The Human Alphabet with Pilobolus
January 26, 2010 by admin
Filed under must-haves
Title: The Human Alphabet
Author: Pilobolus, John Kane, photographer
Ages:4 -8
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2005
ISBN: 978-1596430662
As a dance company, Pilobolus is cutting-edge and thrilling to behold. Part dance, part acrobatics, the performances often showcase groups of dancers working together to create sculptures and shapes with their bodies. The Human Alphabet is a celebration of this unique technique and will inspire any young dance enthusiast to learn their A,B,Cs with style. />
Building On Nature: The Life of Antoni Gaudi
December 16, 2009 by admin
Filed under must-haves
Title: Building On Nature
Author: Rachel Rodriguez
Ages: 4-8
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, 2009
ISBN: 978-0805087451
Building On Nature: The Life of Antoni Gaudi begins where he grew up in Catelonia, Spain. A sickly child, Gaudi spent much of his time observing the wonderful forms and colors of nature, the jagged mountain peaks, silvery olive leaves, birds and sparkling sea were his companions until grew stronger and was able to play with other children.
He later went to Barcelona to become an architect, where he studied important monuments, read books at the library and learned from other architects before he began to design. His projects echoed the things that inspired him as a child; bright colors, floral motifs, birds, twining vines all dazzled anyone who passed by. Over time, his creations became more elaborately detailed, with whimsical shapes covered in stunning mosaic work, every part functional yet wonderfully fanciful and surreal. From dragon’s head door knockers to walls that undulated like waves, his imagination lead him to build architecture that was very unusual in his time; part poetry, part fantasy, pure art.
Swirling, vividly colored illustrations by Julie Paschkis mimic the design elements of Gaudi’s buildings. The story is an informative, simple and elegant tribute to one of the most artistically minded architects of all time.
June and August
December 1, 2009 by admin
Filed under must-haves
Title: June and August
Author: Vivian Walsh
Ages: 4-8
Publisher: Abrams Books For Young Readers, 2009
ISBN: 978-0810984103
June and August meet one night by starlight and find they have stargazing as a common interest. The new friends plan to meet the next day, but fail to recognize each other in the daylight, until June begins to complain and August recognizes her voice. They realize that not only do they look completely different in the light, they are quite different animals with different ideas of how to have fun. This leads to sharing ideas and teaching one another new games, while helping each other along the way. The story comes full circle as they again gaze at stars from the mountaintop.
Written by Vivian Walsh and illustrated by Adam McCauley, June and August sweetly touches on a core truth of friendship: while there are parts of us that are the same, there are also areas where we differ from one another, which is shown as June cleverly points out, “Our shadows begin and end in the same way. It’s mostly in the middle that we’re different.” It is these differences that offer opportunities for learning and growth, if we allow them to.
But Who Will Bell the Cats?
December 1, 2009 by admin
Filed under must-haves
Title: But Who WIll Bell The Cats?
Author: Cynthia von Buhler
Ages: 4-8
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books For Children, 2009
ISBN: 978-0618997183
But Who Will Bell The Cats, a highly creative adaptation of one of Aesop’s fables, written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buehler, is certain to entertain both children and adults as they follow the plight of mouse and his close friend, brown bat, while they try multiple desperate schemes to improve their lives by putting bells on the eight spoiled cats who live upstairs.
Each page offers rich visual detail of the contrast between the life of mouse and those of the cats. With its completely unique format, the book chronicles the warm, pampered luxury of the cats on the top portion of every page, and the dark, cold and dreary life of mouse on the bottom.
Cynthia von Buhler created and photographed every detail from each scene of the book, with the end result being visually stunning tiny stage sets that are worlds unto themselves. A castle full of marble mantles, mouse-sized chairs, and a golden claw foot bath filled with bubbles are just a few key pieces of this highly elaborate visual feast. The story itself is witty and comical, well worth the read to find out who will bell the cats, or if indeed the bell tolls at all.
Mermaid Queen
December 1, 2009 by admin
Filed under must-haves
Title: Mermaid Queen: The Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, Who Saw Her Way To Fame, Fortune & Swimsuit History!
Author: Shana Corey
Illustrator: Edwin Fotheringham
Ages: 9-12
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2009
ISBN: 978-0439698351
Based on the true story of Annette Kellerman, who made a big splash in her time as both an athlete and a swimming fashionista, Mermaid Queen seeks to inspire young girls to follow their own dreams by presenting them with a lovable, spunky heroine who overcame physical handicaps to become a famous, world-class performer. As a child, Annette was hardly able to walk, but found freedom once her father taught her how to swim. The water became a place for her to mimic the beautiful dancers she saw her parents teaching everyday in her home, and eventually she found a way to combine her two greatest loves: she created water ballet. She was also a leader in the evolution of present day bathing suits for women, as her costumes created quite a stir, and other women began to realize that there were other options to heavy bathing dresses.
Colorful and splashy illustrations by Edwin Fortheringham will make readers’ hearts dip, dive, swirl and twirl along with the free spirit that Kellerman is shown to be. A final two- page spread vividly chronicles what bathing attire looked like before and after the Mermaid Queen’s illustrious reign. In the end, you will never again take the bikini for granted.
The Circus Ship
November 15, 2009 by admin
Filed under must-haves
Title: The Circus Ship
Author & Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Candlewick (September 22, 2009)
ISBN-10: 076363090X
ISBN-13: 978-0763630904
A century ago, in the early light of dawn, a shipwreck occurs, and while Mr. Paine, the portly, hot-tempered circus owner thinks only of saving himself, fifteen circus animals are left behind in the swirling seas. So begins the colorful tale of the plight of the rest of the passengers aboard The Circus Ship, written and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen.
Dragging themselves onto the shores of a village somewhere in Maine, the animals’ efforts to survive manage to frighten and annoy the townspeople. However, after the tiger performs a selfless and brave rescue, saving a child from a burning barn, the animals are thereafter regarded not only as allies and friends, but members of the community.
Even though the circus itself is never actively shown, the entire book has a circus-like aesthetic: bright, bold, and dramatic. Animals and people alike are illustrated as expressive exaggerations, colorful and humorous. This culminates in the reappearance of Mr. Paine as he searches for the animals, determined to put them back to work. The townspeople, however, have a clever plan of their own, and as Mr. Paine fruitlessly searches the entire town over a two-page spread, the reader gets to search, too. Finding all fifteen animals may not be as easy as it sounds…will the plan work, and the animals live a life “free of Paine”? This book compels all animal lovers to read to the end to find out.
Where The Wild Things Are – Movie Review
November 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under must-haves
Making the transition from book to movie is a difficult bridge to cross, so it is a given that making Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are, originally a forty-eight page book, into an hour and a half movie would have to involve taking liberties and adding details in order to embellish the screenplay. This means that by definition the movie is bound to deviate from the original story. While there are very obvious differences, what we gain is our own visit with the Wild Things themselves, where every detail that anyone ever loved in Sendak’s original artwork comes alive onscreen, from facial features and expressions, teeth, talons, feathers and fur, to each monster’s unique personality.
Although the original story was intended for the four-to-eight-year-old crowd, the movie seems geared to a much more mature audience. Anyone expecting the light-hearted, mischievous tone of the book might be surprised by the difference of the tone in the movie, which is much more grim and dark, touching on content that may not be easily understood by young children. Onscreen, Max is part of a dysfunctional family torn apart by divorce, devoid of any real connection or communication. Max retaliates because he is frustrated by being mistreated and ignored.
The movie misses a real cinematic opportunity in its treatment of Max’s reaction to getting into trouble. All Wild Things enthusiasts know that he uses this moment to let his imagination transform his bedroom into a magical forest, where he then travels by boat to visit the Wild Things. But regardless of how Max arrives, there is certainly magic where the Wild Things are, most notably the Wild Things themselves. Initially, Max enjoys his status as king, particularly when he gives the infamous order to “let the wild rumpus begin”. The monsters themselves are also master builders and artists, capable of producing elaborate structures that are a wonder to behold. Unfortunately, they are not able to create and maintain a loving community where they can peacefully coexist. Eventually, the monster world mirrors his world at home, with the same personality clashes and conflicts. In both instances, real life and fantasy, Max deals with the conflicts by running away, which is certainly not a solution any parent would willingly teach to children, especially not larger-than-life and in full color.
Where The Wild Things Are is a movie worth seeing for those of us who have treasured the book into adulthood, simply for the opportunity for a foray into fantasy to see Sendak’s creatures come alive. In the end, that is the appropriate audience for the movie; the children that still live in the hearts of parents wanting to share this much-loved story with their children. If you are one of those parents, keep the money you might spend on movie tickets and snacks, and invest in a deluxe version of the book instead.
