February 2022 – Read With River

What is Freedom? What’s the difference between ‘freedom’ & Privilege’?

Lately I have been asking myself “What is freedom?” an awful lot. So I started looking at my books trying to find freedom. Here’s what I found…

Growing up in Canada, we don’t’ spend a lot of time talking about the concept of ‘Freedom.’ Not in the way that seems to take over a lot of the discussion in America around what they demand from their society, what they expect of their lives. “Freedom” has never been our primary value in our Canadian society.

But lately I’ve begun to really start thinking about what it means to have freedom, and where does freedom end and privilege begin? What is a basic freedom and what is entitlement? So I turned to my books, to search for freedom and this is what I’ve found.

The freedom to dream big?

“Astronaut Training” by Aneta Cruz & Olivia Aserr from Astra Publishing House
“Baby Young Gifted and Black, With a Mirror” by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins from Quarto

On the surface level, I think a lot of people think of freedom as breaking free from the constraints of society, letting their hair down and, letting out their emotions.

Freedom is the space to run, to howl and cry.

“Howl” by Kat Patrick and Evie Barrow from Scribble
We Became Jaguars” by Dave Eggars and Woodrow White from Chronicle
“When I See Red” by Britta Teckentrup from Prestel

Being able to count on your basic needs being met is freedom, freedom to live.

But, freedom is the right to clean drinking water, safety, food security.

“Nibi’s Water Song” by Sunshine Tenasco and Chief Lady Bird from Scholastic
“Bright Star” by Yuyi Morales from Holiday House Books
“Saturday at the Food Pantry” by Diane O’Neil and Brizida Magro from Albert Whitman

Freedom from Oppression & Persecution

“When We Were Alone” by David A. Robertson and Julie Flett from Highwater Press an imprint of Portage and Maine
“Best-Loved Jewish Songs: Songs for Friends and Family” from Cottage Door Press
“When We Say Black Lives Matter” by Maxine Beneba Clarke from Candlewick
“The 1619 Project Born on the Water” by Nikole Hanna-Jones and Renée Watson and Nikkolas Smith from Penguin Random House
“Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii” Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, Sara Florence Davidson, Alyssa Koski (Illustrator), Judy Hilgemann from Heritage House

Freedom is autonomy over your own body (not someone else’s.)

“Don’t Touch My Hair” by Sharee Miller from Little Brown Books for Young Readers
“Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesnt Like It)” by Carrie Finison and Daniel Wiseman from G.B. Putnam and Son’s Books for Young Readers
“The Bare Naked Book” by Kathy Stinson and Melissa Cho from Annick Press

Freedom is, to be in your own skin, to love yourself and take up space without apology or explanation.

Freedom to exist in your body, to love yourself and, be respected.

“What Happened To You?” by James Catchpole and Karen George from Faber
“Laxmi’s Mooch” by Shelly Annand and Nabi H. Ali from Penguin Random House
“Eyes that Kiss in the Corners” by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho from Harper Collins
“Magic Like That” by Samara Cole Doyon and Geneva Bowers from Lee & Low

Freedom is to be able to love without fear.

“Love Grows Everywhere” by Barry Timms from Quarto
“Bathe The Cat” by Alice B. McGinty and David Roberts from Chronicle Books
“Prince & Knight” by Daniel Haack and Stevie Lewis from Little Bee Books in partnership with GLAAD
“Two Grooms on a Cake” by Rob Sanders and Robbie Cathro from Simon & Schuster

Freedom is to be able to express your identity.

“Ho’Onani Hula Warrior” by Heather Gale and Mika Song from Tundra Books
“The Spectacular Suit” by Kat Patrick and Hayley Wells from Scribble Kids Books
“Téo’s Tutu” by Maryann Jacob Macias and Alea Marley from Penguin Random House
“When Aiden Became a Brother” by Kyle Lukoff and Kaylani Juanita from Lee & Low

What did they all have in common? Safety. The safety to dream, to feel, to love, to be, to live. If your idea of freedom is directly endangering any of that safety of others, then what you’re asking for isn’t freedom, it’s privilege.

Why do some picturebooks only become classics in one country? Is it just marketing, or something more?

Becoming a picturebook reviewer in an age of social media has demonstrated to me one thing. Almost nothing is universal. Picturebooks are no exception. It’s not something the average reader questions a lot, ‘is this book famous in other countries?’ But after spending a few years making friends with picturebook reviewers around the world I’ve learned that the kinds of picturebooks that are popular in each place varies quite a lot.

**When I first started Bookstagram I was shocked and a little bit aghast that most people outside of Canada had never heard of**
**Robert Munsch.** Munsch & Martchenko are a fixture of Canadian kid lit, having published over 60 books in the last 40 years, they are on every shelf and in every classroom.

Look I could write love letters to Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko all the live long day, and I have. Actually one time I met Martchenko at a party and I almost passed out, he was quite dashing. I’ve never been so starstruck. But I’ll spare you at the moment and get to the point, how, in the world are these books not famous everywhere? Certainly they are household staples here in Canada. For good reason, they’re unsurpassable.

Munsch’s stories are always funny, with an element of the ridiculous, and centre on the experiences and thoughts of children.
They are in my opinion unparalleld. **But why don’t people feel that way outside of Canada?**
**Most are made by Scholastic so it’s not an issue of distribution.**

But I’m not just going to dismiss this as a matter of lack of taste. I really want to know, why aren’t Munsch books as famous in other countries? They’re all humorous, is that the issue? Is Canadian humour-an ephemeral concept to try and define-fundamentally different from humour elsewhere, and if so then what is it? Is Canadian humour too ridiculous? Is it all the snow (they don’t all have snow…)? OR is it that Munsch books avoid lessons and morals? Is it the purpose of kidlit what makes them less appealing to people elsewhere? Do Canadian families just want to read for fun, where as elsewhere, families read for other purposes?

Is it that our sense of humour is fundamentally different?
Or is it that our purpose for childrens’ books is fundamentally different?

**Are different topics just more popular in different countries?** These Australians kids books never took off in North America, is it because we don’t have Wombats and…well do we have possums?

When you take a look at the most famous Aussie kidlit, they tend to heavily lean towards books about Australian animals. Which makes sense, it’s Australia. Are Australian readers more interested in Animal stories than elsewhere? Or did they not gain popularity elsewhere because readers in other parts of the world don’t have wombats and kangaroos?

**And why isn’t Chicka Chicka Boom Boom not famous in the UK?** Is it because of the pace? The accent while reading? Or is this colour scheme just too much for everyone?

When it comes to style and mood how does that play into this? Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is another fixture in every North American kindergarten room, but that’s not so in the UK? Why? Clearly I have more questions than answers today.

**What makes a British Book a British Book? And do young readers even notice?** Is it a mood?
Is it pacing?
Or is it just down to how things look?

**And then some books just take off everywhere. Over 50 mill. copies have been sold of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”** Why?
Why THIS book?
What makes this universal?

When we look picturebooks that have ‘made it’ worldwide. Is there a theme? What connects them, is it all random? Or is it something more? “The Hungry Caterpillar” it’s simple, and carries themes of change, of growth, of hope. That’s pretty universal. But is it any more universal than any other of the thousands of books that are beloved in their home country and don’t make it abroad?

Month: February 2022

What is Freedom? Exploring the concept through Picturebooks. #LibrarianFightClub