature with an elevated sensibility. More than that, it presents children ages 8-12 with one of the most appealing heroes in recent children’s literature.

☆ An Oklahoma teacher faced death threats after she helped students access banned books. She says she's more scared for students than for herself.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An Oklahoma teacher who helped students access banned books faced death threats. Summer Boismier left her teaching job and now works at the Brooklyn Public Library. The threats still rattle her, but she's more worried that teens and kids are losing access to books. Boismier resigned from her teaching job and moved 1,500 miles away from her home to Brooklyn, New York, where she began working for the Brooklyn Public Library. That alone shows how much of a demand there is for legislators to stop censoring books, Boismier said.

☆ Roald Dahl publisher to release original versions after backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Roald Dahl's famous children's books including "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Matilda" will be published uncensored later this year said publisher Puffin, bowing to pressure after a public outcry over modernised versions. Puffin, which is part of United States-based publisher Penguin Random House, said on Friday that it would release 17 of Dahl's titles under its Penguin logo later this year, with his original text unchanged. "By making both Puffin and Penguin versions available, we are offering readers the choice to decide how they experience Roald Dahl's magical, marvellous stories," Penguin Random House Children's managing director Francesca Dow said in a statement. Dahl's stinging and quirky descriptions of the adult antagonists, like Miss Trunchbull in "Matilda", have delighted young readers for decades. Puffin publishes Dahl's works, including "James and the Giant Peach" and "The Witches" in partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company.

The Library of Congress named Medina the national ambassador for young people’s literature for 2023-24. Meg Medina. Medina is taking on the job in a political uproar over literature aimed at young people and in school libraries, largely with LGBTQ themes and characters. But to Medina's daughter, whose first language is English, the word means “story me,” said Medina, who now lives in Richmond, Virginia. She knew little about American literature, but she bought Medina the World Book Encyclopedia, on installment, and took her to the library.

☆ A new children’s book about glaciers aims to make activism second nature
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN: What do you think might surprise young readers to learn about glaciers in the book? Sanchez: To keep it relevant to young readers, I keep bringing the focus back to the animals that depend on glaciers. CNN: What are some of the tools your book gives young readers to take action to save the glaciers? CNN: What’s the most important message you hope young readers will take away from your book? They really need to be active, and there are so many things they can do.

☆ Writer R.L. Stine Is a Master of ‘Safe Scares’
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Emily Bobrow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Robert Lawrence Stine always knew he was a writer. He was nine years old when he dragged his family’s typewriter into his room, where he spent most afternoons banging away at stories and jokes. “My parents were kind of horrified,” he recalls over video from his home in Manhattan. “My father would say, ‘What’s wrong with you? Stop typing!’ It was the worst advice I ever got.”As one of the bestselling children’s authors in the world, Mr. Stine has had the last laugh—or ghoulish cackle.

☆ ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ author Jeff Kinney shares his book picks for middle readers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Megan Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —When author Jeff Kinney started writing the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series more than 15 years ago, he set out to create a comic that would resonate with adults and live in the humor section of book stores. “I’m really glad that I didn’t know that I was writing for kids because I think that oftentimes when an adult writes a kid’s book, they start with the lesson in mind. And so the priority of the book becomes the lesson,” Kinney recalled in a recent interview with CNN. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” has sold more than 275 million copies, according to its publisher, with book number 17 in the series, “Diper Överlöde,” releasing Oct. 25. Kinney's next "Wimpy Kid" book, "Diper Överlöde," releases on Oct. 25.

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