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.

Tacky and the Emperor

By Helen Lester
Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
Houghton Mifflin, 2000
Ages 4-7
3/5

Tacky the Penguin, that odd bird who never seems to fit in, returns in a story about mixed-up identities and true hospitality. The Emperor is coming to visit, and Tacky's companions throw themselves into elaborate plans to entertain him. When Tacky finds the Emperor's crown and robes, he is mistaken for the Emperor and given royal treatment. When the Emperor himself arrives, Tacky provides a much simpler visit than his friends had planned, but it turns out that the Emperor loves being treated like an ordinary penguin best of all.

Once again Lester shows readers how being different can sometimes save the day. In this case, Tacky's unique spin on entertaining the Emperor makes everyone happy. The story also shows that sometimes special "important" people just want to be treated like everyone else.

Not as good as the original Tacky, but still pretty entertaining.

Tacky the Penguin

By Helen Lester
Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
Houghton Mifflin, 1988
Ages 4-7
4.5/5

Tacky the Penguin is an odd bird who doesn't fit in with his companions, the aptly-named Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect. However, when rough and tough hunters arrive to catch some pretty penguins, it's Tacky who manages to save the day.

This is a hilarious story that can help children see that being different can have its advantages.

Munsinger's illustrations suit the tone of the book and help to show readers the contrast between Tacky and his friends. The illustrations and text complement each other particularly well on the pages where the penguins march in rows and Tacky bounces all other the place.

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.

The Penguin and the Pea

Written and Illustrated by Janet Perlman
Kids Can Press, 2004
Ages 4-8
3.5/5

This picture book is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. However, in this version Perlman has recast all the characters as penguins. The Penguin Prince falls in love with a penguin who arrives at the castle during a storm and claims to be a real princess. The Queen is suspicious, so she places a pea underneath twenty mattresses and twenty quilts on the penguin maiden's bed. When the penguin admits the next day she was unable to sleep because of something hard in her bed, the Queen realizes she is indeed a real Penguin Princess. They all live "flappily" ever after.

Of course, the best thing about this book is the mostly anthropomorphized penguins. Although they have hair, wear robes and crowns, sing, dance, and make shadow puppets, the characters also wear "rainflippers", ask for a "fin in marriage", and bruise their flippers and break feathers when they fall. Instead of the classic descriptions of the princess's golden hair and blue eyes, we read the Penguin Princess is beautiful "from the gentle curve of her beak down to her delicately webbed feet". The humour that stems from the idea of penguins acting like humans is present ed through text and pictures that complement each other. This would definitely be a solid read-aloud selection, especially for younger school-aged children.

The Princess and the Pea has never been my favourite fairy tale. I guess I don't like the idea that the only way someone can be a real princess is if she is so delicate and fragile she will be bothered by a pea in her bed. Although my love of penguins made it impossible for me to not enjoy this version of The Princess and the Pea, I think I prefer Perlman's version of Cinderella, titled Cinderella and the Little Glass Flipper.