Talking about children's books and films. Useful information for parents.
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
21 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+ Tags: cats, cities, crime, detective, dogs, family, fashion, mystery, strong girls, travel
by Chris Riddell
Macmillan, 2007
171 pp.
Age: 6+
Reading Level: 8+
Interests: mysteries, adventure, travel, strong heroines, fashion, clever plans and maps
Next: Ottoline At Sea, Ottoline Goes to School
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
21 Nov 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 5+, Canadian books Tags: Fairy Tale, fairy tale updated, frogs, Magic, strong girls
BLUE SPRUCE nominee 2012
by Heather McLeod
illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan
Markham, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2011
30 pp.
Age: 5 +
Interests: fairy tales, frogs, magic, fairy tale updated, strong girls
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.
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 Aug 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 5+ Tags: boats, ocean, pirates, strong girls
Cornelia Funke, author
Kerstin Meyer, illustrator
New York: Scholastic, 2003
30 pp.
Age: 5+
Interests: pirates, strong girls, ocean, boats
Also by this author: Inkheart Trilogy, Picturebooks: The Princess Knight, The Wildest Brother, Princess Pigsty More
07 Aug 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 5+ Tags: bad behavior, school, strong girls
by Kevin Henkes
New York: Greenwillow Books, 1996
30 pp.
Age: 5+
Interests: school, accessories, bad behaviour and repentance
21 Jul 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 5+ Tags: First Nations, folktales, frogs, Princess, strong girls, Tlingit
The Frog Princess: A Tlingit Legend from Alaska
retold by Eric A. Kimmel
illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger
New York: Holiday House, 2006
28 pp
Age: 5+
Interests: princess, folklore, frogs, Tlingit, First Nations
27 Jun 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 6+ Tags: bookworms, family, Magic, psychic powers, school, strong girls, teachers
by Roald Dahl
illustrated by Quentin Blake
London: Jonathan Cape, 1988
240 pp. – 21 chapters
Age: 6+
Interests: kids who are bookworms, school, magic, psychic powers, revenge!
Also by this author: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches
Rarest Kind of Best 