The Hidden Star by K. Sello Duiker

The Hidden Star by K. Sello Duiker is about a girl, Nolitye, who lives in a shack with her mother in a township on the edge of Johannesburg. Nolitye and her friends must deal with bullies called the Spoilers, who are making their lives miserable. Nolitye's favorite hobby is collecting stones. One day she finds a stone that has the power to make people happy. With this stone she discovers a world of age-old magic and the power of the spirit world. Nolitye, armed with the stone, and her friends decide it is time to stand up to the Spoilers. This empowers the girls and they start to question things that are happening around them; Where are the children that seem to disappear daily? How does the bucket fill up with fat cakes? Does The Evil One really exist? Searching for the truth leads the girls through strange and scary confrontations that help them develop their own personal convictions.

I enjoyed reading this book. Sometimes I felt lost not knowing customs and beliefs, but the story and Google helped me with those stumbling blocks. I enjoyed learning about the customs and traditions of African folklore and fables.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is the story of Max. Max dresses up in his wolf costume and runs around the house causing havoc. His mother gets angry and calls him a "Wild Thing" and sends him to his room with no supper. Through Max's imagination his room becomes an ocean where he sails his boat to a far off land where wild things live. Even though they seem fierce they accept Max and make him their king because he is the wildest thing of all.

The movie stinks! I hated it! Max was nothing but a BRAT that needed some strong discipline.

They should have made it a short not a full length movie and kept it true to the book. The only thing I liked about the movie was the scenery, which was gorgeous, and the "Wild Things" puppets, they were pretty cool. I felt so down when I left the theater. The movie is a total downer! Max was horrible and then got a huge piece of chocolate cake, what is with that?

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis is the story of four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy who discover the world of Narnia through a game of hide-n-seek. Lucy is the first to visit Narnia, a world of fauns, witches, and magic, when she hides in the wardrobe. Lucy meets a faun, Mr. Tumnus, whom she soon discovers is working for the White Witch. None of the other children believe her when she tries to tell them about the magical land. Edmond finds his way to Narnia as well, and meets the White Witch. She gives him Turkish Delight and tells him to bring back his brother and sisters. She tells him if he does she will give him more of the enchanted candy and make him king of Narnia. Edmond first lies about being in Narnia, but is found out after all the children enter together. Once in Narnia they go to Mr. Tumnus cave to find it ransacked and him being held captive by the White Witch because he did not arrest Lucy. The children decide to try and help the faun because he had been kind to Lucy and not turned her over to the Witch. They meet a family of beavers that are too, against the Witch, and wind up fighting on the side of the forces of Aslan, a lion, the true King of Narnia.

The movie stays pretty true to the book. There were little things. Like who gave Aslan the potion, and if

Aslan is alive or still dead when the war begins, the magic was interpr

eted different in the movie then the book, a dwarf shaved Aslan instead of the Queen, Edmond sat in the Queens chair, Mrs. Beaver not sewing, how they escaped with the beavers...nothing that affects the content of the story, just things I noticed.

Both the movie and the book are excellent. The characters in the movie were just as they were described in the book. They were amazing. I found it hard to believe that they were computer generated, they were so realistic. Aslan was awesome!!

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Tuck Everlasting the book is about a girl, Winnie Foster , who wants more freedom from her parents. She is drawn into the woods by her house when she hears Mae Tuck's music box. She meets Jesse Tuck who is drinking from the spring. Jesse will not allow Winnie to drink from the spring because this is the secret to their everlasting lives. Jesse kidnaps Winnie and takes her to meet the other Tucks. They explain to Winnie about the powers of the spring and keep her until they can make her understand how this could be dangerous if people found out about the spring. There is someone who does know about the spring though, the man in the jaunty yellow suit. He wants the woods and to reveal the Tuck's secret.

Winnie grows to love the Tucks and wants to stay with them, but the man in the yellow suit shows up and tries to take Winnie and threatens the Tucks with exposure. Mae hits him in the head with the stock of a shotgun and goes to jail. Winnie helps Mae escape jail where she is about to be hanged for killing the man in the yellow suit. The Tucks leave town, but Jesse promises to return for Winnie and tells her to drink from the stream. Winnie decides not to drink from the spring and goes on to live a full, rich life.

The movie version is true to the book. The biggest difference I believe is the development of the relationship between Winnie and Jesse. In the book you begin to get the hint of an

innocent, sweet, puppy love. In the movie it is more charged. You have their eye contact, their body language, and the swimming scene isn't how I pictured in my head. I guess that comes from reading as opposed to seeing. I also did not feel that the man in the jaunty yellow suit was as menacing looking in the movie as the picture in my head. I hated the man in the book. But, it was Ghandhi (Ben Kingsley)in the movie, and I found it difficult to hate him even though he played a great bad guy. Sissy Spacek plays Mae Tuck and I thought she should have looked more like Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith Show then the Coal Miner's daughter. I thought Winnie should have been more innocent looking, as well. All knit picky things, I know. These are not really things that take away from the story of the movie, they just weren't how I envisioned them!

The book is great! The movie is really good! I never like the movies as well as the books no matter how much the movie is like the book!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

How the Grinch Stole Christmas book tells about the people of Whoville celebrating Christmas year after year with presents, a big feast, and caroling. But the Grinch doesn't like Christmas and makes a plan to ruin Christmas for everyone by stealing all the presents. This does not stop Whoville from celebrating the Birth of Jesus! When he realizes that that doesn't stop the people of Whoville from celebrating Christmas, his heart begins to grow with the love he feels and he returns all the presents to the people.

The movie version shows why he is a Grinch, which is something that the book does not tell and it also shows the treatment to him that has made his heart so small. In the movie there is

character development that is not in the book. The Grinch interacts with the people of Whoville especially Cindy Lu Who. The Grinch is seen as a regular citizen in the movie to hide what diabolical plan he is constructing.

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash offers the same tension that is found in Dr. Seuss The Cat in the Hat. The story begins with a mother asking her daughter how her trip was to the farm. The girl says it was kind of dull until the cow started crying which leads the mother to another question and the daughter tells that the haystack fell on the cow...it continues with questions and answers that lay out what was suppose to be a nice, normal visit to a farm by a classroom. But turns into total chaos when Jimmy begins to introduce his boa to the farm animals and the chickens didn't like it.

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash is written by Trinka Hakes Noble and illustrated by Steven Kellogg. The illustrations show the total anarchy that happens when Jimmy's boa is introduced to the animals. The story shows no punishment for Jimmy for causing the domino effect of so many bad things happening at the farm. He even comes home with a new pet, a pig!

The Lorax

The Lorax is a cautionary tale of greed and environmental destruction. That is how it is described in one internet blurb. I feel this is the perfect description of the book! Greed causes the Once-ler to destroy the homes and environments of other living things. The book is didactic because it is teaching the lesson of what greed can do to our world and environment. The book has caused controversy for its anti forestry industry stance. Many libraries, where forestry industry is prominent in their communities, has banned it from their shelves.

Didactic children's books are still being written today. They may not hit industry like The Lorax, but they are still teaching lessons. Many older didactic books are being republished; The Story of Ferdinand which was first published in the 1930 has been republished with the original text and illustrations. Parents remember these stories and want them for their children to read. The books published today are not as moralistic as Dr. Seuss. They are kinder and more subtle in their teachings and they are not usually controversial like Dr. Seuss. Many of today's books muddy right and wrong or water it down.

I believe children's books will always be some what didactic. Books give us the perfect openings for children to question and those questions will lead to life's lessons.