Folklore is filled with legends and fairy tales...
Sleeping Beauty was written by Charles Perrault in the 17th century. It leaps from the light of goodness and beauty to darkness and violence. This is especially true in the second half of Perrault's tale which tells -- in addition to the well known traditional version -- the prolonged nightmare story of what happens after Princess Aurora wakes up. The Grimm Brothers revised the tale as Briar Rose, deleting the entire second half of Perrault's tale. Apparently, the original story was too dark even for them as it involved attempts at cannibalism, a most evil queen, and the ultimate in treachery and deceit.
In both versions, the beautiful sleeping princess is awakened by a noble prince after 100 years of a witch's curse.
What were Sleeping Beauty's dreams? Perrault wrote that she had "agreeable dreams." Here is an excerpt from Perrault's version of the story:
"And now, as the enchantment was at an end, the Princess awaked and looking on him with eyes more tender than the first view might seem to admit of:
'Is it you, my Prince?' said she to him. 'You have waited a long while.'
The Prince, charmed with these words, and much more with the manner in which they were spoken, knew not how to show his joy and gratitude; he assured her that he loved her better than he did himself; their discourse was not well connected, they did weep more than talk -- little eloquence, a great deal of love. He was more at a loss than she, and we need not wonder at it; she had time to think on what to say to him; for it is very probable (though history mentions nothing of it) that the good Fairy, during so long a sleep, had given her very agreeable dreams"...
Children Deaming...The happy ending of the Grimm's Briar Rose would presumably balance out the fearful aspects of Sleeping Beauty for dreaming children. The sweetened Disney version of 1959 kept the happy ending, although it did include Maleficent, a fearful evil witch, who is ultimately killed by Prince Phillip, wielding the sword of truth.
Folklore, legends and fairy tales change with the times. Cultural influences, ranging from violent films and computer games to the popularity of vampires in books, films and TV, appear to have influenced two new versions of Sleeping Beauty ... one, marketed for children, the other, for adults.
Maleficent and Return of the Dark Side... The newest Disney version of Sleeping Beauty appears -- from viewing the pre-release trialer/preview -- to be very dark, and scary for children. Scheduled to open for the Christmas holidays, it features Angalina Jolie as Maleficent. Follow this link and be prepared for a film far removed from original Disney version of the story...this one looks like it will bring dark dark dreams to any child that sees it: Maleficent...
Vampires and the new Sleeping Beauty Ballet...Matthew Bourne, generally recognized as a brilliant innovator, has created a new ballet version of Sleeping Beauty. The original Tchaikovsky score remains, but the story setting, costumes and characters have taken many new turns. In this version, Princess Aurora falls in love with the palace gardener, Leo, who is transformed into a vampire. In this way, he remains young during the long sleep of the Princess. To see video excerpts and to read an excellent review by Celia Wren, click this link: Washington Post
Will children dream of Maleficent? Of vampires? Of dark thorn forests? Or of a beautiful sleeping princess and a handsome prince?
The photo is a scene from Matthew Bourne's new Sleeping Beauty Ballet.
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Respect and Courtesy for the Sprite of Story Telling...
Phillip Pullman is an exceptional writer whose compelling literary voice transcends genre and easy classification. The following remarks are excerpted from an article he wrote for the Manchester Guardian at the time that his book, Fairy Tales From the Brothers Grimm, A New English Version, was being published.
"The fairy tale is in a perpetual state of becoming and alteration. To keep to one version or one translation alone is to put a robin redbreast in a cage. A fairy tale is not a text...
When I'm at work I'm highly superstitious. My own superstition has to do with the voice in which the story comes out. I believe that every story is attended by its own sprite, whose voice we embody when we tell the tale, and that we tell it more successfully if we approach the sprite with a certain degree of respect and courtesy. These sprites are both old and young, male and female, sentimental and cynical, sceptical and credulous, and so on, and what's more, they're completely amoral: like the air-spirits who helped Strong Hans escape from the cave, the story-sprites are willing to serve whoever has the ring, whoever is telling the tale. To the accusation that this is nonsense, that all you need to tell a story is a human imagination, I reply, 'Of course, and this is the way my imagination works'."
Here is a link to the article... Phillip Pullman in the Manchester Guardian
The illustration is by Arthur Rackham
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The Dog Book for Christmas
Long, long ago, two of Santa’s reindeer were kidnapped by the King of the North and there could be no more Christmas.
Snow Valley Heroes, is the story of how the dogs came down from their own planet and saved Christmas for children everywhere.
“What a truly wonderful and unique Christmas story for the whole family. Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, by Robert J. McCarty and illustrated by Stella Mustanoja McCarty is the third offering in the Planet of the Dogs series; What an imagination this team has… an ideal book to snuggle up with the little ones on a cold winter night and simply enjoy.” Don Blankenship, Teacher, reviewer-Good Books for Kids
Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, is a joyous holiday book for kids and dog lovers. Published by Barking Planet Productions
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"Snow Valley Heroes has the potential of becoming a favorite holiday story for both children and adults." -- Wayne Walker, Stories for Children Magazine, Home School Buzz, Home School Book Review ....Read sample chapters: Snow Valley Heroes
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Finding a favorite book from Childhood
One Book In . . . from a New York Times essay By TERRY EICHER
The best part of sixth grade at Grady Elementary School in Houston, in 1960, was after lunch when Mrs. Wise stood at the front of the classroom and opened a red book and read a few pages aloud. The story was about a peasant boy in medieval England. He pined to be a knight. There was a hermit and a girl in a castle (whom I imagined, speaking of unrequited longing, as the girl who sat in front of me), wicked knights, secret passages and a great deal of suspense. No spoilers here, but suffice to say that it was a story about yearning, maybe even one that taught yearning. Mrs. Wise always stopped reading at the height of excitement, making a small indentation in the margins with her fingernail to mark the spot. We groaned.
I knew what it was to be utterly absorbed in a book, sometimes to the exasperation of my family and friends. But this was the best story I had ever heard. The right story at the right time for students on the edge of pubescence. I daydream...
Read all of this excellent article about childhood and the importance of books, reading, and the influence of good teachers: One Book
The book referred to above is Giles of the Star, The Boy Who Would Be King, by Rebecca Rice
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Smiles come from the people served by Freedom Service Dogs (FSD). Their idea to turn traditional dog shows on their head, and honor the dogs who never make it to those events, will also create many smiles. The following is from their website:
Worst In Show
February 22, 2014 @ 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
"Freedom Service Dogs of America is hosting an Inaugural Worst in Show dog event, a dog show for the rest! The event welcomes the singing, drooling, hairy dogs that deserve the title of Worst in Show! Think of Eugene Levy & Jane Lynch when they portrayed contestants in the comedic dog show movie, Best in Show. Let your imagination run wild with the hilarity that only the WORST dogs can create!
Join Freedom Service Dogs Saturday, February 22 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum in Lowry, to be comically entertained like never before! Show includes people food, doggie treats & free parking for even the worst spectators. Help us rescue a shelter dog and enhance the life of a veteran.
Worst in Show will also raise awareness about the wonderful work of FSD...saving shelter dogs and training them to become customized service dogs."
Thanks to Karen Morrow of FSD for the photo and this message: "Freedom Service Dogs had more than 20 staff, volunteers, veterans and service dogs at both the Denver and Colorado Springs Veterans Day parades on Saturday, November 9, 2013. This was a great event for the dogs to practice their comfort in crowds skills and for the organization to come together to celebrate the brave men and women we work so hard to 'welcome home' on a daily basis."
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Folklore and Fairy Tales...where the past lives on in the present.
Fairy Tales and mythology continue to permeate our world in mass media for children and adults....
Catching Fire, following the extraordinary success of the Hunger Games, has opened in theatres to very favorable reviews and strong ticket sales; pundits predict more sales records...Here is a link to an excellent review by Peter Ranier in the Christian Science Monitor. This link also includes a video preview.
In December, another movie adaptation of Tolkien's books for young readers is coming... Peter Jackson is presenting, THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG...
Both of these films are retellings that have become timeless; in order to understand -- beyond the action, color and exotic characters -- the huge international appeal of these films, I turn to Maria Tatar's book, The Classic Fairy Tales. In pointing out the staying power and significance of classic stories, she writes..."that they must be addressing issues that have a significant social function -- whether critical, conservative, compensatory or therapeutic...Fairy tales register an effort on the part of both men and women to develop maps for coping with personal anxieties, family conflicts, social frictions, and the myriad frustrations of everyday life."
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The Book Thief...a new film
The title, the concept, and the preview intriqued me; but the reviews disappointed me. Apparently, the Book Thief is another example of a misplaced compromise in an effort to achieve box office success. Here is an excerpt from Stephen Holden's review in the New York Times..."Speaking in the honeyed, insinuating tone of the Wolf cajoling Little Red Riding Hood to do his bidding, the narrator of 'The Book Thief' is none other than Death himself (Roger Allam), although he coyly refuses to disclose his identity....."The pieces of the story, which begins in 1938, are so neatly arranged that the movie has the narrative flow and comforting familiarity of a beloved fairy tale...A contradiction between a veneer of innocence and the realities of Nazism and the Holocaust is a signature characteristic of “The Book Thief,” Markus Zusak’s immensely popular young-adult novel, from which the movie, directed by Brian Percival (“Downton Abbey”), was adapted...'The Book Thief' (movie) is a shameless piece of Oscar-seeking Holocaust kitsch."
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Audrey Hendler was inspired while working with a dog group in a women's prison. She was motivated to start working with young disadvantaged kids -- through the wonders of the canine connection -- to help them build life skills that would help them to overcome the daily problems of their young world, and, hopefully, not end up in prison....
" A Fair Shake for Youth is dedicated to helping under-served and vulnerable youth build empathy, self-esteem and the skills and behaviors that foster positive interactions with family, peers, and the community and help give them a fair shake at a better life."
Click this link to see Audrey and the progam in a video produced by NY1, following her selection as New Yorker of the week. A Fair Shake for Youth was a recipient of a 2013 Planet Dog Foundation Grant
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"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye"...Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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Imagine That:How rough would it be if dogs ruled?... by Gene Newman
...."There is a series of kids books entitled "Planet of the Dogs" which must be interesting, but I’d like to read a more realistic adult treatment of the idea of dogs becoming the dominant species on Earth. That seems like a better idea...They could still take us for walks and we could help them chase squirrels and watch them do their DNA checks on poles and trees...
Personally, I’d like to be owned by a big friendly breed of dog. If I were in the window of a pet shop and a St. Bernard or an Old English Sheepdog passed by, I’d do all of my tricks to attract their attention – begging, rolling over, playing dead and writing columns."-- Click here to read all the column: Gene Newman
The illustration is from Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale
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Pet Health – How to Keep Them in Their Best Shape...An article with 5 Basic Guidelines for a Dog' s good health and well being... Here's an excerpt...
"Today’s society is not the healthiest for people or for pet health; sedentary lifestyles and poor diets take their toll on the health of millions. Unfortunately, unhealthy people tend to have unhealthy pets. Even more healthy households may be ruining their pet’s health through ignorance, or misunderstanding of what the pet really needs. Here are five things you can do to keep your pet healthy..."
Here is a link to read it all: Healthy Dogs
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Up on the Woof is author/artist CA Wulff's platform for animal advocacy -- especially dogs. For those who care about dogs, I highly recommend a visit to her world of passionate, informed, and provocative news and ideas. Here are some recent excerpts:
..."Animal rescuers and advocates, we are part of an army. We fight abuse and cruelty on a million battlefields every day. Lots of times, the enemy wins. But we get up the next day and we do it again; and we do it again the day after that. We do it because animals like this little guy (Wulff is referring to a dog thrown off a bridge); they don’t stand a chance without us"...
A Childhood Hunger for Fairy Tales
A. S. Byatt, the highly regarded English novelist, poet and Booker Prize winner wrote a fascinating Introduction to the Grimm Reader: The Classic Tales of The Brothers Grimm, edited by Maria Tatar. Here is an excerpt...
THE MEDIA EQUATION
Why Barnes & Noble Is Good for Amazon
DAVID CARR wrote a fascinating article last summer that is every bit as relevant and insightful today as it was then. He cites the importance of the bookstore experience for people in a world where ebooks are rewriting the norms for readers, publishers and bookselllers alike. Here are excerpts...
"On Thursday night in Clifton, N.J., Barnes & Noble was a way station, a third place between work and home where people sought respite and diversion. With its high ceilings, wide aisles and a large Starbucks, it is the kind of retail outlet that gives big-box stores a good name.
A Barnes & Noble bookstore in Los Angeles. The company’s retail stores and Web site generated pretax earnings of $374.2 million in its most recent fiscal year.
In one aisle, a father and daughter were having a spirited generational discussion over the side-by-side covers of “The Great Gatsby,” one of which bore an image of Leonardo DiCaprio. For reasons I wasn’t quite clear about but nonetheless found charming, an older couple used a book on vegetarian cooking to cover up a copy of “The Art of Seduction” on the shelf. Nearby, two apparent siblings, one sporting pink hair and the other purple, traded loud opinions over the True Crime display.
Watching the readers lounge in chairs with a view of Route 3, it was hard to reconcile the pageantry of retailing with the brutal recent headlines about the book business...
Barnes & Noble tried to keep up with the technological shift, but the company’s earnings were perforated by a $177 million loss from its Nook division, and that news took out William Lynch Jr., the chief executive, and threw a deep scare into publishers.
In my view, Barnes & Noble is a company that did the right thing, and got clobbered anyway. When most media companies get into the device business, what pops out is clunky and useless, but the Nook is an excellent reading device that drew critical praise and, initially, buyers. At a time when legacy media companies are derided for letting the future overtake them, Barnes & Noble aggressively innovated...
After Borders called it quits two years ago this week, Barnes & Noble became the last big chain where publishers could get the exposure for their books that allows readers to discover them, and to sell all manner of books big and small that are still part of the foundation of the industry.
Morgan Entrekin, publisher at Grove/Atlantic, says everyone has skin in the retail game. “We need to have a diversity of distribution channels to be healthy, and Amazon may want it all, but they are smart enough to know that,” he said. “People can’t live online all the time...”
Here is the link to read it all: B&N and Amazon
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The Golden Age, Children's Books, and Literary Value...
"In spite of what such histories (of children's literature) may tell us, there is no single golden age, no moment when the literature for and of children is better, more precise,or more effective than at any other moment. Children's literature is not some ideal category that a certain age may reach and that another may miss. It is instead a kind of system, one whose social and asthetic value is determined out of the relationships among those who make, market, and read books. No single work of literature is canonical; rather, works achieve canonical status through their participation in a system of literary value."
Seth Lerer in his book Children's Literature, A Reader's History from Aesop to Harry Potter...The illustration is by Arthur Rackham
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"Snow Valley Heroes is a wonderful book for a Christmas present. Popular for children and grandchildren, but truly for all ages of dog lovers, it is a one time story that has never been told — how our beloved dogs came to Earth to be part of our lives while bringing friendship, love and loyalty to mankind. Do yourself a favor….pick up a book or two for your children, grandchildren, the school library or public library. And one for yourself!"
Reviewed by Nancy Houser, editor Way Cool Dogs, writer, Digital Journal, Inc
The illustration, by Stella McCarty, is from Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale
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The Children's Literary Salon at NYPL is pleased to announce its next event on Saturday, December 7th in the South Court Auditorium at 2:00 p.m.: Inseparable Companions: Dolls and Their Influence in Children’s Literature
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I found the quote below on Sunbear Squad where guidlines, free wallet cards, and "how to" save a dog in distress information are available at no cost for all good people.
"We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace."
—Albert Schweitzer, "The Philosophy of Civilization" -.
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“There is no faith which has never yet been broken, except that of a truly faithful dog” Konrad Lorenz
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