—C.S. Lewis*
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| Courtesy CataWiki |
*Via Goodreads
Showing posts with label C. S. Lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label C. S. Lewis. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Are You Writing for Children?
“A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.”
—C.S. Lewis*
*Via Goodreads
—C.S. Lewis*
*Via Goodreads
Monday, August 7, 2017
MMGM: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Today's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday pick:
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Written by C. S. Lewis
Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
HarperCollins, 1952
Ages 8-12, Lexile 720L256 pages, 54000 words
Opening:
There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. His parents called him Eustace Clarence and masters called him Scrubb. I can't tell you how his friends spoke to him, because he had none. He didn't call his Father and Mother "Father" and "Mother," but Harold and Alberta. They were very up-to-date and advanced people. They were vegetarians, non-smokers and teetotalers and wore a special kind of underclothes. In their house there was very little furniture and very little clothes on beds and the windows were always open.
Eustace Clarence liked animals, especially beetles, if they were dead and pinned on a card. He liked books if they were books of information and had pictures of grain elevators or had pictures of fat foreign children doing exercises in model schools.
Eustace Clarence disliked his cousins the four Pevensies, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. But he was quite glad when he heard that Edmund and Lucy were coming to stay. For deep down inside him he liked bossing and bullying; and, though he was a puny little person who couldn't have stood up even to Lucy, let alone Edmund, in a fight, he knew that there are dozens of ways to give people a bad time if you are in your own home and they are only visitors.
Thoughts:
How amazing is that opening? Reminds one of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, doesn't it, with its tongue-in-cheek way of showing us Eustace's personality and the author's opinion of "advanced people?"
Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia to help Caspian regain the lost parts of his island kingdom and to find his missing subjects. I like the questing format of this particular book and the series of short adventures the characters face. That and the old-fashioned writing may not appeal to every child. For more reluctant readers, try reading aloud or audio versions. We thoroughly enjoyed reading them together around the fireplace when the kids were little, I think we started when the youngest was 3 and the oldest foster child was 12. Now we revisit them periodically with the audiobooks. Lynn Redgrave does an amazing job, as does Derek Jacobi, narrator of The Dawn Treader. Every child and adult should read the series, or at least the core books about the Pevensies, at least once in their lives.
If nothing else, the introduction to Narnia may open the door to a life-long love of fantasy.
A Note on the Christian Aspects:
I probably should address the spiritual nature of the books. The author started the series with the question, "What if the Son of God chose to come to Earth as a lion instead of a man?" and then he wrote a story. So yes, everything C. S. Lewis believed about God and his salvation was a basis for these books. He purposely portrayed different aspects of his beliefs into the story. Many of the characters react as Lewis would himself, because of his religious convictions. The world-building rests on similar principles to actual Christianity. That offends some people. I still think you should read them.
Not that you asked for it, but here's more of my opinion. Every single book you read reflects the moral beliefs of the author, sometimes overtly, sometimes unintentionally. Sometimes the author is wondering what would happen if. Sometimes the author wants to present multiple sides of an issue. Many times books purposely question the validity of religious or moral views. In every case, the author has an opinion. In every case, the author has to decide his agenda: Throw uncertainty on an issue? Dissuade the reader from a previous belief? Present multiple options as valid? Highlight an area of ambiguity in the author's mind and leave it open to the reader to decide?
Let's stop pretending books are somehow morally ambiguous. And please let's drop the pretense of separation of church and state. If you want everyone's views to be represented, then you shouldn't reject a book because it presents a religious point of view.
OK. Got a lot to say on these issues but let's move on to...
Bonus:
1. A timeline of the creation of the Chronicles of Narnia.
2. I reviewed the movie version last Friday on the Summer Drive-In.
3. More gorgeous covers
4. For more C. S. Lewis:
Check out the Hopeful Heroine's review of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,
G. S. Prendergast's review of The Silver Chair,
AshyGirl15's review of The Magician's Nephew,
an overview of The Chronicles of Narnia as a series on Carstairs Considers,
and reviews of The Magician's Nephew, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Horse and His Boy, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle by Michelle Isenhoff
5. Other MMGM bloggers recommend The Books of Elsewhere, by Jaqueline West, Illustrated by Poly Bernatene, and the Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling, illustrated by Mary GrandPre. The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper. The High King and The Foundling and Other Tales, by Lloyd Alexander. I would wholeheartedly add the entire Chronicles of Prydain, by Lloyd Alexander.
Check out all the recommended titles for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday for August 7, 2017 available on Shannon Messenger's Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe.
Feel free to leave your MG recommendations in the comments. Thanks!
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| First edition The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis and Pauline Baynes |
Written by C. S. Lewis
Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
HarperCollins, 1952
Ages 8-12, Lexile 720L256 pages, 54000 words
Opening:
There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. His parents called him Eustace Clarence and masters called him Scrubb. I can't tell you how his friends spoke to him, because he had none. He didn't call his Father and Mother "Father" and "Mother," but Harold and Alberta. They were very up-to-date and advanced people. They were vegetarians, non-smokers and teetotalers and wore a special kind of underclothes. In their house there was very little furniture and very little clothes on beds and the windows were always open.
Eustace Clarence liked animals, especially beetles, if they were dead and pinned on a card. He liked books if they were books of information and had pictures of grain elevators or had pictures of fat foreign children doing exercises in model schools.
Eustace Clarence disliked his cousins the four Pevensies, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. But he was quite glad when he heard that Edmund and Lucy were coming to stay. For deep down inside him he liked bossing and bullying; and, though he was a puny little person who couldn't have stood up even to Lucy, let alone Edmund, in a fight, he knew that there are dozens of ways to give people a bad time if you are in your own home and they are only visitors.
Thoughts:
How amazing is that opening? Reminds one of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, doesn't it, with its tongue-in-cheek way of showing us Eustace's personality and the author's opinion of "advanced people?"
Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia to help Caspian regain the lost parts of his island kingdom and to find his missing subjects. I like the questing format of this particular book and the series of short adventures the characters face. That and the old-fashioned writing may not appeal to every child. For more reluctant readers, try reading aloud or audio versions. We thoroughly enjoyed reading them together around the fireplace when the kids were little, I think we started when the youngest was 3 and the oldest foster child was 12. Now we revisit them periodically with the audiobooks. Lynn Redgrave does an amazing job, as does Derek Jacobi, narrator of The Dawn Treader. Every child and adult should read the series, or at least the core books about the Pevensies, at least once in their lives.
If nothing else, the introduction to Narnia may open the door to a life-long love of fantasy.
A Note on the Christian Aspects:
I probably should address the spiritual nature of the books. The author started the series with the question, "What if the Son of God chose to come to Earth as a lion instead of a man?" and then he wrote a story. So yes, everything C. S. Lewis believed about God and his salvation was a basis for these books. He purposely portrayed different aspects of his beliefs into the story. Many of the characters react as Lewis would himself, because of his religious convictions. The world-building rests on similar principles to actual Christianity. That offends some people. I still think you should read them.
Not that you asked for it, but here's more of my opinion. Every single book you read reflects the moral beliefs of the author, sometimes overtly, sometimes unintentionally. Sometimes the author is wondering what would happen if. Sometimes the author wants to present multiple sides of an issue. Many times books purposely question the validity of religious or moral views. In every case, the author has an opinion. In every case, the author has to decide his agenda: Throw uncertainty on an issue? Dissuade the reader from a previous belief? Present multiple options as valid? Highlight an area of ambiguity in the author's mind and leave it open to the reader to decide?
Let's stop pretending books are somehow morally ambiguous. And please let's drop the pretense of separation of church and state. If you want everyone's views to be represented, then you shouldn't reject a book because it presents a religious point of view.
OK. Got a lot to say on these issues but let's move on to...
Bonus:
1. A timeline of the creation of the Chronicles of Narnia.
2. I reviewed the movie version last Friday on the Summer Drive-In.
3. More gorgeous covers
 |
| Art by Steve Lavis |
 |
| Art by Chris Van Allsburg |
 |
| Art by Leo and Diane Dillon |
 |
| Anyone know the cover artist? |
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| Art by Pauline Baynes |
Check out the Hopeful Heroine's review of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,
G. S. Prendergast's review of The Silver Chair,
AshyGirl15's review of The Magician's Nephew,
an overview of The Chronicles of Narnia as a series on Carstairs Considers,
and reviews of The Magician's Nephew, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Horse and His Boy, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle by Michelle Isenhoff
 |
| Reviewed by the Hopeful Heroine |
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| Reviewed by Laurisa White Reyes |
 |
| Reviewed by Kim at Dead Houseplants |
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| Prydain, Book 1 Overview here |
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| Prydain short stories Reviewed by Michelle |
Check out all the recommended titles for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday for August 7, 2017 available on Shannon Messenger's Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe.
Feel free to leave your MG recommendations in the comments. Thanks!
Friday, August 4, 2017
Now Playing: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Perfect Picture Book Friday will return in September.
Until then,
Until then,
Welcome to the Bookish Ambition
Summer Drive-In
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| The Circle Drive-In from my childhood. Still open and now with double features on two screens! |
Now Playing:
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Written by C. S. Lewis
Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
HarperCollins, 1952
Ages 8-12, Lexile 720L
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| The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Walden Media, 2010 |
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| My favorite version of Dawn Treader Cover by Leo and Diane Dillon |
Highlights from the book?
- C. S. Lewis's unique storytelling style
- Very personal narrative
- Caspian's romance
- Multiple adventures
- Spiritual aspects
- Less violent
Highlights from the movie?
- Outstanding casting
- Reepicheep!
- Dazzling special effects
- Focused cinematic storyline
- Eustace in both forms
- Exciting action scenes
Opening:
There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. His parents called him Eustace Clarence and masters called him Scrubb. I can't tell you how his friends spoke to him, because he had none.
Movie Trailer:
Movie Trailer:
I am a fan of the Narnia books, though they can be old-fashioned and slow-moving at times. I loved the first movie, but had my doubts when the film rights for the successive books were sold to another company. The novel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is full of interesting segments and new characters, but it is a quest tale with shallow heroes. I can think of more than a few disappointing movies adapted too faithfully from quest novels. This movie takes the best segments of the book and condenses them into a more focused journey with an over-arching threat. It is a true sequel, too. It works hard to keep continuity by bringing back old characters and deepening their character arcs. I like the added backstory and the setting. And the new characters are some of my favorites from the films. The action is intensified for the big screen and historical background downplayed. I don't think you could have the movie without the book, but I think it is a great extension of a classic book series.
What did you think?
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Reminisce with intermission commercials
from Captain Bijou on You Tube.
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What would the drive-in be like without the snack bar?
What's your favorite movie candy? In my top three is a box of Nestle Sno-Caps. There's something magical about that rattling, scraping sound as the Sno-caps slide toward the tiny perforated opening in the box (and my mouth!) They are kinda noisy, which made them better suited to the drive-in than the theater.
Want a quieter version with the same chocolate taste? Nestle offers a recipe for Sno-Cap cocoa cookies with Sno-Caps baked right in, or The Rowdy Baker invented an amazing recipe for a cookie version of a Sno-Cap, a chocolate cookie covered in nonpareils. Yum!
Nostalgic for a drive-in movie? There are over 5,000 drive-in theaters across the U.S. mapped for you on Cinema Treasures.
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| Drive-In movie projectors, photo The Top Shelf |
Have you seen any screen adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia? Of the Dawn Treader? What's your opinion?
Have you reviewed the book? Please leave the link in the comments below. Thanks!
View all the Summer Drive-In reviews for 2017.
Check out the Marvelous Middle Grade Monday review coming August 7, 2017.
Have you reviewed the book? Please leave the link in the comments below. Thanks!
View all the Summer Drive-In reviews for 2017.
Check out the Marvelous Middle Grade Monday review coming August 7, 2017.
Monday, March 11, 2013
A Big Book
"You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me."
-C. S. Lewis
-C. S. Lewis
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| Bookplate artwork by Evelia Designs |
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