Beauty contests may be as passé as the slide ruler or the horse and carriage. But a killer smile never goes out of fashion. And so I thank the late Caryl Arlene Smith-Givens — who was crowned “Miss Television” at the 1939 World’s Fair — for being the highest spike of the Charm-O-Meter in an […]
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Beer 1933: Back from the Dead
Today—National Beer Day thanks to the crusading temperament and social media savvy of Richmond, Virginia’s Justin Smith—doesn’t mark the anniversary of Prohibition’s demise. But in 19 U.S. states it does mark the historic return of beer. Beer of 3.2% alcohol, anyway. But on April 7, 1933, suds of that potency had not been (legally) seen […]
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My NCBLA “Great Reads” Pick: Emil and the Detectives
It was a true honor to have been tapped to pick a “Great Read” for The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance. I’d like to tell you a bit about my choice: Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner. I did not have the pleasure of being introduced to Kästner’s 1929 kids’ novel when I […]
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