Children's Books Into Movies

Will you be seeing The Lorax this weekend?

 

If you watched the Oscars on Sunday, you probably noticed how many great films were inspired by books written for or about children. This year's nominees included:

The Adventures of Tintin

War Horse

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2

Hugo (based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret, won five Oscars)

Puss In Boots (based on the character from Shrek, but the character is inspired by the fairytale)

You can peruse lists of more picture books/children's books that have been made into movies here and here. 

There are also books based on every children's movie and television series that I can think of--but would you agree that the books intended to be books are almost always better in quality (of illustration and text) than the books made for fans of the movies/shows that inspired them? Screenplays are often so beautifully written, and are, in my opinion, like long and elaborate moving picture books with music. But something about the quick adaptations from screen to picture book often seems cheap. Do you have thoughts on why?

P.S. I'm excited to see The Secret World of Arrietty (based on The Borrowers), currently in theaters!

Pre-Literacy: Print Awareness

Baby A has recently showed budding print awareness, the third of six pre-literacy skills. Print awareness is self-explanatory: recognizing text, and that it is organized. A child with print awareness skills may recognize that the grocery store lane lamps have numbers on them, or be able to point out the text on book pages. Print awareness can be fostered in everyday life:

Point out literature in the environment, such as street signs, menus, words on clothing, or the child's name on a doctor's office bill. (This was already discussed with print motivation.)

Describe books by pointing out the front cover and the back cover, turning the pages in order, and running your finger along words to demonstrate reading left to right and top to bottom (in English). This also demonstrates that you are not making up words for the book, but that you are reading. Feel free to go off-script, but pointing to words as you read them will show that you are reading what is written.

Print awareness doesn't need to include recognizing letters or words--just that written words exist and that they can be read by others. 

Here's an example of Baby A's budding print awareness--she knows there are letters, and can sing most of the alphabet, but she doesn't know A from K, yet. It's all OK to her...

Fat Tuesday & Sledding Day Books

my laskiaispullat aka shrove buns

Happy Fat Tuesday and Laskiaistiistai [Sledding Day]! Since the observation of Lent isn't very common in Finland, Fat Tuesday became a day where all the children have the day off from school and go sledding, then go home to pea soup and sweet rolls with whipped cream and jam or hazelnut spread called laskiaispullat. So whether you're sledding or working up a New Orleans fever (or both!), here are two picture books it's not too late to enjoy:

Just-published (2012) Dinosaur Mardi Gras by Dianne de las Casas, illustrated by Marita Gentry, has Rex, king of Mardi Gras, as the star of this dinosaur spin on the musical fun. Here's the book trailer. 

 

 

Red Sled by Lita Judge is also new (2011), but it is sure to become a classic. Lovely illustrations (like the one above) and few words tell a story of curiosity.

P.S. Leave a comment if you'd like me to send you the laskiaispulla recipe. It will change your life.

Bookmark at Bedtime: Read-Aloud Chapter Book Favorites

I just enjoyed taking a look at Simple Mom's list of favorite read-aloud chapter books. 

I distinctly remember my mom reading the Urpo, Turpo, ja Ihanaa series by Hannele Huovi, illustrated by Jukka Lemmetty, aloud to me and my brothers and sister. Two bears and a horse have all sorts of playroom adventures with funny dialogue. We begged for one more page almost every night, because we loved the story, but also because everything felt especially calm and interesting during family reading time. I can't wait to do this with Baby A when she is a little older, (although I love our nighttime cuddles with board books of her own choosing).

I love Tsh's (Simple Mom's) picks, and I would add:

Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Ernest M. Shepard 

and The Frog and the Toad series by Arnold Lobel.

A hundred other chapter books came to mind, but I think I'd keep bedtime reading somewhat light--not in quality--but in the potential to cause nightmares. I'd start with The Frog and the Toad, and work up to Island of the Blue Dolphins, then to Chronicles of Narnia series, and later, Huckleberry Finn, and Harry Potter series...with thousands of pages, dozens of books, and years of maturity in between. Read-alouds might move from nightly to twice weekly, and from bedtime to after supper, but I hope they continue a long time. I secretly fantasize that someday my family will have our own little book club, hashing out discussions of our current read over quesadillas on Monday nights.

Do you think the content should follow the child's maturity curve, or that children will process what they can and not worry too much about the stuff that's scary or past their understanding? 

Would you read the same chapter book to a four-year-old as you would an eight-year-old?
What would you add to the list?

Pre-Literacy: Print Motivation

Happy Valentine's Day! Let's talk about a love far more enduring than tit-for-tat romance: a love of reading!

When did you fall in love with reading? And have you fallen in love with writing, too?

I hope you've held books dear since a very young age. If a child shows interest in books, even in mouthing them, print motivation has sprouted. When they begin to enjoy being read to, flipping through books, and scribbling as if to write, they are well on their way to a love of literacy. Here are three ways to encourage print motivation:

me and Baby A

1. Make reading together quality time. I've talked about cuddling up for a read before, but any positive association with reading not only builds a bond between the readers, but between the readers and books. (Remember these adorable family reading pictures from Emily of Ruffling Feathers?)

Woman Reading by Alexander Deineke

2. Read to yourself. And write! If reading is just for kids, they'll grow out of it fast! Set the example by reading and writing in front of children. It tickles their curiosity to see how compelling and endless the joys of literacy are throughout life.

source

3. Point out and explain literature in daily life. There is a sign at an indoor playground near me that says Please do not let children climb on top of the dinosaur. Once (out of dozens of visits) I heard a parent say, "Get down, please. See that sign? It says we can't climb on the dinosaur." Respectful parents like that teach children to follow safety rules and pay attention to the literature in their environment. Talk about signs like the litter one above, or the address on your mailbox, or the words on your cereal box. An awareness of how society works, and also of how literacy is a tool, will sink in.

Are you doing these already? Print motivation is practically a side-effect of a literature-rich environment, don't you think? 

But like Mem Fox said to Design Mom: "Read to them endlessly, for the sake of the love between you and not the educational duty of care." 

Mem Fox did write a book on tapping in to the magic of reading. And I love her Ten Read-Aloud Commandments.

May you fall more deeply in love with literacy and those you share it with today!

Pre-Literacy: Vocabulary

One of the best ways to build and maintain vocabulary is to read, right? But what about before you know how to read?

What's the best way to build a baby's (or anyone's) vocabulary?

Talk! Talk about what you're doing. Let's unsnap your pajamas. And pull out your arm. Oh, good stretch! And your other arm. And wiggle those legs right out. I found your toes! Ooo, do you feel cold? It's cold without clothes! All the live-long day, talk talk talk.

And listen! Try not to interrupt your baby's babble. Look them in the eye as often as possible when they grunt or babble. When they pause, respond to what you imagine they're saying. Every baby finds their own rhythm of conversation. When Baby A was only a few months old, I had to interrupt her babble with Ahaa or Niin every ten seconds, or else she would stop. I guess she didn't want to waste her breath if she thought I wasn't following.

When they attempt to say words, validate and repeat the word after they've said it. Example: Baby: [pointing to a ball] Ba! Adult: Ball! [offering the ball] Would you like to hold the ball? This corrects or reinforces correct speech in an empowering way. Avoid "baby talk", as it confuses, and avoid negativity about or scolding for incorrect or delayed speech.

When reading, point to the pictures while you are talking about them. This is particularly easy in picture books with simple plots. 

 

I've always pointed to the telephone, red balloon, bears, chairs, etc. in Goodnight Moon. Ask toddlers to point, such as Where is the red balloon? Ask questions about the pictures, Have the kittens stop playing with the string?

P.S. A bedroom inspired by Clement Hurd's great green room.

P.P.S. Mo Willems' Listen to My Trumpet publishes TODAY! Mo says, "Piggie can't wait to play her new instrument for Gerald! But is she ready to listen to his reaction?" You can run out and be the first of your friends to snag it. Except you won't beat me to the bookstore.

Journey to Literacy

Baby A reading in a half-packed suitcase

Do you remember when you learned to read and write? We may not realize it, but we begin our journey in literacy from birth (maybe before)! We take a thousand steps: recognizing sounds, appropriating labels, sitting still, mastering finger movement, connecting words, pictures, and ideas, understanding concrete and abstract concepts, using symbolic expression; all these (and other) steps lead us to make sense of and communicate ideas and feelings through literacy.

One of the library storytimes we attend points out a pre-literacy skill that parents can practice with their kids. Often, the suggestions are activities that are already part of our routine, but it is fun to get a reminder or at least a pat on the back, if not a great new idea or resource. 

I've decided to a series on pre-literacy activities and practices, with picture book suggestions to reinforce them.

A big credit goes to this Six Early Literacy Skills article by Multnomah County Library. For six weeks, we'll discuss one skill and fun ways to foster its development, each week. Are you interested?

Valentine Picture Books Hot Off the Press

Six more weeks of winter. Oi! But February does have that light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel feeling, and splashes of pink and red everywhere!

Even though I like pink, I've always thought Valentine's Day was silly, what with all the sexism. But maybe my true reason for resistance is because there isn't Valentine-y food to win me over?...unless red velvet cupcakes are officially adopted as Valentine cupcakes.

I cut hearts from layered scrapbook paper and strung them on little hooks across the mirror above my mantle, so I guess that means I'm on the Valentine cheer team this year. That "You've got me hooked" Heart String (I just made that up!) is not a fun activity idea for toddlers, by the way. I don't know if I waited too long or not long enough to introduce paste, but Baby A would not stop rubbing it on her face, deeply convinced that it was lotion.

But whatever your stance Valentine's Day, you won't be able to resist smiling at these new, sweet picture books.

For Anyone/Everyone:

Plant a Kiss (December 2011) written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated bv Peter H. Reynolds. See the beauty and power of one kiss, planted with love and patience. 

Love Is You and Me (December 2011) by Monica Sheehan. Love is defined, not only in cuddles or elaborate outings, but in daily kindness, as illustrated by this bright book. Also by Sheehan: Be Happy!

For Sweethearts:

Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story (December 2011) by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Scott Magoon. A rejected porcupine loner finds love at last. It reminds me of this relationship graph I saw at Cup of Jo, by GraphJam. Don't be frightened of those glaring woodland creatures--Mr. Prickles' story has a feel-good conclusion.

Snowy Valentine (November 2011) by David Petersen. This bunny husband makes you say awwww. On a quest for advice on a good gift for his wife, he inadvertently creates a perfect token of his love. This is David Petersen's first picture book, and I look forward to more in the future.

P.S. Last year's February, and last year's valentine.

P.P.S. I liked these ideas for using conversation hearts, especially using them for practice writing sentences, and as BINGO markers. If you ask me, conversation hearts are super entertaining, but not delicious.