Learning | Peter Rabbit and Peter Cottontail

Have you wondered about the difference between Peter Rabbit and Peter Cottontail? I have, for far too long.

Poster: THE WORLD OF BEATRIX POTTER - PETER RABBIT

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire, England, UK.

 From Leo Reynolds' photostream on Flickr.com. Some rights reserved.

I first became familiar with Peter Rabbit from the works of Beatrix Potter, who created a rabbit character named Peter back in 1902. In the book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter was a naughty little rabbit who almost got caught when he sneaked into Mr. MacGregor's garden. (He should have listened to his mother!)

In the story, Peter has siblings named Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail.  I think that means their surnames would be "Rabbit," just like Peter. You know, Flopsy Rabbit, Mopsy Rabbit, and Cottontail Rabbit.  

In any case, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail Rabbit all listened when their mother told them to stay out of Mr. MacGregor's garden. But Peter did not obey her.

Mr. MacGregor's Garden,
from Hannah Swithinbank's photostream
on Flickr.com. Some rights reserved.

It's easy to understand why Peter wanted to eat lettuces, beans and radishes from Mr. MacGregor's garden. Just look at these pictures, from a re-creation of his garden at  Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Cottage in Sawrey, Cumbria, in England's Lake District.

Wouldn't it be fun to stroll around these gardens, and see the house where Beatrix Potter lived, when she wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit? 

I think I need to add this to my bucket list.

Peter's Watering Can 1,
from Adam Russell's photostream on Flickr.com.
Some rights reserved.

Beatrix Potter books, from Jennifer LaSuprema's photostream
on Flickr.com Some rights reserved.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit was the first of Potter's wildy popular series of "Little Tales." I can remember how special I thought they were, when I was very small, to hold a little book that was just the right size for my tiny hands. 











Of course, Beatrix Potter's illustrations of cute little animals wearing human clothes hold a child's interest, too. According to the Beatrix Potter official website, one of her books is sold every four minutes!

This being Eastertide, I started thinking about a children's song heard this time of year: "Peter Cottontail." It was written in 1949 by the same team of songwriters that brought us "Frosty, the Snowman." Gene Autry recorded the song in 1950; sometimes the name of the song is listed as "Here Comes Peter Cottontail."

Image from page 200 of
"Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories,"
by Thornton W. Burgess,
illustrations in colour by Harrison Cady.
From Internet Archive Book Images' photostream on Flickr.com.
No known copyright restrictions.

I suspect that song is about another rabbit named Peter, created in 1910 by the American writer, Thornton W. Burgess.  

Peter Rabbit was one of many animal characters in Burgess' book, Old Mother West Wind. Later, Burgess wrote a book about him, called The Adventures of Peter Cottontail (available through Link+.)  

In that book, Peter Rabbit decides that his last name sounds too ordinary, so he chooses a name he thinks is fancier--"Cottontail."  By the end of the book, he decides he likes his original name and changes it back.  

Like Beatrix Potter, Burgess loved nature, and he mostly wrote stories about anthropomorphic animals. But he did not illustrate his own stories. Here is a picture from "Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories," illustrated by Harrison Cady.

If you would like to explore this subject in depth, SSJCPL has a nonfiction book for adults. If you would like to read it, you will first have to master its cumbersome, rambling, run-on title. 

It's called The History of The tale of Peter Rabbit : taken mainly from Leslie Linder's A history of the writings of Beatrix Potter together with the text and illustrations from the first privately printed edition.

Try saying that three times, very quickly, and Mr. MacGregor is your uncle!

Books On Film | Cinderella

This weekend will see the release of the live-action version of Walt Disney's Cinderella. The classic animated Cinderella was originally released in 1950. 

With the help of her fairy godmother, a kitchen maid mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters attends the palace ball where she meets the prince of her dreams.

Learning | 5, 6, 7, Nate!

I spent my evenings this week listening to an audiobook for tweens. You know, tweens, those people who are no longer small children, but not quite teenagers yet (never mind not quite being adult yet.)  

The main characters in Five, Six, Seven, Nate! are thirteen years old.  The narrator of this story is Nathan (Nate) Foster, a theater geek who is leaving home to appear in his first Broadway musical. Okay, so he'll be playing Alien Number Seven, not actually starring in ET: The Musical, but, still! This could be his big break.

After Nate says goodbye to his best friend (and fellow theater nerd) Libby, he arrives on the first day of rehearsals to find that practically everybody else in the production has professional experience.

Five, Six, Seven, Nate gives us a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes production of a Broadway musical, and the large number of (often interesting) people involved in making a show happen.

I listened to the audio version of this book, because it was honored by the 2015 Odyssey Award committee. This award is given to the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults available in English in the United States. The author of the book, Tim Federle, reads the book out loud in the audio version. He makes the character of Nate come alive.

I see that Five, Six, Seven, Nate! is the sequel to a book called Better Nate than Never. I'll be looking for that one and reading it soon. I hope there will be more books about Nate. He's such a likable character.

Books On Film | The Snow Queen/Frozen

 

I think everyone on the planet has seen the Disney animated film Frozen by now. However, many may not know that it's an adaptation of Hans Christen Andersen's The Snow Queen (original/abridged). It's a fairy tale which centers around a young girl named Gerda who goes on a quest save her young male neighbor and friend Kai from the influences of an evil troll's mirror and the clutches of the Snow Queen.

The film adaptation centers around a young woman named Anna who goes on a quest to find and repair her relationship with her estranged sister Elsa who has trapped their kingdom in an eternal winter. It's a musical, as everyone who has heard "Let It Go" knows, which features several fun supporting characters including a talking snowman named Olaf.

If by some chance you haven't seen the movie, you can borrow it from the library and also check out the original tale, the abridged picture book, and/or one of junior easy reader novels inspired by the film.

Covers courtesy of LibraryThing.

Books On Film | Garfield

Children love Garfield, the titular character from Jim Davis' comic strip. Garfield is a cat who loves to eat and who has humorous one-sided conversation with his owner Jon and Jon's dog Odie. Davis started the comic strip, which holds a Guiness World Record for being the most widely syndicated comic, in 1978 and it still continues today.

As a child, I spent time watching the animated series 'Garfield and Friends.' These days children watch the CGI animated 'The Garfield Show' and it's spin-off graphic novels in addition to collections of the original comic strips.

Besides inspiring several television shows, Garfield was also adapted into two live-action movies (Garfield The Movie & Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties) with comedian Bill Murray voicing Garfield. 

If you know a child who liked the movie try introducing them to the comics.

Books On Film | A Day with Wilbur Robinson

The Walt Disney animated film Meet the Robinsons (2007) is a loose adaptation of a 1990 children's picture book by William Joyce called A Day With Wilbur Robinson. In the book, a young boy visits the unusual home of the Robinson family and meets a bevy of eccentric relatives while on a search for Grandpa Robinson's missing teeth. 

The movie borrows the idea of a young boy meeting the eccentric Robinson family, but the similarities pretty much end there. In the movie, an inventive young orphan named Lewis, goes on a time traveling adventure into the future with the youngest Robinson.

Young children will enjoy both the book and the movie, but because of the big differences in plot it might be best to introduce them separately.

Cover courtesy of LibraryThing.

Books On Film | Bambi

The Walt Disney classic animated film Bambi (1942) is an adaptation of Felix Salten's Bambi: A Life in the Woods (1923). Originally published in Austria, the book has since been translated and republished in at least 20 languages.

The story follows Bambi, a young male deer, from birth through adulthood. Along the way he loses his mother, finds his mate, and learns important lessons from his father and from his experiences in the forest.

The sequel, Bambi's Children: The Story of a Forest Family (1939) follows the life of Bambi's twin fawns.

Covers courtesy of LibraryThing.

Books On Film | Diary of A Wimpy Kid

Children love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The half drawn, half written books center around a middle school student named Gregg Heffley and his adventures dealing with friends, school, and family. There are currently eight books in the series as well as a special movie diary book.

The first four books have been adapted into three films, Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012). The plot from the third book, Last Straw, was split between the last two films. The films seem to generally fly under the radar a bit, but like the books they are silly fun for kids.

Cover Courtesy of LibraryThing.

Books On Film | Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is the first book in a series of six written by English author P.L. Travers. In the first book, published in 1934, the Banks family is in need of a new nanny after their old one leaves in a huff. Mary Poppins blows in on a strong wind to fill the position. The children and Ms. Poppins proceed to have all sorts of wondrous adventures together.

The story of Mary Poppins has been adapted into a very successful film and stage play. The 1964 Walt Disney musical film, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, is considered a family classic. The film, which featured a nicer Mary Poppins than the books, had adventures from all of the books as well as new adventures created just for the film. The movie is great fun and the music is fantastic. If you've never seen it you are missing out.

Saving Mr. Banks, a biopic released in theaters this month, chronicles the life of P.L. Travers including the negotiations between Travers and Disney for the film rights to books. Travers' life story and encounter with Disney is also chronicled in the biography Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P.L. Travers by Valerie Lawson.

If your children are into fantasy grounded in real life, then they may love the Mary Poppins books and if you are into biographies, then you may want to pick up a copy of Mary Poppins, She Wrote. 

Saving Mr. Banks Trailer (2013)  

  

 Covers courtesy of LibraryThing.

Books On Film | How To Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon is the first of a series of books that take place in a fictional Viking land where dragons are real. A boy named Hiccup is sent out to capture and train a dragon as a right of passage. He captures a dragon, Toothless, and proceeds to try to train him with his own methods after the one-page guide on training dragons proves useless.

The book was adapted into a 3-D animation film in 2010 and the sequel is expected out next year. The film was very heartfelt and enjoyable. However, there are some major changes from the book so this might be a 'watch the movie before reading the books' book/film combo.

Covers courtesy of LibraryThing

Books On Film | James and the Giant Peach

Roald Dahl is one the classic children's writers. Everyone has read one of his books. James and the Giant Peach happens to be my niece's favorite, even now that she is all grown up!

Many of Dahl's most popular books have a similar theme, an unhappy child has a magical experience. In James and the Giant Peach, an orphan named James who is living with his two mean aunts ends up on a wild adventure in a giant peach and becomes fast friends with the insects inside. Together the inhabitants of the peach go in search of a better life.

The book was adapted into a live-action/animated hybrid film in 1996 by director Tim Burton.  As is Burton's tradition, the animated is stop-motion clay animation. The film is a treat and Burton not-so-scary style works well for the story. If your children enjoy the movie, pick up the book! Or if you haven't seen the movie, hop roll to it.

Quiz Time:

Which of these Roald Dahl film adaptations is your favorite?

1. James and the Giant Peach

2. Charlie and Chocolate Factory

3. BFG

4. Witches

5. Fantastic Mr. Fox

6. Matilda

Covers courtesy of LibraryThing.