Talking about children's books and films. Useful information for parents.
24 Oct 2018 Leave a comment
in Books, books 8+, Uncategorized Tags: animal rights, animals, animals in captivity, art, artists, circus, cruelty to animals, elephants, ethics, gorillas
by Katherine Applegate
Age: 8+ (warning: dark content – read full review)
Interests: animals, gorillas, elephants, animals in captivity, animal rights, cruelty to animals, art, ethics, circus
Also by this author: Crenshaw, Wishtree, Home of the Brave, the Animorphs series, Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla
23 May 2013 Leave a comment
in Books, books 3+ Tags: animals, circus, elephants, music
17 Jan 2013 3 Comments
in Books, books 4+, books 7+, Classics Tags: adventure, boats, circus, horses, ocean, pirates, royalty, toys, travel
Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse
by Ursula Moray Williams
originally published by George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., London, 1938
253 pp. – 19 chapters
Age: (read to) 4+ ; (independent reading) 7+
Interests: horses, toys come to life, travel, adventures, pirates, circus
by the same author: Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat, The Further Adventures of Gobbolino and the Little Wooden Horse
08 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Books, books 5+ Tags: biography, circus, cities, New York, theatre
CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 2004
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
by Mordicai Gerstein
Roaring Brook Press, 2003
34 pp.
Age: 5+
Interests: history, biography, street performers, New York, circus
Next: another book about tightrope walking – Mirette on the High Wire; another true story of daring – The Glorious Flight
12 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 4+, Old Movies Tags: American history, circus, cowboys, history, song and dance, strong girls, theatre
Colour, Musical
Released: 1950
Rated: Approved (G)
Length: 107 min
Age: 4+ (5 or 6 for fuller comprehension) (commonsense media sez 6+)
Scary Factor: nothing scary
Violence: a lot of guns, naturally, but all used for target shooting; only one re-enactment of an Indian attack, make sure kids understand it’s all a big circus act and nobody is really being shot; Frank gets mad at one point and punches somebody, but it’s a rather isolated event
Other: racial insensitivity, depicting Native Americans as uncivilized for comic purposes; lots of “ugh’ and “how”-type dialogue
Interests: famous women, history, cowboys, Wild West, circus/theatrical, musicals
Next: for girl cowboys see Annie Oakley (1935), Calamity Jane (1953); for Wild West musicals see Calamity Jane (1953), The Harvey Girls (1946), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954); or visit your library to find historical accounts of the real Annie Oakley and her times
05 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in Books, books 8+ Tags: circus, dogs, Russia, theatre
GREENAWAY MEDAL WINNER -1959
by Anton Chekhov
illustrated by William Stobbs
London: Oxford University Press, 1959
49 pp. – 7 chapters
Age: 8 +
Interests: dogs, circus, theatre, cruelty to animals
Note: a little dark for children – read through it yourself first…
Other: Foxie by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire is another version of the same story which is a little more kid-friendly
Also by this illustrator: A Bundle of Ballads
22 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in Books, books 4+ Tags: circus, Paris, strong girls
CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1993
by Emily Arnold McCully
New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1992
Age: 4+
Interests: Paris, circus performers, tightrope walkers, plucky heroines
Next: sequels Starring Mirette and Bellini, and Mirette and Bellini Cross Niagara Falls
08 Apr 2011 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 4+ Tags: animals, circus, clowns, elephants, family, single parent, theatre
Rated: G
Length: 64 min.
Age: 4 Commonsense Media sez: 6 +
Scary Factor: the sight of the elephants crashing down from their pyramid was more alarming than funny; also Dumbo has to jump from a great height in the clown act and is scared; hallucination scene is just weird enough to freak out some young viewers
Intense scenes: the scene in which Dumbo is separated from his mother is heart-wrenching; the other animals mock Dumbo, and he feels bad, though he does get the last laugh in the end
Also: the general tone of the whole film is rather depressing. Especially scene in which he visits mom in ‘jail’ – very sad! And some parents may not like the boozing and hallucinations so much… (see full review)
Interests: circus, elephants
Rarest Kind of Best 