Talking about children's books and films. Useful information for parents.
08 Nov 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+, Classics Tags: adventure, castle, Magic, mystery, romance, siblings, treasure
by E. Nesbit
originally published in 1907
New York: HarperCollins, 1992
288 pp, 12 chapters
Age: (read to) 6 + ; (read independently) 8 +
Interests: magic, castles, treasure, siblings, mystery, adventure
Also by this author: Five Children and It, The Railway Children, The Story of the Treasure Seekers, The Book of Dragons
02 Nov 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+, Classics Tags: adventure, family, little people
CARNEGIE MEDAL WINNER – 1952
by Mary Norton
Orlando: Harcourt Books, 1953
180 pp, 20 chapters
Age: (read to) 6 + ; (read independently) 9 +
Interests: family, old houses, little people, adventure
Sequels: The Borrowers Afield, The Borrowers Afloat, The Borrowers Aloft, The Borrowers Avenged
Also by this author: The Magic Bed Knob and Bonfires and Broomsticks (which together were made into the movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks)
12 Oct 2011 4 Comments
in Books, books 6+, Classics Tags: adoption, boarding school, class, history, London, manners, orphans, single parent, strong girls
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
first published in 1905 (prior to that the story appeared as a serialized novella and a play)
201 pp., 19 chapters
Ages: (to be read to) 6 +; (to read) 8 +
Interests: boarding schools, girls, history, class, hardship
Also by this author: The Secret Garden, Little Lord Fauntleroy
Next: MOVIES – A Little Princess (1939) with Shirley Temple, A Little Princess (1995) both with significant plot changes. TV ADAPTATIONS – 1973 and 1986, both apparently very faithful to original book.
31 Aug 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 2+, Classics Tags: elves, fairies, Magic, Princess, snow, winter
The Story of the Snow Children
by Sibylle von Olfers
first published in 1905 in Germany
English translation by Polly Lawson – Edinburgh: Floris Books, 2005
20 pp.
Ages: 2 +
Interests: fairies, princesses, snow, winter, parties, magic
Also by this author: The Story of the Root Children (1906), Princess in the Forest (1909), and The Story of the Wind Children (1910)
You might also like: Peter in Blueberry Land (1901) – very similar in story, style and look
11 Aug 2011 2 Comments
in Books, books 2+, Classics Tags: elves, forest, insects, Magic
by Elsa Beskow
first published in Swedish in 1901
English translation by Alison Sage, 1982
Edinburgh: Floris Books, 2001
32 pp.
Age: 2 +
Interests: magic, forest, little people
Also by this author: Tale of the Little Old Woman, Children of the Forest, Aunt Green Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender More
26 Jul 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 3+, Classics Tags: animals, cats, pets
by Wanda Gág
New York: Coward-McCann, 1928
30 pp.
Age: 3+
Interests: folktales, cats
27 Jun 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 7+, Classics Tags: ghosts, Hallowe'en, haunted house, strong girls
by Oscar Wilde
originally published in 1887
64 pp. (1987, Oxford Univ. Press edition)
7 chapters
Age: 7 +
Interests: ghost stories, haunted houses, humour
20 Jun 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 5+, Classics Tags: adventure, castle, Magic, storms, strong girls, travel, witches, wizard
The Wizard of Oz (aka The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
by L. Frank Baum
original illustrator W. W. Denslow
first published 1900
158 pp. (in New York: Sterling, 1999) – 24 chapters
Age: 5 +
Interests: magic, witches, adventure, travel, tornadoes
Also by this author: 14 Oz sequels, of varying quality
17 Jun 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, Classics, Commentary, Disney, Gender Differences, Issues, Violence Tags: Fairy Tale
[Previously: Fairy Tale Controversy, Part 1 ; Fairy Tale Controversy, Part 2: Coming to America]
Fairy tales are no less controversial today than they ever were in the past. The arguments against them echo some of the concerns of the past, and add new ones. Sexual content or innuendo in tales for children is still prohibited. We are less concerned about maintaining class distinctions, but we definitely have a lower tolerance for grisly violence than audiences of the past. And we have added the relatively recent concerns of racism and sexism to the mix. As well, parents today seem inordinately bothered by death scenes in children’s literature. In past times, the death of a parent, of a mother in childbirth, of babies and young children was much more common than today, and therefore found a place in the literature. Today we seem uneasy with the very subject, a modern preoccupation.
Rarest Kind of Best 
Why Kill Off the Parents? Or, The Role of Grownups in Children’s Stories
24 Jun 2011 4 Comments
by Kim in Books, Classics, Commentary, Movies
Bambi
Even parents who are fans of Disney films are often bothered by one aspect of them, namely: “Why do they always have to kill off the parents?” We spend our days providing safety and a sense of security for our children, but as soon as we pop a kiddie movie into the player BAM! Our wee ones are faced with terror, violence, death and somebody becoming an orphan, all usually within the first fifteen minutes. More