The Large Impact of a Small Book

This cute little book is one that brings back a lot of memories for me.  You know when you're getting ready for bed and your mom or dad ask you to pick out a bedtime story?  Usually, I'd try and pick a long one so I could stay up even a few minutes longer, but my parents caught on early to that trick.

Instead, I could pick two or three shorter books.  The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear was always one of my favorites for bedtime.  Written by Audrey and Don Wood, Don Wood's illustrations make you fall instantly in love with his adorable mouse friend who is trying to hide his strawberry from the big hungry bear.

Apparently, big hungry bears absolutely love red ripe strawberries and can find them anywhere, especially after they have been picked.  

So, our little mouse friend then tries to figure out how to hide his yummy strawberry from getting eaten from the bear.  This part was always my favorite and would make me laugh and laugh, because the mouse tried to put a disguise on the strawberry to hide it.  

When I was little I would read almost any chance I could.  I remember in second grade, my teacher told me I had to wait to go back to the library because I had already been there too many times in one day.  I had a pretty high reading comprehension level, but it was also the shorter stories that I fell in love with.  As wonderful as novels can be, I still look to the cute, unique stories I grew up with to give me inspiration, as a writer myself.  

Feel free to read along as Patricia M. Krause reads The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear aloud.  Then you can see for yourself how adorable this book is and why it was unique enough to remember it so vividly after a dozen years. 

I can't recall many chapter books that I've read in my lifetime, and I know there have been a lot, but I do always remember these children's books that have impacted my childhood.  Bedtime was always a favorite since Mom or Dad would read to my sister and I every night.  

Did your parents or guardian ever read to you before bedtime?  What book do you remember vividly?  Why do you think that book was so important to you?

A Life Lesson Learned from a Fish

The Rainbow Fish is a beautiful short story about a fish learning how to share in order to really feel happy.  Written by Marcus Pfister in 1992 originally in German since Pfister is Swiss, The Rainbow Fish was translated into English by J. Alison James.  

The story is about the most beautiful fish in the sea, Rainbow Fish, who absolutely loves his shining scales.  In fact, he loves them a little too much.  One day a little blue fish swims up to him and asks if he could have one of the Rainbow Fish's shining scales.  Rainbow Fish refuses quite rudely and then no one wants anything to do with him anymore.  

Rainbow Fish is then upset because no one pays attention to his shining scales anymore.  He seeks out the wisdom of the old octopus and she tells him that he should give away all his scales, that way he will learn how to be happy.  Eventually, Rainbow Fish does as he was advised and finds happiness in giving to others.  

Many teachers and librarians use this story in order to explain to children how to share, and how to not focus on appearance as much as the character of the person.  You can read The Rainbow Fish for yourself here.  The book was then turned into a series bringing about Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale and Rainbow Fish to the Rescue.  

But it was also adapted into a television series in 2000, called Rainbow Fish: Tales from the Sea.  Although, the television shows are only loosely based off of Pfister's book.  They take the characters from the book and then put them into new adventure stories.  

The moral of The Rainbow Fish has started to become a topic of debate amongst parents and teachers.  Some people say that by Rainbow Fish giving away all of his scales, it diminishes the idea of individuality.

What do you think?  Are people reading too closely into the text of a children's book, or does The Rainbow Fish not teach such a great lesson to kids on sharing? 

In an Old House in Paris that was Covered in Vines, Lived Twelve Little Girls in Two Straight Lines.

Over 75 years ago, Ludwig Bemelmans introduced us to one of the most adored female characters of children's literature, Madeline.  Turned into quite the franchise after all of these years, Madeline has multiple books, T.V. shows, movies and toys.  I loved both the books and the cartoons as a child, mostly because Madeline was also a petite little girl, like me.  She was always known for being the smallest of the girls.

Madeline is a young girl who lives in a boarding house with eleven other girls, her dog Genevieve  and their teacher Miss Clavel.  While there are multiple books about her, such as Madeline's Christmas, the original story is about Madeline's life in Paris and how she goes on an unexpected adventure to the hospital, which doesn't scare her at all. 

Madeline's cartoon show took Madeline on multiple adventures which were based off of the original stories and were titled The New Adventures of Madeline.  You can watch several of these episodes on YouTube and one of my favorites was Madeline and the Old Violin.  

There was also a great 1998 live action adaptation of Madeline that starred a little girl named Hatty Jones.  The movie incorporated several of the original stories by Belemans but also had its own take on it as Madeline is kidnapped by carnival workers.  

The sheer fact that Madeline has survived over 75 years is incredibly impressive, especially as each generation of children varies in what seems to be popular.  I believe part of her success is the fact that she has been seen in so many varieties.  I remember having a CD of songs from the television show, as well as having a computer game based off of the books.  I didn't know this when I was a child, but she now has her own website, as well.  

Do you remember any of these parts of the Madeline franchise?  What was your favorite?  Did you ever want to live in Paris with the twelve little girls?

When in Doubt, Look to the Books

Another one of my favorite books from my childhood, the Pagemaster was one in which I would ask my Mom specifically to drive to the library to check it out because I hadn't read it in awhile.  I knew exactly where it was on the bookshelf and still do.  Second to last book shelf, second shelf  from the top on the far left side and it was too large to fit vertical on the shelf so you could always see it sticking out.

This was honestly the reason I picked up the book in the first place, I wanted to know what book was long enough to hang off the shelf so much.  What I saw was the beautiful illustrations of Len Smith on the front cover of the Pagemaster.  

The Pagemaster follows "scaredy-cat" Richard Tyler on his adventures, once he gets stuck inside the public library during a thunderstorm.  As he walks into the main section of the library he sees murals on the ceiling of horror stories, adventure stories and fantasy stories.  While staring upwards, he slips on the wet floor and hits his head on the floor.

Richard is now thrown into the world of the Storybook where the books come to life! On his adventure to find "the exit," he meets three new friends, Adventure, Fantasy and Horror. They then work their way through all of these characters' "homes" while fighting pirates, exploring a haunted house and fighting off a dragon.

Later in the year, a film adaptation was created, starring Macaulay Culkin as Richard Tyler.  While personally, I love the book much more than the movie version.  Both of these Pagemasters capture the heart of readers (and viewers) with the lovable characters and beautiful imagery.  Here is the trailer for the 1994 film version of the Pagemaster.

Do you find that you usually like the movie or the book version of certain films, or books?  Have you ever read this book before?  Do you think this book would be successful in getting younger children interested in reading for fun, with the characters and books "coming to life?"

What's For Dinner in the Town of Chewandswallow?

Another classic from the 1970s written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by her (now ex) husband Ron Barrett, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs quickly became loved in the children's literature world.  In 2012, it became known as one of the "Top 100 Picture Books for Children."

The story begins by a grandfather telling a bedtime story about a town called Chewandswallow.  The town is very much like a regular town with stores, roads and schools for the children.  However, this town gets very unusual weather.  

Instead of snow, wind and rain, this town gets mashed potatoes, peas and hamburgers!  All of their food comes directly from the sky, no grocery stores at all!  

Chewandswallow seems like a great place to live, until the weather starts to go awry.  First, the sky starts to produce gross food, like pea soup and overcooked broccoli.  Then the food and the portions kept getting larger!  The street sanitation crews couldn't keep the streets clear and the school even got shut down when pancakes fell from the sky!

For their own safety, the townspeople of Chewandswallow decide to leave in order to find a new home.  They glue together peanut butter sandwiches to make rafts and sail to a new town where they have to go shopping at grocery stores.  You can read along to the book here and enjoy the entirety of this obscure town! 

The book became so popular that it was turned into a live animated film in 2009, with a sequel following in 2013.  The movie takes a different spin on the book.  Instead of the weather naturally producing food, an inventor named Flint creates a machine that makes all of the food fall from the sky.  Below is the trailer for the 2009 film version of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Did you like the book or the movie better of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs?  Why?  What kind of food do you wish fell out of the sky?

The Best Summer Project Ever.

Have you ever wanted to run away from your town and just create a brand new world only for you?

Weslandia is just the story for you then!  Written by Paul Flesichman and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, this book is one of the most creative ones I've ever read.  Wes is a child unlike the rest at his school and has very few friends.  His parents are concerned that he isn't "normal," but when school gets out for the summer, Wes has his own plans!

He decides he is going to build his own civilization, starting with a staple food crop.  These beautiful red flowers sprout in his backyard over night and Weslandia has begun! At first he just finds ways to use the flowers as a food source, but quickly learns that he can use the stalks to create clothes and a sundial to tell time.  

Because there are eight petals on every flower in his giant garden, Wes decides to create a new counting system based off of the number eight.  By the end of the summer he even creates a whole new language with an 80 letter alphabet.  

The neighborhood kids and the kids from school notice his civilization coming to life over the summer and become increasingly curious.  Wes allows them to help out in different ways, such as using his mortal and pestle to squish the flowers' fruit into a mosquito repellant and participating in his own sport.  

By the time school starts again Wes has no shortage of friends!  You can hear a reading of Weslandia and enjoy the magic of a new civilization coming to life here.  A perfect book for anyone with a powerful imagination!

If you were to create your own "Weslandia" what would your civilization look like? 

Franklin Could Count by Twos and Tie His Shoes.

Franklin the Turtle was one of my favorite series as a child.  Written by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark, Franklin goes through a new life experience or an adventure in every single book.  For example, some titles in the series are called Franklin Goes to the Hospital and Franklin Meets a New Friend.  

At this point there are more than 50 books in the series, not including Franklin Collections.  Bourgeois never planned on writing Franklin in the Dark into an entire series, but Kids Can Press asked her to write a second book.  Her inspiration came from situations her own children were going through.  Sharon Jennings took over writing the series after Bourgeois and Clark had written around 30 of the books and wanted to tackle new projects.

Franklin the Turtle has 2 loving parents, a baby sister (introduced much later in the series), a stuffed dog named Sam who he continually communicates with and a goldfish named Goldie.  He loves to play soccer, baseball, learn new things and play with all of his friends.

Bear is his best friend throughout the series.  But frequently you will see him with Goose, Snail, Beaver, Fox and Rabbit.  Originally Bourgeois wanted to make sure everyone understood that Franklin was the main character, this is why no one else has a "real" name.

Franklin has also graced the television screen twice as an animated series.  Once in 1997 and the other, most recently in 2011 with Franklin and Friends.  The series that was shown on television in 1997 is the one that I fell in love with.  The series from 2011 was a CGI-animated series, seen in the picture above, and I didn't like it particularly.  You can see what the 1997 Franklin the Turtle looked like in the video of his theme song!

If you're looking for a book that will relate to what kids are going through in everyday life, look no further.  I loved reading these as a kid, solely for that reason.  If Franklin could figure out how to sleep in the dark, then so could I.  While it may seem "outdated" for some children these days, it is a wonderful series to introduce to any younger children in your life. 

Do you remember reading these books or seeing the show on television as you were growing up?  Did you have a favorite book or episode?