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.

Club Penguin

Walt Disney Company, 2007
<www.clubpenguin.com>
Ages 6-12
3.5/5

There was a big news story last year about how Club Penguin, a site for children started in Canada, was a huge financial success and was being purchased by the Disney Corporation. I was curious: what exactly is Club Penguin and why is it so popular among kids and parents alike?

The basic premise of the site is that a child chooses a penguin character and then explores "Club Penguin" as that character. Penguins can play games to earn coins, which can then be used to buy clothes for the penguin or decorations for the penguin's igloo. Penguins can talk to each other and become friends. Although children can join for free, their penguins can only buy things if they have paid their $6/month membership fee.

Taking a look at the site, it's easy to see why parents like it so much: not only has Club Penguin won awards for protecting children's privacy and keeping children safe, in its Parents' Guide the site stresses that it is 100% ad-free and all discussions between penguins are moderated. Parents can choose what level of freedom their children have in chat sessions: there are settings that allow children to type whatever they want into the chat box (with a warning that inappropriate talk in not allowed) or only allow children to select from a list of pre-typed phrases, such as "Hello" or "Will you be my friend?"

To be honest, I'm not sure what makes this site so popular with children. Although I did create my own penguin just to see what the inside of Club Penguin looks like, I didn't chat to anyone or make any friends (I didn't feel it was ethical since I'm an adult), which may mean I'm missing the whole point of the game. Plus since I didn't pay a membership fee, my poor penguin is naked. However, I do like that there are no winner or losers on this site. Friendship, fair play, and co-operation among penguins are encouraged. There is plenty of information for parents and children about how to play and how to be safe online.

Considering some of the available options, Club Penguin seems pretty great to me, even though as an adult I found it pretty boring.

Saint George and the Dragon

Retold by Margaret Hodges
Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
Little, Brown, and Company, 1984
Ages 8+
4/5

This book retells the familiar legend of Saint George's battle with a ferocious dragon. As the champion of the Queen of Faeries, George is sent to defeat a terrible dragon that is destroying the kingdom of a beautiful princess named Una. Although the fight lasts for several days, George is eventually able to kill the dragon and claim Una for his bride.

Hodges has obviously tried to remain true to the tone and style of Spenser's poem in her version of George's story; however, this means that the text is dense, with long, complex paragraphs and the rhythm of the words may be less familiar to some readers. The language is beautifully descriptive, but younger readers may become frustrated at how long it takes to get through the story.

Although I have some misgivings about the story, the illustrations are exquisite! (The book is a Caldecott winner.) The pictures are done in the style of an old-fashioned manuscript or tapestry and expertly portray both the action of the battle and the beauty of the surrounding scenery. The small illustrations that frame each page of text show another story, this one of a Viking ship that voyages across the sea and then returns home.

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!

I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids' Guide to the Cycle of Life and Death

By Jan Thornhill
Maple Tree Press, 2006
Ages 8+
5/5

In simple, factual language, Thornhill's book explains what death is and why it is a necessary part of life. Thornhill describes what happens to bodies after they die and talks about different kinds of death, including when people kill animals for food, when people die in accidents, and when people kill other people. Although death can be a scary and emotional topic, Thornhill's calm, matter-of-fact tone allows readers to learn about death without making their curiosity seem morbid or inappropriate.

The creative layout and bright colours of the book are extremely attractive and draw the eye across each page. The text has been divided into smaller sections and placed in boxes, which makes it easier to read. Most of the pictures in this book are actually photographs. In fact, some of these pictures may be considered too intense by parents: for example, the stages of decomposition as illustrated by a decaying pig carcass, the child afflicted by smallpox, or the Tollund Man. One of the major strengths of this book is that it is constructed using the same template as more complex research materials, allowing children to gain experience in using things like tables of contents, headings, and indexes.

While not suitable for younger children, this book truly deserves the many awards and accolades it has received.

The Borrowers

Written by Mary Norton
Illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush
Harcourt Brace & Company, 1952
Ages 8-12
3.5/5

Pod, Homily, and Arrietty Clock are Borrowers, little people who "borrow" things from larger "human beans" to feed themselves and furnish their tiny home under the kitchen floor. When the Borrowers are "seen" they must escape, and the only person who can help them is a human boy.

I tried reading this book several times when I was younger and was never able to finish it. For some reason, I found the Borrowers far less interesting than the Littles. Although I finished the novel, it still took a while to become absorbed in the predicament of the Clock family. The writing is high-quality, particularly the descriptions of Arrietty's feelings of confinement and her longing to go outside. I think perhaps part of my problem with the book is my confusion over the time period in which events occur: the first narrator is Kate, and I assume she must be an adult when she is telling the story. Next Mrs. May begins to tell her story about the Borrowers, and her story took place when she was a child. This means that the Clock family lived a long time ago and makes it harder for me to imagine all the little things that would have been used to make their home comfortable.

A great novel, but perhaps ultimately more appreciated by older readers than young ones.

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.