I'm not the target audience for this book: I'm an adult who plans to use the book and movie with children and college students. This book has a good sI'm not the target audience for this book: I'm an adult who plans to use the book and movie with children and college students. This book has a good story, but presents it in a simplifying way, not worthy of either great children's literature or the movie. To me, the story--told from each emotion's viewpoint--was both simplistic and repetitive, and did little to build the empathy and alternate perspectives it was attempting to create.
Merged review:
I'm not the target audience for this book: I'm an adult who plans to use the book and movie with children and college students. This book has a good story, but presents it in a simplifying way, not worthy of either great children's literature or the movie. To me, the story--told from each emotion's viewpoint--was both simplistic and repetitive, and did little to build the empathy and alternate perspectives it was attempting to create....more
Dhikilo woke one morning to find the letter D missing: from conversations, from newspapers and road signs, then things with D in their name start to vDhikilo woke one morning to find the letter D missing: from conversations, from newspapers and road signs, then things with D in their name start to vanish or become illegal (e.g., dogs and dentists).
Why? This is Dhikilo's task, sending her and Nelly/Mrs. Robinson (alternately a Labrador or Sphinx) to Liminus, a world peopled by Magwitches, Quilps, the Drood, and by the Gamp, a monstrous dictator, eerily like a recent US president, one who is going up for re-election. D also reminded me of Wizard of Oz, the Narnia books, and A Wrinkle in Time. References to Dickens' books are peppered throughout.
I am, obviously, not the target audience for D, although I wonder who would be. D's beginning is interesting. We meet Dhikilo, who was adopted from Somaliland, which barely appears in her search of reference books. Dhikilo is a square peg in a round hole, but it's the rest of the world that is off, not her.
So, D had potential, but once we entered Liminus, the characters are two-dimensional and uninteresting. As other reviewers note, it's unclear why the letter D was targeted (except perhaps that this may be another attack on Dhikilo's identity, another microaggression). Why is Dhikilo the only one who notices the missing D and the only one with the moral courage to search for it?
I would have liked D to be shorter (a long picture book?) or longer and deeper. This is a premise that could have reached readers of all ages and backgrounds....more
I had enjoyed Fourth Wing but hadn't loved it. Part of my reaction was the genre (YA romantasy), part its last chapter, which was different in tonI had enjoyed Fourth Wing but hadn't loved it. Part of my reaction was the genre (YA romantasy), part its last chapter, which was different in tone and point of view from the rest of the book.
Maybe I was in a better mood this time, but I was impressed by its world building and characters, although irritated that 75% of the adults were mean-spirited and evil. And, the book lurched from one crisis to another over the course of less than a year: torture, evil villains, evil rulers, evil teachers (you get the picture). Framing a book as the perils of Pauline is not a flattering look, even when Pauline (in this case, Violet) is strong, capable, a loyal friend, and supremely ethical.
However, Fourth Wing ended on a sour note, too, one that may be unforgiveable (by me). I hate when authors betray their characters. I might have thrown my book against the wall, but didn't want to damage my kindle or its cover. Don't betray this reader....more
Fourth Wing is both predictable and satisfying, as you might expect from a YA romantasy: a young (beautiful) medically-weak woman is forced into a sitFourth Wing is both predictable and satisfying, as you might expect from a YA romantasy: a young (beautiful) medically-weak woman is forced into a situation that is likely to kill her. She succeeds and falls for a hot, forbidden man who is her senior. They fight their attraction, then finally succumb (really, none of this is a spoiler). There is lots of angst on both sides, although often feminist angst: "And when others are quick to stand in front of me, Xaden always stands at my side, trusting me to hold my own" (p. 512).
Violet and Xaden's romance takes place against a background where she, as daughter of one of the most powerful women in the empire, begins to question the empire's decisions. She begins to notice the information that isn't shared, to question how decisions are made, to refuse to be complicit in genocide, to recognize that there may be more than one perspective on national events.
The part of Fourth Wing described in the first paragraph is tasty candy, that in the second, read against events taking place in the US, feels as current, fresh, and inspiring as a romantasy with tightly clothed, highly attractive people and their dragons can be.
Rebecca Yarros overuses the word "teases" throughout the book, which causes it to lose its power, causes Violet to seem smaller than she is. Most of the book was in Violet's voice, while the last chapter was in Xaden's, which was both boring relative to hers (thus, unbelievable) and jarring. If the rest was in her voice, it seems this last chapter should be rewritten in hers, even if she is hearing events as through a dream – or there should be a highly compelling reason for the change in narrators, not just expediency....more
Bridge to Terabithia was written too late for me, maybe too early for my kids (who are not Great Readers); yet, I'm not sure that it could be too lateBridge to Terabithia was written too late for me, maybe too early for my kids (who are not Great Readers); yet, I'm not sure that it could be too late for anyone. It is a "children's book" but written with a maturity and depth of feeling that both children and adults can recognize. I read – mostly by accident – Adichie's Notes on Grief at the same time, but it was Bridge to Terabithia that had tears rolling down my face.
My best friend died when I was 17, not 10, like Jess. Like him, though, I did counterintuitive things, was angry at things that didn't make sense to be angry at, and was supported by family. It is the layeredness of Jess's responses to Leslie's death that felt true and authentic. If he had only gone into a corner to cry, if he had only picked flowers for her casket, that would have been far less moving for me. It would have felt less real.
My mother gave me a t-shirt with a series of banned books on it ("I'm with the banned"), most of which I've read. Bridge to Terabithia is one on this list that I haven't read, placed there as its subject, death, is "age-inappropriate," as were likely its discussions of poverty, bullying, abuse, and parenting (good and otherwise).
In Roald Dahl's imagination, giants not only exist, but most of them like to guzzle and swallomp nice little chiddlers.
Luckily, the BFG (Big Friendly In Roald Dahl's imagination, giants not only exist, but most of them like to guzzle and swallomp nice little chiddlers.
Luckily, the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) does not swallomp nice little chiddlers; instead, he collects, manufactures, and shares dreams. Together, he and 8-year-old Sophie save the day – with a little help from the queen of England. This is a common and empowering theme in children's books: children can be powerful in ways that adults often are not.
This theme redeems The BFG from other sins. By all accounts, Roald Dahl was a horrible person (his characterizations of countries, races, etc., are dated and not at all politically correct), but he was also tremendously talented and had an extraordinary imagination. He remains very readable. "Am I right or am I left?"
Although The BFG was apparently written for a 8-year-old, it is probably aimed at somewhat older children and very readable even for people well beyond childhood.
David Williams read my version of this book, wonderfully. Listening to Williams would also make this book easier for earlier readers who might struggle with his malapropisms and grammatical errors. Mine was a stressful week, but it was difficult to listen to this without smiling....more
In a world where teens are "mean girls" and "material girls," it is refreshing to read a book where teens are kind to each other, thoughtful and creatIn a world where teens are "mean girls" and "material girls," it is refreshing to read a book where teens are kind to each other, thoughtful and creative, ambivalent and nervous (without being dark), and truly twitterpated (see the flowers and hearts in the margins). Heartstoppers is that book.
In Heartstoppers, we see the angst of first love and the ambivalences about saying the right things, the true things:
[image] Or the loneliness of being alone in a crowd:
[image]
Netflix has produced two seasons of this – this book covers only part of the first season and includes fewer characters. If I could only do one of the two, I'd probably go with the Netflix series, but I don't have to choose, so I won't.
This book was recently banned (among hundreds of others) in an Iowa school district because it has a drawing of two boys kissing. I have no words....more
At least at the beginning, one might imagine that Elatsoe is set in our universe, at least a part of that universe characterized by Native American trAt least at the beginning, one might imagine that Elatsoe is set in our universe, at least a part of that universe characterized by Native American traditions, stories, and beliefs. This first part of the book was my favorite.
I was willing to go down the road where Ellie had a (lovely) ghost dog and her recently-murdered cousin talked to her in a dream, identifying the murderer, and that family and friends believed this. This was a story of social outrage, oppression and extreme privilege, handling adolescence, and friendship. "This summer, investigating my cousin’s murder, we might skirt the line between wise and unwise danger. It’s hard to know that you’re flying too high until the feathers start dropping” (p. 49).
Supernatural events rapidly expanded in the last quarter of the book: vampires, health snatchers, fairy portals, and more. These were all put in the same popcorn popper, but events exploded and everything imaginable happened all at once. New metaphor: imagine that I decided to make dinner tonight and wasn't sure what to make, so threw cheese, peanut butter, Greek yoghurt, tomatoes, bread, black beans, and pasta in the same pot and stirred. That's Elatsoe – many wonderful things (especially Ellie and her ghost dog), but too many wonderful things.
Yes, I wasn't the target audience for the end of this book (I was charmed by the beginning). I read it for the Read Harder Challenge: a YA book by an indigenous author....more
I love unreliable narrators. (Are they always female or do I only remember the female ones?) Eva is as unreliable as they come; even she doesn't trustI love unreliable narrators. (Are they always female or do I only remember the female ones?) Eva is as unreliable as they come; even she doesn't trust her memories. Eva has been blamed for Karma's and Cecilia's drownings, knows that she does not know what happened, and is haunted by their ghosts. She loved them, but could she have also murdered them?
In River Woman, River Demon, Jennifer Givhan mixed trauma, magical realism, brujería, hoodoo, curanderismo, and Wicca in a spicy mix. Eva and Jericho, in particular, survived by combining indigenous ways of knowing the world with cultural survival skills. Eva questioned why Jericho teaches their children to disappear.
“Kids of color need every art of the craft at their fingertips.”
“How not to be seen?”
“Especially that one.” (Kindle)
Eva is talented and intuitive, a motherless bruja, more weakly connected to her spiritual traditions than she needs, and a talented but struggling artist. Despite many strengths, skills, and people supporting her, Eva was often impulsive, struggled to understand her emotions, and misread the people around her. Trauma tips all of us on our heads.
I read this with my mother as part of Libby's Together We Read project. River Woman, River Demon is mystery, brujería, romance, thriller, female empowerment, YA. My mother often does not enjoy several of these genres, but she did this one. Ditto for me....more
I Am the Messenger made me smile. This was a book that felt good as it went down. I liked Ed and many of the characters peopling this book.
My full nam
I Am the Messenger made me smile. This was a book that felt good as it went down. I liked Ed and many of the characters peopling this book.
My full name’s Ed Kennedy. I’m nineteen. I’m an underage cabdriver. I’m typical of many of the young men you see in this suburban outpost of the city—not a whole lot of prospects or possibility. That aside, I read more books than I should, and I’m decidedly crap at sex and doing my taxes. Nice to meet you. (p. 6)
(Read more books than he should? Is there such an amount? He certainly did not spend an extraordinary amount of time reading.)
Ed put himself down in the way that you might if you had a mother who called you Dickhead Ed, especially a mother who acted as though this "endearment" made sense and was deserved. How can you counter that message when you get it from someone you value, as most of us do our (good or bad) mothers, especially when the message is so vague and slippery? And yet, most of us have felt lost in one of the ways that each character felt at one point. [image] Ed received a series of playing cards, from some unidentified person, outlining some unclear task to be accomplished. These tasks were to identify what each of a number of people needed to get on track. His intent and efforts were sweet, as was that he was transformed as much by his interactions as they by him. (An obvious goal of the tasks.) Often very small changes made a large difference. The occasional violence seemed unnecessary and out of place, however. Is violence ever decreased or redirected by violence?
As I said, I smiled while reading I Am the Messenger – or did until I got to its ending, which felt manipulative and inauthentic. If I had been reading this on paper (and was 16), I would have torn out the last dozen pages....more
Crooked Kingdom is a high action/adventure sequel – grand plans go awry, but there are always several layers of Better terrible truths than kind lies.
Crooked Kingdom is a high action/adventure sequel – grand plans go awry, but there are always several layers of back-ups – and a grand coming-of-age story. Most people will focus on the former, so I'll take the road less traveled.
In Crooked Kingdom, this group of homeless, parent-less teens living on the streets are each damaged in one way or another. Several hide their gifts – and struggle as a result. Most are traumatized and rejected by parents; they have been trafficked, abused, and are outsiders. But, they are not like Alys, who is told kind lies, and remains silly and unaware.
Fear is a constant companion, but a companion that kills rather than saves.
How do you handle relational trauma without having it damage other relationships? Most people don't even ask themselves this question initially. Others handle the violence of their divided, prejudiced world by closing their eyes. This is only a partial solution: "You’re the man who sits idly by, congratulating yourself on your decency, while the monster eats his fill. At least a monster has teeth and a spine” (p. 62).
In Crooked Kingdom, this motley crew lives with integrity and self-acceptance, helping each other recognize "you could love something and still see its flaws" (p. 383). Are my weaknesses all of me or only part? “You’re not weak because you can’t read. You’re weak because you’re afraid of people seeing your weakness. You’re letting shame decide who you are" (p. 283). They begin to declare their power instead of hiding it. “What kind of mother would I be to my son if I hid away my talents? If I let fear be my guide in this life? You knew what I was when you asked that I choose you, Colm. Do not now suggest that I be anything less” (p. 258).
They support each other and – the good parents among them – their children, even when they disagree with their decisions: “You’re my son, Jesper. I can’t protect you. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried. But I will be there even when you falter. Every time” (p. 513).
These messages are powerful, especially for young adults, who tend to think dichotomously, who believe that they are what was done to them. This crazy roller coaster of a story is great fun, but what makes this an especially good story is that the characters believe in and heal each other – and without a dose of saccharine.
“I would come for you,” he said, and when he saw the wary look she shot him, he said it again. “I would come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together—knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.” (pp. 184-185)...more
Remember being 11 and 12, and you had to make momentous decisions, things that now make you smile? (If only life were still that simple!)
That's Are YRemember being 11 and 12, and you had to make momentous decisions, things that now make you smile? (If only life were still that simple!)
That's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Margaret is newly moved to New Jersey from New York City and has to make friends, learn who to trust, and how to be honest herself. She has to learn about boys, menstruation, and God.
Most of us are still learning these things to some degree or other.
What I liked about Are You There God? is Margaret's tone and her willingness to make mistakes, admit to them, and move on. I liked that the issues that Margaret faced are not resolved with a wave of a magic wand(view spoiler)[: her maternal grandparents take a step forward, but do not forgive overnight; Margaret understands the rumors about Laura, but doesn't become immediately become her best friend; and although God is very important to her, Margaret doesn't jump into one religion (hide spoiler)]. I liked the smallness and normalness of her concerns, as well as the seriousness with which she considered them. She recognized that she faced choice points and considered them thoughtfully (as an 11yo can).
I didn't face the same decisions when I was 11, but she and I had enough commonalities that I would have enjoyed reading this (when I was 9 or 10). It would have reassured me to know that there were other kids facing similar issues to my own....more
Tracked by her great-grandmother's prophecy that described her as "a burdened soul [who] would bring death and destruction to all the enclaves in the Tracked by her great-grandmother's prophecy that described her as "a burdened soul [who] would bring death and destruction to all the enclaves in the world if [not] stopped," El was alone and avoided. She also had a huge chip on her shoulder: “Stop it!” [Aadhya] said. “I think that’s like the third time you’ve asked to be ditched. You’re like one of those puffer fish, the second anyone touches you a little wrong you go all bwoomp,” she illustrated with her hands, “trying to make them let go. We'll let you know, how's that?" (p. 72).
It doesn't help that El is literally an outsider, without an enclave's support, or that her school seems to be actively attempting to kill her and the other students. Typically fewer than half of a freshman class lives to graduation and a large number of the graduating class do not make it through the graduation ceremony. This magical school makes Hogwarts look like a Disney cartoon.
The Last Graduate is an often-manic, roller coaster of a book, the sort of book where it is unclear how El gets from Point A to Point B, but because she is so much smarter than any of us, and she is honest (about her actions, although she misinterprets her world), I trusted her and agreed to join her for the ride.
Yet, El's story is not the one that I expected. This book in Naomi Novik's Scholomance series is still dark, but more hopeful (here's my review of A Deadly Education). Here the individualistic loner begins working with her fellow students to get them through until the end. It is packed full, so would profit from a second or third reading.
I started listening to the audiobook – and gave up after 1 ½ chapters, despite enjoying the first in this series. The reader sounded extraordinarily whiny in a way that you could understand why people stayed away but not how she developed good friendships.
I decided to wait to read the book and am glad I did....more
Dystopian novels ask us to consider who we would be if the world went south. Would we act with honor and courage or…?
In The Union, a dystopia where BlDystopian novels ask us to consider who we would be if the world went south. Would we act with honor and courage or…?
In The Union, a dystopia where Blacks are in power and the tyrants, whites are workers/slaves. Black Elites are planning genocide.
The Union starts poorly, telling us things that members of this world would accept as normal, 1000 years post-breakdown of the old world. Although many things have changed in this new world, a surprising number have stayed the same. Nonetheless, if you are primarily looking for action and excitement or a book with characters that look like you, this book is for you.
Chapters are alternately told by a weak, whiney Upper and a complaining Lower with a chip on her shoulder. Although it should have been easy to tell them apart, I was often checking to see who I was reading. All of the central characters easily move from one part of their country to another and, annoyingly, excel at everything they tough. Both of the major characters have the potential to become likeable (view spoiler)[in the next installment in this series (hide spoiler)]. I'll never know.
I liked that Octavia Butler, N. K. Jemison, and Oscar Wilde (and maybe others) had characters named after them. Not so much Anaïs Nin.
I expect more of a novel than whining, anger, murder, and mayhem, so this wasn't the book for me, but it was fun (and free)....more
Jake Livingston is a Black, queer teen who regularly sees ghosts and ghouls. He is closeted as a medium and a gay man. He attends a wealthy white schoJake Livingston is a Black, queer teen who regularly sees ghosts and ghouls. He is closeted as a medium and a gay man. He attends a wealthy white school and stands out like an unwanted sore thumb. His life is "complicated."
Most days I want to run off this campus, find shelter in the woods, and spend a few years not being perceived, just to recover from the trauma of being hyper-visible.
And most days? I can’t figure out what I hate more: seeing the dead or being the one Black eleventh grader at St. Clair Prep. (p. 3).
The world is stacked against him: Jake's mother is only half-there; his father is homophobic, abusive, and gone; his classmates and teachers laugh at overtly racist "jokes," and his principal is more concerned with looking like he's not a racist than being supportive.
One ghost, Sawyer Doon, is a serial murderer, killing even after his death. Jake can stop Sawyer, but needs to stand up, refuse to give up, to understand what motivates Sawyer. Understanding Sawyer, which Jake eventually does, does not excuse him. Jake and Sawyer are a lot alike in some ways, but the ways that they are different makes a difference.
What does Jake need to recover from being possessed, from the racial traumas and microaggressions from living in a racist and homophobic society, from being haunted by a homicidal ghost? His support system helps – Ms. Josette, his medium mentor; his dead grandfather and other ancestors, who encircle and protect him; and his friends, Fiona, Allister, and River. But they can't do it for him. He needs to accept himself, recognize the breadth and depth of the support he has, stand up against what's wrong, reach for what's right, and live with purpose, so he can – at some much later point – die in peace.
The themes in The Taking of Jake Livingston are dark, but Jake's voice – and Sawyer's (their narratives alternate) – is clear, often funny, and rings true despite the absurdities of this story. Many of us are haunted, some of us can put our ghosts to rest....more
Imagine Six of Crows as Oceans Eleven, gone steampunk: a group of young outcasts given an impossible task for an unimaginably large reward. The six "cImagine Six of Crows as Oceans Eleven, gone steampunk: a group of young outcasts given an impossible task for an unimaginably large reward. The six "crows" include "a gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse" (p. 332), but each is much more than these simple labels. Everything goes spectacularly wrong, everyone's at each other's throat, but…
I enjoy reading fantasy for the same reason that I enjoy reading memoirs and novels set in other cultures, I want to be able to understand different worldviews and strategies for handling dilemmas. How might the world look different if these variables were changed?
From this perspective, Six of Crows is wildly successful. Not only is this story set in a steampunk somewhat similar to our own world (e.g., Dutch-like and Russian-like languages), but this is a world comprised of diverse cultures: Grisha ("witches') and drüskelle ("witch hunters), slavers and women and boys forced into prostitution, and multiple gangs. "Strange…, observing their white gowns. In Ravka, white was a servant’s color" (p. 358). This is a world with very few motorized vehicles, large inequities between the very rich and the very poor, and treacherous weather.
And, while our six teens struggle to win their goal, they also have often-tragic backstories yet grow as characters, sometimes surprising themselves: " He couldn’t help what he was, but did he want to cultivate his power or keep hiding it? (p. 439). They demand as much of others as of themselves, even (especially) when love is involved: "I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all” (p. 434).
And Bardugo has several series and several access points within it....more
Enola Holmes is witty, thoughtful, smart, competent, impulsive, and bold. She is a puzzle wiz, easily changes personas with her use of disguise, and aEnola Holmes is witty, thoughtful, smart, competent, impulsive, and bold. She is a puzzle wiz, easily changes personas with her use of disguise, and a wildly loyal friend, surrounded by equally supportive friends (and her dead mother's wise voice). Enola is also coming of age, so does not yet have full confidence in herself. Seeing Sherlock first underestimate her, then support her ability to solve problems for herself, made me want to cheer Sherlock but, even more, Enola. (Although Enola looks up to Sherlock, he is generally two steps behind her.)
Enola was raised to be independent and capable of many things that would be unexpected among 21st century girls, but even more so for 19th century girls. Lady Cecily Alastair was not raised in such an environment. She was discouraged from using her left hand – or being herself. When she escapes her tyrannical father's snare, she struggles with being her true bold, left-handed self, or the right-handed meek self. This leads to the dramatic turns at the heart of this story, (view spoiler)[turns that make my 21st psychologist self cringe. (hide spoiler)]
I've watched Enola Holmes (Netflix) but have not read any other Enola Holmes books (this is #8). Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade works well by itself. It's a fun romp, appropriate for middle schoolers and teens, but also enjoyable for people much older than that....more
If I were a queer teen, especially a Black, queer teen, George Johnson’s book would feel like having the older brother/mentor I wanted and needed to hIf I were a queer teen, especially a Black, queer teen, George Johnson’s book would feel like having the older brother/mentor I wanted and needed to have in my life. All Boys Aren’t Blue reads like a transcript of his loving and supportive conversations with a younger cousin or nephew:
I don’t have to be confined to an identity that boxes me into a space where I have to choose one or the other. To do so would just reward the homophobia. I can be good at football and double Dutch. I am actually still very good at football and double Dutch. But most importantly, I’m not bound by either of them. You don’t have to be either. (Kindle 735)
Of course, many of the issues Johnson discusses are also ones that allies or other teens will profit from considering, as they may have had similar experiences or know people who have. Can you play basketball and also love science, for example? Most of us have to find ways to resolve such difficult apparent dichotomies. How can you handle bullying or your grandmother's illness? This is not only a book for Black, queer teens.
Johnson sometimes spoke in hyperbole or perhaps he was ill-informed. For example, Johnson claimed to have invented the word Honeychild, a word that caused many problems at his elementary school, only to later be appropriated by mainstream culture. This didn’t match my memory of the word, so I did an Ngram search, which showed Honeychild first found in published books in 1910, then increasingly often after 1940. Honey child (two words) was first used in published books in 1827. Bad Company recorded their song by this name in 1976. Johnny Williams recorded his song in 1966.
Maybe Johnson meant that he independently discovered the word. I don’t think this distinction – he invented it or invented it locally – is nit-picky. When we talk to children and teens about difficult things, we need to be careful to be honest and avoid making ourselves look bigger than we are. (We often look plenty big.)
Symbolism gives folks hope. But I’ve come to learn that symbolism is a threat to actual change—it’s a chance for those in power to say, “Look how far you have come” rather than admitting, “Look how long we’ve stopped you from getting here.” (Kindle 843)
Isn't this a lovely cover? In a world of inappropriate, inaccurate covers, this one fits.
I've seen different pronouns used for Johnson (he/his? them/their?); he also referred to himself as Matt, but is published here as George M. He is currently describing himself as male and queer, but did not identify (at the time of publication) as non-binary or trans....more
I first read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a young child, but I've seen the movie multiple times. L. Frank Baum described his book as "a modernized faI first read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a young child, but I've seen the movie multiple times. L. Frank Baum described his book as "a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out." It is lighter and more joyful; chapters were short enough that the fear factor could not escalate unduly. The movie was dark enough that I had difficulty watching it as a young child.
[image] From The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The wizard was both a humbug and a talented psychotherapist, able to identify the ways that Dorothy's compadres had their desired traits all along. Most of us only note the places where we aren't kind, courageous, and wise. The wizard noticed what Baum's readers did, that the group were kind/courageous/wise all along. And, there's something very powerful in having a valued person share an unseen truth.
“You have plenty of courage, I am sure,” answered Oz. “All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.” (p. 85).
What a great message to send a young child! To send any of us.
Audiobook:
Several classic novels are available free from Apple. This version had Tituss Burgess reading. He did a lovely job, especially with the Cowardly Lion, although his performance did not wipe the movie from my memory. Hard to compete with Judy Garland!...more
Sometimes silly is just right. When such is the case, perhaps Where the Sidewalk Ends will hit the spot. Where the Sidewalk Ends is a book of poetry tSometimes silly is just right. When such is the case, perhaps Where the Sidewalk Ends will hit the spot. Where the Sidewalk Ends is a book of poetry that is equally enjoyed by children and adults, often putting the central character in an unusual position, whether that be a chef who "has nothing to put in my stew, you see.. So I'll climb in the pot to see // If I can make a stew out of me"…
[image]
...a man whose beard grows to his toes and who "never wears no clothes"…
[image]
…or the child who sees Thanksgiving dinner "from the turkey's point of view." As you might imagine, that makes "Thanksgiving dinner "sad and thankless" and Christmas "dark and blue."
[image]
The drawings are equally charming: "simple" line drawings, often catching its characters moving and in unusual predicaments. Towers are tipping, adults and children running, lions caught between bites of the unfortunate child who is being eaten. You can almost see the characters run off the page.
I grew up on the Irish Rovers and their version of "The Unicorn Song," which Silverstein initially wrote as song lyrics and is published here.
A long time ago, when the Earth was green, There was more kinds of animals than you've ever seen. And they ran about and played while the Earth was being born, And the loveliest of all was the unicorn.
There was green alligators and long-necked geese, Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees. Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born, The loveliest of all was the unicorn.
The Lord seen some sinning and it caused Him pain. And He said, 'Stand back, I'm going to make it rain!' He said, 'Hey, Brother Noah, I'll tell you what to do, Go and build me a floating zoo,' 'and take some'.......
The song/poem continues to tell us that the unicorns were silly and plashing in the rain, refusing to come in, and "that's why you never see unicorns to this very day."
Like the unicorns, regardless of how old we are, we need to play. I like that Where the Sidewalk Ends encourages that.
All poems and drawings are from Where the Sidewalk Ends...more
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