Cat in the Hat vs. The Lorax

Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat vs. The Lorax

The Cat in the Hat: It has been many, many years since I read the Cat in the Hat, so re-reading it was a pleasure for me.  Since I work with kindergarten students, I am very familiar with sight words, and had no idea that there were that many of them in this story.  Although the story may be a bit silly and unrealistic, it has a major charm to it, as well as an innocence that children love.  I definitely noticed the tension between having simple fun and the rising anarchy, and it was very interesting to see that from an adult's perspective; as a child reading this, I would have mainly been reading the words on the page, or possibly thinking about how much trouble the children were going to get into when their mother got home.  I am not aware of any contemporary children's books that have this same tension.  Robert Munsch's writings might have some of the tension--children trying to have fun and yet causing quite a ruckus--but still not that of this classic.  The Cat in the Hat definitely still appeals to children for many reasons.  First, it is hard not to get into a book that magically rhymes; the language in which it is written may be a bit dated, but it also plays into a child's imagination and helping them to think outside the ordinary.  Secondly, most children have heard of Dr. Seuss and his works, so they are usually very open to reading his stories.  Thirdly, I think that children identify with the children in the story who are bored and trying to find something to do.  Although children are not really left alone all that often these days to amuse themselves, it is still possible for those children with wild imaginations to create their own story similar to this one.

 

The Lorax

According to dictionary.com, didactic refers to instructing, teaching or lecturing, especially in terms of a moral lesson.  After reading The Lorax, I think didactic is a perfect word to describe the message behind the story of the Lorax and the Once-ler.  In the story, the Once-ler comes to a place where Truffula trees grow in abundance, little bear-type animals run around them, fish live in a nice pond, swans sing, and basically everyone lives happily...that is, until the Once-ler arrives and begins to cut down the Truffula trees.  He uses them to manufacture a shirt-type garment that he believes everyone needs, building a vast empire of factory buildings that his family comes to help run.  In the mean time, as he is cutting down more and more trees, the native animals to the area begin to leave since they have nowhere left to live.  The Lorax is their "representative" and complains to the Once-ler each time a species is ready to leave, hoping that he will stop cutting down trees or leave, but the Once-ler is a greedy character and basically says, "Oh well."  Eventually, all the Truffula trees in the area have been chopped down, and there is no more business left to operate.  The Once-ler's family leaves, with only him remaining in the area; all the animals have left, including the Lorax.  The only thing left behind is a small pile of rocks labeled, "UNLESS."  Until the very, very end of the story, the Once-ler never realizes what the "unless" means.  However, he finally realizes, as he is sharing the story with a little boy, that unless the message is shared, no one will ever stop cutting down the trees.  For a modern version, unless humans stop using up our natural resources, we will eventually run out and have none left for future generations, much less ourselves.  Without knowing that this is the moral, the book helps the reader to identify with the native species of the area and feel empathy for them...and then eventually see that they can help with problems such as this.  I am not aware of any contemporary book that does this as well as The Lorax and other older titles; it seems that many of the children's books being published today are more meant to entertain or possibly show children being good, rather that trying to teach them a lesson.

Book to Movie: Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are

by Maurice Sendak

Book published in 1988, movie released in 2009

When I first heard that this classic storybook was going to be made into a feature film, I was very excited, but also wondered how a simple story could be made into a 90+ minute tale.  However, the story of Max and his "wild rumpus" was wonderfully displayed in film.

 

In the story, Max is a young boy who likes to wear a wolf suit and cause mischief, ranging from chasing the dog to making forts and telling his mother that he will "eat her up."  When he does this, his mother sends him to bed without his dinner.  While confined to his room for the evening, a forest magically "grows" in his room, and he is able to sail to the land where the "wild things" live.  He becomes the king of the wild things--gigantic monsters that have terrible roars, teeth and eyes, and they spend all their days playing and having a "wild rumpus."  Eventually, though, Max gets tired of being their king and just wants to go home, so he gets back in his boat and sails home, where is dinner is waiting for him in his room--and it's still hot.

The movie definitely hits all the "high notes" of the book, like Max sailing to the place where the wild things are, as well as all of his fun and games with the wild things.  The characters in the movie look remarkably similar to those in the story--like they were taken off the paper and brought to life.  The wild things, luckily, have some depth to them--they each have their own personality and problems, as well as place in the tribe.  In the movie, Max stays a bit longer in the forest, helping the wild things create a new place to live.  Another big difference to me is the way that Max arrives at the "place where the wild things live"--his room does not exactly transform into the forest like in the book; instead, Max runs away to an ocean nearby and then sails there.  This is an okay thing with me, since I'm sure it would have been nearly impossible for the book to be completely recreated on film.

Overall, I think this book/movie combination is a great one--the movie helps the characters in the story have some life given to them, as well as taking the viewer to Max's world.  The differences are insignificant enough that they do not affect the original story, yet are enough to help it be a movie of adequate length.  I like both the book and the movie, although honestly still like the book the best.

Jerry Pinkney book: Three Little Kittens

Three Little Kittens
By Jerry Pinkney

This adaptation of the nursery rhyme, "Three Little Kittens," perfectly followed the song that I remember learning in school.  The illustrations, however, were absolutely beautiful.  I think that just about all children, as they go through the phase of liking books about animals, would love to look at the pictures in this book.  Pinkney manages to show all aspects of emotions that the kittens go through--joy, sorrow, anticipation, excitement, and accomplishment--which is, to me, a rather astonishing task.  Even though the story is not a new one, I did enjoy seeing it through Pinkney's illustrations, and I can now understand why I recently saw this exact version of the story at my school's book fair.  It is a classic story, and the illustrations make it top-notch. 

Jerry Pinkney is a Caldecott medalist, and has also received the Caldecott Honor recognition 5 times.  After reading only two of his works, I can definitely understand why.  His vision of a story, and ability to put it onto paper, is superb.  I will definitely try to read more of his works in the future, as well as looking for him as an author/illustrator if I am trying to help my students "see" a story more clearly.

Other titles by Jerry Pinkney include:
Sweethearts of Rhythm, The Lion and the Mouse, The Moon Over Star, Little Red Riding Hood, The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll, The Old African, God Bless the Child, Noah's Ark, Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me, Little Red Hen, The Nightingale, Goin' Someplace Special, The Ugly Duckling, Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales, The Little Match Girl, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, A Patchwork Quilt, and many, many others.

Julius Lester book: Let's Talk About Race

Let's Talk About Race
by Julius Lester

This book is one of my new favorite books, especially considering the multi-ethnic school that I work in.  In this book, the Lester has a frank conversation with the reader, helping them think about the different races they see around them.  My favorite lines from the story are, "I am a story.  So are you.  So is everyone," and "Beneath everyone's skin are the same hard bones."  Both of these short statements could make a huge impact to the reader.  Honestly, I have never thought about race in this manner; granted, I always try to teach my students to treat one another fairly, but by looking at it in this way, they might be able to better see that we are all the same deep-down.

I think this would be a great book to read the first week of school, where everyone is trying to get to know one another, as well as being able to let students know that you will not tolerate racism in any manner.  In addition, you could read this book to students if the need arises at any point in the year--children might often need to be reminded that they are all the same, and not just involving race.  The book also mentions that no matter what your parents do/how much money they make, what gender you are, where you live, or where you go to school, we are still all the same beneath all of that "stuff."  The story also gives some really neat ideas to help students get a real grasp on the subject of all being the same.  Lester encourages students to feel the area beneath their eye (but making sure not to poke themselves in the eyes) and feel the bone there, and then to feel someone else's bone.  Then, he asks the reader to feel one of their other bones, and feel the same area on someone else--all in hopes of the reader recognizing that we are ALL the same underneath our clothes, our hair and our skin.

Did I mention that I now LOVE LOVE LOVE this book?

Other titles by Julius Lester include:
To Be A Slave (1969), Black Folktales (1969), The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit (1987), How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have and other tales (1989), Long Journey Home (1972), Pharaoh's Daughter: A Novel (1995), When Dad Killed Mom (2001), Cupid: A Novel (2007), and many, many others.

Laurence Yep book: The Dragon Prince

The Dragon Prince (1997)
by Laurence Yep

This story was a very interesting one, and was similar to the American version of Beauty and the Beast.  A poor farmer lived with his seven daughters (each named for their place in the family).  The youngest and prettiest daughter, Seven, worked the hardest and made the most money for the family by embroidering fine silk.  The third daughter, Three, was always jealous of Seven.  One day, a dragon jumped out of a cave and took the father, telling him that one of his daughters must agree to marry him for him to survive.  All of the daughters, one by one, passed on the offer, leaving him for dead, until Seven, who agreed to marry the dragon to save her father.  The dragon took her away to his underwater kingdom, where he was transformed into a man and was much more bearable to live with.  Seven had a great life, but missed her family.  The prince allowed her to go home and visit, but when she got there, Three was still terribly jealous of Seven's life and tried to drown her and return in her place to the prince.  However, the prince could see through the lies and went looking for Seven, who was a beauty inside and out (unlike Three).  Finally, he found Seven staying with an old woman who had rescued and taken care of her.  They all flew back to the kingdom and sent Three back to the family, who was very ashamed of her.

Of all the picture books I have read in this blog so far, this was my favorite.  I loved the illustrations, as well as the story itself.  Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale, so it makes sense that I would like this adaptation; however, I liked it for the differences to the common story rather than the similarities.  I loved how the story focused on the inner beauty in Seven, rather than just the physical beauty that our society seems to focus on so much these days.  In addition, I like how Seven showed character by putting her family first before herself--again, something not that common in this day and age.  I like how this is not the traditional Disney version that we are all so accustomed to, but instead a version that could teach children/readers about the Chinese values of putting family first and self last.  I also think that reading this story could open a lot of doors in regards to children wanting to learn more about China, Chinese culture and history, and possibly make them think about reading their favorite fairy tales as adaptations from other countries/cultures.

Other titles by Laurence Yep include:
The Golden Mountain Chronicles (nine books), Chinatown Mysteries (three books), City Trilogy, The Tiger's Apprentice (three books), Ribbons (four books), Later, Gator (three books), many picture books, and many, many other titles.

Yoshinko Uchida book: The Forever Christmas Tree

The Forever Christmas Tree (1963)
by Yoshinko Uchina

In this rather lengthy picture book, the main character, Takashi, lives in Sugi Village, Japan, with his mother, father and sister Kaya, as well as grumpy Mr. Toda who lives next door.  One day in December, Kaya comes home telling about a holiday she learned about at school--Christmas.  The family has never heard of Christmas before, and is very excited to try to celebrate the upcoming holiday.  The kids decide to try and decorate a Christmas tree and make all kinds of paper ornaments, but then have problems finding the perfect tree to put them on.  Takashi spots the perfect tree--but it is in Mr. Toda's yard.  On Christmas Eve, Takashi and Kaya decide to sneak over to his yard and decorate the tree without Mr. Toda's permission.  The next morning, Mr. Toda sees the tree and is overjoyed, since he has never had a Christmas tree before, as well as never being told about Christmas.  The neighborhood kids all come to see this tree, and (no longer grumpy) Mr. Toda tells Takashi that he may decorate this tree every Christmas since it is so beautiful, giving the story the name of the Forever Christmas Tree.

I enjoyed this story, and think that it would be very interesting to read to students around the holidays.  In the US, it would be nearly impossible to find a student that has not heard of Christmas, so they might find the story even more interesting.  Personally, the story was a bit long to keep the interest of a younger child if read aloud, but might be appropriate if read by an older student by themselves. 

After reading a bit more about the author, I learned that Uchida lived from 1921-1992, and was a Japanese-American writer.  During the times of WWII and Pearl Harbor, her family was put into one of the Japanese internment camps.  While there, Uchida taught school in the camp.  Eventually, she was allowed to leave to go to graduate school.  Throughout her career, Uchida published more than 30 books, including nonfiction for adults and fictional picture books.  The most interesting thing I learned about the author came from the following quote:

"I try to stress the positive aspects of life that I want children to value and cherish. I hope they can be caring human beings who don't think in terms of labels--foreigners or Asians or whatever--but think of people as human beings. If that comes across, then I've accomplished my purpose."

Other titles by Yoshinko Uchina include:
The Terrible Leak, The Dancing Kettle and other Japanese Folk Tales, New Friends for Susan, The Magic Listening Cap, The Full Circle, Sumi's Prize, In-Between Maya, Samurai of Gold Hill, The Bracelet, Best Bad Thing, Magic Purse, Two Foolish Cats, The Wise Old Woman, Tears of Autumn, and many, many others.


**Author information found from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiko_Uchida#cite_ref-nytimes_0-0

Book to Movie: The Princess Diaries

The Princess Diaries

by Meg Cabot

Book published in 2000, movie released in 2001

Mia Thermopolis is your average girl living in New York.  She is 15, a freshman at Albert Einstein High School (a private school), flat-chested, failing algebra, a bit shy, and without a boyfriend.  Luckily, she and her best friend, Lilly, are a great pair, considering they have been friends since kindergarten.  Mia lives in a renovated warehouse with her eclectic artist mom, Helen, and cat Fat Louis.  Her parents were divorced before her birth, although she sees her dad pretty regularly.  Her life is going pretty smoothly until one day, her father comes to town and needs to meet with Mia about something important.  Her life changes forever when she finds out that he is a prince, and she is a princess!  Throughout this part of the saga, she is not at all excited about being royal--she just wants to be normal.  Before she knows it, her grandmother (Grandmere) comes to town to give her "princess lessons," she is being driven to school every day by her father's driver, and she has a full-time bodyguard.  She does not tell her friend Lilly about the "princess-ness" until it comes out through the media, so she is without the support of nearly anyone her age until the very end of the story.  After her school becomes the target of mass-media on a daily basis, the most popular boy in school asks her to the school dance, but only as a publicity stunt.  Devastated, Mia finally sees what being a true friend entails when she and Lilly resolve their friendship, as well as Mia potentially having a REAL boyfriend in the next novel (Lilly's brother, Michael). 

When I originally read this book years ago, around the time of the movie, it seemed like it was much more similar to the movie than I now realize that it is.  In the book, Mia's parents are simply divorced, and Mia is only told that she is a princess due to his lack of being able to produce another heir; in the movie, the father dies, and since there is no other heir to the throne, Mia is told by the grandmother of her royal status.  In addition, the book is set in New York; the movie is solidly set in San Francisco--providing a much different background and culture.  Mia is friends with both Lilly and Michael in the movie, but there is no mention of Tina Hakim Baba (who in the book Mia spends a great deal of time being friends with while split with Lilly).  The grandmother's character is also a bit different--in the book, she seems very unfriendly, smokes and is generally not likeable to be around; in the movie, Julie Andrews plays the strict-then-compassionate grandmother role, minus the cigarettes, hotel suite, calling of the media, and general lack of compassion for Mia that she exhibits in the movie.  Personally, I like the movie's story better.  I feel more comparable to Mia in the movie, possibly because her character is much like me in high school.  In the movie, Mia is a bit more intelligent than in the book--she is not failing Algebra, but instead P.E.  Mia's mother is dating one of her teachers, but it is not such a big deal as she makes it in the book.  I also think that watching the transformation from commoner to princess in the movie is much more interesting, as well as entertaining.  The main aspect of reading the book that I like BETTER than watching the movie is that the story continues through another 15 books by the same author, rather than just one more movie.