Here is this morning's round up of news on the lead law that is destroying kiddie books all over the country. (Not to mention, dirt bikes, baby clothes, and the careers of thousands of handicraft makers.)
And Overlawyered has responded to the NY Times' ridiculous editorial in favor of the law. You'll want to read both the original, and the response.
I didn't read a ton of kid's books as a child. I read what we had in the house, which was largely classic novels. The elementary school library, and the scholastic book club handouts, introduced me to all kinds of wonderful kiddie books. Just for the hell of it, I googled to see which of those I remember fondly have been out of print since 1985 or before. Under the new law, these books are now illegal to sell.
Confessions of a Toe Hanger by Christie Harris
Runaway Alice by Frances Salomon Murphy
The Bad Times of Irma Baumlein by Carole Ryrie Brink
Tee-bo the Talking Dog on the trail of the persnickety prowler
and Tee-bo the talking dog and the great hort hunt, by Mary WhitcombThe Resident Witch by Marion T. Place
This is just off the top of my head, a few books I loved in elementary and have either picked up, or been looking for new copies of, every since. This is to say nothing of my beloved Alfred Hitchcock and the three investigators, or Encyclopedia Brown- both of which are now "in print" again. But surely more copies were available at used bookstores around the country than are sitting on shelves at an Amazon warehouse. Those books will no longer find their way into the hands of children, and I find that tremendously sad.
1 comment:
Don't forget Ed Emberley's minor masterpiece of optical art, "The Wizard of Op," which only went through one first-edition print before disappearing into libraries and private collections. Printed in the '70s. My niece will see our copy, but lots of other kids never will.
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