Thomas' Snowsuit

Written and performed by Robert Munsch
Originally published in 1989.
MP3 file, 4:33 minutes
<www.robertmunsch.com>

Thomas hates the new snowsuit his mother has bought him. In fact, he hates it so much that he puts up a fight every time he has to wear it. First Thomas' mother manages to wrangle him into the snowsuit, but when recess comes at school, it's another story. Both the teacher and the principal end up involved in the kind of silly hijinks young children enjoy the most.

This is a treasured story from my own childhood. We had a Robert Munsch cassette tape that was played over and over again, never failing to draw major giggles from my brothers and me. When I discovered that MP3 files of Munsch telling his stories are available for free on his website, I was pretty excited. The small files are easy to download, and there are two versions for each story: one of Munsch reading directly from the book and one of Munsch telling the story to an audience of children.

When listening to Robert Munsch, it is impossible not to be carried away by his enthusiasm. His voice communicates both the humour of his stories and his love of entertaining children. He makes great sound effects and pokes fun at the seriousness of adult authority. One of the things I love the most about his recording of Thomas' Snowsuit in front of an audience is how he uses a real child's name in place of Thomas throughout the story. I saw Munsch perform at a Canada Day concert a few years ago, and I was impressed with his genuine interest in his audience then too.

Finally, according to Munsch's website, Thomas' Snowsuit was created at the Mount Saint Vincent University daycare when a kid asked for a story about snowsuits. It was fun to discover after all these years that my favourite Munsch story has a Maritime connection!

Alligator Pie

Poems by Dennis Lee
Pictures by Frank Newfeld
Macmillan Company, 1974
All ages
5/5

"Alligator pie, alligator pie, / If I don't get some I think I'm gonna die." These are actually the first words I learned how to read when I was in Grade One; however, I had never read the rest of Lee's classic book.

The poems are catchy, with sing-song rhythms and silly plots that invite readers to chant them aloud. Many rhymes include Canadian twists, such as the names of Canadian cities or references to the folkloric figure of Oopik. Although Newfeld's illustrations feel a bit dated, there are other versions of the book available.

Overall, I feel Alligator Pie definitely deserves the title of children's classic.

One Elephant, Deux Éléphants

Sharon, Lois, and Bram
Casablanca Kids, 1978
All ages
5/5

There's a reason One Elephant, Deux Éléphants was recently re-released as a twenty-fifth anniversary special edition CD - it's a classic children's album that is as enjoyable today as it was back in 1978. With its mix of playground chants, traditional songs (such as "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Paw Paw Patch"), and Sharon, Lois, and Bram specials (such as "One Elephant, Deux Éléphants" and "Skinnamarink"), this CD is a great example of high-quality children's entertainment.

The tracks encourage audience participation through the inclusion of children's voices as a central part of the recording. The lyrics of songs such as "Candy Man, Salty Dog" are suitably ridiculous and amusing, while parents will enjoy singing "'A'. You're Adorable" and "Yes Sir, You're My Baby" to their kids. With a mix of English and French songs, as well as one Iroquois lullaby, the CD is also staunchly Canadian.

In my opinion, some of the best children's music ever!

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Directed by Steve Box and Nick Park
With the Voices of Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, and Helena Bonham Carter
Dreamworks Animated, 2005
85 minutes
All ages
5/5

When a vegetable-ravaging were-rabbit threatens to ruin the town's annual giant vegetable growing contest, Wallace and his faithful companion, Gromit, set out to capture the bunny monster. However, the duo faces competition from Victor Quartermain, a hunter who is jealous of Wallace's friendly relationship with the competition's sponsor, Lady Tottington.

With its endearingly eccentric characters and homages to classic horror movies such as King Kong and Frankenstein, it's not surprising this stop-animation film won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. In fact, Gromit is one of my favourite movie characters of all time: it's amazing how much emotion he can express simply by furrowing his brow!

In my opinion, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit exemplifies family-friendly entertainment. This film can be enjoyed by both parents and children, as well as university students like me!

Mary Poppins

Directed by Robert Stevenson
Starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke
Based on the books by P.L. Traverse
Walt Disney, 1964
139 minutes
All ages
5/5

I'll admit my bias from the beginning: Mary Poppins is my favourite movie of all time and Julie Andrews is my hero. That being said, there are many reasons why this Walt Disney film won five Academy Awards and is considered a children's classic.

Set in Edwardian England, Mary Poppins tells the story of how the Banks family is changed by the arrival of an unusual nanny. Jane and Michael Banks are neglected by their busy parents, a banker and a suffragette who are so caught up in their own affairs they forget to pay attention to their children. When Mary Poppins, with her flying umbrella and her seemingly bottomless carpet-bag, slides up the banister to their nursery, Jane and Micheal begin to experience all kinds of adventures. They take part in a horse race inside an enchanted chalk drawing, have tea on the ceiling, and dance with chimney sweeps on the rooftops of London. By the end of the movie, as Mr. and Mrs. Banks finally begin to see what they have been missing by ignoring their children, Mary Poppins leaves, presumably to find another family that needs her help.

This movie is filled with comedy, much of which pokes fun at boring, everyday events and too-serious adults. The songs are catchy without being annoying and would be fun to sing-along with, either while watching the film or as a soundtrack in the car. Children will particularly enjoy Jane and Michael tidying their nursery by snapping their fingers, the animated picnic sequence in the chalk drawing (who can resist dancing penguin waiters?) and the energetic, acrobatic dance of the chimney sweeps.

Even better, the movie is still appealing to adults. While kids may focus on the visual magic performed by Mary Poppins, parents can find a whole other level of humour in the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Banks and the interactions between adult characters. This means that when children want to watch it again and again, it will (hopefully) be less irritating than many other movies made for children.

Although Mary Poppins is long enough that it may not hold a pre-schooler's attention for the full length of the movie, its episodic nature makes it easy to watch in smaller segments.

As another bonus, the 40th Anniversary DVD set comes with a new animated short ("The Cat Who Looked at a King"), a new song, an interactive game, and behind-the-scenes footage showing how some of the special effects were created. Who knew that the sounds of the penguins' feet as they tapdanced was the sound of the movie's director slapping his bare stomach?

This is a solid movie that has stood the test of time, 1960s special effects and all. I feel it truly deserves the designation of "classic" and a 5 out of 5 rating.