The Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye, in Scotland, has been a land of myth, history, and stories. It is a hard land of rugged beauty and was first occupied in the Middle Stone Age. Life has often been very difficult over the centuries since the land was settled by Gaelic speaking Scots from Ireland during the first centuries BCE.
People In the Forests of Early Northern Europe
“Forests to the [early] Northern European peoples were dangerous and generous, domestic and wild, beautiful and terrible. And the forests were the terrain out of which fairy stories, one of our earliest and most vital cultural forms, evolved. The mysterious secrets and silences, gifts and perils of the forest are both the background to and source of these tales. . .Forests are places where a person can get lost and also hide -- and losing and hiding, of things and people, are central to European fairy stories in ways that are not true of similar stories in different geographies. Landscape informs the collective imagination as much as or more than it forms the individual psyche and its imagination. . ." ― Sara Maitland, Gossip from the Forest
Photo is of the Glen Brittle Forest on the Isle of Skye.
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Times of Becoming -- Life Journeys In the Forest
"Family upheaval has another function in (wonder) tales, beyond reflecting real issues encountered in life: it propels young heroes out of their homes, away from all that is safe and familiar; it forces them onto the unknown road to the dark of the forest. It's a road that will lead, after certain tests and trials, to personal and worldly transformation, pushing the hero past childhood and pointing the way to a re-balanced life. . . The forest, with all its wonders and terrors, is not the final destination. It is a place to hide, to be tested, to mature. To grow in strength, wisdom, and/or power. And to gain the tools needed to return to the human world and repair what's been broken...or build anew." Terri Windling, Myth and Moor
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Courage
The courage to live life, in and from its belly as well as beyond its edges, to see and say what it was to recognize and identify evil, but never fear or stand in awe of it.
Toni Morrison.
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Reality
This Illustration for the Grimm's Golden Bird by Harry Jurgens has always fascinated me, an echo of days gone by. Mysteries, unexplainable events, magic and wonder, have been woven into the fabric of life for most of the time we've been on this planet. One man's fox was also a prince; one princess' frog was also a prince; and a beast may be transformed into a handsome prince when a tear of love falls on his cheek. Fairy tales are the echoes of days gone by, when everyday reality could have different meanings for people everywhere.
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Fairy Tale is a Country of the Mind
"Impossible – absurd – enchantments define fairy tale as a form of storytelling, but the magic also gives expression to thought-experiments: the wicked fairy turning out to be capable of love, the Frozen princess thawed into humanity by her heroic sister’s staunchness and love. Fairy tale is a country of the mind made by imagery, by riddles and charms, spells and nonsense; it uses language to create imaginary structures in which language itself is supremely powerful: Rumpelstiltskin is undone when the heroine discovers his name. . ."
An excerpt from How Fairy Tales Grew Up, by author Marina Warner, in the Guardian.
The illustration, by Jim Kay, is from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
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The Yearling -- A Forest Story of the Real World
When I was young, a favorite book of mine was the Yearling, the story of a boy in the hardscrabble, wild back country of Florida and his adopted, orphaned young deer. I found the book to be a wonderful, compelling story, The author, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was inspired by a real family and their life. They all lived in what is now Ocala National Forest. The Yearling was a big hit, winning the Pulitzer Prize (1939) and translated into 29 languages; it was also adapted into an excellent movie, a successful Broadway musical, and a well-received animated film.
Here are Rawling's thoughts on wilderness forests.
In The Mysterious Heart of the Forest
"Any grove or any wood is a fine thing to see. But the magic here, strangely, is not apparent from the road. It is necessary to leave the impersonal highway, to step inside the rusty gate and close it behind. By this, an act of faith is committed, through which one accepts blindly, the communion cup of beauty. One is now inside the grove, out of one world and in the mysterious heart of another. This is the essence of an ancient and secret magic. It goes back, perhaps, to the fairy tales of childhood. . . It may go back still farther, to racial Druid memories, to an atavistic sense of safety and delight in an open forest. And after long years of spiritual homelessness, of nostalgia, here is that mystic loveliness of childhood again. Here is home. An old thread, long tangled, comes straight again.”― Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of the Yearling, in her autobiography, Cross Creek
The illustration above of the boy and the deer are by NC Wyeth.
The photo is of Ocala National Foest.
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Imaginative Independent Animation
Fears
Stylized, Imaginative, original
Created by Nata Metlukh
Very accomplished Graduation film, Vancouver Film School
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The Big Boy
A surreal tour de force, many worlds, imagination.
Created by Lee Kyutae.
Sound design, Kwom Younghwan.
Music Shin Hyunmo.
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Hematone
Identity, surreal metamorphosis, colors
Created by Roxane Lumeret and Jocelyn Charles.
Additional animation and character design by Chloe Farr.
Music video for L'imperatrice.
Produced by Remembers Microqlimat, CNC
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Haunting and Hilarious Fairy Tales
Jack Zipes has vividly retold and edited fairy tales that were retold and illustrated by Rolf Brandt. The book, Haunting and Hilarious Fairy Tales, is published by Little Mole and Honey Bear. Here is a lost treasure, a delightful manifestation of Zipe's Mission Statement:
"Founded in January 2018 by Jack Zipes, Little Mole & Honey Bear publishes unusual books for children and adults largely published during,
before, and after World War I and World War II. They celebrate the 
poetic power of fantasy and illustrate how writers and illustrators have used their art to generate hope in their readers. Though conceived, created, and published in the twentieth century, all these works are still highly relevant today."
The tales in Haunting and Hilarious Fairy Tales range from classics to little known gems. The retellings are clear, original, and innovative. They are a pleasure to read. Next month, I will post more about the tales, the research, and Rolf Brandt.
Mayfly Design, utilizing Brandt's illustrations, designed the book and the cover.
The Tellers of the Tales
"The tales came to the tellers from other tellers, or they read tales, digested them, and made them their own. Indeed, we always make tales our own and then send them off to other tellers with the hope that they will continue to disseminate their stories. . ."
Jack Zipes, The Forgotten Tales of the Brothers Grimm, in The Public Domain Review
The photo is of Zipes telling tales at Jackson Elementary School in St Paul, MN. Photo credit: Kelly MacWilliams,UMN News.
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Pinocchio is Back
A new retelling of the classic story of the puppet who wanted to be human and his arduous life journey comes to Netflix in November. It has taken a long and bumpy journey with many delays. It is directed by Guillermo Del Toro, the master of fantasy (Pan's labyrinth, The Shape of Water). I am certainly looking forward to seeing it. I will post about its reception in next month's blog.
Here is a link to the trailer: Trailer; Pinocchio.
Putin -- Reality and Darkness
Who is this man?
Who does he want to be?
Why is he so brutal?
Why is he obsessed?
What does he see in the mirror?
How does he explain the murders of children to his family?
Photo courtesy of decode39.com.
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"We've Lost An Entire Generation" 
An Ukrainian woman, Kira Rudick, a survivor and a member of parliament, speaks out in a powerful video.
Link: Putin's Brutal War
And here is a link to Ukrainian children drawing their impressions of their refugee journey.
Photo of Kira Rudik courtesy 0f theaustalian.com
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TRUMP IS A LIAR. TELL CHILDREN THE TRUTH. (PUBLIC BOOKS)
This is the title of a very informative and important article by Phliip Nell. It includes relevant information, insights, and covers of several Trump books for kids, I wish I had discovered Nel sooner.
"Philip Nel, is a professorof English at Kansas State University and scholar of children's literature and comics. He is best-known for work on radical and anti-racist children's literature, Crockett Johnson, and Dr. Seuss – especially."
The article, new to me, is still most timely, although originally posted on October, 2019.
Here is a link to the article: Philip Nel-Trump
The book cover illustration is by Ann Twaes.
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Why Am I ?
Floyd is an adorable character that steals your heart from the get-go. He's happy, he's spunky and he loves life. He has tons of friends: some are dogs, some are cats, some live in the water, and some live in the sky. He is a very, very popular little pooch!
One day he is asked why he is yellow? Floyd hadn't thought of that aspect of himself before but this gets him wondering and finally searching for an answer to that question. Off he goes on a mission to seek why!
This book is wonderful and concludes that you are perfect just as you are. . . What a great story to share and talk about with kids whether they be your own or in a classroom environment. I love the illustrations and the positive message that will make kids ( and adults ) happy puppies just like Floyd. I highly recommend this book. Review on Amazon by Marilyn Stanton of Story Wraps
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Chad and Norman -- The Human Canine Connection
A brief, touching, and extremely well done documentary
A true story of hope, healing and caring support from a therapy dog.
I was moved by this excellent video of an Afghanistan war veteran, Chad Myrick, and his recovery from serious PTSD with his therapy dog, Norman.
Here is a link to this CBC documentary: Chad and Norman.
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Save The Children 
"Education sets children up for success, provides hope and opportunities for the future, as well as a sense of stability and normalcy for those who are overcoming traumatic events. It also prepares children with the skills needed to rebuild and help develop their home countries if and when they return."
World-wide 1.2 billion refugee kids are at risk. Here is a Link to their website: Save the Children
The photo of a Ukrainian refugee family is courtesy of beusselstimes.co
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Living Life as it Should Be -- The Planet Of The Dogs Series
"Any one of these books would make for a delightful—and one would assume cherished—gift for any child. All three would be an amazing reading adventure." - Darlene Arden, educator, dog expert, author, and editor of PerPetually Speaking
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.
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 planetofthedogs@gmail.com and we will send you the books.
To read sample chapters of any book in the series, visit PlanetOfTheDogs
The illustration from Castle in the Mist is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty.
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"A man may smile and bid you hail
Yet wish you to the devil;
But when a good dog wags his tail,
You know he's on the level."
Author unknown
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