Robert McCarty's Blog, page 3

August -- Humanizing Royalty and Power, Resilience in Darkness

                                              The illustration of the Little King is by Michael Sowa.

Most of the great works of juvenile literature are subversive in one way or another: they express ideas and emotions not generally approved of or even recognized at the time; they make fun of honored figures and piously held beliefs; and they view social pretenses with clear-eyed directness, remarking - as in Andersen's famous tale - that the emperor has no clothes. Alison Lurie

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Tales of Wonder and Kings

Power and painful events often went together, and for centuries, people found some relief in tales of wonder that humanized the king. Here are three tales that range from centuries long passed to a metaphor for today.

 

The photo of the King Arthur sculpture is by Emily Whitfield.
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Sharing Life With a King

The narrator of the book Little King December (1993), by Axel Hacke, lives alone, works in an office, and gets occasional visits from the Little -- about three inches tall -- King. They have conversations about their different worlds. The King has experiences, insights, and questions about life. -- Here is an excerpt: 

"'What do you keep in those boxes?' I asked.
'My dreams,' said King December.
'Your dreams?'
'All my dreams. One dream per box.'
'But how do you dream your dreams if you close them up in boxes?'
'In the evening, when I'm going to sleep,' said the king,' I take a box from the shelves, put it by my bed and take the lid off. Then I go to sleep and I dream. In the morning when I wake up I stay in bed for a bit and think about the night. The I put the dream back in the box and put it back on the shelf. What did you dream about last night?' he asked. . . ."

All those from the world of the Little King, including royalty, are born small, and with time become even smaller until they can no longer be seen. When a king is born, they can write, have high mathematical ability, and have a very good memory. With each day these faculties decrease and they no longer remember or worry about past problems.

The illustration is by Michael Sowa.

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The Emperor's New Clothes

The folly and arrogance of royalty, and the fear of the ruled to to speak up, has never been better demonstrated than in Hans Christian Andersen's wonderful story of The Emperor's New Clothes. 

"The emperor marched in the procession under the beautiful canopy, and all all who saw him in the street and out of the windows exclaimed: 'Indeed, the emperor���s new suit is incomparable' . . .' But he has nothing on at all,' said a little child at last. 'Good heavens! listen to the voice of an innocent child,' said the father, and one whispered to the other what the child had said. 'But he has nothing on at all,' cried at last the whole people."

As Maria Tatar wrote, Anderson's story is timeless, universal, and enchanting.

The illustration is by Edmund Dulac

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Children and Adults Alike

 "Andersen combined humor, Christian sentiments, folklore, and original plots to form tales which amused and instructed old and young readers at the same time. More than any other writer of the 19th century, he fulfilled what Perrault had begun: to write tales such as 'The Ugly Duckling', 'The Little Mermaid', and the 'Princess and the Pea' which could be readily grasped by children and adults alike." 
                                          Jack Zipes... Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales  
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The King Was Fooled by a Cat

The Marquis de Carabas, a creation of a boot wearing trickster cat, has been reinvented by Neil Gaimen as a major character in his novel, Neverwhere.  In this world, created by Gaiman, the Marquis is the ultimate trickster and a major player with amplified characteristics of the cat known as Puss in Boots. The concept of the master trickster is centuries old. The mythic character Puss in Boots was the original creator of the Marquis de Carabas.

A written version of the story of Puss in Boots was first published in sixteenth century Italy by Giovanni Straparola in his collection of stories, The Facetious Nights (1553). Many other versions have appeared, most notably, in collections by Giambattista  Basile (1639), and Charles Perrault (1697). 

I think of people in time gone by, in a largely rural world, hearing the story of Puss in Boots, embellished for local consumption by storytellers in taverns, farmhouses, and the many gathering places of people in early times. Their difficult lives were ruled -- often cruelly --  by people with power: kings, nobles, clergy, and tax collectors. Puss in Boots was a story where a cat --who could manipulate royal power through imagination, bravado, and words -- provided an occasion where even the peasant farmer,  had an opportunity to laugh at the powerful.

The illustration is by PJ Lynch.
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A Profound Resonance
 
"Whether or not you believe in Bettelheim���s Freudian take on storytelling, it is unquestionable that the best stories have a profound resonance within our subconscious minds. Some of the Grimm tales transparently address our darkest fears, but in a sense, all mythic storytelling is about addressing uncertainties and anxieties." Tim Lott The Guardian
 
 

The illustration of an Elf House is by Jean Babtiste Monge.
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My Return to Elizabeth Hand -- Resiliance in Darkness
 

I have come back to Elizabeth Hand after being disturbed by the wild ride and conflicting thoughts I experienced from reading her novel Waking the Moon (2094). I am glad that I came back.

Waking the Moon involves the reader in visions, transformations, vendettas,  bloody mayhem, spiritual chaos, fear,  chilling awakenings and more. Hand is an exceptional writer, but I wasn't ready for this book. I also felt that there were sections that were over written. However, the writing was terrific.

I had previously read some terrific short stories and a novella with interesting characters in very real settings, where something was amiss. At some point, the fantastic became real. I was aware of something erie and dark revealing itself. 

I was initially guided in large part by Hand���s many awards. In fact, my introduction to Elizabeth Hand was the Nebula and World Fantasy Award winning, Last Summer at Mars Hill (1994). The protagonists are all well written and interesting and two of them are facing death. Mars Hill is a very old, weathered, spiritual colony and summer retreat on the coast of Maine. And there are sometimes apparitions. The reader is fully engaged by events and Hand's ability to give them life.

"I'm very interested in exploring the edge And I'm interested in people and artists who live on that Edge." Eizabeth Hand
 
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Prose Poet of the Fantastic 

Elizabeth Hand is one of American literature's finest prose poets of the fantastic. Her novels are powerfully lyrical, suffused with visionary agony and dreamlike eroticism; in her hands, myth reattains the nightmare energy of its origins, staining the present and the future with atavistic hues of blood. Nick Gevers in "Apocalypse Descending" (2002)

 

 

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Patti Smith

Patti Smith had a huge influence on Elizabeth Hand and her writing. From the extraordinary short story, The Erl King to the Cass Neary series, the heyday of Rock and Roll and Metal music plays a major role.  

Here is a link to Patti Smith singing Because the Night at her induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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Balance

I try to maintain a balance between having a vision of the world that many readers do not experience for themselves, trying to give them enough grounding in the world we are all familiar with, so they don't feel that they are completely lost in Faerie.    Interview by Cheryl Morgan at Strange Horizons (29 November 2004)

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The Fierce Quality of Elizabeth Hand's Writing

Below is an excerpt from an excellent review of Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand, the first in a series of well-received turning point novels for Hand. There are now four successful books in the series revolving around the life journey of Cass Neary, a middle-aged noir antiheroine.

I am currently reading Generation Loss. Elizabeth hand won't let go. Graham Joyce (below) explains:

"Cass (Scary) Neary is a casualty of the punk rock generation, one of the minor figures in the vital but dangerous explosion of energy that characterized the New York scene in the late '70s. Some people played at punk while others lived it. Cass lived it and barely limped out of it. . . . Cass is a deeply unsympathetic principal character, a sour anti-hero who weeps without even acknowledging it to herself. That you don't want to give up on this unsavory and resistible figure is a testament to the fierce quality of Hand's writing. Her precise observations and eye for movement in the shadows are what make Cass worth watching; the desperate and declining trajectory of the burnt-out protagonist's soul keeps us rooted."

Excerpted from a review by Graham Joyce, The Washington Post

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Good Writing and the Unconcious

"When it comes to writing fiction, I think the unconscious and subconscious parts of our selves are smarter than the more conscious controlling parts���because that front brain, the conscious brain, is constantly trying to please people (or, if you're a different kind of person, trying to bother people), and so the front of the brain is like a fatigued hostess. . . It���s addled. So you have to get past that part of the brain. And then you can get on to something a little less self-solacing and less deformed by what you want to see and want to hear. One has to move past the stage of writing a comfort blankie for one���s self���although writing itself can be, in a serious and not easy way, a kind of comfort."

 Author Reva Galchen interviewed by  Hermione Hoby in Aesop,

Photo courtesy of Columbia News.

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���A mermaid has not an immortal soul, nor can she obtain one unless she wins the love of a human being. On the power of another hangs her eternal destiny.��� ���  Hans Christian Andersen

Illustration of the Little Mermaid is by Eddie J Andrews

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A Contemporary Classic in Children's Literature -- Brown Girl Dreaming


"No one believes a whole book could ever come
from something as simple as
butterflies that ( don't even ), my brother says
live that long.
But on paper, things can live forever.
On paper, a butterfly
never dies."

Here is a link to the wonderful book Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming.

Here is a brief, insightful visit with Jaqueline Woodson. 

 

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Exceptional Independent Animation

 
Hot Potato
 
Imagination from the other side
 
Created by India Hogan
 
Music: Ring of Fire sung by Johnny Cash
 
Here is a link to : Hot Potato  Time 1:04
 

 
 
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Heads Together (trailer)
 
Wonderfully Inventive. Long version also on Vimeo
Three friends exchange heads by accident
 
Created by Job, Joris & Marieke
 
Produced by Viking
 
Link to Heads Together  Time 48 seconds
 
 
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The Spirit of Peacock
 

Imagination and beauty from another world
 
Story and animation by Feng Huang
 
A gifted Chinese animation student
 
Link to The Spirit of Peacock Time: 2 minutes
 
 
 
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An 11 Year Old Refugee Girl Starts Over in the world's largest refugee camp
This brief video is a awesome story of incredible resilience --  thanks in part to UNICEF.
"UNICEF's ongoing response to the global child refugee crisis spans four continents. From the Middle East to Southeast Asia to Northern Africa, UNICEF delivers lifesaving supplies to help children and families who are on the move stay safe and healthy. UNICEF provides safe water, medicine and nutrition. UNICEF also creates safe spaces for children to learn and play."  Link to the video: MYANMAR Escape
 
The photo os the Rohinga camp in Bangladesh is by Suzauddin Rubel/AFP/Getty
 
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Where Does the Madness End?

"A Utah company has stopped selling a kit that encases Glock handguns in Lego blocks, amid uproar and after the Danish toymaker demanded it cease and desist. . . demanding it stop producing the Block19.

Marketing the ���Block19��� as a ���a childhood dream come to life���, Culper Precision introduced it on Instagram, saying: ���We wanted the second amendment to simply be too painful to tread on, so there was only one logical solution.���

Red, yellow and blue blocks made the original weapon barely visible, disguising it as a child���s toy.

Selling the kits for $549 to $765, the company enticed adult gun users to buy the gun ���made out of the Legos you got from Santa. . . According to a report from the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, the period from March to December 2020 saw a 31% increase in unintentional shooting deaths by children of themselves or others, compared with the same period in 2019.  Read it all in the Guardian

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How To Change The World in Thirty Seconds       An Audacious Title -- What Does It Mean?

"If you love animals and are dismayed when you see stories of animal abuse and cruelty in the news; if you ever wished you could do something about it, but you just didn't know where to start, this book has you covered. Just 30 seconds a day on the Internet can not only make a difference, but can also change the world. . . . for novices as well as experienced animal rescuers.  Combining case histories with practical tips, this guide demonstrates how to use the Internet to advocate for dogs; from simple clicks to more advanced methods."

The above is from Amazon; the excerpt that follows is from an Amazon review: "While there is a focus on animal rights activism, the information provided extends to various causes and campaigns. Despite being an online activist for a long time, I found so many new resources and websites to use! Well-worth reading."

The cover design is by the author, C.A. Wulff

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 Fences for Fido - Unchained. . . one dog at a time

"Fences for Fido  is an award-winning, non-profit organization that builds donor-funded fences free of charge for families who keep their dogs on chains, tethers and in small enclosures. We also provide:

A warm, insulated dog house
Spay/neuter services
Critical vet care

 Fences For Fido has unchained over 2,200 dogs in NW Oregon, central Oregon and SW Washington!"

Here is a link to a terrific video of happy dogs -- and owners --after a visit from Fences for Fido.

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Talking Dog -- A Dog Lover's Video

Here is an affectionate, but not cloying, dog montage described as an "Ode to dogs of Maine by their human companions." Dog lovers will understand and like the caring simplicity. Voice overs by dog owners are well done. A somehow touching, understated, video of the human-canine bond. 

Director/Editor-- Matt Cascella; Camera -- Nathan Golan; Composer -- Sam Kyzinat

Here is a link to Talking Dog  Time 4:45

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Castle In The Mist is the second book in the Planet Of The Dogs Series  -

"...Castle in the Mist is full of the same elements I enjoyed in Planet of the Dogs and Snow Valley Heroes: beautiful, detailed, soft, mood setting drawings; the fun and antics of the dogs, and the people who are discovering them for the first time; encroaching danger and suspense; the lovely fantasy of a planet of dogs who are so concerned with the people of earth; and the forgiveness, unconditional love and loyalty that the dogs are able to subtly impart."- Excerpt from a 5 star Amazon review by Lisa Harvey, Book Thoughts by Lisa...

We have free reader copies of all the books in the Planet Of The Dogs series for therapy dog organizations, individual therapy dog owners, librarians, teachers and independent bookstores. Email us with a postal address to planetofthedogs@gmail.com and we will send you the books. 

To read sample chapters of any book in the series, visit PlanetOfTheDogs 

The Planet Of The Dogs series, including Castle In The Mist and Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, is available from many Internet sources and through independent bookstores of all sizes. 

The illustration of The Castle In The Mist is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty.

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"Dear God

We dogs can understand  human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent IDs, electromagnetic energy fields, and Frisbee flight paths  ��� what exactly do humans understand?" -- Nancy Houser,  A Dog's Conversation with God on her Way Cool Dogs blog.

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July -- Forests, Transformations, New Hopes

     

                                The photo of an ancient forest in Germany is by Thomas Stephan, Wiener Weg 12

Dark Forests 

To know the woods and to love the woods is to embrace it all, the light and the dark -- the sun dappled glens and the rank, damp hollows; beech trees and bluebells and also the deadly fungi and poison oak. The dark of the woods represents the moon side of life: traumas and trials, failures and secrets, illness and other calamities. The things that change us, temper us, shape us; that if we're not careful defeat or destroy us...but if we pass through that dark place bravely, stubbornly, wisely, turn us all into heroes. . . "The sense of secrets, silence, surprises, good and bad, is fundamental to forests and informs their literatures. . ."                            Excerpted from  Sara Maitland's in Gossip from the Forest. 

The photo is of the ancient Tarkine Forest

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Gossip from the Forest 

Sara Maitland cherishes solitude. She lives alone, in her own way, on the moors of Scotland. She is fully aware of the human experience, and through her writing generously shares her experiences and perceptions. Her wonderfully unique book, Gossip from the Forest, encompasses a vast domain and give the reader access and insights into the realm of the forest, both past and present. The book is both private and revealing. 

She camps overnight, along with a knowledgeable companion, experiencing each unique woodland.  She also researches each one, often involving a broad swath of history. Much of the forest land in England has disappeared, often cleared for farmland. Trees have also been used for furniture making, construction, shipbuilding. farm implements -- plows, fences, carts -- and for heating and cooking. But much remains. Maitland finds inspiration in each one. 

In her book, Sara visits 12  of the remaining UK forests, one for every month in a year. And for each forest, she rewrites a fairy tale. 

Maitland's passion for forests lines in her love of nature, but also in her deep belief that the forest was the primary source and inspiration for the oral tales passed on for centuries and known to us as wonder (or fairy) tales. Here is another excerpt from Gossip from the Forrest:

"���Forests to the [early] Northern European peoples were dangerous and generous, domestic and wild, beautiful and terrible. And the forests were the terrain out of which fairy stories, one of our earliest and most vital cultural forms, evolved. The mysterious secrets and silences, gifts and perils of the forest are both the background to and source of these tales."

The photo of Sara Maitland is by Robert Perry.

The photo is of an ancient Caledonian pine forest.

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The Forest Boundary

The forest offers an antithesis to the town. In ancient times when Europe was greatly covered by woodland, the forest represented the boundary of civilization. The forest was literally a wild place, the village or town merely a place where man had cleared a settlement. There were many who found refuge in the forest, not just criminals, and those in exile, but shamans, holy men and women, poets, freethinkers and of course trolls, elves and fairies. Justine Gaunt 

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Large, Immense, Great, and Mysterious -- The Source

���Inevitably they find their way into the forest. It is there that they lose and find themselves. It is there that they gain a sense of what is to be done. The forest is always large, immense, great and mysterious. No one ever gains power over the forest, but the forest posses the power to change lives and alter destinies.���                                                                                       Jack Zipes, The Brothers Grimm: From Enchanted Forests to the Modern World

 

The forest photo is by Julia Ivantsova.

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Three Wonder Tales

Versions of Little Red Riding Hood and her experiences in the  deep forest go far back, more than 1000 years. The stories vary, but in most, an innocent young girl is sent out in the forest to deliver food to her grandmother.

"She ran off the path into the woods looking for flowers. Each time she picked one she thought that she could see an even more beautiful one a little way off, and she ran after it, going further and further into the woods���"
��� Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Little Red Cap (1812)

 

 
The illustration of Little Red Riding Hood on the forest road is by Jason Nathaniel.

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Treebeard

JRR Tolkien was an extraordinary and brilliant man. His mental dexterity and imagination were dazzling. Forests had great meaning for him and reached across his creation -- Middle Earth. He wrote a detailed history, spanning thousands of years, giving each ancient forest a story and a presence of its own. . . The oldest trees were found in the Forest of Fangorn, named after a giant walking tree who is over 17,000 years of age; Fangorn is also known as Treebeard. He is a great leader of the Ents, an ancient species who closely resemble trees. In Tolien's saga, Treebeard would lead the Ents in battle.

There was a silence, for suddenly the dark and unknown forest, so near at hand, made itself felt as a great brooding presence, full of secret purpose. ��� JRR Tolkien, The Two Towers (1954)

Click this link to visit the trailer for Lord Of The Rings

The illustration of Treebeard is by Stephen Hickman.

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The Forest Continues

"The Forbidden Forest, also known as the Dark Forest, borders the edges of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry grounds.  The forest is a very old place that holds many secrets and houses many creatures, some dark and dangerous, others friendly. The trees in the forest are considered ancient, they are dense and rough looking from years of exposure to the elements. The Forest is out of bounds to any student unaccompanied by Hogwarts staff."    The Harry Potter Wiki

"They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the Forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker..."��� JK Rowling, Harry Potter and The Philosopher���s Stone (1997)

The illustration is from the film, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone.

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Looking Past the Tumult

The mystical life is at the centre of all that I do and all that I think and all that I write. -- W.B. Yeats


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The Word for World is Forest

by  Ursala Le Guin 

Ursula Le Quin said that the Vietnam War was her primary motivation in writing this book. .  . On another planet world, (Atshea), a civilization of sentient beings, smaller than homo sapiens, has evolved. They are intelligent, sensitive and totally attuned to the natural world. Their planet is covered by enormous trees.  The forests of giant trees also provide homes and sustenance for the Atsheans (called Creechies by invaders from earth). 

Their forest world has been invaded by people from earth. Earth has decimated all their own forests and has a basic need for wood. Led by the military and bureaucrats, soldiers and loggers from earth are cutting all the forests of giant trees. In doing so, they are also ravaging and destroying the land. Whole forests of trees are sent back to earth on giant cargo ships. The Creechies are being enslaved, and a barbaric genocide is taking place. 

Key people amongst the invaders disdain the unique culture of the locals. They consider them a lower life form, and treat them with barbaric cruelty. Ultimately, the Creechies rebel. Readers will find many parallels with colonialism and the slave trade.

". . . The Atsheans were not slaves at all except in fact; they were voluntary Autochthonous Labor Personnel. Lybonuv was not even reprimanded (for helping a brutalized Creechi whose wife had been raped and murdered). But the regular officers distrusted him totally from then on. . . Even his colleagues in the Special Services let him know that he had been irrational, quixotic, or stupid. . .You know that the people you're studying are going to be plowed under, and probably wiped out. It's the way things are. It's human nature, and you must know you can't change that."

The Word for World is Forest was published in 1972 by Tom Doherty Associates. It won the Hugo Award and was nominated for the Nebula and Locus Awards; and a National Book Award Finalist in 1976.

 

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. Transformations

"And yet, despite all the fairy tale warnings, sometimes we're compelled to run to the dark of the woods, away from all that is safe and familiar -- driven by desperation, perhaps, or the lure of danger, or the need for change. Young heroes stray from the safe, well-trodden path through foolishness or despair. . .but perhaps also by canny premeditation, knowing that venturing into the great unknown is how lives are transformed."    T erri Windling, Myth and Moor 

 

The photo is of the ancient Bialowieza Forest, Poland/Belarus.

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Movies

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The Ancient Woods
 
The Ancient Woods is an immersive film journey into an unspoiled Old Growth forest in Lithuania. Filmed and directed by biologist Mindaugaus Survila, The Ancient Woods is the winner of many prizes; it can be seen in theaters where the the larger scale images can transform the viewing experience. 
 
The Ancient Woods has an almost meditative quality to it. Time is clearly not an issue here, as everything unfolds almost beyond it, with seasons seamlessly blending into one another "  Marta Balaga CineEuropa

The image of the owl is from the film. Here is a link to the trailer: The Ancient Woods

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Luca
 
I haven't seen Luca , but the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are quite favorable.
 
"It's not in the same league as such Pixar classics as 'WALL-E' and 'Toy Story,' but there's no denying the pure enchantment of the visual, comic and subtextual dazzle in this tale of two sea monsters trying to pass for human boys in 1960's Italy."
 

Full Review Peter Travers ABCNews

Here is a link to the trailer: Luca
 
 
 
 
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Tove -- A Movie about the Moomins Creator.
 
Anthony Lane is enthusiastc about Tove . Here is an excerpt from his New Yorker Review:
 
"Whereas 'Cruella' sent me back to Dodie Smith, as a blessed escape from what Disney has done to her creations, 'Tove' dispatched me down a rabbit hole, or through a Moomin door. I recommend the trip. You will meet some hulking biographies of Jansson along the way, as well as her own memoir, ���Sculptor���s Daughter,��� its recollections as sharp as pine needles. ('Underneath the Christmas tree, Christmas is vast. It is a green jungle with red apples.') "
 
Here is a link to read Lane's entire article: Tove, Here is a link to the trailer: Tove

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Exceptional Independent Animation

Drift 

A delight For all Small girls

presented by NoBudge

created by Hemali Vadalia; song by Kori Pop

Link: Drift  Scroll down the link page to find Drift Time:3.23

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Pattern Language

People worlds become digital worlds

Esoteric algorithms NYC  

Created by Peter Burr, Programming Mark Fingerhut, Additional Graphics by Brenna Murphy

Presented by Times Square Arts with Clocktowet Productions

Link: Pattern Language  Scroll down the Link page to find Pattern Lanquage  Time: 1:29

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In Plain Sight

Stylized, Perceptions. insightful

Sex trafficking in London

By Emily Downe, a very motivated young UK animator. 

Here is the Link: In Plain Sight Time 1:22

 

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Gun Violence Continues Unchecked

"The upbeat mood at an album release party at El Mula Banquet Hall in Miami-Dade County was shattered when three men in ski masks jumped out of a stolen white Nissan S.U.V. and fired randomly into the crowd early Sunday.

Some revelers fired back. The whole encounter unrolled in about 10 seconds, leaving two people dead and 21 others injured. . .

 'Were it not for the proliferation of firearms through our society and in our big cities, we would not have seen these big jumps in homicide,' said Richard Rosenfeld, a criminologist at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. . ."

By Neil MacFarquhar NYTimes  

Photo by Lynne Sladky/AP

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Save The Children

"Through Save the Children���s work ��� every second of every day ��� a hungry child is fed, a sick child gets care, a young mind is learning, a vulnerable child is protected, or a family gains tools to overcome poverty.

Together, we reached more than 197 million children, including 1.1 million here in America. "

Photo courtesy Afghan Khaama Press.

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Delightful Books of Trees and Forest Wonders for Kids

Trees, forests, A sense of wonder, and delightful, immersive illustrations are at the core of these three outstanding books. They are divers and for different ages. Yet each book, will touch the imagination of the young in wonderful ways.

Growing Pains  by Alison McLennan; Illustrated by Melissa Jones; Published by EKBooks. For Young Kids

"They had planted the tree yesterday and now Finn was worried. 

 W hat if it was freezing but couldn't tell anyone because it couldn't talk?

He rummaged through his drawers until he found the wooly scarf he was looking for.

This would keep his tree warm. . . "

 

Little Sap  by Jan Hughes; illustrated by Ruth Hengeveld; Published by Cameron+Company, For Young Kids

Both Jan Hughes and Ruth Hengefeld (inspired illustrations) have a sense of awe in the great forest and the symbiotic world of life that takes place as a young sapling grows into a giant tree.

"Little Sap lives with her family deep in the heart of a very old forest. She grows near Mother Tree, the tallest and wisest tree in the grove. Little sap can't wait to be a mother tree.

In spring, when bluebells carpet the woodlands, Little Sap shows off her newly budding leaves, glistening like jewels in the sunlight."

 

 

Tree Beings by Raymond Huber; illustrated by Sandra Severgnini; Exile Publishing

This wonderful book should become a classic for both early readers and YA readers.  It is a celebration of concepts and images that evokes the wonder of forests and the natural world. Jane Goodall contributes both an introduction and a chapter on Living in the Jungle.  The content varies from trees eating sunlight to trees and the spirit of the forest. 

"Trees don't have brains yet they can communicate with each other. One way hey do this is by sending chemical messages through the air.. . . Nearby trees will 'smell' the message with their leaves and start to produce an insect repellent."

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Ariel Wulff's Misfits

"I was belly laughing on the first page. Lammy Lamb is a compulsive foot licker! This short book is so full of love and creative, tender animal care that I forgot I was reading a book. I felt like I was in the house with the dogs, at the Halloween Costume Contest and in every other scene. That's great writing, and great content too. The pictures are adorable."

Amazon review by MaryAnn Fry, Author of Going Naked Being Seen

Here is link to Parade Of Misfits

 

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J.K. Rowling and Lumos

LUMOS is part of J.K. Rowling's effort to make the world a better place. Her focus is on children and poverty. She is the founder of Lumos, one of several charities she supports. Here are excerpts from the Lumos website:. . .

"Lumos has a single, simple goal: to end the institutionalization of children worldwide by 2050. This is ambitious, but achievable. It is also essential. Eight million voiceless children are currently suffering globally under a system that, according to all credible research, is indefensible. We owe them far, far better. We owe them families." 

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Turning Back the Stone City Warriors from Invading Green Valley.

An Excerpt from Planet of the Dogs

���What���s going on here?��� demanded Bik. At that moment huge, ancient tall trees crashed to the ground with a thunderous noise, blocking the road just ahead.

Howling, barking, and growling sounds filled the air as dogs rushed from hiding places and ran toward the warriors and their horses. More huge trees crashed down, warriors were thrown to the ground, and dogs were running and jumping everywhere. Riders were crashing into each other as they tried to control their frightened horses and retreat to a safe area. . ."

We have free reader copies of all the books in the Planet Of The Dogs series for therapy dog organizations, individual therapy dog owners, librarians, teachers and independent bookstores. . . email us with a postal address at planetofthedogs@gmail.com and we will send you the books. 

To read sample chapters or to read reviews of any book in the series, visit PlanetOfTheDogs 

The map from the Planet of the Dogs is by Stella Nustanoja McCarty-

 

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"Ever wonder where you'd end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash?" -- Robert Brault

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June -- Women Prevail, Hope in Darkness

 

                                                      The photo of Maijona is by Tadas Kazakvicius

Home in Wonder Tales
 
Home and all that it meant to people, from safety and belonging to fear and danger, are certainly found in wonder tales. Through the centuries, women, like Majana, the Lithuanian woman above, have endured and somehow prevailed. They have endured wars, famine, sickness and loss; they have been the center of home.
 
Survival has been an an issue for much of humanity. So fairy tales, folk tales, stories from the oral tradition, are all of them the most vital connection we have with the imaginations of the ordinary men and women whose labor created our world.���  ��� Angela Carter


"Magical folk tales, of course, have been part of the storytelling tradition since the dawn of time -- including stories of fairies, sorcerers, witches, and human folk under enchantment. Folk tales are humbler stories than the great cosmological myth cycles or long heroic Romances, and as such have been passed through the generations largely by the lower caste portions of society: women, peasants, slaves, and outcast groups such as Tinkers and Travellers."
Terri Windling Myth and Moor
 
The painting is by Jean-Francois Millet.
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Survival
 
Survival is not simple. There may be no end to the obstacles, traps, mountains and rivers to cross; the journey may seem endless. It requires  courage, resilience, and luck to take you home. 
In our era, Neal Gaimen, a great creator of written wonder tales, rewrote Hansel and Gretel, the classic story of abandoned children in a time of famine and the aftermath of war. Gaimen's decision to spell out the chaos and hunger that overwhelmed the woodcutter and his family, is the impetus for all that follows.
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"War came, and the soldiers came with it -- hungry, angry, bored, scared men who, as they pushed through, stole the cabbages and the chickens and the ducks, The woodcutter's family was never certain who was fighting whom, nor why they were fighting, nor what they were fighting about. But beyond the forest, fields of crops were burned and barley fields became battlefields, and the farmers were killed, or made into soldiers in their turn and marched away. And soon enough the miller had no grain to mill into flour, the butcher had no animals to kill and hang in the window, and they said you could name your own price for a rabbit."   Neil Gaimen 
 
 
I just reread this powerful book. Neil Gaimen is at his best and the illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti are extraordinary. This is a fairy tale, and therefore has a happy ending. The children's ordeal ends and they return home to a great embrace by their father who has been searching for them every day in the forest. Mother has died for reasons "no one alive can say". However, "the treasures they had brought from the old woman's cottage (the witch) kept them comfortable, and there were to be no more empty plates in their lives."

All the above illustrations of Hansel and Gretel are by Lorenzo Mattotti.

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Mythic Archetype.

The orphaned hero is not, however, a mere fantasy clich��; it's a mythic archetype, springing from some of the oldest stories of the world. This archetype includes not only those characters who are literally orphaned by the death of their parents, but also children who are lost, abandoned, cast out, disinherited by evil step���parents, raised in supernatural captivity, or reared by wild animals. Terry Windling-JoMA Archives.

The illustration of Snow White is by Arthur Rackham,
 
 
 
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  I'm Finding New Voices of Wonder
 

There is today an endless stream of books and stories. It would be so much more difficult to decide which writers to read without the guidance, experience, and thoughts of others. I have gained insights and information from many including: Terri Windling, Maria Tatar, Jack Zipes, Seth Lerer, Marina Warner, Jane Yolen, Ursula LeGuin, Ellen Datlow, Alison Lurie, W.B. Yeats, Jeff VanderMeer, and Angela Carter. I continue to read them to guide me through the multitudes of writers of wonder tales, fantasy, and as Terri Windling notes the term below, interstitial writers. 

 
The comment below by Terri was taken from her introduction to In The Forest of Forgetting (2006) by Theodora Goss, published by Mythic Delirium Books. Although she has published several well received, award-winning books, Theodora Goss was new to me. I became an admirer of this exceptional writer when reading In The Forest of Forgetting  and, a later book (2019), Snow White Learns Witchcraft.
 


Here is an excerpt defining Interstitial from Terri Windling's  Introduction to In the Forest of Forgetting: 
 
"As a writer who has moved across many borders in her life, she (Theodora Goss) moves easily across the category borders erected by the publishing industry, creating works that could be alternately labeled as fantasy, horror, magic realism, surrealism, revisionist fairy tales and gothic romance, or that fall into the interstitial realm that lies in between these genres. . . . 'interstitial fiction', a term used to identify, study, and celebrate works that cross the border between categories. . ."
 
 
The painting for the cover of the Tor book Red as Blood and White as Bone ( by Theogora Goss) is by Anya and Elena Balbusso
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Snow White Learns Witchcraft by Theodora Goss -- An Excerpt
 


". . . How comfortable it was to live with dwarves
who didn't find her particularly attractive.
Seven brothers to whom she was just a child, and then
once she grew tall, an ungainly adolescent,
unlike the shy, delicate dwarf women
who lived deep in the forest. She was constantly tripping
over the child-sized furniture they carved
with patterns of hearts and flowers on winter evenings.
She remembers when the peddler woman came
to her door with laces, a comb, and then an apple. . ."
 
 
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The Power of Fantasy

"For fantasy is true, of course. It isn't factual, but it's true. Children know that. Adults know it too, and that's precisely why many of them are afraid of fantasy. They know that its truth challenges, even threatens, all that is false, all that is phony, unnecessary, and trivial in the life that they have let themselves be forced into living." Ursula Le Guin.
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Changing Times
 
Then suddenly, in or about the Ninth Century B.C., some overpowering new ferment began to sweep through this straggle of tribes. Something dislocated them, transformed them. Something came and moved so swiftly that archeology has not been able to detect the transition, only the results. . . Peoples who had been previously distinct, now became mingled. . . Some cultures vanished abruptly. . .
 
What had happened? The age of the horseman had dawned -- the long and turbulent age of the Scythian, the Sarmatian, the Hun, and the Mongol had dawned. . .

The horseman was a new breed of man. He was not a mere rider and breeder of horses, nor did he simply exploit the horse: he merged with the horse in a remar kably thorough way. He reshaped his entire mode of life around the capabilities of his horse. . .He stripped himself of all identification with a permanent home. . . His dwelling had become a collapsible tent, his hearth could be anywhere. . . Here was  a total adjustment to the horse as the pivotal fact of life."
Ralph Trippett, Dr. Ruth Tringham The First Horsemen

 

Scythian tomb art of a warrior.
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Home Is In The Heart 

Kij Johnson wrote a powerful story -- The Horse Raiders, a story about people -- horsemen and horsewomen -- from a tribe famous for their wonderful horses and their deep attachment to their homeland, n'dau, and home.  Their identity is one with their horses and their homeland. Here is an excerpt as told by Katia, a healer, and one of nine extended family members:

"We were far from n'dau. The sun rode too high in the sky. The shadow that dogged my heels was too short. We had wandered so far from n'dau because we had found a broad ribbon of Earth grasses and shrubs rooted into the soil left over from a Dawn meltwater river, dried now to a marshy trickle. The horses could eat the native vegetation of Ping, but the grass from ancient earth was best for them and so we let the herd graze noonward. . .

 

A group of barbarian riders appears from the grasslands, holding the white flag that signifies a meeting to trade. Questions are asked. Suddenly however, the barbarians attack and swiftly kill all but the narrator, Katia, who is overwhelmed and saved because she is a medicine woman for the horses. Her young niece is spared because she is Katia's apprentice. The culture of the barbarians like the culture of Katia's people is built around, and dependent on the horses; however, all the barbarian horses are dying.

Kij Johnson's wonderful story is a metaphor for life in the centuries of the horse-based cultures that dominated the vast steppe lands of Eurasia, reached across Russia and far into into Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and Hungary.

Photo of horses credit Mari Art/Thinkstock

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The Infinite
 
Patience Agbabi, a poet and the author of The Infinite -- a book of wonder written  for Middle school readers --  is an Oxford graduate, a former Poet Laureate of Canterbury and was cited as one of the Next Generation Poets. She also performs as a spoken word artist. Born in London of Nigerian parents, she is the loving mother of two young boys.
 
The Infinite fairly dances with words and language. The central figure, Elle, is a gifted, 11 year old black girl. She tells the story and in doing so, pulls you into her world. She also happens to be a novice time traveler (a "Leapling"), born on 29 February and a very unique girl. Here is an excerpt:
 

"My school is called Intercalary International because its a boarding school for Leaplings who have The Gift. It only has two classes with a four year gap in between and goes up to Fourteenth Year. It looks like a country mansion and you have to go up a drive with lots of tall trees to get to it. There's no sign outside apart from 'Private' because its a secret. Locals think an eccentric billionaire lives there. Its the only one in the world and some of the pupils come from places like India and Brazil.
I'm a day pupil because I live very close by..."
 
The story is filled with surprises, celebrates differences, and protecting our future. Phillip Pullman recommends the book.
 
Among her several books, Patience Agababi  has written ,Telling Tales, which retells Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales for the 21st century. Here is a link to see Patience performing an excerpt from her version of the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.

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Exceptional Independent Animation

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Part 5/8 Poetry of Perception

Emily Dickensen inspired animation by Brian Smee

Music and Sound Skillbard

Producer Nadja, HarvardX Neuroscience

Here is the link: 5/8 Time 1.51

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My Friend Marjorie

A poignant tribute

A lifetime

Created by Louise Wilde

Here is the link; Marjorie Time 4.32

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Levitation

Alternate reality. Exceptional.

Cutting edge creativity. See it to the end.

Co-director choreographer Anna Abalikhina, Art Director Arthur Kondrashen

Creative Producer Alexader Us, Producer Denis Astarkhov

Presented by Sila Sveta Productions, Moscow

Here is the link: Levitation Time: 3.22

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Gun Violence

I find it dangerous for all of us that no Federal law requires a background check for gun buyers in the USA. An organization, Everytown (for Gun Safety) was formed In April 2014 by the merger of Mayors against Illegal Guns and  Moms Demand Action. The are fighting an ongoing battle to end the epidemic of gun violence in the USA.

Moms Demand Action began one day after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Ct, where 27 were murdered: 20 children ages 6-8 and 7 staff. The murderer (20 years old) used assault weapons and a pistol. 

The US gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than that of other high-income countries.

 Here is a link to connect: Everytownn

The photo is of a Sandy Hook  mother.

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Refugee Children

There were over 13 million refugee children in 2019. How many are there now? How many are orphans? 

How many are in schools in camps?

How many can read?

What is their future?

To Visit Save the Children

 

Photo credit: our world.unu.edv

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PAL -- People.Animals, Love

Therapy dogs bring the human canine connection to Washington DC and nearby areas courtesy of PAL 

The number of visits, ranging from hospitals to libraries that PAL make in a year are staggering. As the photo demonstrates, kids read to PAL dogs even now, in the COVID era. 

"Our mission is to utilize the human-animal bond to brighten the lives of the lonely, ease the pain of the sick, and enrich the world of at-risk children. . . . In our Pet Visit Program, wagging tails and wet noses ease the loneliness of the elderly and comfort the sick. Warm, gazing eyes help early readers feel comfortable reading out loud when dogs visit libraries. In our PAL Camp and PAL Club, hundreds of lower-income children deepen their natural connection to the amazing animal kingdom with a rich Animal Studies program . . ..

Here is a link to visit PAL      Photo credit Michael Kranefield.

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How to Change the World in Thirty Seconds is dedicated to all of the individuals and groups who devote their heads, hands, and hearts to improving the world for companion animals.
You are all, every one of you, my heroes -- C.A. Wulff
 
Amazon Review Excerpt:
"This is probably the best "how-to" book I have ever seen. It is written in a very conversational manner while being extremely educational. Along with giving step-by-step instructions on how to use each advocacy tool, Cayr gives some background on each website, organization, and group... She walks you through the necessary steps and gives tips..." 

 

Cover design by C.A. Wulff.

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Castle In The Mist Is the second book in the Planet Of The Dogs Series 

"...the McCarty's again succeeded in bringing archetypal themes such as good vs evil, man vs nature, love, faith and faithfulness into the story without being overly teachy or preachy. We were riveted by the story and its main characters (both human and canine); we shared in their challenges and celebrated their victories. Melinda Gates, Reading Mother

Visit our website for sample chapters: http://www.planetofthedogs.net

The illustration is of Susan Purser's nephew, Chase, reading Castle In The Mist to therapy dog, Bandit. 

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"My father worshipped dogs, hunting, fishing, the state of Maine, and the complete works of William Shakespeare, in that order."
Susan Conant  True Confessions (1995)

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May -- Women and Girls, Danger and Resilience

                                                                                                 

                                                               
                                                                    The painting is by Andrea Kowch.

Stories to light the path. . .

Long, long ago, when the first fairy tales were being dreamed up, mothers were always on the verge of disappearing. To be an adult woman was to live a precarious existence at best. Too soon you could be sure of violence, of rape or beating or even murder. Too soon you could be sure of illness or death in childbirth. Too soon you could be gone, replaced with the next young fertile woman, still able to suckle your young. (The story of stepmothers is a whole other essay.) In those days, you had to create something you could leave behind to light the path, to keep throwing those bread crumbs, to clear the thorns from the thicket. A tree or a ghost or a bear or a good fairy���but something, something to outlast you.

A mother had to bequeath a gift, a story. And a daughter had to be ready. For her mother���s disappearance���and for her own, too. -- Amber Sparks Lit Hub

The illustration is by Caitlin Hackett.

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Why Does these Dark Stories Endure

I had found the stories of Bluebeard and Beauty and the Beast  fascinating. However, I also found them disturbing and overwrought. The illustrations were gruesome. The basic ideas were horrific.

In one tale, a demonic murderer uses exceptional wealth and deception to lure his wives to a nasty death.

In the other, a lovely young woman is forced to be the wife of a man who was a beast -- a powerful man, a wealthy man, a man who was more than he appeared to be. But a beast nevertheless.

According to researchers at the universities in Durham and Lisbon, the basic story of Beauty and the Beast can be traced back to the Bronze age, about 4,000 years ago. Many variations of the basic theme have been developed throughout the centuries reaching from Europe and Russia to Asia.


The illustration is by Angela Barrett.

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The Voice Of Women

Why does this story endure? . . .Why has a variation of the story, based on versions written by two French women in the 18th century become a classic? Madame de Villeneuve (1740) and  Madame de Beaumont (1756) were both adroit survivors of French court life as well as talented writers who gave voice through stories to issues of concern to women at all levels of society.

Versailles and the court of Louis IV were a world unto themselves. A world of power, wealth, and rules. Well connected, intelligent women, developed literary salons. They were initially inspired and led by a talented and brave woman, Madame D'Aulony. Known as the conteuses or storytellers, they wrote, read, and recited.

"D���Aulnoy and her peers used exaggeration, parody and references to other stories to unsettle the customs and conventions that constrained women���s freedom and agency. Throughout her writing career, D���Aulnoy���s central theme was the critique of arranged marriage, her heroines repositioned as agents of their own destinies." Link: D'Aulnoy

The illustration is from the TV series Versailles.

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A Beast In The Marriage Bed

Terri Windling in Myth and Moor, explained the background and motivation for Madame de Villeneuve's story.

"The story she came up with was uniquely her own, however, and addressed issues of concern to women of her day. Chief among these was a critique of a marriage system in which women had few legal rights ��� no right to chose their own husband, no right to refuse the marriage bed, no right to control their own property, and no right of divorce. Often the brides were fourteen or fifteen years old, given to men who were decades older. Unsatisfactory wives risked being locked up in mental institutions or distant convents. Women fairy tale writers of the 17th & 18th centuries were often sharply critical of such practices, promoting the ideas of love, fidelity, and civilit�� between the sexes. Their tales reflected the realities they lived with, and their dreams of a better way of life. Their Animal Bridegroom stories, in particularly, embodied the real���life fears of women who could be promised to total strangers in marriage, and who did not know if they'd find a beast or a lover in their marriage bed.

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Who by Fire-- in Your Merry Merry Month of May










Who by fire, who by water,
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial
Who in your merry merry month of May
Who by very slow decay
And who shall I say is calling?   Leonard Cohen  -- Live in London









 
 
The painting is by Andrea Kowch.
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Bluebeard, Lydia Millet reminds us, is a story about illusion, transgression, and the dark side of carnal appetites. It cautions us to beware of strangers in the woods...and of gentleman in the front parlor.
 
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Perrault and Bluebeard
 


The wonderful Terri Windling, in a definitive article in Myth and Moor , reveals the many variations on the Bluebeard story through time and in many cultures. It seems that the version that we know was written by Charles Perrault (1697). Perrault presents Bluebeard as a serial murderer of great wealth and superficial charm, who deceives, exploits, and kills fatuous women (his brides); they are driven by greed and craven curiosity.  Perrault blames the murdered women for their fate. This includes as well Bluebeard's new bride, who is about to become his next victim. Perrault gives the young woman no inner strength; she behaves in a helpless manner.
She impetuously disobeys her husband's command, thereby learning that she has married a murderer.  And she will be next. Luckily, her brothers save her just in time.
 
Perrault does not criticize Bluebeard's murderous behavior. However, Perrault does scold the young wife. both in the story and in the Morals that follow. Perrault's motivation for writing in this way remains a quandary for scholars. 
 
 
Angela Carter, inspired by the Bluebeard legends, wrote a wonderful new story, The Bloody Chamber . It is very different from Perraut's story and appears in her book, The Bloody Chamber.
 
The illustration is by Nadezhda Illarionova.
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Angela Carter -- Metamorphosis and Empowerment 
 

 Beauty and the Beast and Bluebeard inspired new stories in Angela Carter's exceptional book, The Bloody Chamber. . . " 'The Bloody Chamber' is like a multifaceted glittering diamond reflecting and refracting a variety of portraits of desire and sexuality - heterosexual female sexuality - which, unusually for the time, 1979, are told from a heterosexual female viewpoint. . . The Bloody Chamber is often wrongly described as a group of traditional fairy tales given a subversive feminist twist. In fact, these are new stories, not re-tellings. As Angela Carter made clear, 'My intention was not to do 'versions' or, as the American edition of the book said, horribly, 'adult' fairy tales, but to extract the latent content from the traditional stories and to use it as the beginnings of new stories'. . . Carter regarded them in this light, using them as a way of exploring ideas of how things might be different."

Guardian article re BloodyChamber by Helen Simpson.

The illustration for The Bloody Chamber is by Kate Meyrick.

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New Stories

The writing in Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber is brilliant. It flows easily. The places and characters are vividly described.

The stories pull you in to a fantasy world that becomes quite real for the reader.

The style, appropriately, has a sensual quality with darkness lying beneath the surface of events. 

Metamorphosis and transition are integral to the stories.

The young women protagonists become empowered; they are no longer victims.

 

The illustration by Angela Barrett is from Beauty and the Beast .

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Acts of Imagination 


"A great writer of fiction both creates ��� through acts of imagination, through language that feels inevitable, through vivid forms ��� a new world, a world that is unique, individual; and responds to a world, the world the writer shares with other people but is unknown or mis-known by still more people, confined in their worlds: call that history, society, what you will."


Excerpted from At the Same Time: Essays and Speeches by Susan Sontag 

The photo of Angela Carter is by John Mahler/Toronto Star.

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Soul Lives On

Soul has now won the Academy Award. Soul has received  a multitude of very good reviews worldwide. Here is the Critics Consensus from Rotten Tomatoes: "A film as beautiful to contemplate as it is to behold, Soul proves Pixar's power to deliver outstanding all-ages entertainment remains undimmed."  Soul is streaming on Disney+.

Here is the Link to the trailer for Soul.

 

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Exceptional Independent Animation

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My Galactic Twin Galaction Trailer

Surreal, Hyper visual, Tongue in Cheek

Director Sasha Svirsky, Composer Alexy Prosvirnin

Producer Alexander Gerasimov, Master Film Movie Film Company, Russia

Link : My Galactic Twin Galaction Time 45 Seconds

 

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Storm

HIgh drama, huge storm, man on boat

Outstanding. Emile Cohl Ecole student film by Nicolas Bressonat

Music/sound byMax Ollier

Link: Storm  Time: 2.01

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End The Death Penalty

Chilling, difficult. True story

By Jonatan Hodgson

Produced for Amnesty International

Link: End The Death Penalty  Time: 5.35

 

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"HI, WE'RE SARA AND BRITTANY!"
"We���re folklorists, teachers, and writers, and together we're the founders of The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic! We teach online courses that celebrate traditional tales and everyday magic. Our goal is to re-enchant daily life, one story at a time. . . Myths, legends, and especially fairy tales are our passion."
 
These two women are passionate in their love of myth, wonder tales, and folklore. They have brought their broad knowledge (they both have PhD's) to the Internet and are teaching and sharing with award-winning, interactive, original courses on the Internet. Here is a link to information about these women, the courses, and their remarkable Carterhaugh School

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King Soopers Murders

In the USA, we are in a continuum of mass killings of innocent people and children. We can only hope that President Biden has success in passing some gun control laws. The two young people in the photo have come to an informal, spontaneous memorial for their friend Nevin Stanisic, 23. He was murdered, as were nine other innocent people, in Boulder, Colorado. on March 25, 2021.

Credit:Michael Ciago/Getty

 

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Ottawa Therapy Dogs

Ottawa Therapy Dogs provides invaluable care and support through animal-assisted interventions. We serve people of all ages struggling with physical and mental health challenges. Our teams visit over 60 health care, educational and social services facilities regularly throughout the National Capital Region. The wonderful work done by Ottawa Therapy Dogs  volunteers and their dogs includes working with teachers and kids in the excellent  R.E.A.D. program , where kids with problems become readers.

 

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The Infinite

I just ordered this book

When I read that Phillip Pullman said that The Infinite, a book about a 12 year old girl time traveler is: " Vivid, funny, exciting and inventive", I wanted to read it. High praise from the master. It was written by UK poet, Patience Agbabi.

I'll review it in next month's blog.

 

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A Woman's Life With a Pack of Rescued Dogs

"The second book, following  Born without a Tail , is if possible better than the first. The author brings alive the small pleasures and also the pain of those who live with a pack. Rescue people have some of the most extraordinary stories to tell and this book tells them well. The pain of loss and the unexpected beauties of life are shared in this book and I'm the richer for the reading. . . The author has spent a lifetime in exploration of the terrain where human and non human lives intersect and left us this treasure map. Read it, you'll be glad you did."

Excerpted from an Amazon reader review of C. A. Wulff's wonderful book, Circling The Waggins. Wulff also designed the cover.

 

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"Fairy tales also face up to the facts of life: nothing is sacred or taboo. Meanwhile they glitter with beauty. I work at the weirdly fascinating intersection of beauty and horror.��� Maria Tatar, Harvard Magazine

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Castle In The Mist

���Do you think that it is possible for dogs to stop a war?"

"Author Robert J. McCarty has created a charming fantasy-allegory that can be read and understood on at least two different levels.  Children will enjoy the story about dogs who come from another planet to help people on earth.  But under the surface are the important messages of friendship, love, loyalty, and how to overcome evil with good.���  The same things are true as the story continues in Castle in the Mist.  The book is well written and easy to read.  It will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next..." 

From a review by Wayne Walker -- Stories for Children Magazine, Home School Book Review, and Home School Buzz. To read sample chapters of the series, visit PlanetOfTheDogs We have free reader copies of the Planet Of The Dogs series for therapy dog organizations, individual therapy dog owners, librarians and teachers...simply send us an email at planetofthedogs@gmail.com and we will send you the books. 

The illustration from Castle In The Mist is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty

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"My father worshipped dogs, hunting, fishing, the state of Maine, and the complete works of William Shakespeare, in that order."
Susan Conant True Confessions (1995)

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April -- Forbidden Books, Absurdity, Confrontations

 

                                                 

              Dr Seuss, and the World of Dick and Jane 

Six books have been removed from further publication by the folks at Dr. Seuss Enterprises and caused something of an furor. Problems like this have been with us forever. In 1970, Alison Lurie (photo), wrote a wonderful article for the NY Review of Books entitled Fairy Tale Liberation. This was the same year that she joined the Cornell University English Department to teach children's literature. Lurie was also a multi-award winning  novelist, including the Pulitzer prize for her novel, Foreign Affairs, in 1985. She also wrote Boys and Girls Forever (2003), a classic book about children's literature. Below, is an excerpt from Lurie's Fairy Tale Liberation, still very relevant today.

Fairy Tale Liberation

"When I was small it was believed in high-minded progressive circles that fairy tales were unsuitable for children. . . Does not ���Jack and the Beanstalk��� delay a child���s rationalizing of the world and leave him longer than is desirable without the beginnings of scientific standards?��� as one child education expert, Lucy Sprague Mitchell, put it. . . Mrs. Mitchell���s own contribution to literature was a squat volume, sunny orange in color, with an idealized city scene on the cover. Inside I could read about The Grocery Man (���This is John���s Mother. Good Morning, Mr. Grocery Man���) and How Spot Found a Home. The children and parents in these stories were exactly like the ones I knew, only more boring. They never did anything really wrong, and nothing dangerous or surprising ever happened to them���no more than it did to Dick and Jane, whom I and my friends were soon to meet in first grade.

After we grew up, of course, we found out how unrealistic these stories had been. The simple, pleasant adult society they had prepared us for did not exist. The fairy tales had been right all along���the world was full of hostile, stupid giants and perilous castles and people who abandoned their children in the nearest forest. To succeed in this world you needed some special skill or patronage, plus remarkable luck; and it didn���t hurt to be very good-looking. The other qualities that counted were wit, boldness, stubborn persistence, and an eye for the main chance. Kindness to those in trouble was also advisable���you never knew who might be useful to you later on. . ."

 

Here is a link to Subversion In The Forest, the Guardian review by Michael Rosen of Boys and Girls Forever.

Here is a link to Alison Lurie's article, Fairy Tale Liberation, in the NY Review of Books

The illustration at the top of Snow White and Rose Red is by Mercer Meyer.

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"A fairytale doesn���t exist in a fixed form; it���s something like a tune that can migrate from a symphony to a penny whistle."

 Excerpted from Marina Warner���s Once Upon a Time : A Short History of Fairy Tale.

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Wonder Tales Always Change With Time

In early versions, Rapunzel's long hair allowed her royal lover to climb the tower for romance -- until she became pregnant. This was in the original story by the Grimms in their celebrated first book book (1812). By 1857, the connubial bliss and the pregnancy were changed, rewritten and eliminated. References involving sex were censored. Rapunzel no longer became pregnant -- with twins, no less. The Grimms often felt  pressure to conform pagan tales. In this case, conservative forces had spoken and prevailed.

Disney, the master of sugar coating fairy tales, made many more changes to the story of Rapunzel.  In the movie Tangled, based on Rapunzel, her parents are now rich, her Prince is now a charming bandit, and the enchantress, Goethel, now steals Rapunzel away from her parents. Among other differences from the original include the facts that there is no magic flower, and her hair does not have magical or healing powers. 

The information about the Disney movie Tangled is from the website Disneyfication: The Consequences

The illustration of Rapunzel and the Prince is Trina Schart Hyman.

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Censorship

"The history of children���s book publishing in America offers insight into the ways in which traditional attitudes about ���appropriate��� stories often end up marginalizing the lives and experiences of many young readers, rather than protecting them. . .The distinction between books that have inspired calls for censorship (including series like Nancy Drew and The Hunger Games) versus the works that more often have actually been kept out of children���s hands (Huckleberry Finn, To Kill A Mockingbird, the novels of Judy Blume) reveals the insidious effects of this tradition. . . "  Paul Ringel, The Atlantic 

The Illustration of Huckelberry Finn and Jim on their raft is by Thomas Hart Benton.

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Dr Seuss and Other Dangerous Influences 

I have questions of my own to add to the many that have already been asked of Dr. Seuss Enterprises regarding their recent decision to remove six books from the world of children's literature. Was their committee a true cross-section of opinion from qualified and diverse people? And, even if it was a top notch group of well-informed people. why not revise what they regarded as offensive or dangerous material -- both words and illustrations? Revisions have always been an integral part of both oral and written children's literature.

 

The wonderful Richard Scary, creator of Busytown and What Do People Do All Day did exactly that. He made several revisions in his work. For example, A Bear Policeman became A Female Bear Police Officer. Even Roald Dahl, the imaginative but often cantankerous author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, although he vehemently resisted critics,  ultimately made changes.

On the left is the offensive illustration from  And to Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street. I find it hard to believe that this book will never again be published because this illustration insults Asians and will cause bigotry amongst young readers! If the management at Dr Seuss Enterprises really believe that this is a dangerous illustration, then change it (Try clicking it for a better image).

 

Here is a link to a comprehensive NYT article on the Seuss controversy by Alexandra Alta and Elizabeth Harris.

The illustration from "And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street" is by Dr. Seuss. 

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Babar Was Accused

I was astounded to recently learn that in 1996, scholar, educator, and prolific writer, Herbert R. Kohl, published a book, Should We Burn Babar? I was further amazed to find that the review in Publisher's Weekly cited Kohl's book as a "bracing critique of children's books and U.S. public schools" which found "Jean de Brunhoff's Babar the Elephant and Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio. . . illustrate tacit support for sexism, racism and colonialism."

How could this be? I read Babar books to my children. And grandchildren. In our family we consider Babar books to be quite wonderful. I fail to understand Kohl's point of view.

Alternatively, I found the article, Freeing the Elephants, by the New Yorker writer and critic Adam Gopnik, and to be insightful and spot on.

The illustration of Babar and Celeste is by Jean de Brunhoff,

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You can find magic wherever you look.  Sit back and relax all you need is a book!��� ��� Dr. Seuss

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Are Those Young Girls Safe With That Bear?

If the critics of Dr Seuss, Barbar, and Huckleberry Finn see the illustration of Snow White and Rose Red with a powerful looking bear at the top of this page, will they write that it places children in danger? When the bear knocked on their door seeking shelter from brutal winter weather, should they -- or their mother -- have sent him on his way?

And what of the father in East of the Sun, West of the  Moon? What should he have done when the bear knocked on the door and what should he have done when his young daughter rode off into the unknown on the huge white bear?

Should we banish Jackie Morris and her moving book of The Ice Bear?

 

Is there a censorious critic anywhere who would dare to confront Phillip Pullman with the idea of changing the story of Lyra and Iorek, the great Alpha bear, in The Golden Compass? Isn't she taking her life in her hands with her behavior when she goes alone and confronts the ruthless bear king? However, critics, both individuals and organizations, ignored the danger of the bear(s) but did manage to ban his book, and the film version on religious grounds. According to an article in Esquire, "It was No. 8 overall for the decade stretching from 2000-2009 on the ALA���s Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books list. (The Harry Potter series claimed the top spot.)" 

These questions -- never mind Goldilock's behavior --  are not absurd given the conservative, self-righteous, hubris of the past.

The top illustration is by Jackie Morris.

The illustration of Lyra riding the bear, Iorek, is from the film of the Golden Compass.

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Should Young Readers Be Allowed To Confront the Brutalities of the Holocaust?

Jane Yolen wrote a compelling Holocaust novel for adults that also appealed to young adults. Yolen's Briar Rose (1992) was based on her revised version of Sleeping beauty. Yolen's story is that of a quest to uncover brutal events of the past by a young American woman. This is a deeply moving story, based on real events that took place at a Nazi extermination camp based in an abandoned castle in Chelmno, Poland. Briar Rose, dealing with the horrendous events of the past in this way is a triumph of honest sensitivity.

Briar Rose was lauded as a wonderful book. It was also criticized and censored.  Ms. Yolen had previously written another Holocaust novel, The Devils Arithmetic. RoseEtta Stone has an very interesting interview with Jane Yolen about Censorship and her Holocaust books.Excerpt: "Because there is a homosexual character in the book, the novel has been banned in some places, and actually burned in Kansas City on the steps of the Board Of Education by a right-wing religious group.  I do not believe they read the book."

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The Erasure of Safety and Comfort and Trust

"The reason that most people value fairy tales, I would say, is that they do not detain us with hope but simply validate what is. Even people who have never known hunger, let alone a murderous stepmother, still have a sense���from dreams, from books, from news broadcasts���of utter blackness, the erasure of safety and comfort and trust. Fairy tales tell us that such knowledge, or fear, is not fantastic but realistic. Maybe, after this life, we will go to Heaven, as the two little girls who starved to death hoped to. Or maybe not. Though Wilhelm tried to Christianize the tales, they still invoke nature, more than God, as life���s driving force, and nature is not kind."
Joan Acocella, Once Upon A Time, The New Yorker .
 
The illustration from Snow White is by John D. Batten
 
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Movies

Raya and the Last Dragon

There is a new Disney Movie that has good reviews. I haven't see this movie, Raya and the Last Dragon. It is doubtful that I will see it. The trailer is very well done, however the film appears to be another predictable saga of sugar-coated violence.

I prefer Miyazaki's films. Many also have scenes of war, danger, and violence, but somehow strike a balance for the viewer.  

Link to trailer: Raya and the Last Dragon   

 

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Wonderful Independent Animation

....................

I Want To Be The Ocean

Identity amidst a Flood

Abstract yet tangible; Choices and doubts

Written, directed by Raman Dijafari; Sound design by Max Gausepohi

Produced by Blink Ink for Adult Swim - Off the Air

 

Link: I Want To Be The Ocean  Time 1.06

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The Colors That Combine To Make White Are Important

From Another World

Unknown surreal, Beyond the boundary

Barry Doupe

Link: The Colors That Combine To Make White Are Important  Time:1:09

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11th Great Iranian Animation Celebration

Stylish, Abstract 

Perceptions become movement 

Created bt Mehdi Shiri

Link: The11th Great Iranian Animation Celebration Time: .56

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New Children's Book That Delights In Words Through Art

A book filled with imagination and surprises where words and illustrations are in total harmony, balancing a delightful adventure with words and ideas. A book for young and old to delight in. I was smiling as I read it.

Written by Robert Vencio and illustrated by Joanna Bartel .Published by EK Books, a division of the innovative Exisile Publishing, a global press based in New Zealand and Australia.

 

 

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Ariel Wulff's Misfits

"I was belly laughing on the first page. Lammy Lamb is a compulsive foot licker! This short book is so full of love and creative, tender animal care that I forgot I was reading a book. I felt like I was in the house with the dogs, at the Halloween Costume Contest and in every other scene. That's great writing, and great content too. The pictures are adorable."
Amazon review by MaryAnn Fry, Author of Going Naked Being Seen

Here is link to Parade Of Misfits

Cover design by Ariel Wulff

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"Dog Rescue Charity Linked To Lara Trump Funneling Money Into Donald Trump���s Pocket

The Big Dog Ranch Rescue has spent as much as $1.9 million at his (Trump's) properties in recent years and is spending $225,000 more at Mar-a-Lago this weekend. . . .According to a permit filed with the town of Palm Beach, Florida, Big Dog Ranch Rescue estimates it will spend $225,000 at the club where Donald Trump has taken up full-time residence since leaving the White House. All the profit from that spending winds up in his pocket."
 
From an article in the HUFFPOST on March 13, 2021 by By S.V. Date
 
 
The photo is of Birdie at the Big Dog Ranch Rescue. 
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Message for Politicians
 


 
An anti-assault weapon sign outside of the King Soopers store in Boulder following the Murder of 10 People in March23, 2021


 














Photo by Stephen Speranza for The New York Times.
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The Civilizing Process
 
At their best, the storytelling of fairy tales constitute the most profound articulation of the human struggle to form and maintain a civilizing process. They depict metaphorically the opportunities for human adaptation to our environment and reflect the conflicts that arise when we fail to establish civilizing codes commensurate with the self-interests of large groups within the human population. The more we give into base instincts ��� base in the sense of basic and depraved ��� the more criminal and destructive we become. The more we learn to relate to other groups of people and realize that their survival and the fulfillment of their interests is related to ours, the more we might construct social codes that guarantee humane relationships. - -Jack Zipes

The cover illustration is by Jean Lurcat.

............................

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.��� 

Antoine de Saint-Exuprey, The Little Prince

........................

Hiding Places in the Dark Woods -- from Planet Of The Dogs

The Stone City Warriors will attack Green Valley in the morning when they emerge from the Dark Woods road. The farmers will resist, but alone they will have no chance to stop the invaders. It is up to Daisy and Bean, a sister and brother, and the dogs to stop them. Dogs are new on Planet Earth and only one warrior has seen a dog.

"Meanwhile, the woods became quiet again, and the horses were once again calm. The invaders could not hear Edgar and hundreds of big dogs moving silently through the woods on both sides of the road. . .

They went into hiding places where they could see the road, but they could not be seen. They would smell the approaching army and hear the noise of the many men, horses, and supply wagons long before the warriors reached them."

Excerpted from Planet Of The Dogs  Here is a link to read sample chapters

of all the books  -- Castle In the Mist, Snow Valley Heroes -- in the Series.

The illustration from Planet Of The Dogs is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty

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"The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's". .. Mark Twain

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March -- Country People, Wonder Tales, Struggles

 

                                   Turn of the 20th Century, Galway, Ireland

The Brothers Grimm appear to have helped motivate a large number of nineteenth century writers and scholars --  in several countries -- to record and save wonder tales, folktales, and local mythology -- to save the culture of the past. Aside from overcoming lethargy. religious beliefs, and political hubris, there were issues of language and tumultuous events to overcome. In Ireland, the issues also involved the Gaelic language and became very political. 

...........................

"A Land Without a Language Is a Land Without a Soul"

". . . Gaelic scholars and writers had never quite faded out. To a few of these, looking at the question from the standpoint of patriot as well as scholar, it was apparent that in allowing the national language to perish, the country was severing the strongest tie that bound her to the past; that with the language would go the traditions and ideals that had kept alive the spirit of patriotism through the centuries of suffering; that an English speaking Ireland would cease to realize herself as an individual among nations and sink hopelessly to the condition of a characterless British province."

Moira Ray, The Sewanee Review , 1906

 

The photo of the Irish countryside is by Darren McLoughlin.

...................................

Fairies Were Real

Few people believe in fairies, now, but they featured powerfully in the belief systems of the past, and not always benignly. Like witches, fairies have inspired fears that led to terrible acts, and not only in the pre-modern societies far away, but ones closer to hand. King James 1 believed in demons.                                   

Marina Warner , Once upon a Time

The illustration is by Arthur Rackham.

 

 

...............................

 A Living Form Of Literature

"Irish and Scotch Gaelic folk-stories are, as a living form of literature, by this time (1890) pretty nearly a thing of the past. . . Until quite recently there existed in our midst millions of men and women who, when their day���s work was over, sought and found mental recreation in a domain to which few indeed of us who read books are permitted to enter. Man, all the world over, when he is tired of the actualities of life, seeks to unbend his mind with the creations of fancy. We who can read betake ourselves to our favorite novelist, . .His book is the product of his individual brain, and some of us or of our contemporaries have been present at its genesis.

But no one can tell us with certainty of the genesis of the folk-tale, no one has been consciously present at its inception, and no one has marked its growth. It is in many ways a mystery, part of the flotsam and jetsam of the ages, still beating feebly against the shore of the nineteenth century, swallowed up at last in England by the waves of materialism and civilization combined; but still surviving unengulfed on the western coasts of Ireland, where I gathered together some bundles of it, of which the present volume is one." 

The above is from the Preface to Douglas Hyde's Beside The Fire, A Collection 0f Irish Gaelic Folk Stories (1890)  

The illustration of Fairies Dancing in the Full Moon is Arthur Rackham.

.................................

Honoring the Heritage

Douglas Hyde was quite extraordinary. In a chaotic century wherein Ireland experienced political upheavals, horrible famine, millions dying, and millions of refugees emigrating, Hyde emerged as a scholar and a leader in the gathering wave of Irish nationalism and the Gaelic revival.

The tales that Hyde collected were transcribed in the original Gaelic, as told to him by older farmers who had heard them many years before. Hyde, a scholar, would later translate them to English. Like many 19th century Irish authors -- Yates, O'Connaire, Synge, Stephens -- he  worked tp preserve the old tales, the old culture and the Gaelic language, all among the driving forces of Irish nationalism. Hyde was deeply involved in politics, ultimately becoming first President of Ireland (1938 TO 1945).

...................................

 

The Person Crushed. . .

The famine was also fuel for the Irish Cultural Renaissance.

���Human beings are so made that the ones who do the crushing feel nothing; it is the person crushed who feels what is happening. Unless one has placed oneself on the side of the oppressed, to feel with them, one cannot understand.��� ��� Simone Weil, Lectures on Philosophy

The illustration, by an artist unknown, is of Bridget O'Donnell and her children shortly after their eviction from their home. Among one million victims of the great Irish famine, Bridget, her unborn child, and one of her two girls, died soon after the eviction. 

 

From the illustrated London News, 1849.

................................

The Second Coming

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), best known for his poetry, was another driving force in the Irish Literary Revival. He researched and published three major collections of traditional tales from the countryside. And he wrote many poems that reflected the painful world of Ireland. Here is an excerpt from The Second Coming. . .

���Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.���

 

The painting is by Brueghal 

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Fantasy

"In fantasy stories we learn to understand the differences of others, we learn compassion for those things we cannot fathom, we learn the importance of keeping our sense of wonder. The strange worlds that exist in the pages of fantastic literature teach us a tolerance of other people and places and engender an openness toward new experience. Fantasy puts the world into perspective in a way that 'realistic' literature rarely does. It is not so much an escape from the here-and-now as an expansion of each reader's horizons." Jane Yolen quoted by Terri Windling in  Myth and Moor

 

The illustrations for Traditional Irish Fairy Tales are by Arthur Rackman.

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The Wooing of Becfola

I have found that Irish tales go far beyond fairies dancing in the moonlight. Here, for example, is story of mysterious events, passion, identity, alternate reality, and great lust. Becfola was a beautiful woman of mystery, who was named by Dermot, king of all Ireland, after he saw her driving her chariot at great speed through forest and river. Dermot immediately fell in love with her.  

Incredible events mark this story from beginning to end. Here are excerpts from a retelling by James Stephens, a talented and versatile writer and dedicated Irish Republican:

"We do not know where Becfola came from. Nor do we know for certain where she went to. We do not even know her real name, for the name Becfola, ���Dowerless��� or ���Small-dowered,��� was given to her as a nickname (by Dermont, the King of all Ireland). This only is certain, that she disappeared from the world we know of, and that she went to a realm where even conjecture may not follow her. . .

The woman in the chariot had drawn nigh to the ford by which they were standing, and, without pause, she swung her steeds into the shallows and came across the river in a tumult of foam and spray. . . 'She is in truth a wonder of the world and an endless delight to the eye.'

She was all that and more, and, as she took the horses through the river and lifted them up the bank, her flying hair and parted lips and all the young strength and grace of her body went into the king���s eye and could not easily come out again.

Nevertheless, it was upon his ward that the lady���s gaze rested, and if the king could scarcely look away from her, she could, but only with an equal effort, look away from Crimthann (the King's ward, a striking young man). . ."

The illustrations of Becfola are by Arthur Rackham. Being trapped in a tree by wolves was among Becfola's adventures in her quest for fulfillment.

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Pastures of Plenty --  in Ireland

Excerpt from the Lyrics

"It's always we rambled, that river and I
All along your green valley, I will work till I die
My land I'll defend with my life if it be
Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free."

This classic Woody Guthrie song by the wonderful Irish musical group Solas. Link: Solas

 

Photo by Emmett O'Lunney.

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Exceptional Independent Animation

...................

Bumpers for FX Productions
 
Outrageous humor, characters, moments.
 
Truly original, surprises galore
 
Written, directed, and animated by Joseph Bennet 

Backgrounds-Charles Huettner, Music and sound design- Nic Snyder

Link: Bumpers for FX Productions
 
-------------------------
The Moon's Not That Great
 
Thoughtful and entertaining.


Imaginative animation.
 
Written, directed by Mathieu Libman; music/sound, Paul Michael Cardon.
 
Producers: Nexus Studios, Julio Bennet, Mickey Oz.
 
 
 
Link; The Moon's Not That Great  Time:8:14
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Dinosaurs In Love

A total delight, unique and special.

Official video for the wonderful song by 4 year old Fenn Rosenthal.

Her father Tom is  singer/composer.

Directed by Hannah Jacobs, Katy Wang and Anna Ginsburg.

Link: Dinosaurs in Love  Time:1.06
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Resurrecting Dead Fairy Tales
 

 
Jack Zipes recently gave an internet talk about his life's work, including his current endeavor -- to save forgotten fairy tales of the past. These gems include many stories relating to humanity and hope. Some of these are stories that deal with fascism. To further his efforts, Zipes has founded a publishing company, Little Mole and Honey Bear.
 
I have written in this blog about several of the tales and authors whom he has  found and made available including Laboulaye's Fairy Tales, The Giant Ohl and Tiny Tim, as well as the initial publications of Little Mole and Honey Bear: Keedle the Great (November 2020) and Yusoff the Ostrich (January 2001).
 
To see the video of Zipe's talk, Resurrecting Dead Fairy Tales , go to Miscellaneous Productions on Facebook.
 
 
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Why Am I


 
A new revised version of Ariel Wullf's Yelodoggie book, Why Am I, will be published by Who Chains You Books with an expected release date in early summer 2021. 
Why Am I is a delightful picture book filled with many different creatures. It is also an examination about how everyone is different and that is what makes us all unique.  When Yelodoggie asks various other creatures why he is yellow, they each respond with a question about their uniqueness, ie: Why am I? Why do I have this big horn on my nose?
 
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The Wonder Tale Universe


 
Gypsy Thornton's Once Upon a Blog often discovers very interesting matters relating to the Wonder Tale Universe. In a recent blog, I found the following headline; "Fairy Tales De-stressed" Shows - and Teaches - the Transforming Power of Learning Mindfulness. . .Calm is the #1 app for guided meditation, breathing, focus, and mindfulness and uses a lot of nature-enhanced visuals and audio to help people deal with anxiety and stress. They also. however, have a whole library of "sleep stories", including some retold fairy tales.

Here is the Link to Once Upon a Blog to read more: Calm
 
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Siren and the Serenade
 
A Dog Detective, Wellington, tells the story of solving a surprising and unusual crime. A prize-winning show cat, a major local celebrity, has been murdered. The story takes place in a small port town located on an off-shore island. Detailed descriptions of the town, resident dogs and cats, Wellington's owner (his Patroness), and local life all attest to Wellington's ability to tell a good story. His search for evidence is never deterred even by his love of naps. Written by a dog lover, Angela Cummings, to delight young dog lovers.
 
Cover design by Pavel Soukenik
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Reading with Rover
 
"Reading With Rover started out as a community-based literacy program volunteering in the schools, bookstores and libraries of Puget Sound area of Washington State. We now offer the comfort of our therapy dogs at local hospitals, assisting living homes, rehabilitation facilities and we are very popular college stress relievers!  Our programs are a part of several school districts in the area as well. . .  We have provided over 10,000 book bags and new books to children in the Seattle area. . ." 
Here is a link to their website: Reading with Rover
 
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Planet Of The Dogs

The Planet of the Dogs series of children���s books tell the stories of the first time dogs came to planet Earth to teach people about unconditional loyalty and love -- and to help bring peace from invaders. Here is an excerpt:

Two children are missing from Lake Falls Village. They were last seen going
into the Dark Woods. The dogs have gone ahead to find them. A search party, following the sound of excited barking, is rushing through the woods. . .

Running forward and breathing heavily as the ground continued to rise, they came to a clearing where they saw a huge black bear, surrounded by the barking dogs. And standing behind a large rock, their clothes torn, were the children. The dogs were racing toward the bear and then jumping back. The bear was furious.  One of his legs had been bitten, and Buddy���s fur was torn open at the shoulder. Omeg and Tibor, both carrying swords, shouted a fierce cry and ran toward the bear. Barka, Tomas and some of the others ran toward the children. The bear, seeing so many attackers, made a deep growl of anger, reared up on his hind legs, and then came crashing down in a place where Lucy was jumping and barking. For a moment, it looked like Lucy was crushed, but as the bear moved with surprising speed into the trees, and Lucy ran out unhurt and barking defiantly.

To read sample chapters of any book in the series, visit PlanetOfTheDogs 

The Planet Of The Dogs series, including Castle In The Mist and Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, is available from many Internet sources and through independent bookstores of all sizes. Free copies for Therapy Dog owners and organizations, Email me at planetofthedogs@gmail.com.

The illustrations above from The Planet Of The Dogs are by Stella Mustanoja McCarty. 

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���Be the person your dog thinks you are.��� ��� C.J. Frick

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February -- Home, Belonging, and Journeys

 

                                        Illustration by Inga Moore from Kenneth Grahame's The Reluctant Dragon.

A Strange Enchanted World
 
" After all the internet's many diversions, people still yearn for the solitary refuge of reading, since a book provides a space for reflection, a private therapy that is hard to find online. Most of us remember from childhood the experience of being head-over-heels in a book, utterly absorbed. We entered into a strange enchanted world and traveled with an author's characters; we lived their lives with them. There's nothing in the online world that can fulfill the promise that we get in a work of fiction to give us a sustained picture of the self. . . "
David Mikics  (NYTimes)is the author of ���Slow Reading in a Hurried Age.���
................................
 
She Just Wanted to Go Home
 
Dorothy, a young Kansas farm girl, is carried off by a violent tornado to a magical land where she must overcome strange and frightening dangers in her efforts to get home. Her journey will take her to Oz, the Emerald City, and beyond. It will also bring recognition and prosperity to author L. Frank Baum, thereby inspiring him to write many more wonderous Oz books.
 
���I am anxious to get back to my aunt and uncle, for I am sure they will worry about me. Can you help me find my way?���. . .

The little old woman (The Witch of the North) took the slate from her nose, and having read the words on it, asked, ���Is your name Dorothy, my dear?���

���Yes,��� answered the child, looking up and drying her tears.

���Then you must go to the City of Emeralds. Perhaps Oz will help you.���

���Where is this city?��� asked Dorothy.

���It is exactly in the center of the country, and is ruled by Oz, the Great Wizard I told you of". . .���How can I get there?��� asked Dorothy."

���You must walk. It is a long journey, through a country that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible. However, I will use all the magic arts I know of to keep you from harm. . .The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick,��� said the Witch, ���so you cannot miss it. When you get to Oz do not be afraid of him, but tell your story and ask him to help you. Good-bye, my dear.���

.......................................

The Incredible Journey

The incredible journey to get home was undertaken originally by a naive young country girl and her dog (Toto), and not by a lovely adolescent played by Judy Garland. In any case, both the book and the movie have become classics, and are an integral part of the imaginative legacy of the USA.

To make the journey home, Dorothy must develop loyal, dedicated friendships with three misfits: a rusted Tin Man; a Scarecrow with emotional problems; and a neurotic, cowardly Lion. She must also walk a very long distance, sleep outdoors in the wild and overcome many extraordinary and dangerous problems. These include a field of poppies that put you to sleep forever; a vicious tribe of flying monkeys; the Wicked Witch of the West; and a fraudulent Wizard of Oz.

.....................

The Silver Shoes

Dorothy does it all, making the journey with great courage, goodwill, and help from her no-longer-misfit friends. And so it is, with the advice of the Good Witch of the North (and more magic), Dorothy returns to Kansas and home. 

���The Silver Shoes,��� said the Good Witch, ���have wonderful powers. And one of the most curious things about them is that they can carry you to any place in the world in three steps, and each step will be made in the wink of an eye. All you have to do is to knock the heels together three times and command the shoes to carry you wherever you wish to go.���

���If that is so,��� said the child joyfully, ���I will ask them to carry me back to Kansas at once.���

She threw her arms around the Lion���s neck and kissed him, patting his big head tenderly. Then she kissed the Tin Woodman, who was weeping in a way most dangerous to his joints. But she hugged the soft, stuffed body of the Scarecrow in her arms instead of kissing his painted face, and found she was crying herself at this sorrowful parting from her loving comrades.

Glinda the Good stepped down from her ruby throne to give the little girl a good-bye kiss, and Dorothy thanked her for all the kindness she had shown to her friends and herself.

Dorothy now took Toto up solemnly in her arms, and having said one last good-bye she clapped the heels of her shoes together three times, saying:

���Take me home to Aunt Em!���. . .

Dorothy whirled through the air, landed in a Kansas field outside the new farmhouse, and was embraced by Aunt Em. She was home at last!

All of the above illustrations were created by W.W. Denslow.

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Bob Has Lost His Way Home

Livy is a 10 year old girl from the USA, visiting her grandmother for the first time in 5 years. Grandmother's farm is located in a drought-stricken area of the Australian  outback.

Bob is a lost, young, greenish alien boy who has been waiting five years in a closet in Grandmother's house for Livy's return. Livy's mother and her baby brother are with her.

Only Livy has ever seen Bob. Unfortunately, she has forgotten Bob and the fact that she promised him on her previous visit, as  a five year old, that she would help him get home. 

Bob is a delightful, imaginative book for young readers. It was written over a 7 year period by two talented and accomplished women authors: Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass. Rebecca wrote the first chapter, in the voice of Livy, on a long flight home from Australia. . .the chapter ended with the introduction of Bob. . . Wendy wrote the next chapter from Bob's point of view and in his voice. They continued this process over the years, creating as they went. During that period, they continued writing well received books, "raised families, and got waylaid by the stuff of life."

Bob is a contemporary elf. In many ways, he is an heir to the elf traditions and stories from Nordic, Irish, British Isles, Iceland, and beyond.  Both Bob and ET want to go home, but the format, medium, and story are quite different. Bob is an original fantasy, filled with surprises and grounded in the "real world", as the search for Bob's home unfolds.

Here is an excerpt that takes place after Livy's mother has read a good-night story and left Livy's room. Livy's mother is unaware of Bob's presence as Bob cannot be seen by adults. Livy speaks:

"I feel him turn his head, and all I can see in the dark are his big wet eyes.

'I wish I had a mother,' he says.

I don't know what to say. Bob is alone in the world. Totally, completely alone.

'Bob', I say finally. 'Maybe you do have a mother. Maybe you have a whole big family!'

'Bob doesn't answer.'"

Ultimately, after many surprises and with Livy''s loyal help, Bob does get home.

The cover and illustration above are by Nicholas Gannon.

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The Idea of Home, and of Truly Belonging

"Many of us today have no kith. . .no ancestral place. Or we had one once, but lost it long ago. Or we've been transplanted into new soil, our roots still shallow, our claim still tenuous. Or we are homesick for a home we never actually had; for the idea of home, and of truly belonging.

That's how it was for me for many years, until I crossed the ocean to Devon and, to my eternal surprise, its rain-drenched hills whispered in my ears: Welcome home. You've come at last. We've been waiting and waiting, and now you're here. Until then, I'd found my home in the world only in the pages of certain books, and in the earth-colored tones of certain works of art: in Earthsea and Islandia, Rhyhope Wood and the farmyards of Hed, among Burne-Jones' briar roses and Arthur Rackham trees with goblins stirring at their roots. Those imaginary lands are as precious to me now as they were in my kithless, unmoored youth, and they formed me as much as any "real" place. They are real places. Or rather, I should say that they are true places, which is even better; and which, of course, is precisely why I was able to take shelter inside them. Some kiths exist in the physical world, and some only in the imagination. But all of them are real. All of them matter. All of them place us, nourish us, and give us the stories we most need."  Terri Windling, Kith and Kin

The photo is of Terri Windling in Devon with her dog Tilly. 
...................................
 
Grounded in History
 

"Both the oral and literary forms of the fairy tale are grounded in history: They emanate from specific struggles to humanize bestial and barbaric forces, which have terrorized our minds and communities in concrete ways." Jack Zipes , The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Cultural and Social Evolution of a Genre.

 

The illustration by C.R.W. Nevinson is from WW1,1916.

 

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The Great Hatred and A Wonder Tale - The Birch and the Star
 
The Brutal War

During the time of the mid-Nineteenth century Finnish Cultural Renaissance, the era of Sibelius, Gallen Kallela, and the Kalevala, a writer named Zacariah Topelius wrote a Wonder Tale, The Birch and the Star. It was inspired by a passed-down story about his great grandfather during a time period of the Russian conquest of Finland in the great Northern War (1714-1721); a war that was so brutal, that to this day, the Finns refer to it as The Great Hatred. The Russians and the Swedes both fought brutal wars over Finland for hundreds of years. Home was not always a safe place.

During this time, the Russians implemented a scorched earth policy over great swaths of Finland. In addition, current research estimates that close to 20,000 Finns were killed and close to 30,000 women and children were taken to Russia as slaves. "Thousands, especially officials, also fled to the (relative) safety of Sweden. The poorer peasants hid in the woods to avoid the ravages of the occupiers and their press-gangs." Source: Wikipedia

The painting, Victory at Narva, is by Gustav Cederstr��m.

.....................

Every Finnish Child Read the Book

I learned about the Birch and the Star from my Finnish wife. Russia had again invaded Finland at the beginning of World War 2. For many years, before and after the war's end, every second grade child in a Finnish school read the Birch and the Star.

During a post war period of 11 years, Russia built and occupied, in Finland, army and naval bases, and two airfields. Russia also extracted a war debt payment of 3.4 billion dollars. Russia took 11% of Finland's land, causing 400,000 Finnish refugees, mostly farmers, to leave their homes and resettle in Finland. Like Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, part of Finland became Russian territory. And it still is.

The photo is of farmer-refugees forced by the Russians to leave their homes in Finnish Karelia.

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The Birch and the Star -- The Opening of the Wonder Tale. . .

"About two hundred years ago Finland had suffered greatly. There had been war; cities were burned, the harvest destroyed and thousands of people had died; some had perished by the sword, others from hunger, many from dreadful diseases. There was nothing left but tears and want, ashes and ruins.

Then it happened that many families became separated; some were captured and carried away by the enemy, others fled to the forests and desert places or far away to Sweden. A wife knew nothing about her husband, a brother nothing about his sister, and a father and mother did not know whether their children were living or dead. Some fugitives came back and when they found their dear ones, there was such joy that it seemed as if there had been no war, no sorrow. Then the huts were raised from the ashes, the fields again turned yellow with golden harvest. A new life began for the country. . ."

The story, inspired by the true events of his great grandfather's life continues on. It tells of a brother and sister, kidnapped during the war, who escape and find their way back to Finland, home, and family. 

....................................

What matters in literature in the end is surely the idiosyncratic, the individual, the flavor or the color of a particular human suffering.  Harold Bloom

Photo: Finnish refugee children after Russian invasion in WW2. 

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Every Path Leads Homeward

A longing to wander tears my heart when I hear trees rustling in the wind at evening. If one listens to them silently for a long time, this longing reveals its kernel, its meaning. It is not so much a matter of escaping from one's suffering, though it may seem to be so. It is a longing for home, for a memory of the mother, for new metaphors for life. It leads home. Every path leads homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother.  Hermann Hesse

The photo is by Julie Ivantsova/Shutterstock.

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Always Coming Home - Ursula Le Guin

Always Coming Home is a post-apocalyptic 1985 science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. It takes us into the world of the Kesh people. The Kesh are living in a large California valley in the far future, long after our time. The book is a combination of elements and voices, a multi-dimensional record of narrative. In Le Guin's words," The main part of the book is their voices speaking for themselves in stories and life stories, plays, poems, and songs." 

The Kesh keep their numbers small, lead lives close to nature, in harmony with nature, much like native Americans did for millennium. The Kesh utilize some benefits of technology, including writing, electricity, and computers. They are pastoral and peaceful, as opposed to the Condor people who live in the City and are militant and expansionist. The book is presented by Pandora, a scholar; there is a strong archeology/cultural anthropological approach to the narrative. I think that for the Kesh people, the entire valley, and its past, is Home. 

Here is a link to Kesh music of the Eighth House by Ursula K. Le Guin and Todd Barton: Music of the Eighth House

The photo of the valley of the Kesh is by Tony Reid/Unsplash. The Illustration is by Mike Van Houten.

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Movies and Exceptional Independent Animation
..........
 
Wolfwalkers
 
There is a new critically acclaimed, feature length, animated film, Wolfwalkers , from Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, of Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny, Ireland. Here is the Rotten Tomatoes Critical Concensus (137 critics):
"A mesmerizing Celtic-inspired adventure, Wolfwalkers offers an epic ethereal fantasy matched by profound philosophies and stellar voice work."
I have very much admired the work of Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart since their first feature film, The Secret of Kells (2009) and later, Song of the Sea (2014). Both films, were made by hand drawing -- like Miyazaki and Ghibli studios -- and were, amazingly, financially successful; they both received critical acclaim and  both were nominated for Academy Awards. Cartoon Saloon also had international success with a TV series, Puffin Rock. I have only seen the delightful trailer: PuffinRock
 
"The movies of Cartoon Saloon aren���t direct adaptations of any particular tales either, but they incorporate folkloric creatures and beliefs. Wolfwalkers takes its central concept from old myths about natives of the Kilkenny region in Ireland being able to transform into wolves while their bodies lie in a sort of trance, while Song of the Sea is about selkies, or humans that could transform into seals. These two movies, as well as the studio���s feature debut The Secret of Kells, make up an unofficial trilogy about Irish folklore, using legends and myths to tell fantastical stories about the conflict that arises when belief and tradition are threatened or abandoned." Rafael Mottamayor, Rotten Tomatoes.
 
For More
For readers interested in learning more of the events and evolution of Cartoon Saloon, and the people who have played a significant role in creating its films and its culture, I suggest a recent New Yorker article by the prize winning author and journalist, Mark O'Connell.
 
Wolfwalkers is streaming on Apple TV.
 
Here is a link to the trailer for: Wolfwalkers
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Exceptional Independent Animation
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Yearbook
 
Imagination unlimited grounded in the future.
 
Rescuing the record of us, pulls you in.
 
Writer/Director Bernardo Britto, 
 
Music Matthew Cooper, Art Direction Alexa Haas
 
 
Link Yearbook 5:38
 
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No Reason
 
Surreal music video, the unexpected.
 
Grounded in the unexplainable.
 
Created by Amanda Bonaiuto
 
Music by Toth --Alexander Toth
 
 
Link: No Reason  Time: 3:24
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Agua Viva

Intimate, very human, even endearing.
 
The new life of a young woman.
 
Written, directed, and animated by Alexa Kim Haas.
 
Voice Meneda Zhang,  Music-The Blooming of Rainy Night Flowers, Performed by Tang Li.
 
Link: Agua Viva  Time 6:43
 
 
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Save The Children
 
 
The number of refugee children continues to grow. There are over 15 million refugee children, displaced by war, brutality, poverty, and hunger. Save the Children is always among the first to respond (and last to leave) when crisis strikes and children are most vulnerable.
Link: Refugee Children  Time: 59 seconds
 
Photo of Afghan refugee children is by Ben Brody
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Exceptional Children's Books by Vashti Harrison
 
New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Vashti Harrison shines a bold, joyous light on real and exceptional black women and men through history. They are part of the very special  "Little Legends series" by Vashti Harrison, a young woman gifted both as writer and illustrator. The legends in these books span centuries and continents, but what they have in common is that each one has blazed a trail for generations to come. These are important books. I recommend a very enlightening interview with Vashti Harrison on YouTube. 
.........................
 

Finding Fido

"Between 3 and 4 million pets are put to death in shelters across the U.S. every year. Some of them are owner surrenders, some are impounds, but the vast majority of them are missing or stolen pets.

C.A.Wulff and A.A.Weddle, have compiled a guide to address this sad reality. 'Finding Fido' offers tips for preventing the loss of a pet; advice for what to do with a stray pet you've found; and a step-by-step plan in case the unthinkable happens, and you lose a pet.

100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book benefit The Beagle Freedom Project."

This information was excerpted from Goodreads. I have read Finding Fido and it is excellent.

 

The cover design is by C.A.Wulff.

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Planet Of The Dogs

Long long ago, there were no dogs on planet earth. This is the story of how the dogs came to our planet to help people, and teach them about love, loyalty, and courage.

In this excerpt, Bean's father; Tomas, has brought him to tell Omeg, leader of the Lake Falls people, what happened to him.

���Bean will tell you what happened, Omeg,��� said Tomas. Bean then told the story of Lucy (a small dog) warning the children that a rider was spying on them, and how he followed her and met this man. ���He was covered in a garment made of skins and furs. He had a large bow and many arrows in a leather bag that hung by his side. And he asked questions about the dogs. I told him only what I knew he had already seen. I said that there are two dogs and that they help us with the sheep.���

���Was that all he asked?���

���He asked where the dogs came from and I told him he had to ask my father. I had already told him he was going the wrong way to Woodtown,��� said Bean.

���And what else, young Bean?��� asked Omeg.

���When he turned his horse to leave, Lucy frightened the horse for a moment and the outer blanket that covered him moved. And I saw the emblem of the axe.���

���Did the rider know that you saw this?���

���No, he was too busy with the horse.���

Omeg turned to Tomas. ���Your son has done well. Only Stone City warriors ride horses with the mark of the axe.���  

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To read sample chapters of any book in the series, visit PlanetOfTheDogs 

The Planet Of The Dogs series, including Castle In The Mist and Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, is available from many Internet sources and through independent bookstores of all sizes. Free copies for Therapy Dog owners and organizations, Email me at planetofthedogs@gmail.com.

The illustration above and the cover from The Planet Of The Dogs is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty. 

 

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���Just give me a comfortable couch, a dog, a good book, and a woman. Then if you can get the dog to go somewhere and read the book, I might have a little fun.���
��� Groucho Marx

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.

January -- Walls Were Everywhere, Stories Endured

 

                                            

                                        Walls Were Everywhere

Walls were meant to keep out invaders, outsiders, sickness, death and chaos. Within the walls were royals, warriors, priests, traders, merchants, outsiders and the poor.

And there were stories. With time, most walls failed. The stories evolved and endured.
.........................

The Stories Reflected Life 

"Anyone who returns to the original Grimms after their modern saccharinization sees the deep horror in the tales, the gruesomeness, the tragedy, the dark beliefs and practices."

 

Seth Lerer: Children's Literature, A Reader's History from Harry Potter to Aesop

The illustration from Snow White is by Angela Barrett.

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Tales Were Told and Retold 

"In the Middle Ages, the majority of the population lived in the countryside, and some 85 percent of the population could be described as peasants. Peasants worked the land to yield food, fuel, wool and other resources. The countryside was divided into estates, run by a lord or an institution, such as a monastery or college. A social hierarchy divided the peasantry: at the bottom of the structure were the serfs, who were legally tied to the land they worked." Alixe Bovey, British Library

Before and after the printing Press in Europe (1452), people passed on spoken tales that told in a direct, imaginative, and often entertaining way about the outrages, cruelties, and inequities of everyday life. These stories (wonder tales), told in a tavern, a market place, or a farm house could satirize directly, or by analogy, those in power --  their greed, cruelty, and incompetence, without persecution of the story teller. For example;

Unlimited Royal greed is personified in Rumpelstiltskin. And the incredible metaphor of the Fisherman's Wife poses the question. . .Can anyone who inherits power, even it the power comes from a talking flounder, be as greedy (constantly wanting more) as the woman who ultimately wanted to be God?

Outrageous and often brutal royal behavior can take many forms, even within one family. What should we think of a royal family with a son who has sex with a beautiful young woman in an enchanted coma, and who goes off, after impregnating her. Later, he leaves hus new family with his mother, a cruel queen, who will try to cannibalize the now awakened young princess and her royal grand children.

And what of the boundless lust of a widowed king who tries to force his beautiful daughter into marriage, only to have her escape and survive. She is extremley resourceful and disguises herself by wearing a Donkeyskin. She also has courage, resiliance, and imagination.

The conversations that followed these tales carried them far beyond their immediate listeners. They were told throughout Europe. Here was a way to laugh at the nobility, and talk about their own lives. We have parallels today with our TV news, internet fictions, media, books and movies. 

The illustration of the Gleaners is by Leon Augustin.

The illustration from Rumpelstiltskin is by Paul O. Zelinsky

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Fear and Chaos

For centuries the disputes of both minor nobles and powerful kings brought chaos to the lives of peasant families. Marauding knights, famine, and sickness were often compounded. The forests could be refuge or a nightmare.

And so you had tales of desperate children lost in the great and dangerous forests saved by their own resilience, courage and quick wits: Hansel and Gretel work together to overcome their abandonment, the witch, and being lost in the forest;  Fearless and resourceful, Perrault's Little Thumb, saves his brothers, outwits a murderous ogre, and returns home with wealth and power; and, in Russia there were tales of Vasilisa, an abused young beauty, who must walk through dark forest and enter the house of Baba Yaga, the evil witch of many Slavic tales. All fear Baba-Yaga, who is powerful and devours humans. Vasilisa survives with courage, by alone facing the dark side, and through an enchanted doll that her dying mother gave her.

 

The illustration from Snow White is by Tina Schart Hyman.

.........................

Lost and Abandoned

 

"Their father and mother brought them into the thickest and most obscure part of the forest; when, stealing away into a by-path, they there left them. Little Thumb was not very uneasy at it; for he thought he could easily find the way again, by means of his bread which he had scattered all along as he came. But he was very much surprised when he could not find so much as one crumb; the birds had come and eaten it up every bit. They were now in great affliction, for the farther they went, the more they were out of their way, and were more and more bewildered in the forest.

Night now came on, and there arose a terrible high wind, which made them dreadfully afraid. They fancied they heard, on every side of them, the howling of wolves coming to eat them up. . ." Little Thumb by Charles Perrault.

The illustration from Little Thumb is by Gustave Dore.

 

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Warriors, Weapons and War

In movies, videogames, and in legends, knights are usually romantically portrayed as noble, men of honor. Yet. the reality of these ruthless warriors  usually brought a nightmare of fear, brutality, and pain to the common people who lived outside the castle walls. 

Knights, Violence, and Brutal Chivalry

"Chivalry in later ages may have had merits, but in the eleventh century it was a social disaster. It produced a superfluity of conceited illiterate young men who had no ideals except to rise and hunt and fight, whose only interest in life was violence and the glory they saw in it. . . They were no good at anything else, and despisesd any peaceful occupation". . .      David Howarth, author, The Year of the Conquest

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The Great Unknown of the Forest

And yet, despite all the fairy tale warnings, sometimes we're compelled to run to the dark of the woods, away from all that is safe and familiar -- driven by desperation, perhaps, or the lure of danger, or the need for change. Young heroes stray from the safe, well-trodden path through foolishness or despair. ..but perhaps also by canny premeditation, knowing that venturing into the great unknown is how lives are transformed.              Terri Windling, Myth and Moor

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The Enchanted White Snake

"He went out for a last walk in the woods which he loved. And there, in a sunny glade, strewn with fillaries, purple spotted and delicate, he encountered a white snake, with bright golds eyes and a green forked tongue.

Conversing with snakes is dangerous, for they are in league with the Devil himself; but a man with clear eyes, a quiet mind and a gentle heart can do with impunity what others should not risk. . .the man approached the snake quietly and gently, and smiled at it. The snake stared back unblinking for a few moments and then, with a side slip wiggle, it smiled, then turned and vanished into the long grass." From the retelling of the Grimm's The White Snake, by Sara Maitland.

The image of the white snake is courtesy of KidsWorld.

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Music Within the Walls

Medieval music, often tied in with religious ritual, celebrations, and festivals, also transported people beyond their everyday lives. Usually heard in cathedrals, an otherworldly environment where the mysteries of life, evocative rituals, and incense filled the air. Several years ago, when I first heard medieval music in the church of Saint Lawrence (1450) in Vantaa, Finland, it was a musical surprise. Emotions and imagination were evoked. The photo was taken in that church.

Here is a link to delightful performances by different sources: MedievalMusic. Here is a link to Gregorian chants

 

.........................

Common Bonds  

"On the whole, though, the historical reality that can be excavated from fairy tales does not carry the memory of extreme horrors, specific tragedies, or individuals, but rather dramatizes ordinary circumstances, daily sufferings, needs, desires -- and dangers, especially of dying young."

Marina Warner, Once upon a Time

The photo of Russian peasants is by an unknown photographer.

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Fallen Walls

Hitler was destroying Europe- His troops were in North Africa. It was then that an excellent children's book, Yussuf, the Ostrich, appeared. Emery Kelen, a talented Hungarian illustrator, who had escaped to the USA from Nazi Germany in 1938, used the North African war as a background for a delightful anti-Nazi children's book.  The book tells and shows with abundant illustrations, the story of a brave ostrich who outwitted the German general, and braved gunfire, to run at great speed and deliver the secret Nazi plans to an American general.

Yussuf the Ostrich was rediscovered and edited by Jack Zipes, and is published by his Little Mole and Honey Bear Publishing Company.

The illustrations are by Emery Kelen.

...............................

The Human Struggle

"At their best, the storytelling of fairy tales constitute the most profound articulation of the human struggle to form and maintain a civilizing process. . . The more we learn to relate to other groups of people and realize that their survival and the fulfillment of their interests is related to ours, the more we might construct social codes that guarantee humane relationships. --Jack Zipes on The Art Of Storytelling Show

The illustration, by an unknown Russian postcard illustrator, is from Fearless Ivan and His Faithful Horse Double-Hump, by Pyotr Yershov. as retold by Jack Zipes.

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Movies and Animation
................................
 
Soul from Pixar
Soul is streaming on Disney+.
Soul has received  a multitude of good review on Rotten Tomatoes. Here is their Critics Consensus:

"A film as beautiful to contemplate as it is to behold, Soul proves Pixar's power to deliver outstanding all-ages entertainment remains undimmed."

Here are excerpts from two of my favorite reviewers: "In about 100 jaunty, poignant minutes, ���Soul,��� the new Pixar Animation feature, tackles some of the questions that many of us have been losing sleep over since childhood. Why do I exist? What���s the point of being alive? A.O. Scott NYTimes

"A gentle, thoughtful picture with big ideas about personality, life and death. . .What comes after a metaphysical dramedy set against an often trippy, post-Sergeant Pepper vision of life before life and life after death, Soul is an imaginatively rendered mid-life crisis.?"  Tara Brady Irish Times

Here is the Link to the trailer for Soul
 
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Exceptional Independent Animation
....................
 
Knife Hanging form a Tree
 
Surreal, Imaginative 
 
You are pulled into an offsetting dimension


Surprises somehow make sense
 
Directed by JiHee Nam, CalArts, Music Mid-Air Thief
 
Link: Knife Hanging form A Tree Time: 3.27
 
 
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Batfish Soup
 
Bizarre Surreal
 
Another reality
 
Kafkaesque
 
Created by Amanda Bonaiuto  CalArts
 
Link: Batfish Soup Time: 4.35 
 
 
.........................................
 
Happiness
 
An incredible journey.
 
If mice were us.
 
The story of many; Imagination unlimited;
 
Created by Seve Cutts, Music by Bizet and Greig.
 
Link: Happiness Time 4.13
 
 
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Bookmarks by Netflix Jr Opens Doors to Reading Books in the IT World
 
 
I was curious about Sulwe , a prize winning book about a young black girl who doesn't like her dark color. This led me to a wonderful reading of Sulwe on Y outube by the author, Lupita Nyong'o. The book is outstanding, the writing and the story flow gracefully, and there is the wonder of love pervading the entire story. Lupita Nyong'o is also an amazing actress having won multiple awards in theater and film. These include an Oscar for her performance in 12 Years a Slave.
 
This reading of Sulwe also led me to an outstanding Netflix Jr series, Bookmarks, wherein celebrities and authors read outstanding books, written for black children, that focus on "empathy, equality, self-love, and antiracism." Charming illustrations blend perfectly.
 
Here is a link to your choice among many authors reading their books to children: NetflixBookmarks
Here is a link to author Lupita Nyong'o reading her book Sulwe on youtube.
The illustrations for Sulwe are by Anoosha Syed.
 
................................
 

Refugee Children
Excerpts from a painful, sad, disturbing article by Abdu Latif Dahur in the NYTimes

Almost 51,000 Ethiopian refugees ��� nearly a third of them children ��� have crossed into Sudan from Ethiopia since the Tigray conflict began.

Almost a third of the Ethiopian refugees are children, with at least 361 of them arriving unaccompanied, according to the United Nations refugee agency ��� a stark sign of the sudden nature of the violence that sent them running.

With the violence still continuing, some 2.3 million children in the Tigray region do not have access to humanitarian assistance, according to UNICEF, the U.N. agency for children.

Many of the unaccompanied children said they were separated from their families as they bolted from their homes in the middle of the night, trekking hours and days with nothing but the clothes on their backs to reach safety.

Photo by Tyler Hicks in the  NYT. If you click the photo, a world opens up.
..............................
 
The Human Canine Connection -- 4 Paws For Ability
 
It seems that it is difficult to find service dogs for young children with special needs, a dog that will alert others if a child has a seizure, who will awaken confidence in an autistic child, or open the door to much more of  life for a crippled child.

4Paws For Ability is a remarkable organization where they train service dogs and then give them to children and veterans with special needs -- children with epileptic seizures, Downs Syndrome, Autism, physical disabilities, and combinations of these and other challenging conditions.

"Based in Xenia, Ohio, and Anchorage Alaska, 4 Paws For Ability is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to place quality service dogs with children with disabilities and veterans who have lost use of limbs or hearing; help with animal rescue, and educate the public regarding use of service dogs in public places."

Visit their site, watch the videos, read the heartfelt, positive testimonials. Here is the link: service 

Photo from Memories by Beverly.

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Who Chains You Publishing

Author Tamira Ci Thayne  is the founder of Who Chains You  Publishing. The company was founded to publish books for and about animal lovers, activists and rescuers���in all genres from children's to fiction to autobiographies. The mission of Who Chains You is to amplify the voices of the animals through the empowerment of animal lovers, activists, and
rescuers who write books elevating the status of animals in society. . .At the deepest level, WCY books explore which chains humans must break within themselves in order to free the animals.

Previously, Tamira was the founder and CEO of Dogs Deserve Better, a rescue devoted to ending dog chaining.

Ariel Wulff is a dog enthusiast, dog owner and advocate, artist, and author of several dog books. She has also been illustrating a variety of delightful children's books for Tamira Ci Thayne. The covers of two of those books are posted here.

...................................

Planet of the Dogs

 

"Our story begins long, long ago, before there were dogs on Planet Earth. . .

And then there came a time when the abundance and happiness found on Planet Earth were threatened by people like the warrior tribes of Stone City. They had forgotten how to love. . .Their numbers began to grow and soon they were taking the homes, land, and farms where peaceful people lived. . .  Something had to be done -- but what could anybody do? No one knew it at that time, but help would come from far, far away, from the  Planet of the Dogs."

We have free reader copies of all the books in the Planet Of The Dogs series for therapy dog organizations, individual therapy dog owners, librarians, teachers and independent bookstores. Email us with a postal address to planetofthedogs@gmail.com and we will send you the books. 

To read sample chapters of any book in the series, visit PlanetOfTheDogs 

The Planet Of The Dogs series, including Castle In The Mist and Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, is available from many Internet sources and through independent bookstores of all sizes. 

The illustration of the Black Hawk Castle is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty.

 

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���Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.���
��� Christopher Hitchens

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December 2020 -- Hope, the Season, and Celebration

 

                         
                                                                     Joy to the World

When Charles Dickens wrote the book, A Christmas Carol, it was a book about bringing joy to the world. It was written in the midst of a tumultuous industrial revolution, a time of expanding empire, and wide spread poverty. In the midst of British societal indifference to human suffering, it helped change the English attitude and ultimately, that of much of the Western World. The conservative British oligarchy was influenced by Tiny Tim and the three Ghosts of Christmas. And ordinary people took the message of charity to heart. The Christmas season has continued to evolve. In our era, it has become a time of celebration, charity and gift giving. And, a profitable marketplace.

Christmas Book Nostalgia

MR. Dog's Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn

The wonderful book, Mr Dog's Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn brings the timeless charm of an earlier era to us. The author, Albert Bigelow Paine (1861-1937), was a friend and biographer of Mark Twain , as well as the author of novels, biographies, and many children's books. These included stories of The Hollow Tree Inn,  and all the animal inhabitants of The Inn and the Big Deep Woods. The wonderful illustrations by Adam McCauly in this reclaimed version add to the original story.

Paine created and told a multitude stories to his own children. Over time, he wrote, among other children's books, three very popular books about the animal characters of The Hollow Tree Inn and the Big Deep Woods. These included: Mr. Coon, Mr. Possum, Mr. Crow, Jack Rabbit, Mr. Dog, and many others. They are all imaginative, charming, and well written.

Mr. Dog knew things that others did not know because he lived in the house of Mr. Man. He shared stories of things he had heard, or adventures he had, with his forest friends. Until Mr. Dog told them about Santa, his animal friends had never heard of him. The story unfolds when Mr Coon, Possum, and Crow put out big Christmas stockings, not knowing that Santa only visited children.

Mr Dog's Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn is a rescued treasure of Betsy Cordes. Originally published in 1898, it was a favorite in her family and read aloud at Christmas for three generations. 

Here is a link to this delightful new edition of Mr. Dog's Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn.

Here is a link to many books by Albert Bigelow Paine on Project Gutenberg.

The cover and the illustrations are by Adam McCauly. Book design by Cynthia Wigginton.

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 Twas the Night Before Christmas

"As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too. "

Clement Clarke Moore (1823)

 

 

 

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Christmas Memories in the Great Meadow of Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows is a celebration of life, a holiday from the everyday world. The world of the Great Meadow, and beyond, has a comfortable beauty that offers the young and the young at heart a respite, a good place to be. This is especially true when the Christmas holidays are celebrated. . .

"I think it must be the field-mice," replied the Mole, with a touch of pride in his manner. "They go round carol-singing regularly at this time of the year. They're quite an institution in these parts. And they never pass me over���they come to Mole End last of all; and I used to give them hot drinks, and supper too sometimes, when I could afford it. It will be like old times to hear them again."

"Let's have a look at them!" cried the Rat, jumping up and running to the door.

It was a pretty sight, and a seasonable one, that met their eyes when they flung the door open. In the fore-court, lit by the dim rays of a horn lantern, some eight or ten little field-mice stood in a semicircle, red worsted comforters round their throats, their fore-paws thrust deep into their pockets, their feet jigging for warmth . . . As the door opened, one of the elder ones that carried the lantern was just saying, "Now then, one, two, three!" and forthwith their shrill little voices uprose on the air, singing one of the old-time carols . . . "

Here is a link to read The Wind In The Willows

Here is a link to Inga Moore illustrations.

The illustration is by Inga Moore.

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Father Christmas and Inga Moore

It was In an excellent article in the Guardian by Joanna Carey  about the wonderful illustrator, Inga Moore, that I first read about Father Christmas(1973) by Raymond Briggs, another celebrated book from an earlier era. Brigg's book was a turning point in Moore's life. Moore told Joanna Carey about her reaction to Father Christmas: " 'It was uplifting, life-enhancing, and I realized that making a picture book was one of the finest things one could aspire to.' She got started as an illustrator and in the early 80s, inspired by childhood memories, returned to England."

I then learned that Raymond Briggs was an award-winning and very popular author/illustrator of children's books, and very well known in England. Among other books, he wrote and illustrated The Snowman, Father Christmas, and Father Christmas Goes on Holiday. Each of these books became popular videos. The two Father Christmas books were combined into one story in their video versions. These are timeless books for young children.

Here is a link to a delightful 25 minute video version of the book for kids: Father Christmas

Here is a link to the very different and charming 25 minute version of the Brigg's book; The Snowman

The illustration above is by Raymond Briggs.

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Randolph the Reindeer --  A New Book

The story opens with Randolph's excitement at being in a competition to be selected as part of the team that will pull Santa's sleigh. That very night is Christmas Eve. However, Randolph, although extremely fast, is out of control and he is, inadvertently, a sleigh crasher. He means well, but he is immature, and seems unable to change.

Randolph ultimately redeems himself when he courageously flies Jeremy the Elf, through a terrible blizzard, to the home of a boy named Jamie. He promised to find a way to repair a camera that was broken through Randolph's out of control sleigh pulling. The camera meant a lot to Jamie, as it was a gift from his mother. Jeremy, being a member of Santa's workshop is able to repair the camera and Randolph has saved the Christmas day. This is a fun Christmas adventure book for young kids by Sean Patrick O'Reilly and with lots of colorful Disney-like illustrations by David Alvarez.

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Interview With Santa

Lost in the mists of time is a true Christmas story. . . Long ago, the unthinkable happened and there was to be no more Christmas. Click this link for more: Interview with Santa

 

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Ode to Joy -- Flashmob in Sabadell

Every year, when preparing this December edition of our blog, I treat myself to watching and listening to several Ode To Joy concerts. Watching ordinary people and children as the music grows before them, combined with the extraordinary music, is a very special experience.

Here is link for you to share in this wonderful Ode to Joy video from Sabadell, Spain. The photo was taken early on as the musicians continued to arrive..

Enjoy.

 

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Tree Beings .. A Book for All Seasons

This is a wonderful book for children with fascinating content and extraordinary illustrations. It incorporates free association of facts and imagination with solid information regarding the wonder and importance of trees. Written with passion by New Zealand educator and talented author, Raymond Huber, and with superb illustrations by an Australian, Sandra Severgnini, Tree Beings succeeds in being entertaining, educational, and fearlessly wide ranging. The 2 page forward is an appreciation and strong endorsement by Jane Goodall.

This book could become a classic.

 

The cover and illustrations are by Sandra Severgnini.

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Truth Exaggerated

The fairy tale survives because because it presents experience in vivid symbolic forms; Sometimes we need to have the truth exaggerated and made more dramatic, even fantastic, in order to comprehend it. . .          

 Alison Laurie, Boys and Girls Forever

 

The illustration from Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale , is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty

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Movies and Animation

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Jingle Jangle

A imaginative, joyous, black musical update of Dicken's Christmas Carol.

Here is the exciting trailer: Jimgle Jangle. The film is playing now on Netflix  Directed and created by David E. Talbert. Here is a review excerpt from the  NYTimes Critics:

The magic of ���Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,��� a fun seasonal Netflix offering, hinges on belief ��� in reinvention, imagination and the ability of even the most familiar stories to offer fresh lessons. . . The movie is packed with thrilling sequences, charming songs (by Philip Lawrence, John Legend and others), flashy dance numbers and a delightful cast. Although parts of the film veer on clich��, its intentions are well-meaning and its messages about nurturing curiosity and fostering community are well worth hearing right about now.

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Come Away-- Alas, this Peter Pan "revision" has stumbled. Here is the Critics Consensus from Rotten Tomatoes: "Largely lacking the fairytale magic it seeks to conjure, Come Away is an initially intriguing fantasy that never really takes flight."

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Exceptional Independent Animation
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A Normal Day In the Life of Sassi

An imaginative and charming visit to the future.

Sassi lives and works in a magical future world.

Friendly fantasy.

Perfect for kids and the young at heart.

Made by Choi Keeweso; DayDream Sound

 

Here is the link: Sassi  time 6.42

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Fear of the Deer

A deer who is not like the others.

Darkness in Santa Land.

Awesome. Not for kids.

Happy Holidays from animator Steve Cutts.

Intro music by Admiral Bob.

 

Link: Fear of the Deer time 1.45

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My Favorite War

Poignant, Meaningful, Imaginative trailer for the full length version.

���My Favorite War teaches the global value of freedom and demonstrates how a very personal story can be of universal interest��.  A quote from the Annecy Festival where the film won the award for best feature. This is a personal, animated documentary that tells the story of the director growing up in Latvia, part of the Soviet Union, from 1970 to 1990."
Here is a link regarding the film from the program of the Norwegian Film Festival

Created by Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen, Ego Studios,Latvia

Here is the link: My Favorite War 2 minutes

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You can find magic wherever you look.  Sit back and relax all you need is a book!��� ��� Dr. Seuss

 

 

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Little Mole and Honeybear

Jack Zipes new publishing company, Little Mole and Honeybear is publishing exceptional children's books that have been lost because of time, fashion, or the vicissitudes of the publishing business. The range is extensive since Zipes is able to translate books which may have originally appeared in non-English speaking countries. The results are a cascade of fascinating, eye- opening children's books. I have previously written about some of them: Laboulaye's myriad tales; Fearless Ivan and His Faithful Horse, Double Hump; The Giant Ohl and Tiny Tim; and Keedle the Great. Next month, I will write about Emery Kelen and Yussuf the anti-fascist ostrich. From the Little Mole and Honeybear website:

We are cultural excavators. Some of our biggest political and moral challenges have been addressed by voices long lost to history. We will unbury neglected authors and books from the twentieth century, before we are buried.

Mission: Founded in January 2018 by Jack Zipes, Little Mole & Honey Bear publishes unusual books for children and adults largely published during, before, and after World War I and World War II. They celebrate the poetic power of fantasy and illustrate how writers and illustrators have used their art to generate hope in their readers. Though conceived, created, and published in the twentieth century, all these works are still highly relevant today.

The illustration from Yussuf the Ostrich is by the author, Emery Kelen.

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Free Books for Mothers of Infants That Open the Doors to More Books

Mommy Talk and Talk to Me are two delightful complimentary books available to new mothers, in Spanish and English. They are a tangible stimulus for parents and other caregivers who are readng with and talking to very young children ages 0 to 4.

"As of today, the Nancy M. and Douglas M. Yeager Family Foundation has distributed free of charge 94,076 printed copies of our four books. . .We have four titles available:  Mommy Talk, Mi Mama Me Habla, Talk to Me, and Habla Conmigo. . .The books continue to be distributed primarily through nonprofits, government agencies, pediatricians, pediatric clinics and pediatric hospitals and, interestingly enough, about a thousand copies were distributed recently at food banks in New York.  We also welcome direct requests submitted to our Foundation at P.O. Box 20622, Estes Park, CO 80511."                                                        Here is a link to the: Yeager Foundation Website.

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Children's Books Ireland for the Poor

All over Ireland there are children who do not own a book. This December, Children���s Books Ireland is gifting a bedtime story to Irish children as they face into a difficult Christmas. With the support of the Arts Council and KPMG, 6,000 Irish books will be given to children and young people in direct-provision centres, hospitals and homeless services nationwide through charity partners. . . All 6,000 books are by Irish artists, many of them Irish-published. 

Link to this article: The Irish Times

The photo is courtesy of Barnabos, an Irish Charity

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Hanukkah -- December 22-30

Hanukkah is the Jewish Holiday that takes place over 8 days in December. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Holiday celebrates Jewish strengths, perseverance, and continuity. It has origins dating to 165BCE  when Judea was freed from oppression and conquest of the Seleucid king. Hanukkah is a celebration of freedom and being. 

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Kwanzaa

"Unlike Christmas and Hanukkah, Kwanzaa was not born out of religion. Instead it is a largely social and communal holiday that grew out of the civil rights movement. Established by professor and activist Maulana Karenga in 1966, Kwanzaa was meant as a way to bring the African-American community together once a year for a celebration of its culture and heritage.  Over the years, the exclusive nature of Kwanzaa was stripped away by Karenga, and it is now looked at as a chance for people of all races and backgrounds to celebrate African culture the same way we celebrate Irish and Mexican culture on St. Patrick���s Day and Cinco de Mayo."

Here is a link to read more about Kwanzaa

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Winter Memories from Born Without a Tail

Born Without a Tail is a real life memoir by C. A.Wulff, author of dog books, blogger, and life-long rescuer of animals -- especially dogs. Here is an excerpt that I find particularly telling in the Christmas season.

 

"Whenever I think back over the years...my thoughts return to the time when Gypsy, Dillon, Pluto and Troll were the cornerstones of our pack. These four dogs completed us...my favorite part of each day was when we would all settle down together to sleep...In winter months, the wind would howl outside and I would feel warm and safe, denned with my pack. These were times of total contentment. Times when a deep abiding sense of belonging warmed me to my soul." 

 

The photo of Troll is by C.A. Wulff.

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 A Holiday Smile for Dog Lovers

 

 

Here is a link to a festive holiday occasion where you will see 13 well dressed dogs and one cat at a dinner table cat eating with human hands.

 

 

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Celebrate

 

Thanks to Richard Bradley for the photo. Every year at this time we post a photo from Richard's  Blog, A Rock in My Shoe. The dogs, Darcy and Caboose, have passed on but their holiday spirit remains. 

 

 

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Happy Holidays to all...

And a special greeting to the therapy dog owners and therapy and service dog organizations who make this world a better place.

 I am awed by and grateful to the dog lovers and their therapy dogs who help so many people, of all ages, in so many ways. Dogs have a unique quality that helps people heal, release fear, and find joy. When you think about the blessings that dogs bring to people's lives, especially therapy and service dogs, it boggles the mind.

A Memory of Rose, a Therapy Dog . . . Below is an excerpt from my correspondence with Susan Purser, a retired school teacher, about working with her therapy dog, Rose, for over 15 years -- until Rose passed on.
Susan carries on her therapy dog work as her puppy, Tazi, who also loves to be with people, continues to grow.

"No matter who you are or why you do pet therapy, it is the dog that opens the door���doors that would otherwise be closed to a well meaning human. . . doors that are sometimes closed to family, friends, care givers and staff of facilities. There is something very special about these canine creatures and they have been saving and comforting humans for thousands of years. It is their touch or look that gives people that inner peace when their world is shrinking or spinning so fast they have lost control. When doors begin the final closing, there is that one last smile, nod, a hand that reaches for a dog that allows some of them to say good bye and close their eyes in peace.��� 

The photo of Rose visiting a friend was taken by Susan Purser.

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Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale

 

"The Barking Planet series of illustrated kids' books full of mythic fairy tale dog heroes is unabashedly humane, uplifting, and morally improving, which may not be everybody's cup of tea (or bowl of kibble), but it does make for interesting relief in a kid lit world increasingly obsessed with violence, family dysfunction and personal trauma." Barbara Julien for Animal Literature.

"Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale...the exciting story of the dogs from Planet Of The Dogs who come to earth to help save Christmas...this book brought me back to my youth, a time when it seemed my imagination was endless, something that gets lost in adulthood. The holidays are just around the corner and this book would make a great stocking stuffer." From the review by Horst Hoefinger on Dogster

To Read Sample Chapters of Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, Click here: Christmas Books

The illustration from Snow Valley Heroes is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty.

 

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���I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.��� ��� Gilda Radner

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November 2020 -- Through a Child's Eyes, Meaning, and Hope

 

 

In the country of fairies, one knows everything in one hour or one day.

"In the happy country of fairies, one leaves it only to find one���s way back. One suffers only to become happy, whereas pain is for us an enigma and life a struggle without end where the better people are the first to fall.
There, in the country of fairies, one does not get old, and one always loves. Here, no sooner does our heart barely recover from those foolish acts of our youth than it turns serious and begins to love an object worthy of our heart. Then, our face becomes wrinkled, and our hair turns white leaving us with the feeling of ridicule. There, in the country of fairies, one knows everything in one hour or one day. Here, we pursue truth at the cost of our lives as it evades us. It flees like the marvelous bird, and when, at last, after 30 years of pain, we feel it near us, when our hand lowers to seize it, another hand more powerful freezes us and carries us off to the country from which nobody has ever returned." -- �����douard Laboulaye, Contes bleus, 1863

The top illustration from Kenneth Grahame's Wind In The Willows is by Inga Moore.

The illustration of Laboulaye's fairytale, The Castle of Life, is by Edward McCandlish. 

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Growing, Expanding, and Prospering

The USA, in the first part of 2he 20th century, was growing, expanding, and prospering. Ceaseless immigration. The industrial revolution, trains crossing the country, canals, steamships, and cars for the burgeoning middle class.

Progress was the byword, from Chicago to  the coastlands. and cities kept growing. 

Competition and big rewards. Hardship and corruption. Prosperity and poverty.

Mulberry Street, New York City 1900

Opportunities and Problems

"The Industrial Revolution began the transition of the United States from a rural to an urban society. Young people raised on farms saw greater opportunities in the cities and moved there, as did millions of immigrants from Europe. Providing housing for all the new residents of cities was a problem, and many workers found themselves living in urban slums. . ." Library of Congress

Life Got Faster and Grueling for Many

"Rapid advances in the creation of steel, chemicals and electricity helped fuel production, including mass-produced consumer goods and weapons. It became far easier to get around on trains, automobiles and bicycles. At the same time, ideas and news spread via newspapers, the radio and telegraph. Life got a whole lot faster.

Factory jobs were grueling. It was an era when industrial growth created a class of wealthy entrepreneurs and a comfortable middle class supported by workers who were made up by immigrants and arrivals from America���s farms and small towns." -- The History Channel

The photo is from Getty Images.

Meanwhile in Sandwich, Massachusetts 

During these halcyon days in the crowded cities , Thornton Burgess (1874-1965), who would later become a writer of children's books set in the natural world, was growing up in Sandwich, a small Cape Cod town of 1,448. His father had died in the year he was born (1874). So it was that the boy worked at a variety of jobs to help earn money for the living needs of his widowed mother and himself. From his work in the fields, woodlands, and wetlands, he acquired an intimate knowledge of nature and wildlife. 

According to Wikipedia , his boyhood jobs were many: "He worked tending cows, picking trailing arbutus (mayflowers) or berries, shipping water lilies from local ponds, selling candy, and trapping muskrats." During these formative years he came to know and love nature. 

Later in life, as a father and a widower, he was raising his young son with the help of relatives and working as a reporter for the Springfield Homestead. He began making up stories for the little boy, stories about nature and animals inspired by his own boyhood experiences. He soon began writing them down. This was the beginning of an extraordinary career as a beloved children's book writer. 

The vintage farm scene above is from Antique Maps.

Annals of Old Mother Westwind

In 1910, Old Mother Westwind, Burgess first book appeared and became nationally popular. As other books and stories followed, animals and places from Mother Westwind -- Peter Rabbit, Johnny Chuck, Grandfather Frog and many others -- reappeared.  Sales grew into the millions and were translated into several overseas editions. Over the next 50 years, he wrote 170 books; 16,000 stories, a daily newspaper column (Bedtime Stories), and in 1924, a popular weekly radio show, the Radio Nature League. He also became an active, lifetime, conservationist.

A Beautiful World of Nature for Young Children.

To get a sense of Burgess writing voice, here is the opening of Old Mother West Wind:

"Old Mother West Wind came down from the Purple Hills in the golden light of the early morning. Over her shoulders was slung a bag���a great big bag���and in the bag were all of Old Mother West Wind's children, the Merry Little Breezes. . . When she reached the Green Meadows Old Mother West Wind opened her bag, turned it upside down and shook it. Out tumbled all the Merry Little Breezes and began to spin round and round for very joy, for you see they were to lay in the Green Meadows all day long until Old Mother West Wind should come back at night and take them all to their home behind the Purple Hills. . .

When the Merry Little Breezes left Johnny Chuck they raced across the Green Meadows to the Smiling Pool to say good morning to Grandfather Frog who sat on a big lily pad watching for green flies for breakfast.

���Chug-arum,��� said Grandfather Frog, which was his way of saying good morning.

Just then along came a fat green fly and up jumped Grandfather Frog. When he sat down again on the lily pad the fat green fly was nowhere to be seen, but Grandfather Frog looked very well satisfied indeed as he contentedly rubbed his white waistcoat with one hand. . ."

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The illustrations here, above, and all the illustrations for Burgess' books were by his friend, Harrison Cady.

Project Gutenberg's Old Mother West Wind.

Project Gutenberg's Mother West Wind's Animal Friends, by Thornton W. Burgess

The Thornton W. Burgess Society and Greenbriar Nature Center in Sandwich, MA.


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Could a Bear be a Prince ?

Creating stories with animals behaving like people with human traits, personalities, and behaviors has a long tradition going back to Aesop. Good stories, like Aesop's Fables capture the imagination and teach. Children's literature is filled with wonderful anthropomorphic animals from Carroll's Mad Hatter and Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit to Milne's Pooh Bear and Grahame's Toad.  From Kipling's jungle to powerful bears under a spell, the literature of the young has also become literature for YA and adults.

 

The illustration is by Alice and Martin Provensen.

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Richard Scarry's World

I know from experience that reading a book like Scarry's What Do People Do All Day to a young child is a special experience. Young children have strong responses to Scarry's books. They feel a connection and want to look at them --  and listen to them being read -- for years (and their parents like them, too). They explain things about the world around them. They are fun, for young and old.

In 1963, after thirteen years creating illustrations for other writers, he completed the first book that he both wrote and illustrated :The Best Word Book Ever. The book was brilliant, filled with words and illustrations of more than 1400 objects. Hundreds of animal characters were doing things that people do. The book was an immediate success, selling 7 million copies in twelve years. Scarry had the imagination and talent to make his books a fun way for children to learn. He said, "Everything has an educational value if you look for it. But it's the fun I want to get across."  

 

Scarry married Paricia Murphy, a writer of children's textbooks. He had previously illustrated books for her. Over the years, she collaborated with her husband. He named his son, Huck, after Huckleberry Finn, a favorite book of Scarry's. He later named Huckle Cat -- a character who appears in many of his books, after his son. Scarry died in 1994. His son, Huck, has carried on the tradition and created more wonderful books under the name, Richard Scarry.

Book sales, in many languages, total over 100 million. Toys, puzzles, and animated TV series in abundance have been produced based on Scarry's books and characters.

Here is a link to the Busy World of Richard Scary TV series.

 

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Updating the Busy World 

"His Best Word Book Ever, which first appeared in 1963, was issued in 1980 as a "new revised edition" which altered images and text to remove material which could be perceived as offensive due to gender, racial, or religious misconceptions. . .Moral and religious elements and depictions of gender roles were altered or removed (for instance, a menorah was added into a Christmas scene, and the words "he comes promptly when he is called to breakfast", referring to a father bear, were changed to "he goes to the kitchen to eat his breakfast"). Characters engaged in activities reflecting traditional gender roles were altered so as to make the scenes more gender-neutral (e.g., a male character was added into a kitchen scene, a cowboy was replaced with a female gardener and a female scientist. . ." Wikipedia
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A Busytown Update

There is a Busytown Update from Tom the Dancing Bug, a YA and satirical adult comic strip by Ruben Bolling.

Bolling has changed the image and description of several characters to Include: a swamp drainer; a fake news troll; and a millennial complainer. Here is the Link: Busytown Today.

 

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Children as Silent Witnesses

"Of all the recollections of childhood reading that I have encountered, my favorite comes from an essay by the novelist Penelope Lively entitled "Essential and Eternal". Lively makes the point that child readers obliterate the threshold between reality and fantasy as they enter other worlds, But rather than identifying with characters, they become silent witnesses -- observers who see the characters as role models and companions rather than second selves, They participate in the lives of others without liquidating their own identities." -- Excerpted from Enchanted Hunters by Maria Tatar. 

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Movies and Animation

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Anthony Iannuci has directed a film adapted from Charles Dicken's David Copperfield

"To a remarkable extent, the new movie is full of cheer. It feels boisterous, bustling, and, at times, perilously close to a romp. Of the young David���s deep and dawdling loneliness there is no sign; later . . .

 Iannucci���s movie. 'Although it���s set in 1840, for the people in the film it���s the present day,' he said in an interview. 'And it���s an exciting present.' That is a compelling claim, and 'The Personal History of David Copperfield,' despite its shortcomings, is an enterprise full of hope. Like Mr. Micawber, it thrives on the ridiculous belief that something, somewhere, will turn up." ��� -- Anthony Lane in the New Yorker

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Spirited Away

Netflix is now showing Studio Ghibli Films, including all of the wonderful films by the extraordinary Hayao Miyazaki. Spirited Away is a classic celebration of magic and wonder. This is a film of the imagination that stands alone. 

Full of surprises and extraordinary animation, the film follows the saga of a young girl who must use her wits and find  the courage to survive and prevail in an alternate dimension populated by ghosts and the spirit world.

 

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Independent Animation

Extraordinary independent animation is being created around the world.
The techniques and subject matter vary with the talented creators, giving us many wonderful moments.
Below are three imaginative animated films.

The illustration is from Forget Me Not   by the Animation Workshop.

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Awkward

Brilliant concept and animation

Totally original and very inventive

Created by Nata Metlukh

Music and sound by Daruma Audio

Link: Awkward: time 3.37

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The Turning Point

Darkly powerful and imaginative 

Climate change as you have never seen it

Created by Steve Cutts

Music by the Wantaways

 

Link: The Turningpoint: time 3.21

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Earth Crisis

Remarkable, engaging, moving

Magic of life, beauty of the natural world

Produced by Encyclopedia Pictura Productions

Written/Directed by Isaiah Saxon. Lead animator, Pavel Mishkin

Music by Dirty Projectors, Dave Longstreth; vocals Kristin Slipp

Link; Earth Crisis  time 7 minutes

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"Anyone who returns to the original Grimms after their modern saccharinization sees the deep horror in the tales, the gruesomeness, the tragedy, the dark beliefs and practices."

Seth Lerer:  Children's Literature, A Reader's History from Harry Potter to Aesop

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Keedle the Great

In 1940, when Keedle the Great was first published, Europe was in turmoil. Civilization was being torn apart  Poland was defeated and occupied. Norway had surrendered. Relentless Nazi air attacks were destroying British cities. Hundreds of thousands of British children were evacuated from cites. Russia invaded Finland. The Balkan countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were overrun. Italy declared war, Fascists had conquered Spain and Hitler's Nazis had entered Paris. Jews were beaten robbed, and forced into Ghettos. 

In the USA, Deirdre  Conselman and her father, writer William
Conselman Jr,, were so concerned about the nightmare in Europe, that they wrote Keedle the Great, All You've Ever Wanted To Know About Fascism. It is a  children's book, with resonate illustrations by Fred L. Fox, about a nasty kid who looks like Hitler, and grows up to be an evil ruler, before he is destroyed. Remarkably, it is effective today and entirely appropriate for kids.

Keedle is now republished by Jack Zipes new publishing company, Little Mole And Honey Bear. Their Mission Statement: "History is doomed to repeat itself. We must preserve the things that make us human, and stand up to forces that would tear our society apart."

Here is a link to Zipes informative new website.

The photo of  British child refugees is courtesy of the Guardian.

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We Salute the United Nations World Food Program

"The World Food Program was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. . . for its efforts to combat a surge in global hunger amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has swept around the world with devastating impact."

Read more: NY Tmes

Photo of refugee children by Behouz Mehi, AFR Getty Images

 

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Paws for People .. Making the Human Canine Connection

Mission Statement

PAWS lovingly provides elders, children, and persons with disabilities individualized, therapeutic visits with a gentle and affectionate pet.

Programs

From hospitals and skilled care facilities to chemical dependency centers and elementary schools, thousands of people are experiencing the benefits of one-on-one therapeutic visits thanks to hundreds of dedicated volunteers and their loving therapy companions every year.

Here is a link to a video that documents the PAWS for People program with dogs and people in action.

Here is a link to Paws for People.

Photo courtesy of Paws for People.

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Circling the Waggins 

"This book was recommended to me by a friend. Once I got into the book, I couldn't put it down. . . I highly recommend this book to animal lovers. You will definitely laugh and cry. You may even learn a few things about animal care and the treatment of various health issues pet owners often face. I enjoyed this book so much that I am now reading another of this author's pet tales."

This is  an excerpt from a United Kingdom review by BrittdogPub on Amazon. (Link)

 

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Snow Valley Heroes-A Christmas Tale 

The third book in the Planet of the Dogs series

In Snow Valley Heroes-A Christmas Tale...Santa Claus and the elves are faced with a disaster. Dasher and Dancer, two of Santa's reindeer, are missing, and without the reindeer to pull the sleigh, there can be no Christmas.

The King of the North has taken the reindeer and hidden them in the great Ice Castle.

The only source of hope, the only source of help, for rescuing the missing reindeer comes from the Planet of the Dogs.

This is the true true story of how the the dogs saved Christmas.

Reader copies are available for librarians, teachers, bookstores and reviewers...Send your request with a postal address to  barkingplanet@aol.com

 

The illustration from Snow Valley Heroes is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty.

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���You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.��� ��� Harry S Truman

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