Charlotte's Web is a timeless story that is enjoyable for all the family. The story presents great family values and also teaches some lessons. The book is a classic and is one of my favorites to read.
I have always loved watching the animated version of the movie better than the newer real-to-life version. The book and the movie are great, but there are some differences. The characters are more real-to-life in the movie. Miracles are focused on more in the movie while friendship is focused on more in the book. Fern is also presented in the movie as having a more disobedient attitude. Her mom also consults a doctor because she feels it is unhealthy for her to talk to animals. The storyline is the same, and the animals talk in the book and the movie. The book and the movie send the message that miracles can happen and friendship between people and animals can be difficult at times when something dies or you have to let it go.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The book The Cat in the Hat vs. The movie The Cat in the Hat
The plot and the message are very simple in the book "The Cat in the Hat." The cat comes to visit and mischief begins. The kids are caught in the middle of his unrelentless endeavors. they have to try and clean up the mess before mom gets home while at the same time a bossy fish is reminding them that the cat should not be there while their mother is out.
The plot is similar in the movie, but the movie provides a view of modern-day life with Mike Myers playing the cat. Dakota Fanning and Spencer Breslin are visited by a crazy cat. Kelly Preston is the mother, and she seems to be to busy to spend time with the kids. Alec Baldwin is their neighbor which has the hots for their mother, and he doesn't seem to like the kids. The movie follows the storyline of the book; however, a different kind of modern-day humor is presented in the movie. The crude humor can be offensive to some people such as, the sexual innuendos, the cat abusing the babysitter, the cat wanting to hit the kid with the bat, the cat smacking the kids across the room with his tail etc.
I feel that the book is much better suited for children than the movie. The book is simple, innocent and enjoyable for children.
The plot is similar in the movie, but the movie provides a view of modern-day life with Mike Myers playing the cat. Dakota Fanning and Spencer Breslin are visited by a crazy cat. Kelly Preston is the mother, and she seems to be to busy to spend time with the kids. Alec Baldwin is their neighbor which has the hots for their mother, and he doesn't seem to like the kids. The movie follows the storyline of the book; however, a different kind of modern-day humor is presented in the movie. The crude humor can be offensive to some people such as, the sexual innuendos, the cat abusing the babysitter, the cat wanting to hit the kid with the bat, the cat smacking the kids across the room with his tail etc.
I feel that the book is much better suited for children than the movie. The book is simple, innocent and enjoyable for children.
The book Winn Dixie vs. The movie Winn Dixie
The story is very heart warming. There is a 10 year old girl in the story named Opal along with a big, clumsy dog that needs someone to love. Opal and her father, which is a preacher, move to a new hometown because he has a new church. Through many experiences, Opal meets many new residents in the town. Some are more unique that others. As she makes friends, along with her new friend Winn Dixie, she begins to feel like she is part of something special. She forgets about her sadness and loneliness that has resulted from her mother abandoning her and her father, and she begins to enjoy life and the people around her again.
For the most part, the book and the movie were alot alike. The movie gave me a closer look at how the characters looked and the town where they lived, whereas, I had to visualize the characters and town when I read the book. However, there were some differences that I noticed. In the book, the story begins at the Winn Dixie store where the dog is causing alot of confusion. In the movie, the story begins with Opal coming to the building that used to be a convenient store. Her dad is preaching. She prays that she will make some friends. Then her father sends her to the Winn Dixie. I feel that some events were added to the movie to make it more interesting than the book such as, the Dewberry boys acting like secret agents while Miss Franny is talking to Opal and Amanda about Littmus W. Block. There are also differences in the way the characters are portrayed. The landlord is much more forceful in the movie by continuously demanding that they get rid of the dog. Opal's father gives her a harder time about giving the dog away than what was represented in the book. More information is given in the movie about certain events such as, how she got her name. She was named India because her father was a missionary in India and Opal was her mother's name. The ending is also different in the movie than in the book. At the end, they were looking for Winn Dixie, and they couldn't find him, so everyone began singing a hymn, and Winn Dixie began howling outside the front door. Everyone became excited because he came back. They begin to sing songs again. In the book, the story ended with Gloria, Franny and Opal singing. Sweetie Pie heard somebody sneeze, and they discover that Winn-Dixie is hiding under Otis's bed. I enjoyed reading the book and watching the movie. I love the story. My daughter watched the movie with me, and she loved it, especially the dog.
For the most part, the book and the movie were alot alike. The movie gave me a closer look at how the characters looked and the town where they lived, whereas, I had to visualize the characters and town when I read the book. However, there were some differences that I noticed. In the book, the story begins at the Winn Dixie store where the dog is causing alot of confusion. In the movie, the story begins with Opal coming to the building that used to be a convenient store. Her dad is preaching. She prays that she will make some friends. Then her father sends her to the Winn Dixie. I feel that some events were added to the movie to make it more interesting than the book such as, the Dewberry boys acting like secret agents while Miss Franny is talking to Opal and Amanda about Littmus W. Block. There are also differences in the way the characters are portrayed. The landlord is much more forceful in the movie by continuously demanding that they get rid of the dog. Opal's father gives her a harder time about giving the dog away than what was represented in the book. More information is given in the movie about certain events such as, how she got her name. She was named India because her father was a missionary in India and Opal was her mother's name. The ending is also different in the movie than in the book. At the end, they were looking for Winn Dixie, and they couldn't find him, so everyone began singing a hymn, and Winn Dixie began howling outside the front door. Everyone became excited because he came back. They begin to sing songs again. In the book, the story ended with Gloria, Franny and Opal singing. Sweetie Pie heard somebody sneeze, and they discover that Winn-Dixie is hiding under Otis's bed. I enjoyed reading the book and watching the movie. I love the story. My daughter watched the movie with me, and she loved it, especially the dog.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Caldecott and Newbery Medal
The Newbery Medal is awarded every year by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's books published the previous year. Many people became concerned that the artists creating picture books for children were as deserving of honor and encouragement as were the authors of children's books. A second annual medal was suggested. The medal is to be given to the artist who created the most distinguished picture book of the year and named in honor of the nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott. The Caldecott Medal will be awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American Picture Book for Children published in the United States during the preceding year. The award will go to the artist that is a citizen or resident of the United States whether or not he is the author of the text. The Newbery Medal Committee will serve as judges. In 1977, the Board of Directors of the Association for Library Service to Children approved that any book published in the preceding year shall be eligible to be considered for either awards or both awards.
The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year. Frederic G. Melcher proposed the award to the American Library Association, and he suggested that it be named for the eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery. The purpose of the Newbery Medal is to encourage original creative work in the field of books for children. The medal emphasizes to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels. The Newbery Award is the first children's book award in the world.
The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year. Frederic G. Melcher proposed the award to the American Library Association, and he suggested that it be named for the eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery. The purpose of the Newbery Medal is to encourage original creative work in the field of books for children. The medal emphasizes to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels. The Newbery Award is the first children's book award in the world.
The Lorax - Dr. Seuss
The Lorax is a powerful tale that sends a message to conserve the earth's precious and finite natural resources. The story stresses the fact that we are at risk of losing real life Brown Bar-ba-loots, Swomee-Swans, Humming Fish, Truffula Trees, and the forests they all inhabit. The Lorax is didactic which means to intend to instruct, to be morally instructive, to be excessively inclined to moralize or teach, to be skillful in teaching, convey instructions and to teach morality and be preachy. In the story, the Lorax is didactic because he uses a sharp and bossy voice when he tells the Once-ler that he is speaking for the trees. He is preachy when he keeps telling the Once-ler to stop cutting the trees. He is trying to convey a message about the environment that when people get greedy and no one cares, nothing will get better.
Some other books that are didactic are The Hungry Caterpillar, I am a Lion, It's not Fair!, and Noise! Noise! Noise! These book received low reviews because they teach a moral lesson. There is a strong bias against didactic books. Many writers hear from publishers that books should not moralize. Some educators believe children should not be influenced by outside forces, instead children should be determinators of their own value system. Writers Digest states that Simon and Schuster (Books for Young Readers) gives the advice to those wanting to submit books, "Please avoid problem novels, rhyming verse and didactic stories with morals." Librarians emphasize that children want to learn. They want interesting books that teach them how to be successful.
Some other books that are didactic are The Hungry Caterpillar, I am a Lion, It's not Fair!, and Noise! Noise! Noise! These book received low reviews because they teach a moral lesson. There is a strong bias against didactic books. Many writers hear from publishers that books should not moralize. Some educators believe children should not be influenced by outside forces, instead children should be determinators of their own value system. Writers Digest states that Simon and Schuster (Books for Young Readers) gives the advice to those wanting to submit books, "Please avoid problem novels, rhyming verse and didactic stories with morals." Librarians emphasize that children want to learn. They want interesting books that teach them how to be successful.
The Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat is one of my favorite books. I love to read the book to my first grade students when we celebrate Dr. Seuss Day. The students really enjoy listening to the story. They identify the rhyming words as I read the story. They like the mischieveous cat, and they think that Thing One and Thing Two are funny. Another book that presents tension in the story is Sam and the Firefly by P.D. Eastman. Sam is an owl that comes out when the moon is up. He is lonely and wants a friend. Sam sees a mysterious light. He sees Gus the Firefly. He thinks Gus is a friend, but he is a trickster. He is a talented troublemaker like the cat is in the Cat in the Hat. He makes lines of light in the air. Sam has the technique and Gus has the fire. Sam tricks Gus into writing out Gus and Sam in one stroke. Sam soars through the sky thinking he has found a reflection of himself. Sam has given Gus the skill he needs to be a great artist, and he runs off and uses it to create destruction just like the cat does in the little boy and girl's house. After Gus realizes all the problems he has caused, Sam and Gus work together to write useful messages. When the sun comes up, the adventure is over, and the magic is gone. The two friends part from each other.
The Cat in the Hat still appeals to children because of the humor and rhyme. Dr. Seuss uses bright illustrations and childish nonsense. There are some good moral messages such as, don't let a stranger in the house. The simple rhythmic text makes the story easy for children to follow.
The Cat in the Hat still appeals to children because of the humor and rhyme. Dr. Seuss uses bright illustrations and childish nonsense. There are some good moral messages such as, don't let a stranger in the house. The simple rhythmic text makes the story easy for children to follow.
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