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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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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Sleeping Beauty (1959)


Rated: G

Length: 75 min.

Age: 4 and up.                      Commonsense Media sez: iffy for ages 4/5

Scary Factor: no real danger until the climax, when Maleficent turns into a dragon to battle the prince (scene is relatively brief)

Intense Scenes: far more suspense and chills than outright scares – Maleficent is wonderfully threatening; scene in which Aurora pricks her finger on the spindle is eerie and enthralling.

Bad Behaviour: Boozing – the two kings drink endless toasts to each other and a minstrel gets quietly sloshed under the table.

Language:  “fools! idiots! imbeciles!” barked by Maleficent at her underlings; she also mentions the powers of “hell”

Interests: fairy tales, princesses, knights, castles, dragons, magic, fairies

Next: Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Thumbelina

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Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams (2007)

(straight to DVD)

Rated: unrated

Length: 56m

Age: 3 +

Scary factor: nonexistent

Interests: the Disney princess brand
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Jethro Byrd, Fairy Child

GREENAWAY MEDAL WINNER – 2002

Bob Graham, author and illustrator

Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2002

29pp

Ages: 3+

Interests: fairies, city life, family, magic

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The Princess and the Goblin

by George MacDonald

1872 – originally published in London by Strahan & Co.

216 pp – 32 chapters

Age:  6+ (?)

Next: C. S. Lewis Narnia books, The Hobbit

Also by this author:

Dealings with the Fairies (1867) aka The Light Princess and Other Stories – includes the story “The Golden Key”, commonly regarded as a masterpiece
At the Back of the North Wind (1871) – along with P&G, his most famous work
The Princess and Curdie (1883) – sequel to The Princess and the Goblin, but a lot darker, more violent and destructive

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Tuesday

CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1992

Tuesday

David Wiesner, author and illustrator

New York: Clarion, 1991

30 pp

ages 3 +

Interests: magic, frogs, night

By the same author: Flotsam, The Three Pigs, Sector 7

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Jumanji

CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1982

Jumanji

Chris Van Allsburg, author and illustrator

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981

28 pp.

ages 4 +

Interests: board games, jungle creatures, magic and mayhem

By the same author: The Polar Express, Zathura (another magical board game story)

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Saint George and the Dragon

CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1985

Saint George and the Dragon

Trina Schart Hyman, illustrator

text retold by Margaret Hodges

New York: Little, Brown, 1984

32 pp

ages 5 +

Interests: fairy tales, knights, dragons, princesses, quests, castles, British history, saints

Next: King Arthur stories, more about St. George

Also by this illustrator: Rapunzel, The Serpent Slayer; and Other Stories of Strong Women

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Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1970

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

William Steig, author and illustrator

New York: Windmill Books/Simon and Schuster, 1969

30 pp.

ages 3+

Interests: magic, animal stories

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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.