Today in Ms. Frizzle's class we were learning about the body. "What body?" Carlos kept asking anyone who would listen. "Somebody." Ms. Frizzle laughed uproariously every time he said it. "Somebody! That's good, Carlos!" Ms. Frizzle was in a good mood today.

Lee and Low Books, an independent publisher, just released a Diversity Baseline Survey of the publishing industry for 2015, and it's well worth reading.

How many of these characters can you recall? You see, they all remember you.

Agatha "Sister Night-Wind" Brimlap, Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins' elder sister who lives in the coal-cellar and visits the children when they are asleep. She visited you, too. Don't you remember? She keeps all the things the wind carries away.

The Story

One day in summer Frog was not feeling well.

Toad said, "Frog, you are looking quite green."

"But I always look green," said Frog. "I am a frog."

And Toad turned his head and said nothing, and Frog knew that he had said the wrong thing.

She is the folk tale to Poppins’ myth. She is also chaotic, but amorally so. She is the careless chaos brought on by the intriguing narcissist. She is also one of the saddest characters I’ve ever read.

In the great forest, a little elephant is born. His name is Babar. His mother loves him very much. She rocks him to sleep with her trunk while singing softly to him.

Babar has grown bigger. He now plays with the other little elephants. He is a very good little elephant. See him digging in the sand with a shell.

This is George.
He lived in the forest.
He was very happy.
But he had one fault. He was too curious.
Now he is not happy. Now he has many faults.
What is your fault?
What will make you unhappy?

"Oh, Amelia Bedelia, your first day of work, and I can't be here. But I made a list for you. You just read the list and you'll be fine," said Mrs. Rogers. Mrs. Rogers got into the car with Mr. Rogers. They drove away. "My, what nice folks. I'm going to like working here," said Amelia Bedelia. Amelia Bedelia went inside. "Such a grand house. These must be rich folks. But I must get to work. Here…

Hayley Krischer's previous work for The Toast can be found here. The Paper Bag Princess was first told at the Bay Area Childcare Center in Coos Bay Oregon where I had a job in 1973 and 1974. I had been telling lots and lots of dragon stories. They were all fairly regular dragon stories where the prince saves the princess from the dragon. One day my wife, who also worked at the daycare center,…

Previously: Ayn Rand Reviews Children's Movies. Thomas the Tank Engine When I ride on the 20th Century Limited, nobody touches a lever on the control panel but me. To ride a train is to take ingenuity itself as your lover; children should be given books about trains early and often. All trains are important. Thomas the Tank Engine is the most important train that there is, because he believes himself to be so. Other,…

Previously in this series: The Little Prince. A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. She held him, and he couldn't move unless she moved him. When she wanted him to be still, he was still. When she wanted him to move, he moved. And she rocked him, and she held him. And while she held him, she sang: I'll love…

Previously in this series: The Rainbow Fish. I used to draw pictures as a boy. I don't do that now. A boa constrictor can swallow its prey whole, without chewing, and then rests without moving for six months to digest it. After I am eaten, I will rest too. A hat is not the same thing as a snake eating an elephant. I can talk about stars, and forests, and snakes; I can talk…

In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. In two straight lines they broke their bread and brushed their teeth and went to bed. They smiled at the good and frowned at the bad and sometimes they were very sad. They left the house at half past nine in two straight lines in rain or shine- the smallest one was Madeline. She was not…

James and the Giant Peach - An abused child murders his family, then flees the country. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - A small boy becomes the owner of a multinational food and beverage conglomerate after witnessing the deaths of several children. Fantastic Mr. Fox - Three sustainable-scale farmers are driven out of business. Danny, the Champion of the World - A young man becomes class-conscious and participates in property destruction.