Talking about children's books and films. Useful information for parents.
28 Jun 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 4+ Tags: dragons, Fairy Tale, family, travel
GREENAWAY MEDAL WINNER – 1969
The Dragon of an Ordinary Family
Margaret Mahy, author
Helen Oxenbury, illustrator
London: William Heinemann, 1969
40 pp.
Age: 4+
Interests: dragons, fantasy, travel
Also by this author: A Lion in the Meadow, The Seven Chinese Brothers, The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate
Also by this illustrator: The Quangle Wangle’s Hat, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Farmer Duck
20 Jun 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 5+ Tags: insects, philosophy, travel
by Arnold Lobel
New York: Harper & Row, 1978
57 pp. – 6 stories
Age: 5+
Interests: insects, differing viewpoints, philosophy
Also by this author: Frog and Toad books, Fables
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
13 May 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 3+ Tags: flowers, gardening, strong girls, travel
by Barbara Cooney
New York: Viking Press, 1982
28 pp
Ages: 3 +
Interests: flowers, single life, strong girls, travel
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26 Apr 2011 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 6+ Tags: action, adventure, balloons, dogs, nature, South America, travel
Rated: PG for some peril and action
Length: 96 min
Age: 6 and up Commonsense Media sez: 6 +
Scary factor: pretty high, with those snarling dogs in attack mode; dogs in planes fly into each other and plummet to the ground; dogs attacking/biting each other; villain Muntz tries to kill heroes; guns firing; many near-falls from airborn house; Muntz falls to his death, though impact not seen
Intense scenes: opening montage showing Carl’s wife in decline and then Carl in the funeral home and in mourning
Interests: action, adventure, travel, ballooning, South America, dogs
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18 Apr 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 2+ Tags: birds, boats, geese, nature, travel
GREENAWAY MEDAL WINNER – 1963
John Burningham, author and illustrator
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963
30 pp
Ages: 2 +
Interests: birds, geese, stories about not fitting in
Also by this author: Mr. Gumpy’s Outing, Avocado Baby, Come Away From the Water Shirley, Edwardo: The Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World, Courtney
17 Apr 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 3+ Tags: adventure, boats, ocean, storms, travel, weather
GREENAWAY MEDAL WINNER – 1956
Edward Ardizzone, author and illustrator
London: Oxford University Press, 1956
46 pp
3 +
Interests: adventure, ships, ocean, storms, travel
12 Apr 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 5+ Tags: family, grandparents, history, immigration, Japan, travel, war
CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1994
Allen Say, author and illustrator
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993
29 pp
ages 5 +
Interests: history, travel, immigration, Japan, family history, grandparents
11 Apr 2011 Leave a comment
in Books, books 5+ Tags: action, adventure, British history, castle, dragons, Fairy Tale, knights, Magic, Princess, saints, travel
CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1985
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
22 Mar 2011 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 4+ Tags: adventure, fairies, Magic, nature, strong girls, travel, treasure
Rated: G
Length: 81 min
Age: 4 + (because of rats; might be okay for 3) Commonsense Media sez: 4+
Scary factor: escaping from red-eyed rats is quite scary, but action-packed and moves along quickly. Encounter with trolls is quickly defused as trolls are more goofy than scary, and easily dodged.
Intense scenes: More troublesome for the very young might be moments of high despair for Tinker Bell, and scenes in which she loses her temper with her friends, however she apologies and learns from all trials.
Warning: Excessive Merchandise Alert!
Interests: fairies, magic, nature, adventure, travel, treasure
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