Paddington, at 50, Gets a Very 2008 Makeover

Songs, pictures, and fun activities—get your copy now!

(NEWSER) - For just $3.59, your kids can start learning about the Tea Party —and have fun at the same time! The Tea Party Coloring Book for Kids, which declares itself "a teaching and learning tool," is for sale at ColoringBook.com . Among other things, it explains the origins of the Tea Party and lets kids color in pictures of the Founding Fathers and complete word puzzles, NPR reports. More»

Old dad, poor dad as out of it as ever in kid lit

(NEWSER) - Despite major upheavals in gender roles, clueless dads unable to parent or set a table still rule in children's books—if they exist at all—laments one stay-at-home father. "I’m aware that there is plenty of good-natured humor to be had from lampooning fathers," writes columnist Damon Syson in the Times of London. But in his survey of books, fathers are all too often "absent, silly or just plain busy. When they do appear they are often withdrawn and ineffectual," he notes. More»

(NEWSER) - The number of children born to illegal immigrants is rising rapidly, a new study says, raising a host of economic and social concerns. The number of such children rose from 2.7 million in 2003 to 4 million last year, the Washington Post reports. More than a third of the children live in poverty, about twice the rate of other US kids. More»

Writes real Alice of his fondness for children

(NEWSER) - Alice in Wonderland's author is sending a message from the grave to the literary experts who have long wondered whether he was a pedophile. A privately held letter has emerged in which Lewis Carroll tells real-life Alice—a child friend 18 years his junior—about his fondness for kids and a preference for girls over boys, the Daily Mail writes. More»

Publishers embrace books about farts, boogers, blood

(NEWSER) - Young boys, who trail far behind their female peers as readers, are reversing that trend with help from publishers who seek to exploit their love for everything gross. The Wall Street Journal examines the wave of children's’ titles rife with farts, boogers, blood, and flesh-eating bacteria—and talks with some grown-ups who don't see a problem. More»