Celebrity Reading List

Madonna

2005-10-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

Interview with Madonna

Q: You've said that although you'd envisioned yourself doing many things in your life, writing children's books was never one of them. Why did you decide to write a series of books for kids? And why now?

Madonna: For two reasons:I have two children now, and they are a source of great inspiration for me.I am on my own spiritual path and have learned a great many things. Among them is the importance of sharing and the desire to enlighten others. Children are naturally open and expansive, so I thought I would start sharing what I have learned with them first.

Q: You've described this [English Roses] as a book about jealousy and envy and how these emotions cause so much unnecessary suffering in our lives. Was there anything in particular from your own experiences, as a child or an adult, which made this an especially relevant subject for you to explore?

Madonna: As a child I experienced jealousy and envy towards other girls for any number of reasons: I was jealous they had mothers, jealous they were prettier or richer. It isn't until you grow up that you realize what a waste of time those feelings are. I now, of course, experience the reverse, with people either being jealous of me and being unkind as a result, or little girls being jealous of my daughter and alienating her.

Q: You say your daughter was very helpful in the process of creating this book and in letting you know when it was finished. How so?

Madonna: She was very involved in the creative process. She told me when the story was boring. She asked for the girls to do particular activities (her favorite things to do) and she helped me choose illustrators.

Q:What were your favorite books when you were a child?

Madonna: The Giving Tree, Charlotte's Web, Winnie The Pooh, Alice In Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Secret Garden.

Q: Is there a common theme that ties the five books together?

Madonna: Each book deals with issues that all children confront:UncertaintyJealousy/EnvyOvercoming obstaclesLearning not to judge peopleThe power of our words
Hopefully there is a lesson in each book that will help kids turn painful or scary situations into learning experiences.

Q: What's the most important lesson kids need to learn today about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness?

Madonna: The most important lesson kids can learn is that we all are connected to each other on a soul level and we need to learn to love and care for our fellow man, no matter what! That our thought s, words, and actions really do affect other people around us. That changing the world starts with a thought. That love really does conquer all.

Children books written by Madonna

English Roses

Lotsa de Casha

Yakov And The Seven Thieves

Mr Peabody's Apples

The Adventures Of Abdi

Jada Pinkett Smith

2005-10-24T03:40:00.000-07:00

An Interview With Jada

SN: What was your favorite book as a child? Why?

Jada: I love Alice In Wonderland. I thought that she had such a great life because she had so many neat people to meet and such great adventures to go on.

SN: What book most impressed you in the last six months?

Jada: I haven't really been reading any kids' books except the ones that I read to my kids. There is a book called In Every Tiny Grain of Sand that the kids and I read. It celebrates all type of religious backgrounds and I think that is a great book for kids to have because no matter what your faith is, we all have to learn how to respect other people's religious interests. So I would say that is the book I have been impressed with within the last six months.

SN: Do you have an all-time favorite book?

Jada: My all-time favorite book is called Girls Hold Up This World. It is not just because I wrote it and it is a Scholastic book. It is because it's a book for all girls around the world. It is very rare that we get to have books about who we are as girls and empowering ourselves as girls and eventually helping us become the great women that we are meant to be. That is why it is my favorite all time book.

SN: Do you read to your kids? What are their favorite books?

Jada: I do read to my kids. My daughter likes spooky stories so I am always trying to find appropriate spooky stories for kids. I never do, so I always have to end up making up one to tell her. Jaden likes all different types of books. We just pull books from anywhere. They like Debbie Allen's books. Bell Hooks has a book that Willow really likes that is called Happy to be Nappy. That is one of her favorite books.

More from..

In Jada's Library

Sisters of the Yam by bell hooks

Mike Myers

2005-10-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Mike says,

Being able to have a part in bringing The Cat In The Hat to the big screen is a dream come true for life-long fan, Mike."It's my favorite book of all time and favorite character of all time. The Cat In The Hat has stayed with me my whole life. ...It's silly but also has a great message—it's fun to have fun, but you have to know how. It's all about balance."

Movies and Books

DVD: The Cat In The Hat with Mike Myer

Books: The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss

Julia Roberts

2005-10-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

Julia says,

I believe in the power of timing. Certain books have come into my life in such a way that I can't help but think, "This is the perfect time for me to be reading this."

I can usually read only before bed or when I wake up in the morning. One day I was at home on my little ranch in New Mexico and nothing was going on. It was cold outside, so as soon as I got up I padded into the living room, where I have all these bookshelves. On this particular morning, a book called Crazy Woman, by Kate Horsley, caught my eye. I pulled it down, built a fire, and dragged a beanbag chair in front of the fireplace.

That was a great luxury—to actually sit down with a whole day free, start a book, and like it enough to just barrel right through. I got up once, I think, to get a cup of coffee. Other than that, anybody who came by my house that day would have seen me in different postures in this beanbag chair.

When I finished, I realized what a joy it is to read books that take place sort of where I am. I could look out at the landscape so similar to the one the author was describing.

Of course, sometimes I'm just as grateful to find a book that takes me a million miles away. When I was in Indonesia, everything was so foreign to me—exciting and beautiful but overwhelming. I had brought along Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop. Reading such an American story made me feel comforted. That's what I mean about timing: I got to read this great Kate Horsley book right there at home. Halfway around the world, I had Willa Cather's novel, which was exactly what I needed then.

In Julia's Library

1. An Imaginative Woman by Thomas Hardy

I love Thomas Hardy. I don't think a lot of people know that he was also a great poet and a writer of short stories because he produced so many novels. One of my favorite short stories—and I'm not a big short story fan—is An Imaginative Woman. It's tragic. People are going to think I'm morbid, loving all these sad books. I actually don't mind a happy ending in a novel—certainly, it's nice when it happens. But when you've invested so much time and your fingers have pushed through all that paper and you get to the end…well, a tragic ending kind of goes with the tragedy of finishing a book.

2. Written On The Body by Jeanette Winterson

Jeanette Winterson has written many fabulous books, and I just think, "How does this woman sleep?" This story is so intriguing. One of the things that's amazing—I don't know how far into the book I realized it—is that one of the main characters is referred to in a really unspecific way in terms of gender. But I don't know if Winterson intends for people to know this before they read the book. It's kind of like you choose what gender the narrator is. And she actually pulls this off without the story seeming confusing—and without you even really noticing what she's done.

3. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter By Carson McCullers

One of the most amazing books I ever read was The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. McCullers was southern, and I'm southern. I wonder how much a non-southern person can appreciate some of the nuances that I consider very specific to that part of the country. In the subtlest, most unconscious ways, I'm able to get her description of, I don't know, humidity in a way that somebody who lives near the Great Lakes will never really know. It was published when McCullers was, what—23 years old? I was still taking hour-long naps when I was 23. How remarkable that she had all that talent at her disposal at that age.

Movies and Books

DVD: Mona Lisa Smile DVD

Book: Mona Lisa Smile A Novel by Deborah Chiel