Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Book)

Barrett, J. (1978). Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. New York, NY: Antheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-30647-4

Interest Level: Ages 4 to 8
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Weather, Food, Bedtime Stories, Granparents, Imagination

Plot: Inspired by a pancake landing on one of the children's head, a grandfather tells his two grandchildren a bedtime story about the town of Chewandswallow.  The town of Chewandswallow was like most other towns except that instead that they didn't grow or buy food.  Instead they got their food three times a day from the sky.  Instead of normal weather, it would rain hamburgers or soup, it would snow mashed potatoes, or the wind would blow in hot dogs.  Everything was fine until the weather started getting out of control blowing in more food then the people could eat.  The town was slowly getting destroyed by all the food so the people decided to leave by constructing boats out of stale bread and peanut butter.  The finally sailed far enough to a place where food didn't fall from the sky and instead people grew and stored it.  There they stayed, never returning the Chewandswallow.

Personal Thoughts: A cute story that just makes you want to look out your window and use your imagination.  The idea of food falling from the sky is one that children can use to help pass the days of bad weather when they can't go outside.  There are some sweet scenes between the children and their grandpa during the story.  A great addition to a preschool storytime with a food or imagination theme.  The movie adaptation only takes a few concepts from the book such as the food being part of the weather and making bread boats.  In the movie, a scientist creates a machine to control the weather and cause food to fall.  The machine eventually goes out of control and starts destroying the town.

Awards/Recognition:
Delaware Diamonds: Primary (Grades K-2) (1991)
Georgia Children's Book Award: Picture Storybook Award (1984)
Golden Sower Awards (Nebraska): Grades K-3 (1983)

Other Books by Author: Animals should definitely not act like people (1980); Animals should definitely not wear clothing (1970); I Know Two Who Said Moo: A Counting and Rhyming Book(2000); Which Witch Is Which? (2001); Never Take a Shark to the Dentist and Other Things Not To Do (2008); The Marshmallow Incident (2009);

Naruto (Anime)

Kishimoto, M. (Writer). (2006). Naruto Volume 1: Enter Naruto [Animated Television Series]. San Francisco, CA: Shonen Jump Home Video. ISBN: 978-1-4215-0698-2

Interest Level: 13 to 18
Genre: Anime Cartoon
Subjects/Themes: Ninjas, Good vs Evil, Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural Powers, Magic, Orphans
Running Time: 28 minutes per episode
Rating: T - for Teens

Plot: Naruto Uzumaki is a ninja in training in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.  But Naruto is not just any ninja student, he is also an orphan and sealed inside of him is the Nine Tailed  Fox Demon who once tried to destroy the village.  The rest of the village isn't allowed to speak of the demon and instead shun him because of the demon sealed inside of him.  Naruto, not knowing why he's being shunned, has made it his goal to become the next Hokage (village leader) in order to gain the respect of the village.  The majority of the series follows Naruto as he trains as a ninja, makes friends, and carries out his training missions.  As the series progresses, Naruto must also battle against enemies who would destroy the village and Naruto in particular.

Personal Thoughts:  Naruto is an action packed anime that is filled with different storylines that deal with issues of friendship, betrayal, perserverance, good vs. evil, and growing up.  This cartoon has some major plot lines that are found throughout the different seasons as well as individual missions or stories that occur in an individual episode.  Naruto is a lovable character because of his determination, honesty, and empathy.  Some of his friends include Sakura (a female, straight A, medical ninja), Sasuke (a talented ninja, reserved, seeking revenge for his family's deaths), Kakashi (a high level ninja, trains Naruto and his teammates), and Iruka (was Naruto's first teacher, father-like figure to Naruto).

Originally shown in Japan, Cartoon Network shows an English dubbed version that has been edited to sometimes reduce the amount of alcohol, sexual innuendo, blood and death shown or alter how it was shown.  Watching both the Japanese subtitled and English dubbed versions, I have mostly noticed a use of some older language rather then the violence.

Note: There is also a Naruto manga series (which the anime was based on) and several animated movies.
Similar Materials: Fruits Basket [My Review]; Inuyasha [My Review]

Wizards of Waverly Place (DVD)

Lafferty, K. (Producer), Berendsen, D. (Writer), & Spiro, L. (Director). (2009). Wizards of Waverly Place: The movie [DVD]. United States: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Interest Level: Ages 6 to 17
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Subjects/Themes: Family, Secrets, Wizards, Magic,
Running Time:  98 minutes
Rating: TV-G
 
Plot: Unknown to the rest of the world, wizards are real and live in the human world.  Only one child per family is allowed to inherit wizard magic.  Siblings in wizard families must practice their wizard skills and then compete to determine who will be the sole possessor of the family's powers.  The Russo family is just such a wizard family.  The father, Jerry, is a former wizard who gave up his chance of being a wizard in order to marry a mortal, the children's mother Theresa.  The three Russo children are Max, Alex, and Justin.  In the movie, the family goes on vacation to Puerto Rico.  Alex was going to stay home but she gets in trouble right before the rest of the family leaves and is forced to go.  Alex gets in a fight with her mother and ends up wishing that her parents had never meet which ends up coming true.  The siblings must band together a quickly find the Stone of Dreams but end up being double crossed by another wizard.  Desperate since Max has already disappeared, Alex and Justin compete in the wizard contest in order for one of them to gain full wizard powers and reverse the spell.  Alex ends up winning and wishing for everything to go back as it was which ends up rewinding time.

Personal Thoughts: I love this TV series and the movie was just as good.  There are many different characters for viewers to enjoy watching and possibly relate to.  Justin is the older brother, smart, and follows the rules more often then not.  Alex is sometimes a trouble maker because she uses magic to cut corners whenever possible, isn't interested in work or school, and is most interested in having fun.  Max is the youngest brother, is very naive, and easily confused.  The TV series and the movie are both funny and full of good lessons about right and wrong.  The movie follows the classic lesson of being careful what you wish for because you might just get it.  Alex is extremely interested in her own life over that of her family's.  She's struggling with wanting to be treated like an adult and be independent at the same time.  There's a little romance as the children try to help their parents fall in love again.  There's also a lot of humor from the different antics.  There are also chapter books based on the TV series and on the movie available.  A great family or tween movie.  No need to be familiar with the TV series to understand and enjoy the movie.  Definitely a Must See movie!

Awards/Recognition:
62nd Primetime Emmy Winner for Outstanding Children's Program (2010)
Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Children's Program (2010)
Golden Reel Nominee for Best Sound Editing (2010)

Website: Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place Website

Bark, George (Book)

Feiffer, J. (1999). Bark, George. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN: 0-06-205186-5

Interest Level: Ages 5 and under
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Dogs, Animal Sounds, Humor,

Plot: A mother dog becomes distressed because instead of barking like a dog should, her puppy is making other animal sounds.  In order to solve George's problem, George's mother takes him to the vet.  After asking George to bark and getting other animal sounds, the vet reaches deep inside George and pulls out different animals.  After pulling out a cat, a duck, a pig and a cow, George finally is able to bark.  The mother dog is so happy she kisses everyone and takes George out to show off his new bark.  But instead of barking George says "Hello." 

Personal Thoughts: Children will enjoy making the different animal sounds.  The fact that the vet pulls out a variety of animals from deep down inside George is pretty funny, especially when you start considering how they got in there in the first place.  Children might be worried or might just find it hilarious when George says "Hello" at the end of the book and we must presume that he swallowed a person.  I really like the animated version of this book which is narrated by John Lithgow.  The animation for the cartoon is minimal and doesn't take away from feeling of the original illustrations.   A Must Read picture book!  Great for dog or animal sound themed storytimes.

Awards/Recognition:
ALA Notable Children's Books (2000)
Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Young Readers Category (1999)
Buckeye Children's Book Award (Ohio): Grades K-2 (2001)
Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (North Dakota): Picture Books (2002)
Florida Reading Association Children's Book Award (2003)
Georgia Children's Book Award: Picture Storybook Award (2002)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona): Picture Book (2002)
Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan): Grades K-1 (2002)
Keystone to Reading Book Award (Pennsylvania): Primary category (2001)
Parents' Choice Awards - Picture Books (1999)
School Library Journal Best Books (1999)

Author's Website: Jules Feiffer Website

Other Books by the Author: Phantom Tollbooth (1961); The Daddy Mountain (2004);

Ella Enchanted (Book)

Levine, G. C. (1997). Ella Enchanted. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN: 0-06-027510-3

Interest Level: Ages 9 to 14
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Fairy Tales, Cinderella, Curses, Obedience, Fairies, Princes, Step Sisters, Romance

Plot: Based on the Cinderella story, Ella is cursed with the gift of obedience.  Any command given Ella must obey.  But Ella is resourceful and fights her way around every command, only obeying them as much as she must.  When Ella's mother dies, her father attempts to marry her off to a rich old man but fails.  Instead her father ends up marrying Dame Olga for money.  He later finds out she is just as poor as he and was marrying him for the same reason.  Ella's two step sisters figure out Ella's curse and use it to take advantage of Ella and make her life miserable.  Ella also makes friends with the Prince but tries to keep her distance in case someone uses her curse to harm him.  Eventually Ella goes on a quest, battling ogres and giants, to find Lucinda the fairy and have her break the curse.  When her quest fails, she then goes to the Prince's ball to see the Prince one last time.  There Ella triumphantly learns that the curse can only be broken by her own will.

Personal Thoughts: A lovely twist on the Cinderella story.  It always bothered me that Cinderella allowed her step family to treat her so awfully.  Levine gives a plausible reason for Ella's obedience (if you can call fairy magic plausible).  The curse also allows us to see Ella's ingenuity and rebellion against the commands she is given.  Ella's romance with the Prince is also more realistic then just falling in love at the ball.  Ella and the Prince meet and develop their friendship over time through letters that help them learn about one another.  An enjoyable read, this book deals with what obedience truly means, the importance of friendship, and the importance of finding the strength to stand up for yourself.  Definitely a Must Read!

Book Talk: Check out my 2 minute book talk for Ella Enchanted.
Awards/Recognition:
Newberry Honor Award (1998)
ALA Notable Children's Books (1998)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Awards (Maryland): Grades 6-9 (2000)
Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Middle Readers Category (1997)
California Young Reader Medal: Middle School (2000)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona): Teen Book (1999)
Iowa Teen Award (2000)
Maine Student Book Award (1999)
Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Choice Book Award (Illinois) (2000)
School Library Journal Best Books (1997)
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (1998)
Young Hoosier Book Award: Middle Books (2000)

Other Books by the Author: Cinderellis and the glass hill (2000); Ever (2008); Fairest (2006); Fairy dust and the quest for the egg (2005); The two princesses of Bamarre (2001);

Author's Website: Gail Carson Levine's Website

Franklin (Cartoon)

Bourgeois, P. (Writer), & Clark, B. (Illustrator). (1997-2004). Franklin [Animated television series]. Toronto, Canada: Nelvana Limited.

Interest Level: Ages 5 to 2
Genre: Cartoon,
Subjects/Themes: Friendship, Preschool Activities, Preschool Life, Animal Characters
Running Time: 22 minutes each episode

Plot: Franklin is a young 6 year old turtle who deals with issues that relate to those a preschooler would face.  Franklin is kind and often tries to think of other people's feelings.  Though sometimes he does need some help or reminding about the right thing to do from his friends or adults in his life.  The animation is done in bright colors similar to those in the book series.  Two stories are shown in each episode that are about 11 minutes long each.

Personal Thoughts: This cartoon is very age and developmentally appropriate for young preschoolers.  The story goes at a pace slow enough for young preschoolers to follow but fast enough that they don't get bored.  The concepts and morals of each story are explicitly stated so that children can easily understand them.  One of the episodes I watched explained that the saying "finders keepers" isn't really always a good thing.  Franklin finds a camera and wants to keep it but comes to understand that the family that lost the camera is probably very sad that they lost it.  Franklin even further learns his lesson when he loses his stuffed dog doll Max and is worries that someone else will "finders keepers" it.  The best part about the Franklin cartoons is their ability to explain ideas and concepts from a viewpoint that a preschooler can relate to.

Note: This series was based off of the original Franklin book series by Bourgeois.
Cartoon Website: Nick Jr.'s Franklin Website

Coraline (Book)

Gaiman, Neil. (2003). Coraline. Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press.

Interest Level: Ages 9 to 16
Genre: Fiction, Horror
Subjects/Themes: Family, Neighbors, Parallel Universes, Monsters, Talking Animals, Kidnapping

Plot: Coraline has just moved into a new apartment with her very busy parents.  They share the building with two old eccentric ladies who used to be actresses and an old man who used to be part of the circus.  In an attempt to escape her family and boredom, Coraline crawls down a tunnel into a parallel world where she has another mother and another father.  This "other" world is so much more interesting with singing mice, talking cats, and all her favorite things.  Her "other" family tells her she can stay forever, if only she sews buttons over her eyes.  Now her "other" mother, a monster in disguise, has kidnapped Coraline's family in order to force her to stay.  It’s up to Coraline to get them back.

Awards:
ALA Notable Children's Books (2003)
School Library Journal Best Books (2002)
Wisconsin Library Association Children's Book Awards: Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award (2003)
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (2003)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults List (2003) New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age (WINNER)
IRA/CBC Children's Choice (WINNER)
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Masterlist (Vermont) (WINNER)
Publishers Weekly Best Book (WINNER)
Child Magazine Best Book of the Year (WINNER)
Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers (2002)
Hugo Award for Best Novella (2003)

Personal Thoughts: I loved this book, but then I love a lot of Neil Gaiman's books.  Coraline has just the right amount of horror and fantasy that I enjoy.  The story is suspenseful and easy to read.  Even if children have already seen the movie and know the ending, they'll still enjoy reading the book.  If fact knowing there's a happy ending might make this scary book a little less so.  They made this book into a movie in 2009, check out the Coraline movie website for more information.

Other Books by the Author: The Graveyard Book (2008); Interworld (2007); Odd and the Frost Giants (2009);

Author's Website: Neil Gaiman's Journal

The Tale of Despereaux (Book)

DicCamillo, K. (2003). The tale of Despereaux: Being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 978-0-763-61722-6

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Interest Level: Ages 8 to 12

Subjects/Themes: Fairy Tales, Animals

Plot: The book is divided into four parts where in the first three we learn about Despereaux, Roscuro, and Miggery Sow.

Despereaux is a mouse who lives in castle.  He is very different from the other mice.  He doesn’t scurry, eat paper, or run from humans.  Instead he reads books about knights and has fallen in love with Princess Pea.  Because he was caught listening to the king’s music while the princess talked and even touched him, Despereaux is sent to the dungeon where it is expected that the rats will eat him.

Roscuro is a rat who is different from the other rats because he loves the light.  He is hypnotized by another rat named Botticelli to be mean to the prisoners in the dungeon.  On Roscuro’s one trip to the upper parts of the castle, where there is light, he falls into the queen’s soup which causes her to have a heart attack and die.  As a result, Roscuro swears revenge for not being allowed in the light and the king outlaws soup.

Miggery Sow is a hard of hearing and not so bright girl who has had a hard life.  Her father sold her as a slave where she was beaten constantly by the man that owned her.  When the king’s men come to announce the outlawing of soup, Miggery Sow is freed and taken to the palace to work as servant.  More than anything Miggery wants to become a princess.

The fourth part of the book is where all the characters come together.  Roscuro and Miggery end up kidnapping the princess and Despereuax goes on a quest to rescue her.

Notes: This book was also made into a movie and into a graphic novel.

Personal Thoughts:  A great example of a Newberry Award winning book.  I remember talking with a little girl right before I read this book.  She told me that she loved reading the book and the movie, but that she thought it was such a sad story even though it ends happily.  Her statement to me rang true.  So many sad things happen to what would otherwise be nice characters.  Despereaux being mistreated by his family, Roscuro being forced to be mean just because he’s a rat, and Miggery’s slavery.  Some very strong emotions and experiences happen in the story which provides lots of opportunities for discussion.  The book is easy enough for an 8 year to read but still interesting enough for even a 14 year old.  I definitely suggest this title for children who love fairytale fiction.  The also made a movie of the book in 2008.  Check out the Tale of Despereaux movie website for more details.

Awards:

Newberry Medal Award Winner (2004)

Multiple State Awards

Author’s Website: http://www.katedicamillo.com/index.html

Other Books by the Author: Because of Winn-Dixie (2000); The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane (2006); The magician's elephant (2009);