Read, sing, play with The Brothers Foot

The Brothers Foot: A Hare Raising Story written by Steve Cormey, illustrated by Ronda Eden; published by AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana; 2009.

Three brothers frolic wildly as rabbits will do.  But unlike most rabbits, these boys named Foot, Foot-Foot, and Foot-Foot-Foot also like to sing and dance.  One day, three hunters carrying guns spot the trio.  The Brothers Foot are so entertaining, the hunters drop their guns and joined in the fun.  And they all live happily ever after.

author/singer/songwriter Steve Cormey; http://bit.ly/jWFbir

As a read-aloud, the rhythm of this book is a natural.  Cormey adapted the story from an old children’s song.  ”The Foot Foot Song” was penned by Sid DeMay, Lee Tully and Sid Bass; the silly names, short storyline, and catchy rhythm make the song perfect for a picture book adaptation.  Eden’s illustrations express the joy the Brothers Foot get from singing and dancing; I couldn’t help feeling like tapping my feet just looking at them!

illustrator Ronda Eden; http://bit.ly/lFCnkm

Along with the picture book, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a CD of the song and a DVD.  The CD was helpful as the story encourages singing along with the brothers but I am not familiar with the tune.  The DVD is a nice production that incorporates joyful background music, illustrations from the book, and a singer singing the song at the appropriate moments to assist the narrator as he tells the story.  Including the CD and DVD makes this a complete package that public, school and home libraries should include!

All that being said, I have to say that the timing for reviewing this book could not have been better.  I recently participated in some early literacy webinars and have more early literacy training coming up this summer.  One thing I’ve learned is just how important singing and playing are in developing early literacy skills in youngsters from birth to about age 5.  We all know that we should read to our kids, but singing and playing are key components to learning the skills necessary to be readers later in life.  The playfulness of this story encourages caregivers to get up and dance and sing along with the littlest listeners.  The illustrations and the story are open to caregivers asking questions of their listeners.  Again, I am happy to see this complete package being offered and encourage its use in developing early literacy skills (at library story times and at home).

Learn more about the author and illustrator by following their blogs; rumor on both seems to be that there’s a sequel in the works!  Ronda Eden’s blog: http://rondaeden.blogspot.com/; Steve Cormey’s blog: http://www.stevecormey.blogspot.com/.

How to Eat Fried Worms revisited on DVD

How to Eat Fried Worms from New Line Cinema; starring Luke Benward, Hallie Kate Eisenberg and Adam Hicks; 2006.

Queasy Billy Forrester has left his old friends behind as his families moves to a new town.  Making new friends is not easy; finding worms in his lunch thermos sends Billy home seeking advice from his family.  His father is struggling to fit in at work and uses his own examples to try to help Billy fit in.  Mom and preschool aged brother Woody seem to adapt to their new surroundings very well.  None of these things help.  So Billy finds himself in the middle of a bet in an attempt to thwart Joe, the school bully.  Will Billy eat 10 worms in a day and somehow use that to win friends and influence people?

Calling this a movie based on a book is stretching it.  Other than Billy and having to eat worms, Thomas Rockwell’s 1973 story is not represented here.  Don’t get me wrong; in this case, it’s not a bad thing.  The typical gross children’s tale by Rockwell is updated and includes very heavy-handed bullying themes (again, not a bad thing).  We discover that the bully, Joe, is bullied by his own brother who calls him “Joke.”  All the kids at school have somewhat  derogatory  nicknames doled out by Joe.  Even Billy’s dad is the target of a bully at work.  And of course, Billy is bullied verbally and by exclusion.  There is a lot to generate family discussions about different types of bullying in this movie.

Messages aside, this was one grossly entertaining film.  I watched it with a multi-generational crowd at home and not one of us could keep from laughing at various points.  Like the book, the humor is on the blatantly disgusting end.  Yes, this is one film aimed directly at the heart of kids, particularly boys; so if you are feint of heart when it comes to gross-outs, skip this movie.  If you like physical, gross-out humor, dig into Fried Worms.

As a librarian, I think I’d use this in a summer reading program tie in.  Maybe as part of a “Sick Saturday” program with grossology type activities and samples of foods kids might think are “sick” to eat.  Dare ya to try it!

 

Silvertongue on the Silver Screen (and DVD)

Inkheart from New Line Cinema; starring Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent; 2008.

The Folchart family is gifted.  Resa is a talented artist and Meggie, her daughter, loves to write.  Mo Folchart loves to read aloud to his wife and daughter.  It is his gift; more of a gift than he ever imagined, as it turns out.  Mo is a Silvertongue:  Whatever he reads comes alive.  However, whatever comes out of a story has to be replaced with something or someone from our reality entering the book.  Sadly, while reading Inkheart, a character is released and Resa, Mo’s wife, is sucked into the story.  Mo and Meggie travel the globe looking for a copy of the book to read Resa out of the book and back into reality.  what ensues is a rollicking adventure, with characters from The Wizard of Oz, Inkheart and other tales, as well as supporting characters like Aunt Elinore and Inkheart’s fictional author.

Brendan Fraser reprises his reluctant-hero chops as Mo “Silvertongue” Folchart.  Helen Mirren is surprisingly cold and warm (intentionally) as Aunt Elinore.  But the real main character of this movie is Books.  Books can take us to far away lands and distant planets, without leaving our homes, as Aunt Elinore points out.  The PG rating is for fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language.  Overall, it is a fun escape film that the whole family can enjoy.

I wish I had read the book by Cornelia Funke before watching this movie.  How will my reading experience be different after viewing the film?  I prefer to read the book first, however I am frequently disappointed by the film version.  Perhaps seeing the characters alive on the screen will enhance the reading experience.  I realize the surprise of the silvertongue gift has been ruined, but I think I’ll enjoy having the characters fleshed out more (the book is enormous, after all).

I would definitely promote this movie (and the Inkheart series by Funke) during library and reading promotions, like National Library Week or Right to Read Week.  At the beginning of the movie, the narrator weaves us into the story with these words: “Since the dawn of time, storytellers have enchanted audiences with their words. But there is an even rarer gift. There are those, who by reading out loud, can bring characters to life. Out of books and into our world.”  What a great tagline for a library or reading week promotion!

Madeline meets the silver screen

Madeline a film based on the books of Ludwig Bemelmans; produced by Tri-Star Pictures; 1998.

Looking over these reviews, it seems that I’ve gone back more than 10 years on some materials.  While ideally I should be reviewing more recent acquisitions, I think that in the current economic environment, being able to repurpose or generate new interest in what is already in the collection is not only desirable but also responsible.

I wanted to review Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (ooh, Johnny Depp) having watched it for my “Thinking Inside the Box” project, but my daughter picked this out at the library because we have read all of the Madeline books over and over again.

The film adaptation did a terrific job combining the stories from the main books in the series—including the story of Pepito and their visit to the circus.  Miss Clavel is played in unruffled perfection by Frances McDormand and Hatty Jones is a believable Madeline.  Even the old house in Paris was covered in vines!

I would not hesitate to pair this movie with a collection of Madeline books in a box or display.