The illustration from The Master Cat or Puss in Boots is by Arthur Rackham.
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Stories That Endure
In Puss in Boots a homeless, cross-dressing, talking cat changes his life – and the life of his homeless human buddy – simply through telling stories. Story is everywhere, and it affects every choice we make: where we live, what we buy, what jobs we do, who we fall in love with. When children hear stories, they are making sense of the world, and casting themselves in the various roles. That’s one of the reasons girls grow up wanting to be princesses, if they’re not careful. . ." Kathryn Heyman in the Guardian
The Lingering Question
In the past, I had never paid much attention to Puss in Boots. I had rather quickly scanned through the story. However, Kathryn Heyman's breezy comment (above), and the lingering question of why this tale had become a classic, a tale with great staying power, motivated me to read the story anew. And to see where it came from and what others had said about it.
The illustration is by Carl Offterdinger
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When A Manipulative Cat is Smarter than the Man Who Rules the Land
The premise of a cat overcoming the obstacles of society, king, and country certainly appealed to ordinary people. Here was a story where a cat succeeds in changing his life, and the life of his master, from no hope and despair into a new life where he overcomes the poverty and uncertainty of their lives in a splendid way. It had a timeless appeal and ordinary people told versions of this tale for centuries, long before and after it was served up in the literature of royal courts in Italy by Giovana Straparola (1553) and Giambattista Basile (1634).
It was a later written version, one of eleven in a collection written by Charles Perrault for the salons of Louis XIV, that became the basis for the version written by the brother's Grimm. Perrault's collection was entitled Tales of Mother Goose,or Tales of Time Past (1697).
"The Contes (Tales) immediately enjoyed a great success: eight reprints and two imitations were published during Perrault’s time. It was quite a lot, even if most of those publications were popular and cheap. It should be mentioned that his success was quite uncommon: fairy tales made in the salons were usually not popular among the lower classes. Perrault’s tales definitely belong to the genre of French literary fairy tales; they have all their distinguishing features. On the other hand, Perrault used folktales and did not make drastic modifications in their structure; people easily recognized the stories they knew so well. Later studies of folklorists and literary historians showed that the book was undoubtedly based on a collection of traditional tales." Lydie Jean, University of Paris IV Sorbonne
The cover design and illustrations are by Walter Crane.
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Perrault's Moral
Perrault, for every story, wrote a moral. One wonders if he doubted the ability of the fashionable salon reader to fully understand his tales. Here is his moral for Puss in Boots: "If the son of a miller so quickly could gain The heart of a Princess, it seems pretty plain,With good looks and good manners, and some aid from dress, The humblest need not quite despair of success." -- Charles Perrault Stories of Times Passed
Male or Female, Fox or Jackal, Monkey or Cat
"While most western European versions of the tale feature a cat, eastern European versions favor foxes. In India, the title hero is a jackal; in the Philippine Islands he is a monkey. Perrault's cat is a male, but in many European analogues the obliging cat is a female and sometime's marries the miller's son after she has been disenchanted." Maria Tatar The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales.
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Language, Lies, Cleverness, Manipulation, and Good Boots
In former times, life was hard and uncertain and the oral tales that were told were important. They entertained, opened the possibilities of life, and gave hope. The attributes that allowed even a poor, uneducated orphan, who owned nothing but a cat, to prevail, offered hope to all. Good boots were expensive and a sign of status and prosperity. They provided Puss In Boots with credibility as to being from the upper class.
Puss manipulates everyone from the king to an ogre. His cleverness in tricking the ogre into becoming a mouse -- and therefore an edible snack for a cat -- was used through the centuries by apprentices in wonder tales to overcome sorcerers. And in this tale, his cleverness allows Puss to gain a fine castle with servants and all the trappings for his master.
The illustration of Puss and the ogre is by Gustave Dore.
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Tom Thumb Had Much In Common With Puss
It occurred to me, when I was again reading the tale of Puss In Boots, that there were direct parallels with the story of Tom Thumb. Once again the underdog prevails. In a time of famine and despair,Tom manages to save his family, including his six brothers. He demonstrated that his small size didn't matter if you had courage and could keep your wits about you. He tricked an ogre, charmed his wife (who saved the lives of all the boys), stole the ogre's magic Seven League boots, and finally, tricked the ogre's wife into giving him the ogre's gold.
The illustration of Tom Thumb and the ogre is also by Gustave Dore.
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The Vital Connection
“For most of human history, 'literature,' both fiction and poetry, has been narrated, not written — heard, not read. So fairy tales, folk tales, stories from the oral tradition, are all of them the most vital connection we have with the imaginations of the ordinary men and women whose labor created our world.”
― Angela Carter
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Perrault's Tales Were Anchored In Hardship
"Perrault's insistence on hardship anchors this tale (Puss In Boots) in the socio-economic climate of 17th century France. The plague had reappeared. droughts had caused disastrous harvests, famine was widespread, and an extra mouth to feed could literally mean the difference between life and death. Children were sometimes abandoned; widows with children needed to remarry; and became stepmothers. Reversal of fortune affected the upper classes as well. . ."
Mary Louise Ennis, author and Professor of French Literature at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, writing in The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales.
The illustration is by Jozaf Israels.
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The Castle In The Mist
How do you explain loyalty to children? Does loyalty have a place in their world?
Suppose it is long, long ago . . . a sister and brother are imprisoned in an old castle. Their father, a king, cannot rescue them, because he does not know where they are. The children are dismayed and frightened.
Until one cold foggy night, with the forest and the castle enveloped in mist, the sound of howling dogs is heard by the imprisoned children – their dogs, their loyal dogs, have found them. Hope returns. And thus unfolds the story of the Castle In The Mist .
Click here to read sample chapters of Castle In The Mist.
The illustration from Castle In The Mist is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty.
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Movies
The Puss in Boots Movie (2011)
The story in the movie version of Puss In Boots is nothing like the original. Puss becomes an ace Latin swordsman, with a sexy Latina partner; he outwits Humpty Dumpty and acquires magical beans. The film was a financial success made as a spinoff from the extremely lucrative Shrek series.
Here is an excerpt from the review by Ty Burr in the Boston Globe:" Is the movie itself any good? For a spinoff of a series (“Shrek’’) that has been pounded into the pavement, surprisingly so. “Puss in Boots’’ doesn’t break any new ground in the storytelling department, and its reliance on go-go-go state-of-the-art action sequences grows wearying by the end, but the movie has a devilish wit that works for parent and child alike, and it moves like a bobsled." (3 out of 4 stars)
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Peter Rabbit Dissapoints
Beatrix Potter would not have liked the Peter Rabbit film".This headline by Alison Flood in the Guardian was followed by a very insightful article. Here are excerpts:
"When Walt Disney offered to adapt the Tale of Peter Rabbit for film in 1936, Beatrix Potter did not hesitate: the answer was no. During her lifetime, the author exercised minute control over the reams of merchandise spun out of her work, which is why Sony Pictures’ new film adaptation would have been anathema to the Lake District author, according to her biographer . . . Matthew Dennison, said Potter would not have approved of Sony’s take on a story that has been part of millions of children’s lives. . . Dennison said the film . . . changes the essential character of its eponymous hero. 'Peter Rabbit emerges as a bully, and there really isn’t any evidence for that in the story. . . ' Reviews have taken issue with what the New Yorker described as 'violence and a puerile sense of humour'. The magazine called it 'an object lesson in how not to adapt a beloved volume to the screen' ”.
The illustration of Peter Rabbit is by Beatrix Potter
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The Breadwinner
A Tale of Courage by a Young Girl in Afghanistan
The Breadwinner is a celebrated animated film by the wonderful Norah Twomey and Tomm Moore. Their animation work is exceptional. The Breadwinner is based on a true story. Like their previous film, The Secret of Kells, it was nominated for an Academy Award. The film was adapted from a celebrated YA novel, the Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis.
Here is an excerpt of a review by Kenneth Turan in the L.A. Times: "In its power and its beauty, 'The Breadwinner' reminds us that animation can be every bit as much of a medium for adults as it is for children."
Here is a link to the Trailer. The Breadwinner
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The Shape of Water: A Crossover Fantasy
The Shape of Water and the publicity surrounding the Oscars have made a global audience aware of Guillermo del Toro. I have a vivid remembrance of seeing, over 10 years ago, his incredible dark fantasy, Pan's Labyrinth. I was awed. His films are tales of wonder for adults and young adults alike. They deal with profound aspects of the life experience. I have posted below links to the trailers for his best known films, all of them doorways to an alternate reality.
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Who Are We ?
"Who are we, if not a combination of experiences, information, books we have read, things imagined? Each life is an encyclopaedia, a library, an inventory of objects, a series of styles, and everything can be constantly reshuffled and reordered in every conceivable way."
- Italo Calvino, Six Memos for the Next Millennium
The illustration is by Gotthard Kuehl.
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Nancy Yeager's Heritage
Nancy Yeager taught young children and left a legacy that continues to grow. Her family established the Yeager Foundation that supports, among other causes, early reading, through two books -- Mommy Talk and Talk To me. The books encourage early reading and language development, especially for disadvantaged parents and their very young children. Here is an excerpt from their site:
"Mommy Talk is available in English or in Spanish. Talk to Me is available only in English at this time. Single copies are free to individuals and quantities are free to nonprofits, schools, public agencies, libraries, and pediatric clinics. . . eBook editions of Mommy Talk are also available free of charge at Kindle eBooks on Amazon and at the iTunes Store, among other web sites in the U.S. and internationally."
Among the other meaningful initiatives given support in her memory, is a major gift by Doug Yeager to the Princeton Baby Lab. Here is an excerpt from their site:
"At the Princeton Baby Lab, we study how babies and young children learn to talk, see, and understand the world. This is an exciting time for research on child development, because we have the ability to study how a child’s ability to learn and their experiences work together to support their development.
Our research is important for many reasons. It helps us understand how the developing mind works, how biology and experience shape our lives, how caregivers can best support children’s development, and how we can help children at-risk for poor developmental outcomes."
If you are a teacher for preschool through fifth grade, you are eligible for a one week summer residency in southwestern Michigan sponsored in part by the Yeager Foundation. For information on how to apply, or how to obtain the free books, visit the Yeager Family Foundation Website.
The photo is by Elise Piazza, Princeton Baby Lab.
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"Between 3 and 4 million pets are put to death in shelters across the U.S. every year. Some of them are owner surrenders, some are impounds, but the vast majority of them are missing or stolen pets.
C.A. Wulff and A.A.Weddle, the administrators of the service Lost & Found Ohio Pets, have compiled a guide to address this sad reality. 'Finding Fido' offers tips for preventing the loss of a pet; advice for what to do with a stray pet you've found; and a step-by-step plan in case the unthinkable happens, and you lose a pet.
100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book benefit The Beagle Freedom Project."
This information was excerpted from Goodreads I have read Finding Fido and it is excellent.
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Alice Is Back
The Lewis Carroll Society of North America will hold their Spring meeting hosted by one of the great Alice collections (over 3,000 rare books, manuscripts, and objects) on the weekend of April 13. Here is an excerpt from their announcement:
"The University of Southern California, home of the Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection in the Doheny Library, will be our gracious host in Los Angeles on April 13. Our meeting is scheduled on a FRIDAY this time so that we may participate in the gala presentation of the 14th annual Wonderland Award at the culmination of a day of fascinating programming . . . The Cassadys and the Doheny Library’s curators are bringing to life everything the LCSNA could have hoped for in making Carroll collecting meaningful and inspirational to the next generation of scholars, artists, and enthusiasts . . .
The illustration is by John Tenniel.
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Disney's Frozen follows the Money to Broadway
"Anxiety over the handling of a precious gift is the theme that comes through loudest in 'Frozen', the sometimes rousing, often dull, alternately dopey and anguished Disney musical that opened on Broadway on Thursday. . . , the precious gift causing so much anxiety at the St. James Theater is the 2013 blockbuster film from which the stage musical has been adapted. After all, $1.3 billion in box office is a lot of ice." -- Excerpted from the review by Jesse Green in the New York Times
And to think it all started with Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale for children: The Snow Queen.
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The Famished Road
"The Famished Road is fed by the dreams of literature. I devoured the world, through art, politics, literature, films and music, in order to find the elixir of its tone. Then it became a perpetual story into which flowed the great seas of African dreams, myths and fables of the world, known and unknown. I made up stories in the matrix of the ancestral mode. Many people read these stories and assume they belong to the oral tradition, but I had always believed that it is an artist’s function to enrich the oral tradition with stories of our own, inventions of our own, inspired by the tales we heard in the moonlight, sitting in a circle. But even in that the tone is the thing."
This is an edited extract from the introduction to the 25th anniversary edition of The Famished Road (Man Booker Prize Winner) by Ben Okri
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Marching, Protesting. Speaking from the Heart for Gun Control
This link will take you to terrific photos of gun violence protests around the world. Thanks to the Guardian: People March
The momentum continues to build, driven by students who refuse -- after the Parkland School murders -- to stop.
Their goal is to change gun laws -- more sanity and more safety. They are aiming for politicians and the November elections.
They have our total support.
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Facts About the Refugee Crisis (from Save the Children's website)
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Worldwide, 22.5 million refugees, half of them children, have left everything behind to escape conflict, violence and persecution
- Many have experienced profound physical and emotional traumas
- Some are missing years of school, severely compromising their futures
- Children traveling alone are especially vulnerable – if they make it at all
- Others are starved out of their homelands due to drought and conflict
For more information, read the Refugee Children’s Progress Report and read What is a Refugee?
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The Boy and the Sea by Kirsty Gunn
Like the sea, this beautiful, gentle story about a growing boy is deeper than it appears on the surface. On the surface, the tale is about a child and how his relationship to the sea changes as he goes through life. On a deeper level, the tale reflects a child's relationship to a loving and supportive parent, and the lessons that can be learned from such a bond. Look even deeper and you will find the messages that unconditional love is its own reward; of the importance of giving freely of oneself; of recognizing the sacrifices of others and properly expressing gratitude. Look deeper still, and you will find a reflection of man's relationship to God. A lovely story for children and parents alike.
This review is by author C.A. Wulff.
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Tainaron: Mail from Another City
"The Writer: "How could I forget the spring when we walked in the University’s botanical gardens; for there is such a park here in Tainaron, too, large and carefully tended. If you saw it you would be astonished, for it contains many plants that no one at home knows; even a species that flowers underground . . .”
The Guide: "And this goes on all the time, incessantly," he said,". "Tainaron is not a place, as you perhaps think. It is an event which no one measures. It is no use anyone trying to make maps. It would be a waste of time and effort. Do you understand now?" Excerpted from Tainaron by Finnish author Leena Krohn
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THE READING WITH ROVER STORY
Here is the story of this wonderful therapy dog organization excerpted from their website:
"Once upon a time, in the town of Bothell, Washington, there was (and still is) a Librarian named MieMie Wu. MieMie wanted to make reading more fun for kids because she LOVED reading and she knew how important it was for children to love reading too . . . MieMie needed help getting good dogs and kind people to volunteer so she contacted a nice lady named Dotti Snow. Dotti had Pet Partners® registered therapy dogs that went to hospitals to visit sick people. Dotti thought MieMie’s idea was GREAT and offered her therapy dogs as reading assistance dogs!
Reading With Rover started out as a community-based literacy program volunteering in the schools, bookstores and libraries of Puget Sound area of Washington State. We now offer the comfort of our therapy dogs at local hospitals, assisting living homes, rehabilitation facilities and we are very popular college stress relievers! Our programs are a part of several school districts in the area as well. . . We have provided over 10,000 book bags and new books to children in the Seattle area. . ." Here is a link to their website: Reading with Rover
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Why Am I ?...A Yelodoggie Illustrated Story Book
Why Am I ? – a joyous Yelodoggie Book – celebrates self-empowerment and the benefits of inclusion. It helps children recognize and appreciate differences and to embrace that which is unique in each of us.
Yelodoggie travels far and wide, up and down, inside and outside, from outer space to the waters of the sea –gaining confidence and leaving his insecurities behind – while seeking to answer Why Am I different ?...Why Am I Yellow ?
Why Am I? opens the imagination and perspective of children to the world around them.
We continue our search for a publisher who will love Why Am I ?, recognize its potential, and launch it into the world. This is a book for our troubled times; our primary motive is wide distribution.
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The Planet Of The Dogs Series
We have free reader copies of all the books in the Planet Of The Dogs series for therapy dog organizations, individual therapy dog owners, librarians, teachers and independent bookstores. . . email us at planeto[email protected] and we will send you the books.
To read sample chapters of any book in the series, visit PlanetOfTheDogs
The Planet Of The Dogs series (including Castle In The Mist and Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale) is available from many Internet sources and through independent book stores of all sizes.
"Even though this is a children's book, I, as an adult, enjoyed it very much. If only there really was a Planet of the Dogs!!"
From an Amazon review by PT Blonde
The illustration from Castle In The Mist is by Stella Mustanoja-McCarty
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