This will be my last blog entry. This class has been great, and I have thoroughly enjoyed learning all about children's literature. It has been incredibly nice to be told to read a book other than science texts.

I found a published paper that details the benefits of children's literature. The website says that children's books can help the children better understand themselves, others, and the world around them. The paper suggests that teachers can help their children through difficult times in their lives using children's literature. It suggests two different forms of therapy: bibliotherapy and critical literacy.

Bibliotherapy is a method by which adults find books relating to the specific problems a child is facing. This can help start a conversation, present understanding, or fill in gaps that they may not be able to explain.

Critical literacy is a method by which adults help children build critical thinking skills that enable students to consider all viewpoints, respect differences, and become more self-aware. This can be accomplished by having them read books that introduce other cultures or other ideologies.

The article is extremely interesting and would be very useful to anyone considering a job in the teaching field. The link to this article is http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/bibliotherapy0702.

I highly suggest that everyone read this article if they are interested in the many benefits children's literature can have on children above the simple pleasure of reading.

I know that I read The Secret Garden when I was younger, but I cannot for the life of me remember anything about the story now. I am thoroughly enjoying the read as an adult, and I cannot wait until I get to pick it up again each day. The descriptions are absolutely beautiful, and I truly feel as though I am experiencing each event with her.

I am a little surprised though, at the length and detail with which each scene is described. Most children's literature is more fast paced and action packed to keep the children interested. However, this novel seems to meander through each portion of the garden and each hour of the day. My best conclusion is that it was written in this manner because it was written so long ago for a different audience of children.

I absolutely love the character of Mary. She is a complex character who is introduced as a selfish brat, and slowly develops into a more loving child. She has much more depth than the typical children's literature protagonist. Burnett did an excellent job of slowly morphing her into a more normal child as the story went along.

Again, I am so glad that this book was included in our reading list, and I cannot wait to pick up where I left off!

I recently watched a fantastic children's movie for the umpteenth time. I watched Mary Poppins yet again. This has always been one of my favorite movies, and I will never cease to love the beautiful songs and the fantastic characters and story line. The movie is so fantastic that it is often beyond the realm of possibility, yet even the seemingly impossible features of the story are made plausible by the unique story line.

The magical things do not simply happen all at once. They slowly magnify in intensity through the movie. We are first introduced to something extraordinary when the children begin getting to know Mary Poppins and her "bag of tricks." Later, the children are introduced to Bert who is an incredibly talented artist who makes his money by doing chimney sweep work. He creates paintings that are used to transport the children (with the ever-so-essential help of Mary Poppins) to new and exciting cartoon worlds. They group later visits an old man who is laughing so hard that he ends up flying.

Since we are gradually introduced to Mary Poppins' magic, it is not completely unbelievable. Everyone feels as if we could be transported into the world with Mary Poppins, and after seeing the movie, all children wish for such a wonderful nanny.

When I was in elementary school, I remember two awards always being mentioned in reference to the popular books we were reading: the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott Medal. The first was for the authors of children's literature and the latter was given to outstanding illustrators of children's literature.

Since we are currently discussing picture books, I thought it would be appropriate to do a little research on the Caldecott medal for this blog posting. The award was developed in 1937, and was named after the nineteenth century English illustrator named Randolph J. Caldecott. The Caldecott Medal website says, "His illustrations for children were unique to their time in both their humor, and their ability to create a sense of movement, vitality, and action that complemented the stories they accompanied." The first award was given in 1938 to Dorothy P. Lathrop for Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book.

The most recent winner of the Caldecott medal was awarded to Brian Selznick for his illustrations in The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

If you would like more information on the Caldecott medal, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.cfm with the American Library Association.

Also, if you are curious about other literary awards, visit http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/awards.htm for a comprehensive list of children and adult literary awards.

The Cat in the Hat is a less eventful story than I remember. I remember it being a more fast paced and funny story. I guess when I was younger it was easier to find the humor in the balancing act and subsequent fall. I also realized that I had confused this book with other Dr. Seuss books. The story I was fondly remembering was one where the cat revealed smaller and smaller cats under his hat. Each cat had a smaller cat under its hat. Also, I seem to remember something about paint splatters and cleaning it up with mother's dress. So there are several things that are similar to this story (i.e. messing with mother's dress either by flying it as a kite or by wiping up spilt paint). I wish I could figure out which book I am thinking about, because I believe I would enjoy the other one more than The Cat in the Hat.

While this may be stretching the limits of children's literature, I would like to discuss the wide world of children's board games. I think it is related to children's literature because it still takes a creative person to develop the board games and many of them also increase children's learning and social skills. Some of the most popular games that I can remember include Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Cootie, Battleship, Connect Four, Guess Who, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Operation, Twister, and Trivial Pursuit Junior.

For the ones listed above, each game teaches children various aspects of social and learning skills. Candyland teaches children colors and counting, Battleship teaches children logic, Connect Four teaches forethought, Hungry Hungry Hippos teaches hand-eye coordination, Operation teaches various parts of anatomy as well as dexterity, and Trivial Pursuit Junior teaches knowledge in several different subject matters.

I am convinced that playing games is one of the best ways for children to increase their knowledge and learn good social skills that they will carry for the rest of their lives. Socializing with children of their own age is a skill that is invaluable and is immensely helpful as they begin their formal education.

A little history on Beatrix Potter that you might not have known...

I learned this tidbit of information from my boss in my research laboratory in Oklahoma. Beatrix Potter was originally a scientist who studied lichen. Her drawings of lichen and fungi are some of the most beautiful scientific drawings ever created. She was a brilliant scientist and was rumored to have actually discovered the true nature of lichen - that it was a symbiotic life form created from a mutualistic relationship between a fungi and a algae. This was a huge discovery for the scientific world, but she is often denied credit for her discovery. Why? Because she was a woman. The scientific community at that time was not ready to accept that women could make discoveries equally impressive as those made by men.

It was after she was repeatedly scorned and denied credit that she began writing and illustrating children's books. While she became one of the foremost children's literature writers/illustrators, it was a great loss to the scientific community when she left science forever.

The above is an illustration of fungi drawn by Beatrix Potter.

I finally finished The Giver, and I absolutely loved it! The community was an interesting idea, and the idea of sameness was carried out so thoroughly throughout the book. However, a few things caused me to stumble over what I was reading, and just seemed too far-fetched to allow me to completely immerse myself into the novel. One such example was the disappearance of color from their lives. While it was a great idea, I needed a LOT more explanation on how it was possible to remove color without doing some sort of surgery on each individual's eyes. Color is simply a byproduct of light. If he was able to see color in the apple under normal circumstances, then theoretically the circumstances were right to see color. This means the lack of color differentiation would have been the perception of each individual, but not actually a byproduct of the setting.

Also, why would they not be able to hear music? Their hearing organs worked, because they could carry on verbal conversations, and they always heard the speaker announcements. I can understand that the rulers of the community just removed all "music" in the form produced by instruments or singing, but music would not have disappeared. Just the everyday beating of our hearts can become a rhythm for music. They would have had a natural music (the sound of bike tires spinning, the sound of balls bouncing, etc.). So while it would not have been what we call music, it would have been the origination of music in general (natural beats and rhythms).

These are a few of the reasons that I found it difficult to continue quickly through the novel, because I felt myself becoming hung up on issues like the aforementioned. Also, I was personally disappointed with the abrupt ending. I desperately want to know what happened to the boys after they slid down the slope. Did they just release the memories and then die, or did they find homes (since they were only one and thirteen)?

Still, even with these problems, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I would immediately read a sequel to this book if one existed.

I recently read Old Yeller for my last outside reading assignment. The book was written by Fred Gipson, and has long been known as one of the great books of children's literature.

The book basically tells the story of a family with two young boys whose father is away on a cattle drive. The eldest boy, Travis, is told to protect the family when the father leaves, and he takes this duty to heart. While the father is away, a dog shows up on their doorstep. Travis initially tries to chase the dog away (because he fears he will steal their meat), but the younger boy, Arliss, falls in love with the dog immediately. The boys' mother decides to allow them to keep the dog, and he becomes one of the family.

Eventually, the dog's rightful owner shows up and wants the dog back. However, the family convinces him to trade the dog for a nice meal and Arliss' pet toad. The family gets so used to the dog and loves him as a family member, that it is pure tragedy when Travis is forced to put him down. Yeller gets rabies while saving the family from a wolf, and Travis takes him out back to shoot him.

This is known as one of the greatest children's tragedies written in the 20th century. People are known to be of the utmost cold heartedness if they do not cry at the end of Old Yeller.

I feel very privileged to be able to say that my mother knew Fred Gipson personally and that this story has a very deep place in my heart.

One of the greatest shows ever to promote children's literature was Reading Rainbow with LeVar Burton. I'm sure anyone reading this blog has heard of the show, and probably watched it regularly as a child. I remember watching it every week during 2nd grade. We would all get to eat a snack and watch Reading Rainbow, and it was a highlight of the day.

The show aired from June 6, 1983 until November 10, 2006. Every episode would take children on adventures that could be found in various books, and they suggested different children's book each episode for kids to read. It was a rare show that made reading cool for kids, and established a positive connection with reading. Each episode was also educational because LeVar would travel to various places in the world, and children would learn about cultures other than their own.

I recently learned that Reading Rainbow was cancelled, and this saddens me deeply. The children who have to grow up without the show and the positive reinforcement for reading are at a great disadvantage.

The Giver is an interesting and strange book. The community kind of creeps me out. It is someplace where no one can let their true colors shine through, and everyone is the same. The community would become a stagnant place to live. No one would have original thought. It makes me wonder how people came up with the abstinence pill because it would have had to be an original thought. While this place can be written about in a book, I wonder if it could truly exist. The nature of human beings create a more inquisitive and wanting environment. People would question what they were being taught. Pills could not really squelch all natural human drives. While the concept is very interesting, I do not think it could actually be carried out.

As I was contemplating new blog ideas, I thought of my favorite piece of children's literature from when I was a child. I absolutely loved the Highlights magazine. Those are the magazines that have all sorts of fun games and stories for children to read. Anytime one walks into a pediatric dentist or pediatrician's office, Highlights can be found scattered around the room. I had a subscription to the magazine when I was younger, and I actually found them all a few years ago. They have been kept for over 15 years at the back of my closet. I looked forward every month when the magazine would appear on my doorstep.

I think it is absolutely fantastic that a company thought to put out a magazine solely for children. The magazine has educational articles and brain teaser games that help children learn in a fun environment. Also, children feel as if they are like adults if they are able to read a magazine when they go to the doctor's office, just like their parents.

I appreciate Highlights and think it is an invaluable resource for children - entertaining and educational!

I read the classic children's picture book entitled Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin Jr. This book is extremely simply written, so children of all reading levels should be able to enjoy the book. It is also a great book to be read to small children when they are first attempting to learn their colors and animals. Each page spread consists of a different animal in a brilliantly colored variation. Some of the animals are realistically colored (like a white dog, green frog, and gold fish), but a few are unrealistic (a blue horse and a purple cat).

The book begins by questioning a brown bear on what he sees, and he answers that he sees a red bird, which in turn sees a yellow duck, etc. The order of appearance of the vibrantly colored animals are: brown bear, red bird, yellow duck, blue horse, green frog, purple cat, white dog, black sheep, gold fish, a teacher, and finally, students. The last page is a beautiful illustration of several children in a classroom of varying races.

The best part of this book is definitely the distinct illustrations. The illustrator for this book was Eric Carle. They are slightly impressionistic, but the audience makes no mistake as to the type of animal in the picture.

For an interesting listen, I was able to find Bill Martin, Jr. reading the book on YouTube. The link to this video is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdHCYgO9zh8.

This book is great, and I plan on having it on hand as soon as I have children.

For my second paper, I turned in an analysis of Alice in Wonderland (the Disney movie) in comparison with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (the Lewis Carroll fantasy novel. I have written the introduction paragraph here:

Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland removed dynamic aspects of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that contributed to the categorization of the work as a classic, thus causing anyone who had both read the novel and viewed the movie yearning for the original. The movie explained the nonsense which, in turn, made it less nonsensical and changed one of the most important dynamics of the book. Also, the movie presented Alice with a clear goal: to follow the white rabbit, and later, to get home. The question of Alice’s personal identity was nearly nonexistent, and Wonderland was kinder to Alice. She began gaining control over the nonsense of Wonderland much earlier in the movie than in the book, and the control that she did retain over Wonderland was not complete. Much of the satire unique to Carroll’s fantasy novel was removed, and several characters from his second novel, Through the Looking Glass, were added to replace some of the nonsense otherwise removed from the movie. For the reasons stated above and the following explanations, Disney’s movie was a sub-par version of Carroll’s classic story.

I have loved Disney movies ever since I was a small child. Within the past few years, I have begun collecting them. However, I have never been quite sure exactly how many classics there actually were. Finally, I have found an official Disney site listing all of the classic Disney animated features. The website is http://disneydvd.disney.go.com/animated.html. I had so much fun going through the list of titles and reminiscing about which ones I have seen in the past. It was also great for me to compare my collection with the official list of classics (I still need about 20 of them).

I also had a lot of fun browsing around www.disney.com. It was fun to try out the games for kids, and I highly recommend the site to anyone with children (although it could be a little difficult for children to navigate easily).

Even though Disney rarely sticks to the true nature of the tales they remake, the movies are wonderful for kids, and they are a part of my childhood that I would never give back (as proven by my current collection goals).

I have begun reading The Hobbit for our class, and I have not yet been able to truly enjoy it. I have found it very cumbersome to keep up with the various characters that I am unfamiliar with, and I am not sure where to expect the story to take me. It has also not described everything in any great detail, so I have found it difficult to feel as though I am actually in the land of the Hobbits. I recognize a few of the characters (especially Gandalf) from the Lord of the Rings movies.

While I have not been enjoying the book yet, I can appreciate Tolkien's immense creativeness. It takes an absolute creative genius to make up entire new races and languages as he has done in The Hobbit. I only wish I was half as creative as Tolkien. Even coming up with names for each of the dwarfs was a task that I would probably not have been up to.

I am hoping to enjoy the book as I delve deeper into it (I am so far only about 50 pages in), and I will post an update at a later time!

I read Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass as one of my outside reading assignments. His second book was every bit as nonsensical as the first, and even more so in parts. I wish I had known a little more about the game of chess before reading the book, because I think I would have understood several more of the subtleties in the story.

The plot is basically that Alice climbs through her mirror above her mantelpiece to get to a world of nonsense where a checkerboard dominates the pace of the book. She meets characters such as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Humpty Dumpty, talking flowers, and the Red Queen (a living chess piece). The Queen told her that she had to get to the 8th square where she would then be crowned as queen. She succeeds (after meeting many strange characters along the way), and is crowned queen. She checkmates the king and eventually wakes up back in her living room.

I really enjoyed the book, and I love how Lewis Carroll never ceased to think outside of the box. Alice and the queen ran as fast as they could to stay in the same spot; what a novel idea! I would liken him to J.K. Rowling as she also thinks completely outside of the box (i.e. moving photographs). I am glad that I have read both, and I now see where Disney got many of the other characters for Alice in Wonderland.

As I have been studying for our exam, I have created a study sheet for all of the poems we discussed in class. I have decided to post them as one of my blog entries for the week. This includes all poetry for the class except Robert Louis Stevenson and Christina Rosetti.

Nonsense and humorous verses
“Although it is difficult to distinguish between humor and nonsense, one might say that in humor the real is absurd, whereas in nonsense the absurd is real.”

Jabberwocky – Lewis Carroll
· From Through the Looking Glass
· A mock heroic tale of a possible prince who must defeat a jabberwocky
· This poem is recognized as the greatest nonsense poem in English
· Opening and closing paragraphs are the same – peaceful and pastoral – while the middle is all about fighting
· Sentence structure is correct for English
· Standard poetic forms are observed (quatrain, ABAB rhyme form, iambic meter)

Experiment Degustatory – Ogden Nash
· “it tastes like chicken”
· Personal narrative
· Degustatory is a mixture of disgusting and gustatory (taste)

Adventures of Isabel – Ogden Nash
· Reminds of Little Red Riding Hood (the Thurber and Dahl version)
· Zwieback crackers show she is a child (those are crackers given to children as they learn to eat whole food)
· 1st four lines describe villain
· Next two lines – villain tells Isabel what they are going to do
· Next two lines is the same in all stanzas
· Last two lines – Isabel does to the villain what they wanted to do to her.

The Spaghetti Nut – Jack Prelutsky
· Plays with words and sounds
· Gustatory images
· Slip stick or visual humor
· Nettie Cutt vs. Nettie cut (name versus action)
Sick – Shel Silverstein
· 1st person narrator
· He misuses words like children would do
· Things that aren’t problems are presented (like having blue eyes)
· Hyperbole – blows something out of proportion to lunacy (the list is huge)
· Last four lines is the turn in the poem (it’s actually Saturday)

Boa Constrictor – Shel Silverstein
· Took something supposed to be scary and made it funny
· Starts out like a nursery rhyme and then moves into rhymed couplets
· Poem told in first person narrative – which makes the last funny line possible

The Witch of Willowby Wood – Rowena Bennett
· The witch is much like that out of Hansel and Gretel
· Free verse without rhyme scheme which makes it feel more like prose or conversation

Macavity: The Mystery Cat – T.S. Eliot
· Again, a narrative
· He is a con man hero

Mother’s Nerves – X.J. Kennedy
· A punch line poem

Narrative Poetry

The Highwayman – Alfred Noyes
· Listened to the song from you tube
· A ballad tradition, even though it isn’t in the usual ballad form
· The rhythm of the poem causes one to speed up when getting ot the action parts (the language makes you speed up).

Cremation of Sam McGee – Robert Service
· Not originally written for children, but they picked it up very quickly
· The poem is very dark and ends up being almost lighthearted and slightly funny
· The opening stanza is repeated at the end and gives the feel of a ghost story
· First person narrative
· The language is very commonplace (i.e. “he’d sooner live in hell”)
· The last two stanzas take us from a near ghost story to a turn where it ends humorously.

A visit from St. Nicholas – Clement Clarke Moore
· Clement Moore wrote this poem for his family and read it for the first time on Christmas Eve.
· The Santa that we now envision came straight from this poem
· In the first few lines, the language is full of nouns and adjectives and the words are longer
· Then, the language is more focused on verbs and the reader speeds up.

Casey at the Bat – Ernest Lawrence Thayer
· Written in 1888
· Made famous by DeWolf Hopper (recited over 10000 times)
· A mock heroic poem
· Tragic comedy
· Ballad (4 line stanzas, etc.)
· In medias res: it starts in the middle of the story
· Casey is the hero going into battle

Pied Piper of Hamelin – Robert Browning
· Poem written especially for a little boy
· “Modern rendition” of a traditional tale (the story is a well known story throughout Europe).
· He is dealing with a pretty sad concept, but he made it fairly humorous (injected little bits of humor)
· Rhythm of the words is important
o Lots of action verbs (short and to the point), thus moving the speaking quickly (stanza II)
o The words are used to portray a building of the intensity when the rats are pouring out of the houses (stanza VII)
o Same kind of effect with the children, but you get a different feel because it is children rather than rats (stanza XII)
· In stanza XV he gives a moral (he was a good Englishman, and thus, had to give a moral)

Lyric Poetry

The Creation – Cecil Alexander
· A Christian didactic poem
· Alexander was a 19th century author from the British Isles

William Blake
· Similar to Cecil Alexander (written at the same time and also British).
· Illuminated works – etched illustrations into copper
· Set the exemplar as to what children’s literature should be (i.e. beautiful and thought invoking).
· Wrote poems on Innocence and Experience
· All poems in Sword except Tyger are from the innocent side
· He pairs the innocence poems with troubling issues (i.e. child labor laws)
· Because the illustrations are inherent to the story, they are the front runners to picture books
· Many of the poems do have religious contexts
· Most have simple vocab and easy syntax
· Use familiar imagery
· Use repetition and refrain
· His poems also deal with social issues of the day
· He draws upon the oral tradition and also pulls in parts that are not necessarily appropriate for children’s literature (verbal ambiguity, covert satire, and sexual imagery).


Incident – Countee Cullen
· Expression of the African American experiences of the US
· From the point of view of an eight year old child
· Cullen felt that he should write on more universal topics than Hughes
· Cullen was a huge figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

Mother to Son – Langston Hughes
· Expression of the African American experiences of the US
· The point of view of the mother talking to the son
· The metaphor of the stair is carried through the poem. It is an amazing metaphor juxtaposing a poor black woman and a rich white woman
· Hughes felt he should write to the black experience.
· Hughes was a huge figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

Life Doesn’t Frighten Me – Maya Angelou
· A much more universal poem and doesn’t have to be the black experience strictly (although the child is most probably urban)

Hunchback girl: She Thinks of Heaven – Gwendolyn Brooks
· Again, a more universal poem. She could be in Heaven where everything is straight and she can live like a proper princess.
· The poem is a prayer
Emily Dickinson
· Tended to have four major themes in her poetry
o Nature
§ Scenes (look at nature and describe)
§ Meaning (look at something in nature and use a creature to explore other life meanings)
o Poetry, Art, Imagination
§ Looked at a book and the beauty of it
o Friendship, love, society
§ Relational issues of life
o Death, Immortality, Religion
· Her poems used compression (a type of writing with brevity)
o Short stanzas (many were quatrains)
o Short lines
o Usually, 2nd and 4th lines rhymed
· Will see a lot of nature images, domestic activities, industry, warfare, the law and economy
· The speaker is a “supposed person,” and not Emily Dickinson herself

I Met A King This Afternoon – Emily Dickinson
· She enjoys the play-acting of the children
· She seems to say that these children at play are at least as important as actual royalty

There is No Frigate like a Book – Emily Dickinson
· The power of a book can allow even the poor to travel
I am Nobody! Who are You? – Emily Dickinson
· Most famous of Emily’s poems
· Appears in many children’s collections
· She was a recluse, and all her poems were published posthumously, so she really was a nobody
· She rejoiced in being a nobody and not having to show herself to everyone (not a negative thing)


Hope is the Thing with Feathers – Emily Dickinson
· The bird is always there (even during the storm) just as hope is always there
· Hope doesn’t take anything from us

E.E. Cummings
· He played with typography and did not use capital letters and doesn’t use punctuation very much.
· Plays with white space to give a special image on the page
· Deals with nature, love, the relationship between the individual and the masses, and satire

In Just-Spring – E.E. Cummings
· Plays with the way kids run kids’ names together
· Images of spring (balloonman, puddles, etc)
· Looks strange on the page

Maggie and Millie and Molly and May – E.E. Cummings
· No punctuation
· Looks more normal on the page
· A bit of truth found in the poem (i.e. the little girls can find themselves at the beach no matter what they’ve lost)
· An alliteration

William Carlos Williams
· A doctor
· Imagism – uses short poems, ordinary language, and free verse to create sharp, exact, and concentrated pictures. All about what an image can say

This is Just to Say – William Williams
· The image is terrific
· The plum is a deep purple and it is cold

The Red Wheel Barrow – William Williams
· You can picture it perfectly
· He wrote this poem after having been to help a very sick little girl

Spring and All – William Williams
· He is at the beginning of spring where the first little buds are beginning to pop through the ground
· Very different images than those of E.E. Cummings

I was struck by the sadness of Countee Cullen's poem Incident. It spoke of a small child that was so hurt by a racist comment that they could think of little else for the remainder of the summer. While only African Americans could have had Countee's exact experience, I think everyone could relate to the poem by remembering that one incident that sticks out in your mind above everything else. That one time that a boy called you ugly or that one time that your friend had to stop playing with you because you lived on different sides of town. The poem was extremely touching, and I immediately became drawn to the poem. It was short, and straight to the point. In only 68 words, Countee was able to paint a picture in my mind of the day that he was insulted by a boy of his same age.

I stated previously that I had a story about Fred Gipson (the author of Old Yeller), and I will now tell you about him. Fred Gipson grew up and lived in Mason, Texas, and my mother's mother was also born and raised in Mason. My mother's mother (whom I never got to meet because of her early demise), was good friends with Fred Gipson's family, and my mother's best friend going up was a boy by the name of Richard Polk. Richard Polk is Fred Gipson's nephew. My mother spent many summers in Mason at Fred's ranch, and she knew Gipson and the Polk's very well. The part in the book where the boys are throwing rocks at each other was written after Fred saw Uncle Nurd (the name by which my sister and I call Richard Polk) and his brother throwing rocks at each other. Also, we have autographed copies of both Old Yeller and Savage Sam written to "my dear, sweet Nancy" (my mother's name is Nancy). I wish I had been able to meet Fred Gipson, but he died long before I was born. However, we spend every summer with his nephew, and we visit Mason, Texas every few years to visit the places of my mother's childhood.

I read the book Into the Land of the Unicorns by Bruce Coville for an outside reading. The book is the first in a series called THE UNICORN CHRONICLES. In 5th grade, we were encouraged to read books off of the Sequoyah list and vote on our favorite one. This book was my favorite, and the one I voted for (it did not win). When reading it again, I realized that it was part of a series, and I am now going to have to find the second one (the third will be published later this year).

The story centers around a young girl, Cara, who is thrust into the world of Luster after she and her grandmother are chased by a hunter. In Luster, the world is full of unicorns, dragons, and other mysterious creatures who all speak languages other than English. She makes friends with a unicorn named Lightfoot, a bear-like animal called a dimblethum, a man named Thomas, and a squirrel-like character called a squijum. They set out on a quest to find the queen and inform her that a hunter is after Cara and trying to enter the land of Luster to kill all of the Unicorns.

The amulet that Cara's grandmother gave her to help her enter Luster is the key to the hunters' entrance into the land, and must be kept safe. The book is a fairy tale adventure full of fun creatures and beautiful scenery.

I am definitely going to have to find the second book in the series, and then read the third this summer!

I am currently reading Into the Land of the Unicorns for an outside reading, and it reminded me of a children's book list that I was very familiar with when growing up. I am from Oklahoma, and the Sequoyah book awards was an important children's literature competition for school children. During my fifth grade year, we were given an incentive to read the books on the list, and were taken on a special trip if we read 20 out of 22 of the books. I read 20 books and voted on my favorite, but the winner for that year was, of course, one of the two books I did not read.

I have found the website detailing the past winners, the past contenders, and the history of the award. The website for the Official site of the Oklahoma Sequohya Book Awards is http://www.oklibs.org/sequoyah/

I was able to find the list of books that I read when I was in 5th grade by going to the master lists and finding the list of books for the 1996-1997 year. I also learned that the award is the third oldest children's choice award in the nation.

Another interesting side note is that the very first Sequoyah winner was Old Yeller written by Fred Gipson. This book has a special connection to my life, but I will save that story for another post.

I highly recommend checking out the Sequoyah website to learn more about the award, and to see what books have been on the lists.

I watched the movie Enchanted for the second time, and fell in love again with the fun story and the great satire found throughout the plot. The story is that of a girl from a fairy tale who is sent to the real world (New York City) by an evil witch/evil stepmother. It begins with all the great makings of a classic Disney Fairy Tale, and ends up with a girl lost in the crazy life of a New Yorkian. Giselle, the fairy tale princess, is completely naive and lost in the ways of life of New York. She immediately tries to make friends with an old man, and he simply steals her tiara and runs. Her prince attempts to follow her to New York and rescue her, but he is thwarted by his evil stepmother's footman and his own naivety. Giselle meets a divorce lawyer with a daughter and shows him how wonderful the fairy tale story can be. They, of course, fall in love and live happily ever after in New York.

The movie was fantastic because it really poked fun at the ridiculousness of all previous Disney fairy tales. The characters were spot on, and the plot could not have been written better. I love the movie, and I plan to buy it as soon as it goes on sale!

It was so much fun for me to get to hear "The Highwayman" during our last class. My sixth grade literature class presented the poem as a dramatic reading to the rest of the school, and it was an event that will remain with me forever. The second stanza was assigned to me to read, and reading it again for this class was a trip down memory lane. However, reading it now shed new light on the actual meaning of the poem. When I read it in sixth grade, I did not understand the consequences and reasoning behind each of the actions. I did not even realize that the poem was ultimately about lovers who were parted when the woman killed herself before the highwayman reached the household. It never fails to amaze me how much I read as a child and did not understand the meaning behind each of the pieces we have read.

I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

I heard many children say that they had read this book, but it wasn't until late high school that I actually picked up the book for the first time. Reading it again this time, was every bit as fun. I also own the movie that recently came out on video, and I found the movie version to be extremely similar to that of the book. Most of the time I find myself disappointed with the movies created from books, but I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this movie every bit as much.

The book is about 4 siblings who are sent to live with a man in the country to escape the battles of WWII. The youngest child, Lucy, plays hide-and-seek and ends up in a wardrobe that transports her to a far off land called Narnia. In Narnia, she meets new characters and finds the world breathtakingly beautiful. She returns back through the wardrobe to show her brothers and sister the wonderful world of Narnia. When they go back to Narnia, Edmund makes friends with the White Witch, and wants to do her bidding because he was promised prince hood if he was loyal to her. The story then revolves around the siblings' quests to overthrow the White Witch and convince Edmund that she is actually a bad person.

This book is a wonderful fantasy book that lets one escape to a far off land that we can only dream of. Reading the book again was a pleasure, and I will soon be rewatching the movie!

While I was home for a friend's wedding, I went through some of the books that I loved as a child, and I ran across this gem. When my parents found out they were pregnant with my sister (I was 2 at the time), they bought me this book as a part of the "Little Golden Books" set. It is entitled The Bears' New Baby, and was written (and illustrated) by Joan Elizabeth Goodman. The story is written from a child's perspective as they wait for the baby to arrive, and then how they have to wait for the baby to grow old enough to play with. It was so perfect for a small child because time seemed to drag on much slower, and nothing ever seemed to happen fast enough. Waiting nine months is like an eternity to a child, and having to wait even longer after the baby is born is excruciating! I also remember being slightly disappointed with my baby sister when I found out I couldn't really play with her when she came home, so it was nice to see it written in a book for children.

I loved the book as a child because I felt like I could identify with Amanda (the big sister), and I felt like the author must have written it with me in mind. I will definitely be keeping this book for my children to read as their sibling(s) are born.

These humorous/nonsense poems are an absolute blast to read. I read many of them as a child, and I love hearing them again. I especially enjoyed the one about mama's nerves. I remember reading many of the poems as a child in "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "A Light in the Attic." I always hated writing poetry as a child, but I could have spent hours upon hours reading these nonsense poems. The poems are nice to calm your nerves on a busy day or just relax on a lazy day. Even if you only have a few minutes, I would highly recommend keeping a book of humorous poems near you so that you can whip it out and brighten your day just a little. I have never done so myself, but I believe I will be putting that into practice now.

Yet again...

I have read Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar. As a child in elementary school, I read this book over and over again. Each chapter is its own individual story, but the characters remain the same throughout the book, and a few of the storylines carry over to other chapters.

The book is about a classroom full of children and a teacher named Mrs. Jewls. Each child has its own personality (albeit crazy personalities). Reading the book as a child, I do not believe I found the children's thoughts and actions so very crazy. I think all children find a little bit of themselves in at least one of the characters. The book is about a school that has 30 stories (but no 19th story), and Mrs. Jewls' class is on the 30th floor. To settle the children down after recess, Mrs. Jewls rings a cowbell, and all the children immediately get into their seats. If a child is disobedient, they must write their names on the blackboard under the word "Discipline". If they disobey twice more, they have to go home on the kindergarten bus (and once, Mrs. Jewls herself had to go home early on the kindergarten bus). The various chapters show the children forgetting their socks, reading stories backwards, pulling each other's hair, finding thousands of dollars, getting tattoos, and other crazy antics.

Rereading this story was a complete joy, and each of my roommates are so glad that I am finished so that they can start reading the book themselves.

Posting something here later.

Yet again, I must think of something to post. I definitely need some new ideas.

After completing Alice in Wonderland, I have realized that I really don't enjoy all fantasy books as much as I thought. While the book was a nice break from reality, I found it quite difficult to follow because it skipped around so much and really had no major goal. I could not really connect to the story because everything was so far out of the realm of reality, and Carroll did not spend much time in long descriptions to allow me to travel their with Alice. However, I did very much enjoy the chapter discussing the education under the sea. The parallels with the traditional school subjects were extremely fun to find and the entire chapter was a wonderful satire on the education system of today. It was difficult to understand the satire in many of the poems and songs because I had not grown up hearing these verses.

I recently re-read A Great Day for Up by Dr. Seuss. The basic plot talks about all of the various ways one can get "up." It is written as an extended rhyming poem with words that small children would have no problem understanding (except maybe Mt. Dill-ma-dilts). Dr. Seuss shows that there are many different types of up (i.e. the sun comes up, we get up in the morning, we can go up on stilts, and we can open up our eyes). Quentin Blake was the illustrator for this book and he used a wide range of bright colors which make the pictures almost more interesting than the actual words. I believe the novelty of this book lies in its varied uses of the word up, the simple words for the beginning reader, and the lovely pictures that bring the story alive.

I have noticed that I have been reading a lot of Dr. Seuss for outside readings. I have read more than I have posted about, but I have decided it best if I don't make all of my outside books about Dr. Seuss books. As a beginning reader, I loved the Dr. Seuss books because they allowed me to read actual books with my limited vocabulary. They were the first books I was able to read, and I thus read them over and over again. I will always appreciate them for helping me learn to read.
Because these books have such a special place in my heart, I decided to look up some more information about the Dr. Seuss franchise, and the first website I found was absolutely amazing. I found www.seussville.com. This appears to be the official Dr. Seuss website for children. It contains games for kids (of which I played several) that help build their memory, concentration, and hand eye coordination. The website also contains an extended biography of Dr. Seuss that is quite interesting.
I highly recommend this website to anyone interested in learning about Dr. Seuss or learning more about his books.

When am I going to think of new post ideas?

I very much enjoy the fantasy literature found in many children's books. I think one of the greatest aspects of this genre is the escape from the real world. This is especially useful for those children who are growing up in a troubled environment.

Children who have real world problems (i.e. low-income, racial inequality, physical, mental and sexual abuse, and other similar problems) can read a realistic fiction book and find many of the same problems in these books. This reading offers little escape from their real problems, and will often only elevate their awareness of their problems. However, when they enter into fantasy worlds, the problems become more about fighting dragons and evil spirits which are not real world problems, and thus allow the children the escape that they so desperately desire.

Also, fantasy books begin rotating the gears of a child's imagination. The more a child is allowed to delve into his/her imagination, the more likely the child will be to accept and understand intellectual concepts learned in school. Also, these children can often become great artists and writers.

I plan to encourage my children to read fantasy beginning at a very young age.

I have read Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. This was my all-time favorite children's picture book when I was a child. I made my parents read the story to me every night. I believe the most interesting part of the book was not the story itself, but it was the illustrations. The illustrator, Clement Herd, won several awards for the beautiful scenes found on every page of the bedtime story.

The basic storyline of the book points out the various objects in the child's bedroom, and then says goodnight to each of the objects previously pointed out. As a child, I thoroughly enjoyed pointing out each of the mentioned objects (often hidden in the complex scenes). The clock in the bedroom progressively becomes later and later as the story goes on, and a mouse appears in each of the pictures. The whole story can be found at http://www.geocities.com/burgerzking/moon.html, but this site only gives the story, and none of the beautiful pictures can be seen with the words.

After finshing Ever After, I wanted to point out another Cinderella storyline found within the movie. The obvious Cinderella character is Danielle who has lost her father and been forced to live with a cruel stepmother and two stepsisters. However, I believe that another of the characters can be seen as a Cinderella character.

Danielle's stepsister, Jacqueline, carries many of the Cinderella characteristics. She is a kind girl (especially in comparison with her older sister), she is treated cruelly by her mother, and she is often forced into servitude in Danielle's absence. While she is treated better than Danielle, she is not treated well all the time, and when Danielle runs off with the prince for the day, she is even forced to fetch things for her mother and sister. Also, after Danielle is beaten, Jacqueline is the one who is there to comfort her and tend to her wounds. Her mother is rude to her and only sees her as a fat girl who is good for nothing but saying stupid things and eating all of the food in the house. However, in the end, she also finds her prince. The movie alludes to the fact that she becomes romantically involved with one of the courtiers (her "prince"), and she is saved from the servitude that her mother and sister face.

I thought this was a beautiful parallel to the story within the bigger Cinderella story.

I have decided to use this post as a study guide for the first exam. These notes are not written in correct grammar and sentence structure, but they are for my own notes. Here is a breakdown and summary of all of the Tatar fairy tales we have discussed:

Little Red Riding Hood:

The growth of LRRH has shown her to transition from a strong girl who could take care of herself to a weak girl who must be saved by others.

The Story of Grandmother (told by Louis and Francois Briffault) – The wolf has the child eat her grandmother. The girl tricks the wolf and finds her escape when she says she needs to relieve herself outside. Reference to pins and needles
Little Red Riding Hood (Charles Perrault) – story written for children and adults in which a helpless girl enables her own rape. This story changed LRRH forever because she no longer defeated the wolf. Perrault presents a moral message portraying her demise as her own fault.
Little Red Cap (Brothers Grimm) – The one I knew growing up. The wolf ate granny and LRRH, but a hunter comes and saves them and kills the wolf by filling his stomach with heavy stones. This LRRH teaches children that they should always obey or be subjected to death. The hunter calls the wolf “you old sinner.” An obedience tale
The Little Girl and the Wolf (James Thurber) – a short story that shows an intelligent Red only getting 25 feet from the bed and knowing the wolf wasn’t granny. She shoots the wolf and the moral is given: It is not so easy to fool little girls nowadays as it used to be.
The False Grandmother (Italo Calvino) – The little girl gives items to obstacles on her way to granny’s house and is thus allowed to pass them. She does not eat her grandmother and stalls for time. The ogress allows Red to relieve herself outside and then chases Red. The ogress cannot get past the obstacles and dies in the river. She is a planner and thinks on her feet.
Goldflower and the Bear (Chiang Mi) – Goldflower saves herself and her brother by tricking the bear to go outside and open its mouth to allow spears to kill it. This Red is tough, smart and takes care of what needs to be done.
Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf (Roald Dahl) –granny, the wolf, and LRRH know the traditional tale and notice when they deviate from it. At the end, Red whipped a pistol from her knickers and shot the wolf dead. She ended up with a lovely furry wolfskin coat.
The Three Little Pigs (Roald Dahl) – An extension of LRRHATW mixed with the three little pigs. The last pig calls Red and Red kills the wolf. Then Red turns and kills the pig as well and makes a pigskin travelling case.

Snow White:

SW has a stable core identified by 9 episodes: origin (birth of the heroine), jealousy, expulsion, adoption, renewed jealousy, death, exhibition, resuscitation, and resolution. It is the reflection of a young woman’s development. Most critics point to the strong mother/daughter conflicts.

The Young Slave (Giambattista Basile) – 1st recorded story of SW. SW was left in the coffin to her uncle and his wife. The wife became curious and found the girl and became jealous of her b/c she thought she was sleeping with her husband. SW (Lisa) is somewhat magical and is a stronger character than most. She affects her own reward for being beautiful and as an apology from her uncle. The reward is marrying the prince.
Snow White (Brothers Grimm) – The story we all know. The stepmother used witchcraft to change her appearances and create poisonous objects, and she was jealous of SW’s beauty. She wanted to eat the heart and lung of SW when she was left in the woods thus ingesting her beauty. SW cooks and cleans all the time, and she is too dumb to stop the stepmother from killing her. She is pretty, naïve, and passive.
Lasair Gheug, the King of Ireland’s Daughter (Scottish tale) – The stepmother is jealous over an inheritance and the mirror is switched out for a fish. The conflict then turns to one over beauty. The old hag tells the stepmother to kill things the father loves and finally he takes SW out and cuts off three of her fingers (and she says it doesn’t hurt because he is the one doing the cutting). SW saves the prince by releasing the enchantment on his cat form. The stepmother found out she was still alive and sent her a gift that would kill her. SW’s husband locks her in a coffin and eventually remarries. The new wife finds her, and SW has the new wife marry her father. SW got around the oath by getting on a wild boar’s back and not baptizing her three children.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Anne Sexton) – SW is dumb and passive and only worthwhile because she is a virgin. This one used a bit more satire and seemed to be a poetry and shortened version of the Grimm’s SW.

Hansel and Gretel:

This fairy tale is shaped by food. The evilness in these stories is often women: the stepmother at home and the witch in the forest. This children triumph over the adults which is a message for the lower class to let them know that they can rise above their status. The father is typically reunited with his children while the stepmothers are often killed or divorced.

Hansel and Gretel (Brothers Grimm) – The typical story where Hansel starts out as the hero in taking the breadcrumbs but Gretel ultimately saves them both from the evil woman in the house. In this story, many references to God are made which turns this tale into a Christian moral story. The wife had died and they lived happily ever after with their father.
The Juniper Tree (Brothers Grimm) – The father’s son was killed by the stepmother and the little girl was made to believe she slapped his head off. The sister buried the bones under the juniper tree and the brother is reincarnated into a bird. When the bird sings outside of the house, it makes the father and sister happy but the mother becomes terrified. She is killed and the boy is brought back to life. This story also makes references to goodness and God (the devil got hold of her).
The Rose Tree (Joseph Jacobs) – The same as the Juniper Tree but this time it is a little girl that dies and the brother buries her. This time the mother dies, but the girl is not brought back to life.
Little Thumbling (Charles Perrault) – The youngest of seven boys (and the smallest) is the hero in this story. He outsmarts the ogre to save his brothers and even gain his family wealth so that they no longer have to worry about starving. It also ends with him having only taken the boots and getting money as a courier in which lovers pay a lot and wives pay little.
Pippety Pew (Norah and William Montgomerie) – Much like the juniper tree in that the little boy was killed because the wife had tasted too much of the rabbit and ate it all. The boy as a dove killed the wife and the father and daughter lived happily ever after.
Molly Whuppie (Joseph Jacobs) – Much like Tom Thumbling, the characters were girls instead of boys. Again, the youngest saves the three daughters. This time, she is sent on several quests after rescuing the sisters, and each time a sister is given a husband as a reward. In the end, Molly has to steal the giant’s sword, the giant’s purse, and the giant’s ring to get her prince of a husband.

Cinderella:

Two main tales differentiated by the influence of the father. The catskin tales stem from a misplaced lust of the father and the Cinderella tales are from an absent father and a cruel stepmother. In the catskin tales you have: a lustful father, incest, voluntary “ugliness”, active heroine, takes place out of the home, mothers are dead, and the fathers repent and are forgiven. In Cinderella you have: a stepmother, hatred/domestic slavery, “ugliness” forced upon her, passive, absent or powerless fathers, rescue by a prince, and mothers and stepsisters are not reconciled.

Yeh-hsien (Chinese Cinderella) – girl loved the fish, but the stepmother killed and cooked it. The fish bones granted any wish Cinderella wanted, and she went to the festival where the king fell in love with her. She lost her shoe and he found her because of it. He became greedy with the fish bones and thus lost them.
Donkeyskin (Charles Perrault) – The original mother tells the husband to marry only the girl who is more beautiful, more accomplished, and wiser than she was. He only finds his daughter, and she runs away out of fear of marrying her father. Her godmother suggested she have her father make her two dresses and kill the magical goat. He does, and she runs away with the donkeyskin as a disguise. She found work as a scullery maid and would often try on her dresses. One day the prince spied on and found her, and he wanted to make her his wife. Donkeyskin put her ring in the prince’s cake and he set out to find her. They married, and she forgave her father.
Cinderella (Brothers Grimm) – The stepmother made her a servant and made her lie in the ashes. When the father went to town, she only wanted a branch from the tree that brushed his hat. She planted the sprig on her mother’s grave and it grew into a tree where a dove sat. The dove was the fairy godmother who gave her dresses to go to the ball in. The shoe was lost, and each of the stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to fit into the shoe. Cinderella married the prince and the mother and sisters got their eyes pecked out.
Catskin (Joseph Jacobs) – She was going to have to marry a rough old man so she ran away to eventually work as a scullion. She had hidden her dresses and went to the ball dressed in them. The young lord wanted to find out about her, and she gave him riddles. Catskin saved him because he wouldn’t eat without marrying her. The father was forgiven for trying to sell her off.
The Story of the Black Cow (Alice Elizabeth Dracott) – the male version of Cinderella. The boy did not have a loving home, but he loved a cow that would give him sweets. When the stepmother found out, she was going to kill the cow so the cow and the boy ran away together. The boy wished to be made of gold, and this caught the eye of the princess who eventually married him.
Cinderella (Lin Lan) – Beauty and pock face were stepsisters. One of her shoes slipped off and she asked three passersby to pick it up. She finally married the scholar and they were going to live happily ever after. Pock Face pushed Beauty down the well and she and her mother told the scholar that Beauty had smallpox. Then Pock Face pretended to be Beauty and went back to the scholar. Beauty was transformed into a sparrow, then bamboo shoots, then a bed, and finally her shadow convinced an old woman to sell a bag to her husband so that she could tell Beauty’s story. Beauty killed the stepsister and sent her roasted bones back to her mother.
The Princess in the Suit of Leather (Egyptian folktale) – The mother made her husband promise not to marry again unless the woman could fit her anklet. The princess was the only one on which it fit, so she ran away to a hide tanner who made a suit of leather for her. She began working for a queen. She followed the household to a ball and sprinkled sequins to cause a divergence. The queen suggested that the prince find the woman and marry her. He waited for her, and she pulled off his ring in her haste. She baked it into a cake and he knew who she was. They were married, and she forgave her father who gave half of his kingdom to her.

We are currently watching Ever After in class, and I cannot wait to finish the movie. The design and set of the movie are absolutely exquisite and I cannot tear my eyes from the beautifully designed costumes. I was so captivated by the plot that I could not leave the classroom until the video was turned off (5 minutes after class was supposed to be let out). I have seen the movie previously, but it has been many years since my last viewing of it. I believe I am enjoying it so much more now because we have completed several other Cinderella stories, and this one is a great twist on the traditional story.

In this story, the father is not just a passive man who allows bad things to happen to his daughter, but he is a kind, loving, and doting father who is taken too early in life by a sudden heart attack. The cruelty of the stepmother and stepsisters is parallels the traditional Cinderella stories, and her mannerisms are much like that of the Ella Enchanted character I came to love. Unfortunately for me, I do not seem to remember how the movie ends, and I thus cannot wait to attend class tomorrow and learn the rest of the story.

I recently went back and reread one of my all time favorite children's picture books: Green Eggs and Ham. The plot of the story is obviously simple, but a few nuances of the book were quite surprising this time around.

In Green Eggs and Ham, Sam-I-Am attempts to get the other character to taste the green eggs and ham. His friend will not try the dish no matter what Sam-I-Am does. Sam-I-Am asks his friend to try the dish with a mouse, in a house, with a fox, in a box, in a car, in a tree, on a train, in the dark, with a goat and on a boat. Finally, he tries the green eggs and ham, and of course, finds that he actually enjoys the dish.

I believe this book is supposed to teach children a lesson about trying new things that they might not otherwise try. I know that several children after having read this book went out and tried green eggs and ham. As a child, I did not know what green eggs and ham were, and they actually made me think that the meat and eggs were rotten. However, I now know that they are actually green because of an addition of spinach and pesto sauce.

The illustrations in this book, much like Dr. Seuss' other books, are exquisite. The characters are not life-like people, but they are figures that are interesting and different. The illustrator also took the liberty of adding many great contraptions to the book such as the extendable arm on which to present the green eggs and ham.

I also decided to find out a little bit more about the book and was surprised to learn that Dr. Seuss wrote this book using only 50 words. All but one of the words is monosyllabic, and they are almost all of Germanic origin. The 50 words used in the book are as follows: a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you. It is said that Dr. Seuss' publisher bet him that he could not write a book in 50 words or less, and Dr. Seuss proved him wrong!

I was grateful for the opportunity to reintroduce myself to this book, and enjoyed every second of it!

Recently, I have reintroduced myself to my favorite forms of children's literature: children's music. While we have read about many stories that have been changed from their original forms to the more child appropriate versions we know today, songs are often created solely for children. Just listening to the music for a few hours has automatically put me in an extremely happy mood. The songs are almost always upbeat, they often teach a lesson (either moral or educational), and they generally bring back positive memories of a more peaceful time in my life.

A really great website listing some of the most popular and favorite children's songs is as follows:
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/music.htm.

My favorite children's songs were often the Disney songs from the fairy tale remakes. While they have little to do with the original fairy tale forms, they are enchanting songs for small children (and even 22 year old college students).

I read a study that showed that children who listened to music matured into more intelligent young adults and did better in school. The article in Child Neuropsychology showed that children who listened to music when they were young were more musically inclined and more expressive. These are often measurements of intelligence, and thus these children appear to become more intelligent than their peers who do not regularly listen to music as children.
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a714015723~db=all

Today I watched the Ella Enchanted movie, and I found that I was sorely disappointed after having read the book. Several aspects of the story were changed, and these changes seemed to be frivolous. First of all, Ella's relationship with her father was one of a loving father who truly cared for his daughter. This is completely contradictory to the father of the book who would readily sell his daughter if given the right price. I assume the producers made this change to appeal to a young audience who would be troubled by an unkind father. However, I feel that the strained relationship is part of what gave Ella her character.

Another difference was that all of the creatures in the land spoke the same language. The book did a much better job by portraying various languages for each of the magical creatures. Without the presence of the numerous languages, Ella was unable to show how smart and cunning she truly was. One of her gifts was the ability to quickly adapt to communicate with all of the creatures in the land. This aspect of Ella's character was completely removed when the movie was produced.

Next, Lucinda never realized the negative aspects to big magic. In the book it was a relief to finally see Lucinda cease her big magic. However, it seems that Lucinda's character was denied a shift in dynamics when her character was left in one dimension and unchanging.

Mandy played a much smaller role in the movie than she had done in the book. In the book, Mandy had been a character Ella could always rely on, but she was often absence in the book. I missed the motherly aspect Mandy had lent Ella.

Also, small details were removed throughout the movie that could have added so much in such short times. The movie never portrayed Ella's childhood friend learning of Ella's curse and using it against her. The movie said nothing of Ella's stay in the finishing school, where much of her turmoil actually began. The movie showed no change in Olive's character whereas the book had illustrated a progression from the naive almost-friend to the demanding step-sister. The movie also completely ignored the glass slippers after Ella stole them. This upsetting change completely removed the budding relationship formed by Ella and Char, and it removed the significance of the glass slippers as the Cinderella tie. All aspects of the "typical" Cinderella story (i.e. the pumpkin carriage, the glass slippers, the masquerade ball, etc) were gone in the final production of the movie.

Finally, the most important change was the change to Ella herself. In the book, she was portrayed as an incredibly strong, selfless, fun, and rebellious young woman. However, in the book, she showed a small bit of each of these traits, but they were greatly diminished. After the many changes enacted on the original Ella, much of her admirable and lovable character was lost in translation.

I definitely prefer the book to the movie, and I would love to read the book again while I would be more hesitant to watch the movie again.

I decided to put some more variety into my web journal, and I was able to find a really neat website that lists children's literature from the 17th to the 20th century. The author's list was not particularly useful because many of the stories (like Cinderella) are entered under unexpected authors, and it is very hard to find the story you are looking for. However, the list of titles was a ton of fun to look at. Each story comes with a full citation and a table of contents. I found several stories that I had forgotten about since I have gotten older. If anyone is curious, the website can be found at http://palmm.fcla.edu/juv/juvTitleList.html (which is the list by title)

The bibliography for this website would be as follows:

Cael, Zita, John Ingram, Erich Kesse, and Rita Smith. "Title List." Literature for Children: a State University System of Florida PALMM Project. 13 June 2001. The University of Florida State System. 6 Feb. 2008 .

Prompt question:

To you, what seem to be the most significant changes that Levine has made to the Cinderella tale and character in Ella Enchanted? Explain.

Prompt answer:
Levine has made several different changes to the traditional Cinderella story. First of all, this Cinderella is a much stronger woman who attempts to change her future for herself. Unfortunately, she is bound by a curse, and it is only broken when she saves the prince. Also, the stepsisters seem to have a much stronger negative role in this story. It is Hattie who originally makes Ella's life miserable. I was also fascinated by Ella's incredible love and aptitude for the various languages of her world. This skill invokes the idea of a woman who was born to be queen; one who is ready to speak to every person in her land. Levine completely redefined the typically weak, naive, and passive Cinderella into a modern, smart, and active princess.

The tale as a whole was also transformed into a magical and interesting adventure rather than the lack-luster account of a naive slave girl typical of the original Cinderella tales.

As we have been reading and discussing the various fairy tales, a thought has occurred to me that I have often associated with myths and legends. I believe that all myths, legends, and fairy tales began with some sort of truth. While the story of Cinderella is a work of fiction, it is possible that somewhere before recorded history, a young girl was raised from a more dreary life into the royal life by marrying a prince. I have often thought of these tales with respect to creature like the Loch Ness monster and even dragons. I don't believe that people just thought these mystical creatures up one day, but that something like them actually lived. Granted, the stories have been embellished from one telling to the next, but I think it is a viable possibility that some sort of Cinderella lived at some point in history. That would also explain why there are so many versions of the tale. If anyone has ever played the game called "gossip" as a small child, one would understand how a single statement can be confused after being told many times. The story would start out with a simple truth, and end up completely embellished to be more interesting to the listeners.

ENGL 360 Post #4

I am officially shocked! On more than one occasion I have mentioned that these stories are more grotesque than I could have ever imagined. However, I cannot believe that some of the original Cinderella stories were based on her need to escape from a father who loves her in a sexual way. Even the rape in Little Red Riding Hood is slightly understandable because rape is a common (albeit awful) experience. However, the unnatural lust of a biological father is far less common. I have heard of many step fathers molesting their children, but not biological fathers. However, I must realize that those values are of American origin. Who is to say that other cultures do not see that problem more often? My heart goes out to Cinderella and any real children who have experienced this type of unnatural fathering.

ENGL 360 post #3

During this post, I would like to answer the fairy tale discussion prompt for Friday, 1-25, that we did not actually get to on Friday.

The two groups in which the conflict occurs are children and evil women. The first woman in their life (the mother figure) convinces their father to take the children into the forest and leave them. However, Hansel overhears the conversation and thus plans for an escape out of the forest. While this is not a direct confrontation, Hansel undermines the wife's authority by thinking one step ahead of her. At first, it appears he has won the conflict when the children return safely to their home. However, when they are taken out again, it appears as if they have lost the battle. The next conflict is between the children and the evil witch woman who wants to eat them. This time, it appears as if the woman is going to win, but the children ultimately prevail. Finally, the last unfinished conflict between the children and their stepmother is decided when the children return home, and the woman dies. Ultimately, the children are the winners in each conflict.

It is significant that the children won because it shows that children are capable of thinking for themselves. Children are typically thought of as dumber than adults, but I believe children have a different way of looking at things which can often work to their advantage. As we become more educated, we lose a certain amount of creativity as various teachers "teach" us how to think (while that may not be their goal - it will inevitably happen). Therefore, the truly creative and intelligent child could be seen to be quite cunning when the time called. I think Hansel and Gretel is a great way to show that children may sometimes out-think the adults. Also, it shows that the apparent underdogs can fight and become victorious. This was a good message for the vast majority of underprivileged children who would have been hearing the story (since these stories were originally intended for the children of the lower class). It taught them that they could come out on top.

As I have been reading these fairy tales, I have begun to think back on my impressions of them as a young child. We have seen that stories like Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Hansel and Gretel have been used to teach morals to children and entertain a more mature audience. After reading and discussing a few of the tales, I can understand why feminists have problems with the characters of Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. In the Grimm tales (the ones I heard as a child), the girls are very naive and almost meet their ends through their own faults. However, as a child, this was not at all the types of messages I got from the stories. I knew they were fantasy, and not based in reality. They were nice stories used for my entertainment purposes, and I doubt any of the morals the Grimm brothers tried teaching ever actually took affect.

A similar realization occurred a few weeks ago as I went back and watched a popular cartoon from my childhood. When I was younger, I often watched the Nickelodeon cartoon called "The World of David the Gnome." I remember watching the show because of the talking animals and the break from reality the show provided. However, as I watched the show as an adult, I realize that it was constantly trying to teach the children lessons of the opinions of the writers. For example, in the very beginning of the first episode David the Gnome says, "What's the idea of coming into our peaceful forests and blasting away with your noisy guns at every animal you see?" If I had thought more carefully about this, I would have become very upset because my father was an avid hunter. He is not a wasteful hunter (we eat everything he kills), but I would have been devastated to know that I was disappointing a character I loved. Also, the first time David is shown, he is found naked in the bathtub. As a child I thought nothing of this unusual scene, but I now question the appropriateness of this introduction into the world of the gnomes.

In case anyone is interested, here is the very first episode of "The World of David the Gnome."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5oI2mkgDRw

While I am shocked today to learn about the history of the fairy tales, I am not a person to deny my children the same entertainment that I gained from these same tales. I believe more harm would be done by denying my children the stories that all other children will know as they begin school.

That is all for today, will write again soon.

Drew's first entry for ENGL 360

So I am new at this whole blogging thing - but we will see how it goes. Also, I just realized that it is 1:30am - which means it is technically Friday. However, I am going to have to count this as Thursday because I am going to need to do another entry tomorrow.

I am thoroughly shocked by the grotesque nature of many of the fairy tales that we have read thus far. I realize the stories were not originally written for children, but it amazes me that people found cannibalism and rape entertaining. In class, we were discussing the theme of rape in Little Red Riding Hood, and I have to wonder if it were not a more common occurrence in that day and age. If a woman was raped, there was a high likelihood that she would not have spoken of the incident. In those days and times, punishments really did not exist to punish those men who raped women, and the women of that time would not have fought back against a man as strongly as the women of today. I wonder if it was almost acceptable in some cultures for men to exert their power over women and thus making rape a more common occurrence.

However, I do appreciate that even though the earlier stories are more gruesome and scary, LRRH still overcomes the wolf. So it is almost like she takes revenge for what has been done to her.

I guess that will be enough for now. I will definitely be blogging again tomorrow to discuss more.

Howdy,

This is my first experience in the blogging world, and I may have to get used to this. This site was originally created for a Children's Literature course I am taking.

-Drew

Outside Reading List:

Book 1: Green Eggs and Ham
Author: Dr. Seuss
Picture Book? Yes
Posting date: Sunday, February 10

Book 2: Goodnight Moon
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Picture Book? Yes
Posting Date: Sunday, February 17

Book 3: A Great Day For Up
Author: Dr. Seuss
Picture Book? Yes
Posting Date: Sunday, February 24

Book 4: Wayside School is Falling Down
Author: Louis Sachar
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: Sunday, March 2

Book 5: The Bears' New Baby
Author: Joan Elizabeth Goodman
Picture Book? Yes
Posting Date: Sunday, March 9

Book 6: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: Sunday, March 16

Book 7: Into the Land of the Unicorns
Author: Bruce Coville
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: Sunday, March 23

Book 8: Through the Looking Glass
Author: Lewis Carroll
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: Sunday, March 30

Book 9: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?
Author: Bill Martin, Jr.
Picture Book? Yes
Posting Date: Sunday, April 6

Book 10: Old Yeller
Author: Fred Gipson
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: Sunday, April 13