My mother would produce a large book of construction paper, some Elmer’s glue, a pair of safety scissors, and one large piece of cardboard. We would decide on a theme—the ocean, space, dinosaurs, forests—and create a world by cutting out paper flora, fauna, rocks, and suns. Sometimes the themes were even religious. The stories of the Garden of Eden and Noah’s Ark were not censored in our house. They were taught. I cherished my wooden toy ark with two of every animal and displayed it prominently. The only difference was that these pillars of civilization were presented as important, influential
...more
