Aladdin (1992)


Rated: G
Length:  90 min.
Age: 6 and up         Commonsense Media sez: 6 +

Scary Factor: villain Jafar is creepy and evil; the huge lion creature guarding the treasure is truly frightening; it devours a thief at the beginning, though this is not seen; in one scene Aladdin nearly drowns; villain’s magic in the climax at the end is pretty scary and huge – turning into an enormous snake and then an even bigger genie

Action: Aladdin is continually fleeing guards with swords – played for laughs but may be stressful; the scene when Aladdin’s in the cave is pretty heavy action-and-danger-wise (Indiana Jones-esque)

Bad Behavior: when the sultan is imprisoned Jafar’s parrot tortures him by force-feeding him crackers – this might be disturbing, or maybe just disturbing for adults!; Genie smokes a cigarette at one point

Sex: all females are scantily clad; a few kisses

Racism: many stereotypes of Middle-Eastern peoples and lifestyle; heroes sound American, while bad guys have Arabian accents

Language: very slangy; also name-calling: “stupid” “dumb” “idiot”

Interests: Arabian legends, magic, desert, folk tales, other cultures

Next: picture books of 1001 Arabian Nights, old movies like The Thief of Bagdad

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Ramona the Pest

by Beverly Cleary

original illustrator: Louis Darling

Age: 5 and up    (good too for older, beginning readers)

Interests: kindergarten, school, siblings

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The Little Island

CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1947

The Little Island

Margaret Wise Brown, author

Leonard Weisgard, illustrator

New York: Doubleday, 1946

40 pp.

Age: 3 +

Interests: nature, animals, birds, boats, islands

By the same author: Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny

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The Big Snow

CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNTER – 1949

The Big Snow

Berta and Elmer Hader

New York: Macmillan, 1948

43 pp.

Ages: 3 +

Interests: animals, birds, seasons, nature, snow, winter

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White Snow Bright Snow


CALDECOTT WINNER – 1948

White Snow Bright Snow

Alvin Tresselt, author

Roger Duvoisin, illustrator

New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1947

27 pp.

Ages: 3 +

Interests: winter, snow, seasons

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Come away from the water, Shirley

John Burningham, author and illustrator

London: Jonathan Cape, 1977

22 pp

Age: 3 and up

Interests: pirates, seashore, boats, treasure

Also by this author: Mr. Gumpy’s Outing, Where’s Julius?, Avocado Baby, Borka

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Eloise

subtitle: A Book for Precocious Grown Ups

Kay Thompson, author

Hilary Knight, illustrator

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1955

65 pp.

Age: 5 and up        (read full review: some may find content alarming!)

Interests: New York, hotels, room service, strong girls, bad behavior

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Caps For Sale


subtitle: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business

Esphyr Slobodkina, author and illustrator

New York: HarperCollins, 1968 – originally published 1940

40 pp

Age: 2 and up           (also good for beginning readers: 6+)

Interests: monkeys, folktales

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All Join In

Quentin Blake, author and illustrator

London: Jonathon Cape, 1990

27 pp.

Age: 2 and up

Interests: poetry, music, songs, noise

Also by this author/illustrator: Mister MagnoliaClown

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The Snowman

Raymond Briggs

London: Puffin, 1978

30 pp

Age: 3 and up

Interests: Christmas, winter, snow, magic

By the same author/illustrator: Father Christmas, Fungus the Bogeyman, UG: Boy Genius of the Stone Age, and books for older audiences: When the Wind Blows, and Ethel and Ernest

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All writings posted here are © Kim Thompson, unless otherwise indicated. For all artwork on this site, copyright is retained by the artist.