The Stinky Cheese Man

On Friday we discussed the Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. I have to say that I was never a fan of the book. I thought that there were some funny aspects of it, primarily how the authors label the title page, Title Page, and how the table of contents were actually falling off of a table. Overall though, I never really cared very much for the book. I thought that it wasn't really kid appropriate and I found it often to be quite scary. The pictures drawn are strange and weird. After hearing what Dr. Robinson said in class about the book being post modern, I can tell she was right. I would rather read Where the Wild Things Are, which is kind of strange, but it is not quite as scary. I was never a huge fan of this book when I was a child, but my brothers were. It is definitly more of a boy's book because it is all about monsters and things that little boys appreciate more that most little girls. However, it is an enoyable read and the connections the book has between the little boys adventrue and his journey away from reality and society are well made.

enchanted

Yesterday I watched the movie Enchanted. I absolutely love that movie and it has a lot of children's literature relevance in it. The movie contains certain aspects from numerous fairy tales and children's stories, which makes the movie really good. In the beginning of the movie, there is a reference to The Little Mermaid, when Giselle puts two gems up to her eyes and they are magnified. It reminded me of what Ariel does when she looks through the gizmos and objects she recovers from land. Also, another reference to children's literature is when Giselle is talking to Robert and she asks to sleep in a hollow tree or "a house with dwarfs. I hear they're very hospitable." This references to Snow White. One interesting fact about the movie is when Giselle goes with Robert to work and she meets his secretary. What is interesting is that the actress who plays the secretary, was also the voice of Ariel in the movie The Little Mermaid. I think that is just so neat. What is also cool in the movie is the music in the movie contains typical Disney fairytale songs that reference Cinderella, Little Mermaid, and Snow White. The songs in the movie are True Love's Kiss, Happy Working Song, and How Does She Know. Each of them were stuck in my head for about two weeks after the movie premiered. If you haven't seen Enchanted you should do so soon, because it is a whole lot of laughs that you do not want to miss out on!

ELF

Today's entry is kind of random because it has to do with the movie Elf. As you know, Elf is a Christmas movie, and typically most people put away the holiday movies until that holiday comes around the next year, but not me. I tend to watch Christmas movies all year round, particularly when I am feeling stressed or down. Well, finals are coming up and thus I decided I would watch a happy feel good movie which just so happens to be Elf. When I was watching it, I noticed that Buddy's dad, Walter Hobbs, in the movie is in charge of a children's book company. I think that would be a really fun job and would certainly bring out my creative side. Walt Hobbs seemed to have a different idea about the job. It was interesting to see how little he cared about whether or not the books he signed off on actually made sense. This could be the reason why he was on the naughty list ;) It made me wonder if people really would take kids to be so naive as to not notice when a book is missing 3 whole pages. I am sure that when I was a kid I would have noticed. Kids are not as naive about things as they once were and should not be taken as if they were. I don't really know why I decided to write this but it just seemed relevant...

The Magic of Matilda

The outside reading book that I chose to read this week was Matilda. Goodness I don't know how many times I read this book as a kid, but I can assure you it was a lot. This story is about a little girl named Matilda who was born into a family who doesn't care about her. Her father is a crook who sells phony car parts, her mother is unloving and only cares about herself, and her brother is not much different. When she is finally allowed to go to school, Matilda finds a friend in her sweet teacher Ms. Honey. Ms. Honey is kind and loving toward Matilda, and she encourages her. At school Matilda also meets the horrible Ms. Trunchbull, who brings the element of child abuse to the story. Don't get me wrong, Matilda's parents also represent child abuse, but theirs is verbal, whereas Ms. Trunchbull's abuse is verbal and physical. She really scares me and it is so sad to see how she treats the students at school. It just makes me wonder what do the parents have to say about her? Towards the middle of the book, Matilda notices that whenever her father yells at her, or whenever someone puts her down, she can do magical things. This is why I was always fascinated with the book. I would have loved to have the magic powers Matilda had. I thought it was so cool that she could move things with her mind, such as the chalk she uses to write on the chalkboard. Man it would just be so cool to be able to do that, however it is probably best that I can't because I would get lazy and not want to get up and get things for myself, using my powers to bring them to me instead!

Dr. Seuss is Here, There, and Everywhere

Oh goodness, I don't know where to start. Dr. Seuss really is here, there, and everywhere! He has been around writing famous books for years and it seems like his books aren't going anywhere for a long time. Dr. Seuss has written so many children's classics that have helped kids everywhere learn to read. His books were so successful that they have been made into board games, puzzles, action figures, lunch boxes, coloring books, and even transformed into film. Some of the films are The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Green Eggs and Ham, and the latest movie, Horton Hears a Who. I have personally only seen one of these movies, and that is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I love the cartoon version of the story, but I have to admit I did not care much for the real version with Jim Carrey. I found myself feeling so sorry for the Grinch because of his childhood, and I found myself frightened of him at times. The Grinch played by Jim Carrey is actually quite scary, and if I was scared of him I can only imagine how scared the little children must have felt when they saw him. I have not yet been to the Horton Hears a Who movie, but I have heard that it was well made and well done. I never read the book as a child, so I don't know what it is about, but hopefully I will get a chance to see it soon.

Peter Rabbit

I loved class on Wednesday. Reading Peter Rabbit brought back so many memories of when I used to read that book as a child. Naturally, like all the other kids, I found myself rooting for Peter eventhough he was technically in the wrong the whole book for disobeying his mother. I assumed, like most other children's books, that it was didactic and wanted to teach kids a lesson about disobeying mom. I never even considered the possibility that Potter wanted to emphasize the "let boys by boys" attitude. Its funny how I view things differently now than I did back then. I also found it very interesting to know that Beatrix Potter wanted her book to be so small that children could put their tiny hands around it. I say this because when I was a child, I loved being able to hold the small books in my hands, and I remember I would choose small books over normal sized ones. That is pretty neat that an author would think so much about what her readers would need out of the book.

Number The Stars

I decided that since we just read, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, I would read another book by her for this week. For my outside reading book I chose to read, Number the Stars. This is another one of those books I was obsessed with as a child. I don't know how many times I read it, but it was enough to give the front cover a beating. I hadn't read this book since middle school so I forgot most of the plot. I didn't forget what it was generally about though. The Holocaust. It is one of those strange things that I love learning about.The Holocaust was horrible and I will never understand how humanity could so cruel. Perhaps that is why I am fascinated with it, because it just jogs my mind. Anyways, the book, Number the Stars is basically about a girl named Annemarie Johansen who lives in Denmark during the Nazi occupation. She learns about the war and the Jews and soon finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place when it is revealed that her best friend Ellen is in fact a Jew. Ellen's family leaves her with Annemarie and when the Nazi's come to the Johansen's house, she pretends to be Ellen's sister. This part gets me every time and I feel my heart racing as to whether or not she will get caught. I think that this part of the story is well written and it makes one feel like they are there. The Nazis were cruel, and just reading about them frightens me. Ellen survives the night and keeps up with the lie that she is Lisa, Annemarie's older sister. The next part that frightens me is when the Nazis enquire about the coffin in the Johansen's house. They slap Mrs. Johansen for smart talking them and I feel for Annemarie. I would have burst into tears if someone did that to my mom. This just shows how brave she is and the change that has undergone in her. In the end Ellen escapes with her family to Sweden and Annemarie waits for her to come home. Overall, this book was really good and though it is a children's book, it can be quite scary.

My Favorite Color is Rainbow

Today was a beautiful day. I travelled to Austin with my roommates and we had such an adventure. During one of our many stops, we came to a house of a friend of ours. When we got there, her children were playing with some of the neighborhood boys. They were so precious and full of life. They couldn't have been older than five and they were enjoying each other's company, painting and laughing. One of the boys was keen on making pictures of the sun, the clouds, and the grass. He would constantly make pictures for us and go into great detail explaining what each of the blobs on the paper were. I asked him what his favorite color was and he said, "The rainbow!" I thought that was a very creative answer because I half expected it to be blue. It got me thinking about how boys and girls are stereotyped and trained at a young age. From birth most of us are taught, pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Or girls play with dolls and boys play with trucks. I have read countless children's books where the gender stereotype is emphasized. But some boys like to play with dolls, some like to paint. Some girls like to play sports and their favorite color is not pink. It kind of makes me mad that society places restrictions on what is right and wrong. There is nothing wrong with a boy who doesn't like to play sports or whose favorite color is pink. I think that kids should just be kids and learn to love whatever they want. I guess today was just one of those days where I feel like ranting on society!:)

Life Without Religion

Just thinking about this topic gives me the chills. A world without religion. We discussed this in class on monday and the more I thought about it, the more I had to say. I can't even begin to think of a life without religion, partly because I have been a Christian most of my life, and partly because there would be nothing to live for. There would be no hope, no reason to do good. Without religion, I feel the world would be a scary place. If you think about it, people do good because it will ensure them a passage into Heaven. Well, I think there are two things wrong with that. One, is that this means people don't do good unless they are entitled to something in return.There is no natural want in humans to do something without the expectation of a reward for their good deeds. The other thing that's wrong this is that you need Jesus to get into Heaven. This Bible verse explains this:
"I am the way the truth and the life;
NO MAN cometh unto the Father BUT BY ME."
-- Jesus Christ (John 14:6)
Sadly 63% of teens believe that if a person is good then they will go to heaven. Well, that is a good in all but the most important person is left out of the equation! Now, I don't know everything, but I just think a life without religion would be horrible. There would be no reason to do good, and life would cease to exsist as we know it. That's just some food for thought!

A Colorful Future...

I was just sitting here thinking about what it is going to be like when I have finally graduated from Texas A&M, whenever that may be. I have suddenly become a fan of the 5 year plan!:) It is scary for me to think that one day I will be done with school forever and have to find a real job. Since I am an education major, I am hoping to become a kindergarden teacher. I got to thinking about what my class would look like and what books I would want my kids to read. I would like to have a classroom full of color, perhaps crafts made by my students. I am a big fan of craft making. In my apartment I am the one always making signs and banners for birthdays, holidays, and even just for fun! Glue, scissors, tape, and construction paper are all found in abundance in my apartment. I think that is a reflection of what kind of teaching style I would have. Beside making lots of crafts, I think that I would like to have my kids read a lot of books. I think that reading is really important and it helps a lot in children's vocabulary and grammer. I didn't start getting into books until I was in fifth grade, but I wish I had been into books sooner. Truth is, nothing really sparked my intersest. I think I mentioned in one of my earlier posts about how Harry Potter was the book that started my fond interest in books. I don't think it really matters what book it is, whether it's historical, sci-fi, fantasy, fiction, or nonfiction, so long as it grabs the student's attention. So that is basically my thoughts about teaching so far. Life after college is going to be a colorful adventure and I am excited already!

Le Petit Prince

The book that I chose to read this week was The Little Prince. I read this book in French class in tenth grade. Now, I don't know whether my love of the book was because of my teacher or just the book itself, but either way I grew to love it. I remember my professor had a way of making the book so interesting. Since it was French class, we read the French version of the book. He would read some, then he would make us read aloud. Sometimes he would even act out parts for us. For example, I can recall one part of the book, the part where the Prince meets a fox. I'll never forget my professor acting out the part of the fox and crouching under a table. Oh it was a class I will never forget. So for those of you who have never read the book, it is basically about a pilot whose plane crashes in the desert and he is ultimately stranded. There he meets a friend- the Little Prince. The Little Prince asks the man lots of questions like to draw a picture of a sheep. The pilot and the prince become close after that and soon the Little Prince recalls his past and how he has travelled to different planets. While on these planets he meets a king, a man consumed with himself, a drunk, a lamplighter, a geographer, and a fox. Each of these people teach the little prince about the differences between views of an adult and a child. Adults are portrayed as close minded and have specific views of the world. Because of this, they aren't able to see a lot of things. Children on the other hand are characterized by being open to different things and have vivid imaginations. There is also one aspect that I like about it, which is the spiritual aspect. I don't know if there really is a reference to Christianity, but there certainly is an arguement for one. There is one quote that particularly stands out to me:
-
"I shall look as if I were dead,"
the little prince says of his imminent departure,
"and that will not be true."
Of his ultimate destination he adds,
"You understand ... it is too far.
I cannot carry this body with me. It is too heavy."
-
This references to Christ and how he was crucified. Christ died, leaving his broken body on Earth. He certainly looked as though he was dead, but he was not. He rose from the dead and his spririt and soul rose into heaven. That was his ultmate destination and he didn't take his physical body there. This is just one part in particular that stood out to me as a reference to Christianty. If you want more references you'll have to find them in the book yourself!

The Hobbit

First of all let me just start off by saying how happy I am that we are reading The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Now I had never read this book prior to this class, but I had read The Lord of The Rings. For those of you who haven't read them, The Lord of The Rings are the follow-up books to the Hobbit, and they just so happen to be my favorite books. I almost wish that we could read those in our English class, but I understand that they are not made for kids. They can be pretty dark, and like Dr. Robinson said in class today, they deal with issues that adults deal with. As you may know, The Lord of The Rings series was such a hit that they were made into movies directed by Peter Jackson. The Lord of the Rings won many awards including several Oscars like Best Score and Best Picture. I am not afraid to admit it, but I am a huge fan of Lord of The Rings. So big in fact, that I saw The Fellowship of the Ring 11 times in theatres. Some may say that's obsessive, I say it's just being a devoted fan. Interestingly enough, rumors have been spread that they have started production of The Hobbit. Peter Jackson was supposedly rumored to be the director of this film, since he was responsible for making the Lord of The Rings so successful. But apparently filming has been put off due to a financial dispute between Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema. Fortunately I heard that the dispute is finally over and a decision has been reached. Peter Jackson will be producing the Hobbit, which is to be directed by Guillermo Del Toro. The Hobbit will be spilt into two movies, one released in 2010 and the other in 2011. I am so excited to see the movies and I hope that nothing else will slow production so that the movies won't be stalled anymore!