Letters

One of our readers finds the wannabe Chihuahua offensive

I just read Skippyjon Jones based upon a recommendation by one of my friends. She gave the book to my son’s kindergarten teacher, who read it aloud in class. The parent probably didn’t even realize what she was doing. After all, the book did win an E. B. White Read Aloud Award and also the recommendation of School Library Journal. The problem is that this book is totally offensive. I am half Latin and, frankly, the Yo Quiero Taco Bell dog didn’t offend me. However, there was a big uproar among Mexican Americans, and Taco Bell pulled him from their ads—Skippyjon Jones is way more offensive than the Taco Bell dog ever was.

The author, who is most likely a white woman, probably felt that she was being cute and funny and that it would appeal to her anglicized Latin friends. However, it is just really off the mark. If I were to send this book to any of the Latin organizations on college campuses, I know that it wouldn’t be well received. I am pretty shocked at the stereotypes of banditos, references to beans, and adding the letter “o” to words to make them sound more Spanish. The part where the dog attempts to emulate a Latin accent with long “ees” is really offensive. It is simply not cute to make fun of the language of any ethnic group or to ascribe characteristics or sayings to that group. Frankly, I don’t know any Mexican Americans who say “Holy Guacamole.” This book is only funny to white Americans who aren’t thinking. Worse yet, it depicts weird stereotypes to children about what Mexicans or Latinos might be like.

How would this book be received if Skippyjon Jones wanted to be a neurotic poodle that happened to be Jewish? If he were saying little stereotypical phrases in Yiddish, how would that sound and look? I don’t think anyone would find that funny at all. It would not be appropriate. It would be racist.

This book is a demonstration of bad judgment. In this day and age, I really thought that publishers and book critics would know better.

I’m a fan of SLJ, so reluctantly I’m writing to object to the review of Mary Humphrey’s The Kids’ Yoga Book of Feelings (Marshall Cavendish; May 2008, p. 115). The reviewer stated that “not enough explanation is given for some of the poses; in tree pose, the child’s foot is pressing directly on the knee, a common mistake that can cause injury.”

The author, a licensed yoga teacher who has been teaching yoga to children for more than 30 years, stated in her introduction that “there is no absolutely correct style in which to do a pose.” In addition, the book was vetted by Jayadeva, an instructor at Integral Yoga of Princeton. And Paul Grilley, an expert on yoga anatomy, had this to say about the tree pose after the book was published: “As far as I know, anything as simple as tree pose is not going to compromise the knee.”

The reviewer is correct, however, in pointing out that the book’s emphasis is on the feelings released by the poses rather than on detailed instructions on how to assume each pose.

The Kids’ Yoga Book of Feelings is actually a book about the limbs of yoga, which are less tangible than the asanas, or poses, which are physical. In addressing the emotional side of yoga, and the way that the poses open a person up to emotional awareness, the author has provided a valuable supplement to the many books on practicing yoga asanas with children.

What I wanted to make clear in the review is that this is not the book to use to teach yoga poses to children, as it is not specific enough. However, I do realize that yoga with children is less about alignment and more about the idea of practicing poses and having fun. I do plan to use the book in library programming with children.

I agree with the author that “there is no absolutely correct style in which to do a pose.” But there are incorrect ways to do poses and one of them is to place the foot directly upon the knee joint in tree pose. While the very flexible body of a young child is unlikely to be damaged by this positioning, the knee is a very unstable joint and many people do suffer from knee problems; more and more this is even being seen in children who play sports. It’s natural for children to want to rest the foot on the knee, but it is important to teach good yoga habits to children as they begin their yoga practice.

I discussed this with three highly experienced yoga teachers who have studied with everyone from Bikram Choudhury to Shiva Rea and have yoga alliance certification, and all agreed that it is never appropriate to press against the knee in tree pose.

In a recent editorial (April 2008, p. 9), Brian Kenney claims that ALA’s Core Competencies of Librarianship, recently approved by the Presidential Task Force on Library Education, “completely ignores youth.” When something has been deliberately left out, it does not always logically follow that it has been ignored. And in this case, that is an insulting insinuation. The Task Force Chair, Carla Hayden (former ALSC board member), is deeply committed to library service for youth. Holly Willett, another member of the Task Force, teaches and conducts research in public and school librarianship. I am a former children’s librarian who has taught youth courses at four universities. All three of us agree with the consensus of the Task Force.

The Core Competencies state: “These core competencies define the knowledge base to be possessed by a person graduating from an ALA-accredited master’s program in library and information studies and, thus, the knowledge required of a beginning generalist librarian. Specialist librarians will need to possess knowledge beyond that specified here.” Youth services is clearly an area of specialization. We must keep in mind that this document will form the basis of required core courses in graduate schools of librarianship. Required. Just how many courses/credits should ALA dictate?

The Core Competencies are intended to be the knowledge base of all graduates of ALA-accredited LIS programs, irrespective of the area of librarianship in which they intend to work. In addition to that universal knowledge base, such graduates will (a) have had courses on the application of those competencies in particular areas, such as children’s librarianship, and (b) specialist courses in areas that only apply to a specialization, such as storytelling. All librarians should know about reference, cataloging, collections, ethics, etc., and learn to apply them in their chosen specializations. ALA divisions may take this basic knowledge base and add the competencies they deem essential for, in this case, youth services librarians. Those specialized competencies will not be added to the Core Competencies but will, with the Core Competencies, form a statement of what every youth services librarian should know.

Library practitioners and library educators have been clamoring for a set of core competencies for at least two decades. A draft has been in the works for over 10 years. Let’s stop advocating for the inclusion of our own specializations and work together to get the Core Competencies passed! They are desperately needed and are long overdue. To read the Competencies, visit wikis.ala.org/professionaltips/index.php/Competencies.

It would be extremely helpful if SLJ would write a follow-up article to Marc Aronson’s “Not a Pretty Picture” (June 2008, p. 31). As a librarian-teacher, I must admit that I am a strong proponent of reputable database use in addition to being a lover of nonfiction books. For me, the two complement one another beautifully. While one gives facts, images, and videos, the other offers well-documented and researched information in a tangible narrative style that could never be replaced by database information. Therefore, I find that the legal and ethical issues surrounding his article are crucial to our field. We must practice what we preach to our students. What is the law? Who are the database providers who are not abiding by the law? I would be appalled to find out that I have spent thousands of dollars supporting a business that is taking advantage of a loophole.

In terms of the professional writer of nonfiction, I might suggest to Mr. Aronson that these writers form a consortium to purchase access to these images at a reasonable cost. This has been done by many nonpublic schools. It is unconscionable to think that writers such as he are between a rock and a hard place with no help.

As someone new to the realm of youth services, I was captivated by Amy Pattee’s article on street lit (“Street Fight,” July 2008, pp. 26–30). I believe it is important to recognize that all readers want to read books they can connect with, books that speak to their condition. The popularity of these books among young adults suggests that their content is something urban youth can relate to. As such, it is a library’s responsibility to make these titles available to young adult readers.

I agree wholeheartedly with Ms. Pattee that we must serve the needs of teens and cannot allow our own tastes to interfere with that mission. Furthermore, if we, as librarians and educators, recognize that it is lamentable that street lit’s subject matter—drugs, violence, death, teenage pregnancy—is something urban youth can identify with, then we should use these texts as a launching pad for starting a dialogue with teens (via book clubs) about their lives in order to bring about positive social change.