The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Ahh! It's the last day of February and the conclusion of Barbara's Laura Ingalls Wilder Reading Challenge. I thought I'd make a hasty effort to see if I can get our review of The Long Winter done. This was the title the kids and I read together this month as it was next in the series for us. I really am so happy Barbara hosts this each year as it gives me the opportunity to not only re-read these wonderful books for myself, but to also share them with my kids.

I confess that I had hoped we'd have matching weather to compliment our reading (but with a working heater!) but, alas, we here in the Northwest had a rather mild winter. We had just one snow flurry and that was that. Small pellet hail was about as exciting as it got. I believe those on the East coast had our share of snow along with their own! We ended up reading The Long Winter to the accompaniment of our usual rain.

Ultimately, we spent two weeks reading this book aloud and I think it's safe to say that all of the kids enjoyed it. The older two boys (ages 9 and 7) would ask for additional chapters to be read at the conclusion of each day's reading. Things grew especially tense as we stopped before finding out what happened to Almanzo when he went in search of wheat for the town. The boys were also especially attuned to the lack of food in the Ingalls home. Bookworm1 (age 9) - who is not a fan of potatoes - was glad not to live out on the prairies in the 1800's. He appreciates a little more variety in his diet. I thought it especially interesting to see their minds at work when we were on the chapter which talked about how Pa managed to purchase 2 lbs. of beef. As it so happened, I had just bought the same amount from the store.

Bookworm2: Well why were they worried? Two pounds is a lot of beef! That'll last them awhile!

I pulled out the wrapped two pound package of beef from our fridge and asked how long he thought that amount would last our own family of six. Realization dawned.

The Long Winter is an excellent book to be reading if you want to talk about teamwork as a family. This is a subject we focus on a great deal as with six of us, the more help we give to one another, the further we make it in a a day. An attitude that says, "I'm here for you when you need me" is something that we very much stress and wish to grow in our kids and we look for examples to show them what attitudes make - and break - the concept of being a team. This particular portion of the Ingalls' life really struck me as being one that required team work for one's very survival. Situations were tough and intense and it required the efforts of all family members to make it through that one long winter. (It also made me thankful for the rain.) We might not each face a long winter in the sense of being trapped by large snowdrifts, but we each have particular moments in time where we really need the comfort and the help of others and I really admired the way the Ingalls pitched in and worked together. On that note, I looked up a few quotes on teamwork which I liked and which I think suit this book well.

Thanks, Barbara, for hosting this reading challenge. I surely do appreciate it! We'll be looking forward to next year's challenge in anticipation of our next Wilder read.

The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White

Three out of five kids are now of the age to be in school and so I feel like we're "real home schoolers" now. No longer is there just one kid working alone on an assignment (looking longingly at his siblings who are playing). We're all in this together. In some ways my days have become really long and in some respects they are shorter. Certainly they are busier which everyone warned me would be the case. In so much as it is possible, we doing our schoolwork as a team. For example, we all work on spelling at the same time, each child at their level. This year for science we're learning about birds, each child taking in as much info as they can and fulfilling projects as they are able to participate. Read aloud time is a group activity, of course!

We started off the school year with The Trumpet of the Swan, to compliment our science studies. Bookworm1 (age 9 this month, y'all!!) was particularly excited about this read due to the fact that several months back he had spent the night at a friend's house and they read a chapter of the story at bedtime. He'd be curious to know the entire story and was pleased with my choice. (It's always nice when everyone is pleased with mommy's choice!)

We read The Trumpet of the Swan over the course of about two weeks. In case you are unfamiliar with this story by E.B. White, I'll fill you in on the details via Amazon (I know, I know....I'm cheating!):

Louis is a trumpeter swan. But unlike his four brothers and sisters, Louis can't trumpet joyfully. In fact, he can't even make a sound. And since he can't trumpet his love, the beautiful swan Serena pays absolutely no attention to him.

Louis tries everything he can think of to win Serena's affection-- he even goes to school to learn to read and write. But nothing seems to work. Then his father steals him a real brass trumpet. Is a musical instrument the key to winning Louis his love?

My kids loved this story about Louis. It was fun to hear of his adventures and misadventures, from going to school and learning how to read, working at a camp to earn money to pay for the trumpet his father stole, to his time in the Philadelphia Zoo. The chuckled over more than one passage and told me at the conclusion of each chapter that they were "really liking" the story. My daughter (age 4) said, "Ooooh, I wish we could read it again!!!" upon conclusion. It was nice to hear her say so because up to this point I didn't think she was paying very much attention to stories we read aloud. She's physically present but I haven't been sure exactly how much she has taken in. This was the first time that I can recall where she told me her favorite passages in great detail after we were done reading. (For all who are curious, she liked the part of the story where Louis father was taking all of the money Louis had earned to the music store to pay for the stolen trumpet. I shall avoid spoilers, but suffice it to say that I was a bit surprised to hear that this was the part my daughter loved the most. Well, well.)

Bookworm1 is delighted to now be in the know, Bookworm2 and 3 would like to read it again. Bookworm4 is in the "physically present" stage, but that's ok. I consider it a good thing to have even the youngest among us sitting quietly nearby learning how to listen. First, they are realizing that they are part of a family and that we do things together. Secondly, they are getting used to the sound and pattern of story. Third, they are learning to sit still and be quiet even if that's not what they'd prefer to be doing. (I think it a good skill to have.) Fourth, they learn to love stories for themselves. All of these things are great reasons to keep reading aloud to my kids. So we'll just keep at it, looking for more fun and interesting stories to revel in together.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a relatively short (and incredibly odd) book but, nevertheless, it took us almost three weeks to read aloud together. That was mostly due to the fact that I'm still (still!) suffering effects from the cold I caught two months ago and reading is still a little bit difficult. (This cold is so. incredibly. ridiculous.) I think one of the things that I hate the most about getting sick is that it interrupts our reading habits for what feels like forever. (I know it's not forever. I'm exaggerating. On purpose. But three weeks with Alice? That's a bit much.)

This has to be one of the weirdest classics in all of history. Experts can't seem to agree why Lewis Carroll wrote this book, what his interests or driving passions were. If the experts don't know, I won't venture a guess. Maybe he just was writing for the fun of it, as something of an experiment. Why on earth it took off and became as well known as it is probably due in great part to Disney. (How on earth else?)

I've read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland before and I thought it was odd then. Reading it aloud to the kids was an even more interesting experience. My personal opinion is that this book works better as an individual read than as a read aloud. There are so many puns and jokes involved and in order to track with the story and get the most out of it I think you need to have a quick wit. My kids are funny and they can get and take a joke but a lot of Alice went right over their heads. They'll connect with it better (as much as anyone really can) when they are older.

I asked afterwards if they understood the story and they responded affirmatively. (Honestly I think that has to do a lot with Disney and not with Carroll.) They did all laugh out loud on a couple of occasions: once when they met the Duchess in the kitchen dealing with the baby, and then when the Mock Turtle sang his Beautiful Soup song.  The kids were also asked what their favorite part of the book was. They collectively agreed that the best part was the song about the soup. (I guess I pulled that off well.)

Of course, we read about Alice because of our upcoming trip to England. One of the places that we are staying is in Oxford and it would be almost embarrassing (well, I would be embarrassed) not to read Alice before we arrive. We have a list of "Alice-themed" places and activities that we wish to engage with during our time in country. Here is a cool blog post detailing some spots that one should visit. Wouldn't it be cool if we got to see the turtle shells on the kitchen wall in the Christ Church kitchen? I guess we'll have to see about that one but it doesn't stop one from dreaming.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is not one of my favorite books on the planet (in case my position has not been obvious). As it is a classic though, I won't shirk it. I'll probably even read it again someday! For the moment though, I'll consider the deed done. I'd rather watch the Disney cartoon version than read the book and we'll make a point of doing that before we leave on our trip later on this year.

Other posts of interest:

* Books Disney Films are Based On
* How the Heather Looks, by Joan Bodger
* Children's Tea and Etiquette 

Bookworm Snippets

Little update on life and reading as relates to my own little Bookworms.

*****
Bookworm1 will be turning eight this month, even though that hardly seems possible.

We are enjoying our own private reading time lately, whenever we can find some time away from the siblings. Jonathan is now reading through the Harry Potter series but after finishing Book 1 he agreed that our oldest could read it as well. (After reading the second book though, we both agreed that Bookworm1 will need to wait until next year to read the second title.)

A friend of mine told me that her mother allowed her to read one Harry Potter book a year from the age of eight on up. (Although when she was 12 I think she was allowed to finish the series.) That sounds like a good plan. I like the idea of allowing the reader to age with the characters and so that is our current plan. It's been very enjoying for me to be able to start the series all over again. It helps with the pain of having finished already. Heh.

Besides whatever it might happen to be that I am reading to him at the time, he is also reading chapter books independently. I try to keep his list updated here but we're a bit behind. He's been racing through books faster than I can keep up with him lately (which I am totally not complaining about)!

*****
Bookworm2 is now 5 and 1/2 and is interested in everything in the entire world. Most recently he has wanted to learn more about Vikings and so I poked around and came up with a couple of titles for us to read.

Leif the Lucky

Viking DK Eyewitness Book

Bookworm2 is probably the most "nagging" reader, always standing nearby with a book in hand asking you to read it to him. This is also not something I complain about. It's a good "problem" to have!

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Bookworm3 (girl, age 3) pretty much gets stuck reading whatever the brothers want to read which isn't always fair but it does seem to be what happens unless there is some intentional reading time set aside specifically for her. I have to remember this and take time out to sit on the couch and invite her to choose her own books. She is just as happy to be read to as her brothers which is nice.

One book which I bought for her recently was The Ultimate Hairstyle Handbook: Everyday Hairstyles for the Everyday Girl because her hair is getting thicker and longer and she usually likes me to create "princess hair" for her. I'm not very equipped at doing that, having absolutely no practice whatsoever. (Hair has never been my thing, but her sake I am trying my best to learn! I thought this book might help.)

For a little while there we were sitting and looking through the book together. She would get to pick out a hairstyle and then I'd try it out. Here are some of our attempts:

I found this book really useful as it gives step-by-step instructions and lots of pictures! If you are looking fo for a hair "how to" then this is one you might wish to consider!

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Lastly, there is Bookworm4 (age 2) who also loves to read. He really loves Roger Priddy's Happy Baby books (which I have raved about a time or two). I am still 100% sold on these books. Every single one of my children have enjoyed them. If you are looking for a new baby gift, check out the Happy Baby Books (sometimes Costco has them in sets).

With Bookworm4 I especially appreciate them as he is learning English and it is helpful to have some basic words to point out to him (i.e., hand, foot, cup, shoe, etc.). Great books! I'm glad he likes them.

And that's a little update on where the Bookworms are in their reading at present!

I'll be linking this post up to Amy's Read Aloud Thursday later on this month.

The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis

It was with some amount of dread that I began reading The Last Battle - the final book in the Narnia series - to my children. Bookworm1 was interested to dive on in because it was the only Narnian story that he had not heard. He was ready to listen because he didn't know what was going to happen, poor thing. Not even the title tipped him off.

In the first chapter of this book we meet Shift the Ape and Puzzle the Donkey. We get the idea that the Ape is a mischievous thing, but after all the build up over reading this title, Bookworm1 declared the story "boring." We moved along to chapter 2 and things got dicey when a couple of Calormene heads rolled. From that moment on, Bookworm1 was riveted as was Bookworm2 who loves reading about a good battle every now and again. If battles were what Bookworm2 wanted, battles were definitely what he was going to get. I can't believe Hollywood hasn't dipped their toes into this one! It has everything the modern audience wants: good guys, bad guys, not-so-sure guys, heads being lopped off and fantastic battle scenes between fantastic creatures. While it is perfect food for Hollywood though, I'm not so sure I would necessarily trust them to this!

The Last Battle has a lot of battles in it, as the title might suggest to you. It tells us of the last king of Narnia - King Tirian - who discovers the talking beast and earth men falling for a false Aslan. All of Narnia lives in fear and confusion as Shift the Ape spreads lies about Who Aslan is and what His demands are for His creatures. Shift teaches fear apart from love and places the Narnians under the heavy yoke of Calermene slavery. It is too much to bear and King Tirian is hopelessly - but bravely - fighting back with a little help from some old friends of Narnia.

Throughout this book, hope is battling against despair and I have to tell you that I was becoming extremely emotional as I waded through the chapters. When Narnians began fighting Narnians my day was just about ruined. Jonathan came home from work and I told him I was really quite upset due to the fact that the Narnian dwarfs had turned against Aslan in a very violent way. The kids were wondering why I was crying. (Yes. I was pathetic. But it was really horrible and all my dread of the book was staring me straight in the face. Oh, I hated it.) I told Bookworm1 that we were going to have to speed through to the end of the book so that I could just get the inevitable over with. The kids looked at me completely mystified displaying lopsided grins of curiosity as we read on.

Then. THEN! Narnia fell. Oh, friends. It was a dark day . . . but for Aslan! Somehow, someway Lewis wrote me into the depths of despair and then wrote me out of it with hope, delight and joy. Narnia came to a close but the kings and queens of Narnia then entered Aslan's country. I turned the pages (having forgotten myself how this all played out because I avoid this book as a general rule, not caring to feel it) and was greeted by my old friend Reepicheep. I paused to cry again. This time the kids were snickering at me as I wiped tears away telling them how happy this story was. Reep! He was alive and well and whole and so were all of our friends: the Beavers, Mr. Tumnus, Puddleglum and every Narnian character that we have ever known and loved (minus one, of course).

My heart could barely contain the joy. Why? Why was this story so impacting? Because since I first read this book I have tasted the bitterness of death in losing several beloved family members. The feelings of darkness, despair and loneliness can weight so heavily on one's heart and Lewis's writing brought the pain back up to the surface where I could feel and taste it again. Oh, how I hate sin and death. The darkness of death has to be walked through, yes, but not without a promise -

He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:8
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Death is a villain, but Christ is the Victor. The pain of losing those we love is so very great as to be overwhelming at times. The pain makes you short of breath and has you grasping for any signs of hope. Of course, there is hope in Christ. And the picture Lewis paints of death defeated - for me - is tremendously moving. Reepicheep stood at the gate welcoming everyone in. The Old friends and warriors of Narnia ran up to greet the kings and queens newly arrived. I wept thinking about how joyful a moment it will be when I see my loved ones once again. And though I love my life here on earth very well, Lewis made me feel and begin to know that this all pales in comparison to "Aslan's country." I wept for joy; I wept for hope restored; I wept for things I haven't previously understood and still do not fully understand. I wept because death really does lose its sting and Christ really does reign victorious.

The kids, of course, didn't see this as clearly as I did. However, I had them in rapt attention as I struggled to keep my voice steady while reading the last two chapters. At the end, Bookworm2 declared that we should "read it again!" as a "Bible story book!" and Lewis' plan to write a "great supposal" which would introduce children to concepts in Christianity met with instant success in our household. I smiled some more as I wiped away a few additional tears, unashamedly. I think it is important to let your kids see you weep in despair and also for joy. Tears are just another way of sharing truth with others if we'll consent to let them fall without trying to hide or wipe them away. Life is a battle but the victory is already won. I hope my kids know this every day that they are alive. I pray they will always be moving further up and further in alongside me. This life - as depicted in part in a magical world called Narnia - is the greatest adventure.

"But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

Little Brown Bear :: Read Aloud Thursday

Time for another Read Aloud Thursday over at Hope is the Word. This meme presents a chance for you to share books that you have read aloud with your kids with other moms, and collect ideas for your own future reads.  To learn more about this meme (and/or to participate in it yourself!) visit Hope is the Word.

* Note: Actually RAT is tomorrow but I'm participating in a blog tour tomorrow so I'm posting this a day early this month!

As we already documented earlier in the month, my kids and I read C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair. Click on the title to read our thoughts and experiences in Narnia.

We also managed to squeeze in two additional short titles around certain overseas travels. We read the following:

First, we read Little Brown Bear by Elizabeth Upham which was published in 1942. I picked this book up on trade at a local used book store because it looked cute and, sure enough, it was. This book contains many short stories of Little Brown Bear who lives a happy life with Mother and Father Bear. Each story (or "chapter") tells of some adventure Little Brown Bear has in learning to keep his room neat, fooling his father on April Fool's Day, going to the county fair and having a party.

The story is told in regular prose, except for any quotes from the bear family members; everything the family says is said in rhyme. Little Bear himself is always noted as "singing", for he is a very happy, very polite and very lovable little bear. Little Bear is so polite that you might actually think that this book is full of moral lessons but I don't think that is necessarily intended by the author. I just think the character has a proper set of manners and knows how to treat his elders with respect. I think 1942 was a politer time to live in during which elders were given and received a greater amount of respect than they currently do. (I also think we should return to the idea of instilling respect into young children and if Little Bear can provide some examples to this end, then more power to him.)

Little Brown Bear was created by Elizabeth Upham McWebb. She lived in Michigan and was known for being a friendly conversationalist who was a wonderful story teller. I found this article online which speaks very highly of her, as well as shows us a picture of her with the statue that her hometown erected of her beloved furry character. It was fun to meet him through her book. I understand there are more stories available beyond the ones we read so we'll keep an eye out and see if we can find them.

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We also read Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse, by George Selden (of the famed Cricket in Times Square). This is our collective first foray into the world of Seldon (in that I haven't read any other titles to the kids just yet) and I would say it was a success. In this particular story we meet a young mouse named Tucker and a young kitten named Harry. The two join forces in New York City and attempt to find a place where they can make a home with one another. You get to know the city a bit as they check out the basement of the Empire State Building, Times Square and the subway system. As it turns out, it can be hard to find a welcoming place to be in New York City and I can rather sympathize with them. (I'm a small town girl myself.)

The kids enjoyed the story. Bookworm1 said he enjoyed the entire thing, from start to finish. Several passages made him laugh outloud. Bookworm2 said he liked the "bad guy rats" and Bookworm3 said that she most decidedly did not like the rats.

Personally, my favorite part of the book was when my daughter snuggled up next to me and laid her head on my arm and was silent and cozy as I read. This book could have gone on forever as far as I was concerned.

It's been a fun reading month and I'm looking forward to many more read aloud opportunities with my kids in the future.

Thanks, Amy, for hosting!

The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis

We read The Silver Chair at the insistent and repeated request of Bookworm1 (age 7). It should be noted that his motivation for reading this story was being able to play with our Narnia Toys which they are only allowed to touch when we're reading these particular books. (The rest of the time, the toys reside in our wardrobe and belong to mommy. Heh.) All of the kids were very excited the day we were able to begin another trek into Narnia but not wanting them to tired of the toys, after about 2 days of play I switched us over to 'taking tea' while we read. That practice never got old because along with our tea we each had a piece of Turkish Delight while I read and Turkish Delight is a very exciting thing. I want these books to stick in my kids' memories. So far my plan is working. (Bwwahahahahaha!!!)

Personally, I always feel a bit sad when beginning The Silver Chair because there are no Pevensies. I never fail to miss their presence in the story. This year the presence of Mr. Beaver was missed most vocally by Bookworm3 (age 2!) who remembers our read from last year and remembers who he is. She played with our Mr. Beaver but never heard his name in the story and wondered a bit about that.

Due to the popularity of this series, I'm not going to launch into a description of what this book is about. (Here's a past synopsis for you if you have a need to know.) Instead I'll keep to sharing our experiences during this particular reading. This would be the kids' first time to hear this story and my third. (Or fourth?) As I say, this one always makes me feel a bit nostalgic for the Pevensies but my emotions are satisfied with Eustace who serves as my link to the past.

As is the usual case, I can't read Narnia without crying out loud. I know the books well enough to brace myself, but the tears come no matter what. Honestly though, I don't mind. I'd rather cry as soon as not, no matter how confused this makes my children. (It adds to the memorable reading experience. Turkish Delight and mommy sobbing on the sideline. Ha.) In this book, my tears are usually the "fault" of Puddleglum who is, without a doubt, one of the most honorable characters in the entire series. He's a bit of what you might call a "fuddy duddy" but when pressed he is the first to stand up for what he believes is right. I love that.

The most memorable chapter is when Puddleglum, Eustace, Jill and Prince Rillian are being woo-ed by the Queen of the Underworld. She is working hard to convince them that there is no such thing as Aslan or the sun either for that matter. She sways them with enchanted music, soothing words, and a magic smoke from her fire meant to get their guard down. Puddleglum is having a hard time holding to the truth as he smells the enchanted smoke and listens to her music, but he understands that the these are the very things that are causing the group of Narnians to drowsily cave in to the witch's arguments. He realizes that he needs to literally put a fire out with his feet in order that their heads would be cleared of the smoke and magic so that they can think for themselves again.

"But Puddleglum, desperately gathering all his strength, walked over to the fire. Then he did a very brave thing. He knew it wouldn't hurt him quite as much as a human; for his feet (which were bare) were webbed and hard and cold-blooded like a duck's. But he knew it would hurt him badly enough; and so it did. With his bare foot he stamped on the fire, grinding a large part of it into ashes on the flat hearth." (The Queen of the Underland)

Puddleglum is a character to be admired. He screws up the courage and does what needs to be done, even though he knows that standing for truth and doing what is right is going to hurt him. And it does hurt him because standing up for what is right usually has a hefty price tag attached to it. In this case, Puddleglum paid for truth with his foot. But the picture of his sacrifice had a deep impact on me.

Maybe it doesn't always seem like it, but I think most times I would much rather follow the crowd than stand apart from it, daring to be different. I feel like I'm always losing some game when I step out and say that I either a.) care deeply about something and/or b.) hear a lie and want to actively expose it. It is not a pleasant sensation and it never is easy for me. Yet I don't feel like I'm allowed to just sit back passively and let the lies settle in and take over me and my surroundings. Which is why I appreciate Puddleglum's following statement:

But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can, even if there isn't any Narnia.
- Puddleglum, to the Queen of Underland

Even if I'm just playing a game and if, let's say, God does not exist, I'm still going to live as if He does. I am going believe in His existence until the last breath leaves my body. Because I think my "play world" licks the "real world" hollow.

I feel very blessed and encouraged by reading this book again. It was good for me to read of Puddleglum and keep company with him a third or fourth time. I suspect a six, ninth or thirteenth time might be necessary.

• Bookworm1's favorite character was Aslan but his favorite scene was when the Queen of the Underworld turned into a snake and the others fought her to the death. You could have heard a pin drop in the room during the reading of that chapter.
• Bookworm2's favorite character was also Aslan but he laughed every single time Jill called someone a "pig." It's a hilarious insult. Especially when you are five.
• Bookworm3's favorite character was the Turkish Delight.

It feels like I've had to wait forever and a day to enjoy Narnia with my own kids. Fewer books give me greater delight to share with them. I love it!!!

I will be linking this post up to Amy's Read Aloud Thursday at the end of the month.

The Snow Queen - Read Aloud Thursday

It's been a little long while since I've participated in Read Aloud Thursday at Hope is the Word. The reason for that is that the format was changed to a once a month meme and anytime anything like that changes I'm thrown for a total loop even if that does sound a mite ridiculous. At any rate, I've started focusing on remembering the different format and timeline for this meme and I'm back to try it out. (Find out more about how Read Aloud Thursday works over at Hope is the Word.)

This month, as all the world knows, Disney's Frozen was released on DVD. My boys and I saw it when it was in theaters and truthfully, I didn't care for it much then. I thought it was sort of a "Tangled rip-off" in that the characters were sort of the same as in Tangled only set into a snowy atmosphere. I didn't think the story was that interesting and I didn't care for the Broadway-esque soundtrack. As my opinion seemed to differ so drastically from pretty much everyone else I knew, I decided not to do any nay saying but wait until Jonathan had a chance to see it.

The day it came out on DVD we rented it and watched it as a family. I tried to watch it differently and find things to like about it. Alas, it was a flop once again as far as I was concerned. (Jonathan didn't think it was that great either.) Only in watching it a second time I found that I resented the movie a little more because the story isn't very complex, the bad guy is hard to point out, and the entire thing is staged as a Broadway musical which leaves me feeling like they are peddling merchandise at me. When I watch a movie I want to be entertained by an original, unique thought presented in a tasteful manner. Instead I felt like I was being marketed to. I felt like they cared more about toys and future projects than the original work which is required to win me over in the first place. Give me Tangled any day. I love Rapunzel.

Anyway, since we had watched the movie I wanted to read my kids the original story of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen which Frozen is "based on." I found a beautifully illustrated copy of the story done by Sally Holmes (pictured right) and I proceeded to educate myself and my children as to this original story. (An aside: I wish I had read this story for myself before/at the time I read Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu as I would have enjoyed that book much more. I found Breadcrumbs quite true to the original story, in retrospect, except with a more sloppy ending. Anderson really has done this story best.)

The Snow Queen by Anderson hardly resembles Frozen but I suspect that comes as no great surprise. (It did come as a little of one to me.) In the actual and original story we meet two young friends, Kay (a boy) and Gerda. The two grow up together and are the best of chums but one day a sliver from a broken mirror that was designed and owned by the devil fell into Kay's eye and heart, causing Kay to look upon the world much less generously than he had previously done. His heart was growing stone cold and he is attracted away from Gerda and the life he knew by an evil snow queen. The book focuses on Gerda's quest to find Kay and to release him from his evil and enchanted imprisonment. It is rather a deeply moving tale of true friendship and the war between good and evil. Yes, you might argue that Frozen portrays a little of this same message but I have to disagree because of the lyrics to the hit song from this movie which includes the following statement:

"It's time to see what I can do,
to test the limits and break through.
No right, no wrong, no rules for me.
I'm free!"

Of course, neither Elsa-of-the-movie or Kay-of-the-book are truly free and love (or, better yet, good truth) does win in the end but I am a little unsettled by putting such words about the dissolution of right and wrong into a climatic, enthusiastic and triumphant piece of music for little children to go around singing. I think the book makes much more plain what evil had distorted and how truth prevailed. I'd rather read the story, personally.

I asked my kids which they preferred - the book or the movie. Here is their reply:

Bookworm1 (age 7) - He liked the movie better. Why? Because he liked watching Elsa build the ice castle and he thought it was a much more impressive looking castle on screen.

Bookworm2 (age 5) - He liked the movie better. Why? Because of the snowman who does not appear anywhere in the book.

Bookworm3 (age 2) - She liked the movie better but couldn't explain why.

So there's that. I'm not so very adamantly opposed to Frozen that I minded my kids seeing it once (or twice) but it's not a movie that we're choosing to ever own. I think there are simply better films out there with clear and more complex stories. But watching the movie did "force" us to read the actual story and for that much I am grateful.

Other books we've read aloud this month:

1. On the Banks of Plum Creek (linked to review); and
2. The Silver Chair (which we are currently in the middle of reading).

To see what other people are reading aloud with their kids and to gather up some more ideas for books to read with yours, visit Hope is the Word. (Thanks, Amy, for hosting!)