Bunchland

Japan’s “Princess of Dots” illustrates Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland

Chances are,  you probably already have a copy of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland kicking around the house. But here’s why you need another one: this new one is illustrated by Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama. Here at Bunch HQ, we’ve previously been amazed by Kusama’s Obliteration Room installation. Turns out, dots are a major thing for her; she has a condition that makes her see spots, “which means she sees the world in a surreal, almost hallucinogenic way.” Which the people at Penguin Classics say is a perfect match for Alice’s descent down the rabbit hole. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons.  Read more...

Flavorwire takes a look at some classics children’s tales

Are we ever glad Maurice Sendak couldn’t really draw horses! We knew the Winnie-the-Pooh inspiration from the intro to the old (old) Pooh videos we used to own, as well as the Cat in the Hat thing from previous Seuss-related Bunch research. London kids being shuttled out of London to stay in the country, or elsewhere, during the Second World War is practically its own genre so the Narnia inspiration comes as no surprise, but that doesn’t make it any less magical. But that Little Prince one, wow.

Pop culture blog Flavorwire shares the inspiration stories for classic children’s stories like Pooh, Where the Wild Things Are, Watership Down and Gremlins. Yeah, what does Gremlins have in common with the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?

We’re going to have to go read the Little Prince again tonight. What your favourite from this classic list?

What we’re reading today:

1. Another win for the breastfeeding crew: some new research shows that kids who are fed breastmilk are less likely to have behavioural problems. Via The Guardian

2. The kids these days are growing up with yoga rather than coming to it in young adulthood (We’re betting that unless you’re an adult child of hippies, you probably didn’t try yoga until university or after) Benefits of kid yoga vs. the grownup kind? They move from Mountain pose into Volcano. Via Washington Post

3. Air Canada refused to allow a Cape Breton teen onto their plane because he has a peanut allergy. Air Canada says they need more notice to make a peanut-free zone. (The teen’s mom had informed the rewards program she booked through of her son’s allergies but the rewards program then didn’t pass that news on to Air Canada. His mom is pissed. The teen and his five epi-pens made their way to Fiji to volunteer via American Airlines instead. Via Mommyish  Read more...