While most of my heart is taken over by children's book illustration there remains one ventricle devoted to animation. And reading Amid Amidi's blog this morning I came across a startling excerpt that has me scowling at my coffee.

Read it yourself or let me paraphrase: a letter sent in 1939 is circulating in blogs from Walt Disney Co. to a hopeful female applicant with five years of experience at another animation house.

She is told that "Women do not do any of the creative work in connection with preparing cartoons for the screen, as that work is performed entirely by young men..."

(Side note: the comments on this do reflect that this was a bit of a lie--there was um, ONE woman or so working in the creative department at that time with more showing up later like the indomitable Mary Blair.)

This all gets back to Geena Davis, no less, whose SeeJane group has come out with a study on kid movies and the lack of female leads or even supporting characters.

Which gets back to children's books!

Geena brings up the stinky adage for movies I've heard murmured at SCBWI events and in children's book speakeasies: Girls will watch stories about boys but boys won't watch stories about girls (just sub "read" for "watch" and you've got the entire children's entertainment industry covered.)

Normally I hit my head and say, yes! That's just the way it is! What can we do?

Besides blaming fairy tale archetypes and the bird-brained male dominated animation industry (I don't want to lambast the animation industry, too much...is it really Pixar's fault if Disney and his impeccable training courses discriminated against women and the effects of that are still bubbling up through the industry? But where is there a female lead in a Pixar movie?) we can do as Geena does and try to provide balance in the stories we read and show our young friends.

Search out books and movies that portray women in strong roles, minorities as non-clowns and non-villains, boys and men that aren't overly aggressive and that stand up to sexism.

Luckily I can offer up a few titles to start you on (and please don't be mad if I mention these books frequently--I love them and they are well written AND fall into this non-bird brain category)

Movies:
Secret of NIMH (I can't remember if the book version has her as heroic as the cartoon does)
Spirited Away
cartoons by Faith and John Hubley (parents of Georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo)
Mary Poppins
The Journey of Natty Gann
The Triplets of Belleville

Picture books:

Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs, illustrated by Paul O Zelinsky
Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola
Bottle Houses by Melissa Eskridge Slaymaker, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Mrs Biddlebox by Linda Smith, illustrated by Marla Frazee
the Ella books by Carmela and Steven D'Amico
Un Papa Sur Mesure by Davide Cali, illustrated by Anna Laura Cantone
Carmine: A Little More Red by Melissa Sweet

Novels:

Anything by Karen Cushman
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
The Beast of Noor by Janet Lee Carey
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger
Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa
and the talented Holly Cupala speaks highly of The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale which I just got from the library and am hoping it fits this anti-birdbrain list.

That is just the tip of the iceberg I'm sure (what is on my shelf currently) and I'd love to get more recommendations!

Now since someone forgot to tell me the gas company would be all over the house today and tomorrow my one day to work at home becomes my one day to...not work at home. Here's hoping I find a dog friendly place with WiFi.

Jaime