Talking about children's books and films. Useful information for parents.
21 Mar 2013 1 Comment
in Books, books 6+ Tags: American history, animals, country life, farm, farming, pioneer life, seasons
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Harper & Row: 1933
372 pp. – 29 chapters
Age: 6 + (read to); 7+ (independent reading)
Interests: pioneer life, farming, horses, country life, American history
Also by this author: Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake
Next: Caddie Woodlawn, Sarah Plain and Tall; and picture books – Abraham Lincoln, Ox-Cart Man
19 Feb 2013 1 Comment
in Books, books 6+, books 7+ Tags: American history, animals, autobiography, farming, history, hunting, nature, pioneer life, seasons
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
HarperCollins, 1932
238 pp. – 13 chapters
Age: 6 + (read to); 7+ (independent reading)
Interests: history, pioneer life, farming, autobiography, seasons, nature
Also by this author: continuing in the series – Farmer Boy, Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake
Next: Caddie Woodlawn, Sarah Plain and Tall; and picture books – Abraham Lincoln, Ox-Cart Man
06 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+, books 8+ Tags: adventure, American history, country life, family, farming, First Nations, history, pioneer life, racial tension, siblings, strong girls
NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER – 1936
by Carol Ryrie Brink
MacMillan: 1935
275 pages, 24 chapters
Age: 6+ (read to); 8+ (independent reading)
Interests: history, American history, farm life, pioneers, siblings, growing up
Also by this author: sequel Magical Melons (aka Caddie Woodlawn’s Family)
Next: picture books – They Were Strong and Good, Abraham Lincoln, Ox-Cart Man; chapter books – Sarah Plain and Tall, Little House on the Prairie series, Anne of Green Gables
05 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+, books 8+ Tags: dragons, fairy tale updated, knights, non-violence
by Kenneth Grahame
originally a chapter within the 1898 novel Dream Days; later published on its own
Holiday House: 1938
1966 edition: 55 pp.
Age: 6+ (read to); 8+ (independent reading)
Interests: dragons, knights, revisionist fairy tales, non-violence
Also by this author: The Wind in the Willows
24 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+, Classics Tags: bad behavior, fairies, Magic, nature, religion
by Charles Kingsley
originally published in 1863
144 pp.
Age: 6+ (read to)
Interests: fairies, magic, animals, nature, religion, bad behaviour
Next: other Victorian fairy stories – The Magic Fishbone (Dickens), The Princess and the Goblin, The Cuckoo Clock, Alice in Wonderland
11 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+ Tags: crime, fairy tale updated, wolves
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
text by Jon Scieszka
illustrations by Lane Smith
New York: Viking Penguin, 1989
28 pp.
Age: 6+
Interests: twisted fairy tales, crime and punishment, wolves
Next: The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (another weird take on the story); The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon by Mini Grey (a modern rewrite of a nursery rhyme with lots of crime and violence)
Also by this author and illustrator: The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales; Squids Will Be Squids; Math Curse; Science Verse
10 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+, books 9+ Tags: adventure, birds, boats, camping, country life, island, maps, nature, siblings, strong girls, wilderness survival
by Arthur Ransome
London: Jonathan Cape, 1930
363 pp.
CARNEGIE MEDAL WINNER – 1936
by Arthur Ransome
London: Jonathan Cape, 1936
433 pp.
Age: (read to) 6+, (read independently) 9+
Interests: boats, sailing, camping, adventures, summer vacation, maps, exploring
03 Oct 2012 3 Comments
in Books, books 5+, books 6+, Classics, Quick Lists Tags: adventure, Magic
As I wrote yesterday, Harry Potter books (and movies) can be pretty scary and intense for younger children. If your child is intrigued by magic and fantasy, but you’re not certain she or he is quite ready for Hogwarts, here are a few fantasy titles they may be more comfortable with.
(Click on the titles to see full reviews.)
1. The Cuckoo Clock by Mrs. Molesworth – age 5+
A very sedate and old-fashioned (1877) story about a girl who visits some magical places and learns to behave herself a little better.
2. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum – age 5+
Quite different from the movie – a rambling, weird tale with a few scares and dustups along the way. (NB. some violence: see full review.)
3. Half Magic by Edward Eager – age 5+
One of my childhood favourites. This and other titles by Eager are lovely stories about children who come across something magic and mess things up a little. Slightly old-fashioned but charming and full of insight about sibling relations.
4. The Book of Dragons by E. Nesbit – age 6+
Snappy and very funny short stories, each about a very unique dragon.
5. The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit – age 6+
Nesbit books like The Enchanted Castle and Five Children and It inspired Edward Eager’s work, and are similarly about children who acquire some kind of magic and mismanage it with amusing or chilling results. This title in particular has one very creepy sequence.
And Two bonus titles… Rather long and wordy, only for the most hardy listeners (and readers).
6. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie – age 6+
Find an abridged version if you can. (But NOT a Disney version!) The plot is captivating, but the original novel is a very dense read, and tangled with tangents.
7. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald – age 6+
Goblins living under a mountain plot to kidnap a Princess, but she is aided by the ghost of her great-great-great grandmother and a courageous miner boy. Another very old classic, creepy and intriguing, but a trifle loooong and slow to get going. (Not sure if there are any abridged versions out there.)
As you can tell, my tastes go to the older, classic novels. I must start reading some newer books!
If you have any suggestions for early fantasy books, new or old, please share them!
02 Oct 2012 2 Comments
in Books, books 6+, Movies, movies 7+, Parenting Tags: adventure, boarding school, Magic, orphans, wizard
My six-year-old is loving stories about magic and strange creatures, and it occurred to me that we might be ready to wade into Potter-mania. Maybe. I think. Or maybe I should wait. Isn’t it too scary? Too violent? Too intense?
Fortunately I’ve come across this succinct bit of advice on Commonsense Media re. what ages are best for all the Harry Potter books, movies and games.
Here’s the gist of it… At age 6 or 7 it’s fine to read first book to them aloud (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), and maybe watch the first movie.
After that the books and movies ramp up pretty quickly, agewise. You should check out the link for greater detail, but the last book, and the movies from Goblet of Fire onward are more appropriate for age 11 or 12.
Also included in the article are recommended ages for the various Harry Potter video games.
There really shouldn’t be any rush to put HP into your child’s hands, after all there are many, many fantasy books and movies out there more suitable for ages 5, 6, or 7, titles that are tamer, less violent and scary, and just not so grim. I’m working on a list of these right now, to be posted soon, I hope!
Let me know if you have any suggestions!
28 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+ Tags: libraries, parties, pirates, robbers
The Great Piratical Rumbustification & The Librarian and the Robbers
Margaret Mahy, text
Quentin Blake, illustrations
J.M. Dent & Sons, 1978
2 stories: 41 and 18 pages
Age: 6 +
Reading Level: 8 +
Interests: pirates, parties, robbers, libraries, humour
Also by this author: The Dragon of an Ordinary Family, A Lion in the Meadow, The Seven Chinese Brothers, The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate
Rarest Kind of Best 