Hello folks!
First of all, I’d like to thank you for still being here despite me being very quiet over the last year or two. There has been a lot of upheaval in my life, what with the accidental creation of not one, but TWO ridiculously active online communities (Critter Gifting and Wolfenoot). They have taken up a lot of my time and energy.
I have rather a soft spot for the Jellybean, though, and would like to get back to it. But I kind of want to give it a facelift. So I am giving that some thought.
My original plan of working through a list that (more or less) represented the “western canon” of kiddielit was based heavily in a data kind of way of thinking. It was about the individual stories to a degree, but it was also about analysing the canon as a whole, seeing patterns, that kind of thing. While I still think there is value in that, I’m not sure it’s the best approach for this particular thing.
I am now thinking perhaps the Jellybean would be better served by me working with our kids and reviewing books they read and enjoy. I could still do occasional nerdy essays on canon books, but I think other parents may be more interested in the recommendations of kids?
I would definitely like to punctuate that with longer form, more in-depth, academically leaning pieces on kids books – to be honest, the academic side of my brain would enjoy the exercise, and I do actually have that expertise, so that might be fun, and possibly of interest to other people?
With all that in mind, what direction would YOU like the Jellybean to take? Is there anything in particular you would like to see?
Let me know!
The Bookish Jelly Bean 