two queries

writer · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 1

Hi all! I'm a journalist, parent, lover of children's books, and
daughter of children's librarian. I'm researching an article about
factual errors in picture books, and I had two questions for you:

(1) Can you think of any picture books that had errors in them that
really bugged you? What were they? (For example: a picture of a
mallard duck labeled "goose" or a book about things that happen in
autumn that lists "birds building nests and laying eggs"). Note: I
don't mean fanciful stuff that's supposed to be fanciful, animals
talking, etc. I mean errors in a book that's otherwise clearly trying
to present reality, even if in a fun story.

(2) My mother recalls a book, probably from the late 1980s or early
1990s in which a girl is learning about backstage at a theater (the
Met?) while looking for a relative (uncle?) who plays the french horn.
When she finds him, the picture shows a *tuba*. Groan. Can anyone help
me identify this book?

Thanks so much.

Miriam Axel-Lute
www.mjoy.org

Archived from group: rec>arts>books>childrens

Kris Baker · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 23

wrote in message @e23g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
> Hi all! I'm a journalist, parent, lover of children's books, and
> daughter of children's librarian. I'm researching an article about
> factual errors in picture books, and I had two questions for you:
>
> (1) Can you think of any picture books that had errors in them that
> really bugged you? What were they? (For example: a picture of a
> mallard duck labeled "goose" or a book about things that happen in
> autumn that lists "birds building nests and laying eggs"). Note: I
> don't mean fanciful stuff that's supposed to be fanciful, animals
> talking, etc. I mean errors in a book that's otherwise clearly trying
> to present reality, even if in a fun story.
>
> (2) My mother recalls a book, probably from the late 1980s or early
> 1990s in which a girl is learning about backstage at a theater (the
> Met?) while looking for a relative (uncle?) who plays the french horn.
> When she finds him, the picture shows a *tuba*. Groan. Can anyone help
> me identify this book?
>
> Thanks so much.
>
> Miriam Axel-Lute
> www.mjoy.org

There's a series of "Lili" books from the 1990s:
Lili on Stage
Lili at Ballet
Lili Backstage

http://www.amazon.com/Lili-Backstage-Rachel-Isadora/dp/0399230254
Lili's grandfather plays the french horn in "Lili Backstage".

I don't know if he appears in all of the books...but there are
images on the Amazon page that might remind your mother
of which book she's thinking of.

Kris

hschinske · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 144

On Feb 18, 7:29�am, wri...@mjoy.org wrote:
> Hi all! I'm a journalist, parent, lover of children's books, and
> daughter of children's librarian. I'm researching an article about
> factual errors in picture books, and I had two questions for you:
>
> (1) Can you think of any picture books that had errors in them that
> really bugged you? What were they? (For example: a picture of a
> mallard duck labeled "goose" or a book about things that happen in
> autumn that lists "birds building nests and laying eggs"). Note: I
> don't mean fanciful stuff that's supposed to be fanciful, animals
> talking, etc. I mean errors in a book that's otherwise clearly trying
> to present reality, even if in a fun story.

Speaking of ducks, I've seen more than one book where the adult duck
and the baby duck were both bright yellow. To cite old books, Curious
George is always called a monkey, even though he has no tail. "Katy No-
Pocket" -- well, dunno about you, but in *my* world a kangaroo with no
pocket is, um, like, male?

_Tikki-Tikki-Tembo_ (in addition to the well-known confusion of
Japanese and Chinese) has a picture of someone bowing -- but
BACKWARDS!

_The Very Hungry Caterpillar_ has been criticized for having the
butterfly emerge from a cocoon rather than a chrysalis, but that's
pretty subtle.

One of the facts-of-life books my kids had (I forget at the moment
which one) shows a gorilla nursing her baby. My daughter said "Look at
the shape of its head -- isn't that a male gorilla?" She was right.

One of Dr. Seuss's Horton books has a kangaroo in Africa. Now, I know
Dr. Seuss is not supposed to be realistic, but really, mixing up
Africa and Australia?

There's some famous picture (I think from a longer book) by Robert
McCloskey, of a bunch of men in a bed with their feet sticking out at
the foot, and there is one too many feet (or maybe one pair too many,
I forget).

--Helen

Derek Janssen · Joined: 28 Sep 2007 Posts: 9

writer@mjoy.org wrote:

> Hi all! I'm a journalist, parent, lover of children's books, and
> daughter of children's librarian. I'm researching an article about
> factual errors in picture books, and I had two questions for you:
>
> (1) Can you think of any picture books that had errors in them that
> really bugged you? What were they?

I remember one middle grade where a boy was being haunted by the ghosts
of historical characters, and kept hearing Abraham Lincoln, over and
over throughout the *entire book*, saying "Four score and twenty years
ago"...

Derek Janssen
ejanss1@verizon.net

Miriam Axel-Lute · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 3

thanks! We'll check it out!

Cori · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 12

You can find some of my objections to a couple of frequently-requested
books here:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.books.childrens/browse_frm/thread/f728d207b16c237b/ffc329a63f8374f6?lnk=gst&q=Pigeon+Ladies+Nellie#ffc329a63f8374f6

Miriam Axel-Lute · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 3

On Feb 19, 4:20 pm, Derek Janssen wrote:

>
> I remember one middle grade where a boy was being haunted by the ghosts
> of historical characters, and kept hearing Abraham Lincoln, over and
> over throughout the *entire book*, saying "Four score and twenty years
> ago"...
>
> Derek Janssen
> ejan...@verizon.net

Oh, that's a good one! Any chance you could come up with its name?

Miriam Axel-Lute · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 3

>
> http://www.amazon.com/Lili-Backstage-Rachel-Isadora/dp/0399230254
> Lili's grandfather plays the french horn in "Lili Backstage".
>
That's the one! I got my hands on an original printing, and the
picture is clearly a baritone/tuba. Wow.

Kris Baker · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 23

"Miriam Axel-Lute" wrote in message @j28g2000hsj.googlegroups.com...
>
>>
>> http://www.amazon.com/Lili-Backstage-Rachel-Isadora/dp/0399230254
>> Lili's grandfather plays the french horn in "Lili Backstage".
>>
> That's the one! I got my hands on an original printing, and the
> picture is clearly a baritone/tuba. Wow.

No Wow. Thank Google and a spare minute.

Kris