Army Enlists Children’s Book To Help Families

“The Kissing Hand,” a children’s book about a raccoon trying to assuage her baby’s separation anxiety, rose in popularity after 9/11, when the American Library Association recommended it. The book has just sold an additional 14,000 copies to a single customer: the U.S. Army. In a first-time effort, the army plans to distribute the story to help military families cope with wartime separation.

Alice vs. Harry: Who’s More Dangerous?

Once upon a time, the Harry Potter books could be counted on to incite the most alarm among those who seek to protect America’s youth by removing objectionable books from schools and libraries. Now Harry and his magic have been toppled from their No. 1 spot by a lesser-known series: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s well-reviewed “Alice” books, whose sexual content provoked numerous challenges in 2003.

Conran May Leave Museum He Founded

Sir Terence Conran, founder of London’s Design Museum, has threatened to resign, worsening a problematic week that began with the resignation Monday of the museum’s chairman, James Dyson. Sir Terence objected to the emphasis on “tinsel exhibitions” over more serious work at the museum, which is currently offering an exhibition on flower arrangements.

Mistaking Cheerleading For Education

Populism is one thing, but the new Museum of the American Indian seems so taken with the idea of pleasing the masses that it has actively ignored any serious discussion of the role of native peoples in the history of America, says Timothy Noah. “The new museum stubbornly refuses to impose any recognizable standard of scholarship, or even value, on the items in its galleries… The museum’s curators regard the very notion of a Native American cultural heritage as anathema because it clashes with the museum’s boosterish message that Native American culture is as vibrant today as it ever was. This isn’t a museum; it’s a public service announcement.”

Scottish Publisher Keeps On Growing

“Scottish publisher Birlinn has added another asset to its growing business with the buy-out of Tuckwell Press, the Scottish academic publisher. Tuckwell Press’s founders and owners, John and Val Tuckwell, are to work with the Edinburgh-based Birlinn. Birlinn is riding high on the huge sales of the novels of Alexander McCall Smith. The company bought the Polygon imprint in 2002, acquiring the publisher of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series just as they exploded into a huge international success. McCall Smith’s sales have helped push Birlinn’s annual turnover to the £2 million mark.”

Surviving The Wagner Marathon

Everyone loves a good Ring cycle, right? Well, maybe not the musicians in the orchestra pit, who have to play for 16 solid hours to get through the four Wagner operas. Wagner’s music is as physically demanding as classical performance gets, and injuries are a very real concern. In Australia, where the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra is gearing up for its first Ring, organizers have gone as far as bringing in physical therapists and other specialists to assist the musicians in completing the cycle without injury.