Fat Is Not a Fairy Tale

In my Young Adult Lit class right now we are covering the topics of fairy tales and fantasy by reading Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block, and the infamous Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. (I am ashamed to admit that I have only read the first four Harry Potter books. :( But, not to worry, because this summer I plan on finally reading them all!) While I have always loved Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and the other typical, well-known princesses (Okay, okay I still do, and to be honest I have a princess mug and night light -- both of which I use), I am fascinated by the number of YA books available on retold fairy tales -- many of which highlight strong female protagonists in control of their own fate. I think it is important for adolescents to be familiar with the age-old fairy tales like Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, etc. because they are a large part of our culture; however, I think it is even more important for them to seek new role models that better represent the realities of our world today. I'd like to share with you one of my favorite poems by Jane Yolen, entitled "Fat Is Not a Fairy Tale."


"Fat Is Not a Fairy Tale"

I am thinking of a fairy tale,
Cinder Elephant,
Sleeping Tubby,
Snow Weight,
where the princess is not
anorexic, wasp-waisted,
flinging herself down the stairs.

I am thinking of a fairy tale,
Hansel and Great,
Repoundsel,
Bounty and the Beast,
where the beauty
has a pillowed breast,
and fingers plump as sausage.

I am thinking of a fairy tale
that is not yet written,
for a teller not yet born,
for a listener not yet conceived,
for a world not yet won,
where everything round is good:
the sun, wheels, cookies, and the princess.
                                     -- Jane Yolen


What do you think? Can you picture this fairy tale?

~Kelly

Sloppy Firsts

Hello, cyberspace!

So this is what it feels like to be a blogger. Hmm, interesting.

Inspired by the current surge of Facebook, Twitter, and all other forms of social-networking (as well as a few blogs that I have begun to follow, including my older sister's),  I finally decided to begin a blog of my own! Not really sure where I wanted to go with this, I named my blog "Little Moments" because I truly believe in the saying "It's the little things that matter in life." Whether it's a great cup of coffee, a good country song, or a smile from a stranger, little things have the most impact on who we are and what matters to us in life. That being said, I may post about small moments I have encountered during the day that made me smile and I hope will make you smile too. :) But I will also be blogging about my life - most importantly an internship I have just taken with the New Jersey Council for the Humanities Summer Teacher Institute this summer (SO excited!), and my student teaching experiences that will occur next semester! (I am an English/Secondary Education major at The College of New Jersey).

So, take what you will from this blog, and I hope it inspires you in some small way.

"Enjoy the little things in life for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things."

Happy Reading,
~Kelly