Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Outside Reading

Book #7: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

1. J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone introduces readers to an array of interesting magical objects; like the Nimbus 2000, magic wands, owls that deliver mail, chess boards that come to life, the invisibility cloak, and most importantly the sorcerer's stone. If you could have any of these objects, which object would you choose and why?

2. Throughout Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, readers find out many intriguing things about the magical world. The feelings towards Muggles are also a strong point of interest throughout the book. If the characters from Hogwarts were able to visit your home or school, how do you think they would react?

3. If could choose one of the houses to live in; the Griffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin which one would it be and why?

4. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry has a scar on his forehead. What is the story behind his famous scar? Do you have any interesting stories behind scars that you might have? If you were able to have special powers because of a scar what would they be and why?

Disney's Aladdin

One of the most successful Disney films ever made is Disney’s Aladdin. The movie has received multiple awards including two prestigious Academy Awards. While this movie is entertaining for children and adults alike, this movie goes far beyond normal entertainment value. The story of Aladdin contains important lessons on racism, social class, and social standards. Aladdin is a street-rat, a lower class man who happens to fall in love with Jasmine, an upper-class princess. Their relationship, by social standards is doomed from the start; however, at the end of the movie Jasmines father is able to see Aladdin for who he is as a person. This movie teaches children an extremely important lesson, never judge a book by its cover. 

Discussion Questions over Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

1. How is the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland comparable with Dorothy's adventures in Oz?

2. How could Alice have answered the caterpillar about her identity?

3. Compare the illustrations throughout the book. Are the pictures comparable with other editions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland? Which do you prefer, and why?

4. Why do you feel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was so readily accepted when it was completely different than anything that was previously written for children? Is this book acceptable for children? Explain why or why not.

5. The garden turns out to be nothing like Alice expected. What does Carroll seem to imply with the symbolism in the garden?

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Written By: Lewis Carroll

One of the most identifiable subjects throughout Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is the question of identity. The physical signs that cause Alice to question her identity occur due to the changes in size that take place when she eats or drinks. After she drinks the cordial and eats the cake in Chapter 1, she loses her sense of identity. At the beginning of Chapter 2, Alice says, "I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I?" She begins to cry and to fan herself with the White Rabbit's fan, which causes her to reduce in size to almost nothing. After she shrinks, she falls into a pool of her own tears, which almost cause her to drown. Alice continues to question her identity through the remainder of the book. When the White Rabbit mistakes Alice for his servant Marry Ann, she goes along with his command (going to get his gloves) willingly. When she encounters the Caterpillar, he asks “Who are you?” Alice responds, "I—I hardly know, Sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then." Towards the end of Chapter 5, Alice tells the pigeon who calls her a serpent that she is a little girl; however, she says it doubtfully because she remembers the number of times she has been changed throughout the day. While Alice struggles with her identity throughout most of the book, as she progresses through Wonderland she begins to gain a clearer sense of self.

Charlotte's Web

Outside Reading

Book #6: Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web is an animal fable that deals with important aspects of life such as friendship, maturity, and death. An important theme throughout the book is suspense, which is apparent when Fern asks, "Where's Papa going with that ax?" We soon discover Papa is going after Wilbur with the ax. The question becomes when Wilbur will get killed and whether or not Fern and the other characters involved throughout the story will be able to save him. Fern believes that any living creature should be allowed to live a full life; however, Papa sees Wilbur as a runt, troublemaker and a source of food. Throughout the book, Wilbur's life is in jeopardy. The overall appeal of Charlotte’s Web is the charming story that occurs outside of the suspense. The characters involved throughout the book develop friendships that make you forget about Wilbur’s fate. Animals are able to converse with one another, Charlotte, a spider, writes words in her web, and Wilbur achieves fame that ultimately saves his life. Charlotte's Web is a unique work that takes reality and intertwines it with fantasy that can hold the attention of both children and adults.

Lilo & Stitch

Lilo & Stitch, released in 2002, is one of my favorite Disney movies. This movie is a modern and entertaining animated tale of problem child Lilo, a Hawaiian orphan who is being raised by her sister. Their family feels incomplete after the death of their family so Lilo's sister takes her little sister to the animal shelter to adopt a dog. While they are searching for the perfect companion, Lilo finds an unlikely soul mate, Stitch. Stitch, is an alien who has been banished from his home planet. His behavior is socially unacceptable; he says bad words, drools, and creates havoc everywhere they go. Through all the trials and tribulations they face, Lilo, her sister, and Stitch end up together. This is a great movie because it teaches children valuable lessons like: love, kindness, acceptance, maturity, and respect. The humor and Elvis references/songs used throughout this movie will keep parents interested as well.

Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

Outside Reading

Book #5: Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

Like many of the books written by Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think is an imaginative book filled with fanciful creatures and bright colored images. My favorite feature about this particular Dr. Seuss book is all the literary techniques Dr. Seuss employs in order to teach children. For example, the book begins “You can think up some birds. That’s what you can do. You can think about yellow or think about blue…” In this sentence children learn about animals, colors, basic rhyme schemes, and basic sentence structure. The bright colors and use of imaginative animals such as “bloogs” and “zongs” keep the young minds of children interested.

Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo is about a clownfish named Nemo who strays from the Great Barrier Reef and is captured by a scuba-diver. Nemo is put in a dentist’s aquarium in an office. The group of fish he meets in the aquarium devise a clever escape plan. While Nemo is busy trying to find a way out of domestic life, his father, Marlin searches for him. Marlin's journey involves meeting a number of ocean creatures along the way like sharks, sea turtles and a comical character named Dori. I love this movie because the people at Disney made a movie that can be enjoyable for both children and adults. This movie is a great way to introduce children into the world of ocean life, coral reefs, and marine biology; while teaching them important lessons about friendship, avoiding danger, and listening to thier parents.

Ever After

One of my all time favorite movies is Ever After, so needless to say when I found out we were going to watch it in class I was thrilled! I love the modern day spin on the classic Cinderella story. The characters in Ever After are placed in a specific historical epic, the Renaissance. The characters in the movie are molded after specific people throughout the Renaissance; for example, Francis I, Henry II, Sir Thomas More, and Leonardo de Vinci are several historical figures that are incorporated in Ever After. My favorite aspect of this particular version of Cinderella is that while Danielle practically rescues herself from peril every time she is in danger, the prince still “metaphorically” rescues her from her horrible life of servitude. 

Ella Enchanted: Discussion Questions

Ella Enchanted: Discussion Questions

1. Ella is a retelling of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. Compare and contrast how Ella is portrayed in Ella Enchanted, verses how Cinderella is portrayed in the original story.

2. If you had to choose with one of Ella’s parents which one would you rather live with Sir Peter or Dame Olga? Why?

3. Ella, Hattie and Olive were sent off to school to become finished. What skills were they expected to acquire while at finishing school?

4. What do modern day parents expect from finished or well-educated children today?

5. Although Ella is controlled by the gift of obedience, she is not the only character being manipulated in Ella Enchanted. What motivates other characters throughout the story?

6. Discuss ways in which Ella was able to resist the curse of obedience without disobeying the curse.

7. We get the sense that Ella and the Prince are made for each other from the start of the book. What qualities attract Ella to the Prince, and vise versa?

8. In what ways does Ella's behavior resemble a modern day teenager's behavior?

Wacky Wednesday

Outside Reading 

Book #4: Wacky Wednesday 

Wacky Wednesday is a book written by Theo. LeSieg as Dr. Seuss. The idea behind this book is that a young boy wakes up and he realizes that his whole universe has gone “wacky.” There are mice chasing cats, shoes hanging on the wall, people are missing arms and legs and words are misspelled. Each page has a certain number of “wacky” things to look for. In order for children to find the “wacky” things on each page they must participate in interactive reading as well as critical reading. This book would meld extremely well as a class activity because of the creative venues you could take. Teachers could decorate their classroom in a “wacky” way, teachers could encourage their class to dress up as a “wacky” character, teachers could even make a snack that appears to be “wacky.” This book is a must read for children of all ages! 

Juno

This weekend I finally got a change to see Juno, the movie that has been all the rage since its release. Right before the movie began a mother and her young daughter came and sat directly next to me and my boyfriend. I immediately thought to myself “this movie isn’t appropriate for a young girl,” however, after watching the movie, the message contained an important moral that many children need to hear. The movie is about a typical suburban sixteen year old girl named Juno MacGuff who lives with her father, step-mother, and younger sister. Juno is a quick-witted girl who seems like she is fazed by nothing, even when she learns she is pregnant. She learns she has gotten pregnant by her best friend, Paulie Bleeker, who is a geeky band member. Juno decides to have the baby and give it to a nice childless couple who she finds in the Pennysaver. The rest of the movie is about Juno’s experiences while she is pregnant and how she falls in love with Paulie Bleeker over the course of her pregnancy. While this movie’s context is somewhat shocking, the fact of the matter is, children pregnancies are becoming more and more prevalent and we need to instill good morals in our children so they will be able to make good decisions. In this case, Juno decided to keep the baby and help a couple who had been desperately wanting a child, showing compassion, selflessness, and maturity. While parenting methods vary from family to family, I think this is a good movie to let pre-teen’s watch because the movie shows the harsh realities of life, and how one must overcome them.

The Lion King: More Than A Good Movie

One of my favorite movies growing up was the Lion King. This popular movie deals with the death of a parent, guilt, betrayal, denial, gumption, coming of age, redemption, love, and friendship. As a child, I watched this movie mainly for the catchy lyrics, however, going back and watching this movie as adult makes me realize how much there is behind this popular Disney movie. This movie teaches children about Africa's history as well as the importance and functionality of food chains. In my opinion, the most important moral contained in this movie is to persevere! This movie does an excellent job with incorporating an important moral but still managing to make the movie entertaining for children of all ages! 

Trends in Children's Literature

Two trends that dominate children's literature are entertainment based fantasies and tales of adventure. In some instances these two trends are merged to create an extraordinary piece of work. The Harry Potter novels are an example of these two trends being merged; these books are filled with fantasy and adventure, making these books extremely popular for both children and adults. While children's books are extremely popular now, this was not always the case. In the eighteenth century the European and American cultures saw little need for children's books. When the need finally arose, many children's books were focused exclusively on education. Some fairy tales were created purely for pleasure, but these popular fairy tales still managed to incorporate a moral. Something I find very interesting is what is viewed as appropriate for children. I believe this standard is closely related to what a specific culture believes a child is, which has changed considerably over the past century.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Outside Reading

Book #3: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish is one of my favorite books written by Dr. Seuss. The book is longer than previous Dr. Seuss books but the book still manages to stay interesting and exciting. As with other books written by Dr. Seuss, this book is filled with whimsical images of animals. Each animal that is introduced has an oddity or unique characteristic associated with that particular animal. One of my favorite rhymes involves a small yellow bird-like animal with extremely long curly blue hair. "Brush! Brush! Brush! Brush! Comb! Comb! Comb! Comb! Blue hair is fun to brush and comb. All girls who like to brush and comb should have a pet like this at home." Dr. Seuss books have a way of making children (and adults) forget the reality of life allowing them to go on a fun and exciting journey through one of the many Dr. Seuss books.  

Comparison between Cinderella and Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted incorporates the familiar plot of Cinderella while incorporating many new themes for modern day children. The Cinderella I remember reading as a child was an extremely passive character who appeared to be less than interested in changing her fate. The new modern Cinderella, Ella Enchanted, is far from passive. Ella's fairy godmother, Mandy creates her dilemma, and refuses to help. In this modern version of Cinderella there is no knight in shining armor to save her, Ella is forced to solve her own problems. While I am far from a feminist, I enjoy reading about Ella Enchanted much more than the traditional Cinderella. Incorportating the traditional plot of Cinderella through a new modern character, Ella, is interesting because of the spell that has been "cursed" upon her and how she eventually succeeds in freeing herself from the spell.

Then Versus Now: Children's Television Shows

I want to discuss the differences between children's television shows today versus the television shows I remember growing up with. I remember watching television shows like Winnie The Pooh, Berenstain Bears, My Little Pony, and Eureka'a Castle. These shows were creative, exciting, and many were inspired by classic children's stories. All of these television shows were created as a series, and each individual episode contained an important moral. I was watching the Disney Channel with my boyfriends five year old niece, Megan, a few weeks ago and I was somewhat supprised at the line-up of shows they were airing. The shows on the Disney Channel seem much more "risky" than the shows I grew up with. Shows like The Suite Life of Zach and Cody and Hannah Montana still teach children moral but they do it in a much more "in-your-face" way; the shows seem to appeal more to teens, than to children. Perhaps I grew up sheltered but I really miss watching the old Winne the Pooh series and I miss memorable characters like the fun and quirky dragon in Eureka'a Castle. These differences in children's television shows make me wonder if shows like this have changed because of what our society considers to be age appropriate or if people just wanted to update old classics. Regardless of the reason for the change, I think it is important that parents view some of these television shows before letting their children have control of the remote.

Green Eggs and Ham

Outside Reading

Book #2: Green Eggs and Ham  

"Green Eggs and Ham" written by Dr. Seuss is a brightly colored picture book about two characters, Sam (Sam-I-Am) and a second character who is not named. The entire book revolves around Sam trying to persuade his friend to taste the "green eggs and ham." Throughout the book the friend refuses to try the colorful dish, and makes it clear he wants to be left alone. Sam (Sam-I-Am), goes to various locations, a boat, train, tree, box, etc., to try and persuade his friend to taste the delicacy, all attempts unsuccessful.  The climax of the book occurs when Sam's friend finally agrees to taste "green eggs and ham," and to his dismay he actually likes it! The plot and simple vocabulary makes for a very fun, easy to read book that like most 

Dr. Seuss books teaches children an important lesson.