Illustration by Kjell Midthun.
Stories of Wonder
After the soldiers leave, there is more food, more working together, and more occasions for stories to tell. This has been true for centuries, since before the Greek tales of the Odyssey, the medieval saga of Beowulf, and the bawdy Italian tales of Basile. Wonder stories brought hope and imagination without boundaries. They were the source for fairy tales. And they continue to this day.
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The Defining Activity of Magic
"An alternative term for “fairytale” is “wonder tale”, from the German wundermärchen, which catches a quality of the genre more eloquently than “fairytale” or “folk tale” because it acknowledges the defining activity of magic in the stories. The suspension of natural physical laws produces a heightened and impossible state of reality, which leads to wonder, astonishment, the ’ajaib (astonishing things) sought in Arabic literary ideas of fairytale."
Marina Warner in the Guardian
The illustration from Brother and Sister is by Alexander Zwick.
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Little Tom Thumb -- From Rags to Riches
The boy was inspiring. Unlike his six brothers, he was courageous even in the face of great poverty, famine, abandonment, and danger. And yet he was the smallest of them all, the runt of the family. He was called Little Tom Thumb (Le Petit Poucet). Using his wits, he overcomes the dangers of being lost in the forest at night, tricks an orgre, steals his magic boots, uses them to serve the king and is well rewarded for his help. So it is that the smallest, yet fearless boy takes all of his family from rags-to-riches.
"Hardship anchors this tale 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. . . " Mary Louise Ennis, The Oxford companion to Fairy Tales.
An amalgam of motifs from earlier times, Little Tom Thumb was written by and attributed to Charles Perrault and published in 1697. The story has had great popularity through the years, initially due to translations, the accessibility of chapbooks, and Gustav Dore's illustrations.
The illustration of Tom secretly listening to his parents is by Gustav Dore.
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The Golden Age
Both adult and children's literature flourished in the nineteenth century, in an era where the industrial revolution, science, empire,and for many, prosperity, flourished. It was a time of glory in many ways for the world of story and wonder tales. The period from mid-century to World War 1, often referred to as the Golden Age of children's literature, was an era of wonderful books from Alice in Wonderland and Peter Rabbit, to The Secret Garden and The Wind in the Willows.
This was also the era of extremely well-received and widely read disparate books such as Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio; the Oz books by Frank L. Baum; books about the adventures of young American boys by Mark Twain; and the incredible variety of stories by Hans Christian Andersen.
The popularity of the books was certainly enhanced by the talented and imaginative illustrators of children's books. These included: Tenniel, Rackham, Dore, Nielsen, Cruickshank, Crane, and Potter.
In many ways, the optimism of the era was a false promise of things to come, for the 20th century would soon see turmoil and war on an unprecedented scale.
The illustration of Alice at the tea party is by John Tenniel.
The illustration of Pinocchio is by Enrico Manzatti.
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World War 1 -- The End of The Golden Age
To Germany
The poem (an excerpt) is by CHARLES HAMILTON SORLEY, a Britsh poet who died at the age of 20 serving in the Army, in the Battle of Loos, in World War 1. At least 20,000 died on that day, December 15, 1915.The photo is of Charles Hamilton Sorley.
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Antoine de Saint-Exupery -- Light In the Darkness of World War ll
Antoine de St. Exupery (1900-1944) was a wonderful writer. During the 1930's, as the menace of Hitler grew stronger and cast a shadow over Europe, St. Exupery, was flying in North Africa and South America as air postal service was being established. Conditions were often dangerous. He was also writing. In 1939, the wonderful Wind Sand and Stars was published. The book was based on his experiences and thoughts as an aviation pioneer (including a crash in the North African desert), and his insights about being alive. It won several literary awards including The Grand for fiction from the French Academy and The U.S. National Book Award. Here is an excerpt:
“To be a man is, precisely, to be responsible. It is to feel shame at the sight of what seems to be unmerited misery. It is to take pride in a victory won by one's comrades. It is to feel, when setting one's stone, that one is contributing to the building of the world.” By this time, Europe was being destroyed by Adolf Hitler. From the brutal conquest of Poland in 1939, and continuing beyond the surrender of France in June 1940, the world was falling apart. And it continued into the decade of the 40's with even more destruction, chaos, and conquest as well as the horrific Jewish genocide.
St. Exupery, unable to fight the Nazi war machine as a pilot, went to the USA where he worked to try to convince the USA to fight Hitler -- and he wrote. Two of the books from that time are outstanding: Flight To Arras which was based on his experiences as a French air force reconnaissance pilot in 1940; and the celebrated,The Little Prince.(which he also illustrated). Celebrated from the time of its publication, the book has been published in over 250 languages. Here are three excerpts:
"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. . .
'What makes the desert beautiful,' said the little prince, 'is that somewhere it hides a well. . .
The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart."
The fact that St. Exupery wrote this wonderful story when World War 11 was destroying Europe, makes him, and the book, even more remarkable. With The Little Prince, St. Exupery truly created light amidst the cruel darkness of war.
Antoine de St. Exupery died in 1944 when he was shot down flying a reconnaissance mission for the Free French Air Force.
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There are a multitude of Videos of The Little Prince on You Tube. Among them is a new documentary about The Little Prince including shots of St. Exupery. Here is a link to the trailer: Invisible Essence.
Here is the trailer for the delightful animated film adaption of The Little Prince .
The top photo is of St. Exupery. The lower photo is of European refugee children sent to England during the war. The illustration is from The Little Prince book.
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Give Them Hope
What makes children's fiction children's fiction? What makes fiction for adults? What do people respond to and what do I respond to. One of the keys to children's fiction for me is you owe it to the world, and you owe it to the kids, to give them hope. Neil Gaiman
Next month in this blog, I will consider this quote from Neil Gaiman as it relates to Coraline, The Graveyard Book, American Gods, Neverwhere, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I will also touch briefly on The Marquis de Carabas, Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, as well as Trigger Warnings.
The illustration from The Ocean at the End of the Lane is by Clifford Harper.
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Jackie Morris Lives in a Stone Cottage on the Coast of Wales
Jackie Morris has created and illustrated remarkable children's books. She lives close to nature and if you click this link -- Jackie Morris in the Guardian -- you will find wonderful illustrations from her book, The Ice Bear. Accompanying the illustrations is a narrative by Jackie telling the story of how the book evolved. Here is an excerpt:
"The bears formed a circle around the lost child, like white petals on a daisy. This was the image where the whole book began. I had wanted to work on a book about polar bears for a long time, but wasn’t sure where to start. But no story begins in just one place. A story is like a river that is fed by streams, trickling in, small at first until it becomes a river of words. The image of the child in the circle of bears was strong. My job was to work out how he had arrived there, and then to get him out, safely."
Here is an excerpt of the review of The Ice Bear from the excellent Bright Star Bedtime Stories website:
In the Beginning of Time"In the tradition of myths of old, this powerful story entwines magical themes, shape shifting, harsh realities and pure emotions into a story from another time. The concepts of love, balance and respect for all life are strong reoccurring themes in Jackie Morris’ books.
'In the beginning of time, people and animals lived together on the earth and there was no difference between them.” Thus begins the story of a changeling child, the cub of a polar bear who is stolen away by the trickster raven. Raven leaves the bundle of fur to be discovered by a hunter. . .' "
The illustrations from The Ice Bear are by Jackie Morris.
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Movies
Mary Poppins Returns
Reviewers are mild or even critical of the new version of Mary Poppins; however, it sounds like kids will certainly enjoy it. However, this Critics Consensus from Rotten Tomatoes is essentially positive: Mary Poppins Returns relies on the magic of its classic forebear to cast a familiar -- but still solidly effective -- family-friendly spell.
Here, however, is a comment from Manohla Dargis in the NY Times: Bathed in nostalgia, “Mary Poppins Returns” is being framed as a homage, and there’s clearly some love here. Mostly, it is a modest update, one that has brushed off the story, making it louder, harsher, more aggressively smiley.
Here is a link to the trailer: Mary Poppins Returns.
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Watership Down
The latest movie of this classic book is in four parts and is a co-production of Netflix and the BBC. It opened on Netflix on December 30, 2018. Reviewers have very divergent views. Here are excerpts from a favorable review by James Parker: Boston Globe and the Atlantic.
"In the beginning,” says a dream-reverberant voice in the first seconds of Netflix’s Watership Down, “Frith made the world. And he made the stars by scattering his droppings across the sky.” And in the beginning, Richard Adams, who was working at the time for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, told his children a story about some rabbits. Some of the rabbits were nice; some of the rabbits were nasty. And he wrote the story down, and a few years later, in 1972, it was published. . .
But the thing about a story like this, a story in which a gang of rabbits is forced out of its warren by the bulldozers of greenbelt development and obliged to go on a harrowing adventure to find a new home, is that it doesn’t date. Is it even necessary to point out that, in the almost half a century since Adams first scattered his bunny droppings across the sky, this tale has sharpened in resonance? So all you have to do is tell it. And the Netflix version, made in collaboration with the BBC, tells it straight and very well. . ."
A much less satisfied review was written by By James Poniewzik, TV critic for the NY Times: Watership Down
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Finding Fido: Practical Steps for Finding Your Lost Pet
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.
Here is an excerpt from an Amazon 5 star review:
"Would you know what to do if you found a stray pet? You might think that calling animal control would be the best thing for the animal - but you'd be wrong. Lots of food for thought in this book, including what to do if you find a stray pet, how to keep from losing a pet, and what to do if your pet is lost."
Here is a link to this important book for dog owners everywhere: Finding Fido
The authors, C.A. Wulff and A.A. Weddle, donate all of the proceeds to ARME's Beagle Freedom Project, a group that rescues dogs used in laboratories.
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LitWorld brings the joy of reading to children in more than 60 countries
The following information was excerpted from the Lit World Website:
Opening the path to the future
Our programs encourage sharing stories, building community, and cultivating a love of reading and writing to help literacy skills grow stronger. Literacy for LitWorld means reading, writing, speaking, and creating. We focus on outlets for creative expression, the value of the read aloud to immerse children in language and reading, and ways to amplify young people's stories to dignify their experience and give them a voice in the world. . .
Working together with local people
We partner with local, grassroots organizations who know the language, culture, and needs of their communities . . . . .The beauty of LitWorld’s curriculum is that it is built to adapt to unique environments to give kids and families the opportunity to read, write, and share their stories.
This is the 10th year of LitWorld's incredible World Read Aloud Day.
Here is a link for more information about this terrific event:World Read Aloud Day
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K9's for Warriors --
The Life Changing Impact of Therapy Dogs in Helping Vets with PTSD. . .
This is an excerpt from the K9's for Warriors website: " I am the Founder of K9s For Warriors. We save warriors and rescue dogs. Some are veterans, some are active duty, and all are heroes and have served in the military. Our warriors all suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disability (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can be deadly disorders."
This was written by Shari Duvall,the woman in the photo on the left. Her own son returned home to Jacksonville Florida with PTSD after two tours as a bomb dog handler in Iraq. As of November 2018, K9's for Warriors has rescued 967 dogs and 507 veterans. Here is a testimonial from one of them.
William & Andy Cooks, April 2016
The program gave me great tools to use in battling my PTSD in the form of Andy, my awesome new furry buddy. I also gained a new group of brothers that I went through the training with, and we support each other. I plan on continuing to push myself with the help of Andy to go out into public and spread the word about K9s For Warriors. I really feel like helping other veterans find peace will help me find peace. I didn't leave anyone on the battlefield in Iraq, and I will not leave anyone behind now that I am back home.
Here is the link to the K9's for Warriors website.
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School Days at Stoneman High School, Parkland, Florida, February 14, 2018
The photo of students being evacuated after the massacre is by Joe Raedie/Getty.
Guns Send Over 8,000 US Kids to ER Each Year, Analysis Says
To my knowledge, the only legislation now being enacted in the USA for sane gun control relates to prohibiting the sale of bumper stocks. The power of the NRA and their unbalanced control over politicians is extremely alarming. The following information was excerpted from a very informative Associated Press article by LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer, that appeared in US News on October 29, 2018.
"Gun injuries, including many from assaults, sent 75,000 U.S. children and teens to emergency rooms over nine years at a cost of almost $3 billion, a first-of-its-kind study found.
Researchers called it the first nationally representative study on ER visits for gun injuries among U.S. kids. They found that more than one-third of the wounded children were hospitalized and 6 percent died. Injuries declined during most of the 2006-14 study, but there was an upswing in the final year.
The scope of the problem is broader though; the study doesn't include kids killed or injured by gunshots who never made it to the hospital, nor does it count costs for gunshot patients after they're sent home."
The photo of the young girl survivors of the Stoneman High School massacre is by an AP photographer.
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The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
CSGV’s guiding principle is simple: We believe that all Americans have a right to live in communities free from gun violence. We pursue this goal through policy development, strategic engagement, and effective advocacy.
The photo is from New York magazine.
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The Yelodoggie Search
We believe that Why Am I, C.A. Wulff's wonderful new Yelodoggie book should have a big marketing push and wide distribution. Kids 4-8 love it and we are hoping it will be the beginning of a series. Accordingly, this new year marks the beginning of our renewed search for a publisher who will also love the book, embrace its potential, and launch it into the world.
Why Am I is a joyous Yelodoggie book that helps children recognize and appreciate differences and to embrace that which is unique in each of us.
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Planet of The Dogs
"Our story begins long, long ago, before there were dogs on Planet Earth.
There was plenty of space in those days for people to settle and grow things. . .There were clear lakes and cool streams with lots of fish. There were fields and woods with game to hunt. . . Many people settled in these places of abundance and prospered. . .
And then there came a time when the abundance and happiness found on Planet Earth were threatened by people like the warrior tribes of Stone City. They had forgotten how to love. . .Their numbers began to grow and soon they were taking the homes, land, and farms where peaceful people lived. . . Something had to be done -- but what could anybody do? No one knew it at that time, but help would come from far, far away, from the Planet of the Dogs.
You can read sample chapters of Planet Of The Dogs, Castle in the Mist, and Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, at www.planetofthedogs.net. The books are available free to therapy dogs and their owners (via [email protected])
The illustration from Planet Of The Dogs is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty
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-- Robert Lewis Stevenson
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