Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was one of my favorite films as a child, so I just simply could not wait to read the book as an adult. Like all of Dahl's stories, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is filled with over the top and fun nonsense. Dahl makes his story popular by combining the elements of nonsense and humor.

Charlie Bucket, our main character, is a young boy who lives in a small wooden cottage outside of town with his three generations of his family. Aside from his parents and his bedridden grandparents, Charlie has an adoration and obsession with chocolate. However, his family unable to make ends meet, Charlie is only awarded with one bar of chocolate for his birthday each year. Needless to say, Charlie Bucket is consumed with dissapointment when he discovers that Willy Wonka, an eccentric candy gooroo in town, wishes to hide five golden tickets in his delicious chocolate bars that will allow each winner to gain access to the many secrets of his factory. When Charlie finds one whole dollar hidden in the snow on his way home from school, one day there is no question on what his new money will be spent. When he purchases two candy bars at the local candy store, Charlie never anticipates that one of his candy bars has the final golden ticket hidden underneath the wrapper. Charlie and his grandfather, have the profound opportunity travel to Wonka's factory and discover the wonders and secrets of this famous candy mansion.

Road Dahl, the king of originality, certainly allows for this story to be a children's favorite, as he creates a fantasy world filled with Oompa Loompas, a river made of chocolate, and a great glass elevator. He achieves popularity through his nonsense and his humor. Dahl allows these elements of humor and nonsense to combine through the magical candy factory owned by Willy Wonka. The nonsense of the story is what generally makes the story comical for children. For example, children seem to giggle as Mr. Wonka describes his Oompa Loompas. "Then you'll know all about it, Mrs. Salt. And oh what a terrible country it is. Nothing but thick jungles infested by the most dangerous beasts in the world.-hornswogglers, snozzwangers, and those terrible wicked whagdoodles...." (65) Children laugh as Mr. Wonka seems to outsmart the adults with his far fetched tales. Another location in the story that children seem to laugh at the nonsense element is when Wonka is decribing the various rooms in the factory. EATABLE MARSHMELLOW PILLOWS, LICKABLE WALLPAPER FOR NURSERIES, HOT ICE CREAM FOR COLD DAYS, and COWS THAT GIVE CHOCOLATE MILK are just a few of the rooms located in Wonka's factory. Despite the adult's insistance on the falseness of it all, Wonka seems to outsmart the parents again with his outlandish explainations. Road Dahl allows Wonka the ability of actually being believable with his stories. Augustus Gloop being sucked into the chocolate pipe, Violet Beauregade being turned into a giant blueberry, and little Mike Teavee being shrunk to a minature size all contribute to the nonsense and humor element in the story.

The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe Poem

The story began

On a curious day

When young Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy

Only sought to play

They hid in the wardrobe

Covered in coats

But then stepped behind

And discovered a snowy land

With a huge lamp post

The children stared in amazement

At their new world in awe

No one would ever believe what they saw

A snowy land with no Christmas all year

The white witch cast this spell

And she was to fear

But the siblings would face a tough challenge yet

They must defeat the witch

And all the ev il they met

The children were aided

Along their way, of course

But Aslan, the mighty lion

Had the most force

He guarded the children

With very little strife

He even met with the witch

And sacrificed his own life

However, a fact about Aslan

Must be understood

His magic was not evil

On the contrary; it was very good

With the help of the children

He defeated the queen

And a new land of Narnia

Was to be seen

Young Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy

Now ruled the land

The evil was punished

And the good was never banned

The link below is a clip from the major motion picture The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe based on the novel by C.S. Lewis. Take a Look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdT7CHdmWco&feature=related

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

Unlike most of my peers in grade school, I never read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. So, naturally when I had the opportunity to choose a book that I would journal on, I chose this popular fantasy to make up for my loss as a child. The story has its advantages and disadvantages.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is classified as a heroic or quest fantasy which calls for a story beginning with characters in a primary world who find some passage into a secondary world. When four brothers and sisters named Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy are whisked away from World War II in London and are sent to an old professor's home, they never expect to discover a magical and enchanted wardrobe closet. Depite their sister's confidence in the land of Narnia, Lucy's older siblings do not believe the young child and her journey through the wardrobe into the land of white witches and magical fauns. It is not until all four children decide to hide in the wardrobe closet when visitors are touring the mysterious mansion, that Lucy's saga of the land of Narnia suddenly is transformed into reality before their very eyes. A new challenge faces the four siblings. They now have the obligation of saving Narnia from the wicked white witch and her wishes of ruling the land forever.
As children read this story, they are empowered and motivated when an average set of children with no specific powers or skills of magic are placed in Narnia to defeat the witch. Even though children love nothing more than being placed at the center of these heroic fantasies with an impossible task, they adore defeating the villian of the fantasy with no magic involved. It is much easier for a child to associate themselves with average children withholding no magical powers like the four protagonists in this story. They place themselves in the shoes of young Edmund, Peter, Susan, and Lucy and discover that attributes such as goodness always prevails over evil. C.S Lewis does a magnificent job of incorporating this particular theme in his fantasy.
Even though the tale motivates children, parts of the story line are a bit dark. There are two sections in the story that I found most disturbing. The first occurs when the wicked white witch has captured young Edmund and travels to search for the three other children after the child indicates where his brother and sisters are hidden. Edmund is depicted with his hand tied tightly behind his back being dragged by the dwarf, the queen's assistant. The queen is found calling Edmund a fool and even a brute in this section of the tale. The next section that was extremely gruesome occurs towards the end of the tale when Lucy and Susan find that their hero, Aslan the Lion, is tormented by the witch. The witch jeers at the Lion while her evil assistants which include hags, dwarfs and apes charge at the animal. They proceed to shave his beautiful golden mane, bind his paws together, and muzzle him. Aslan is eventaully killed at the end of this miserable torturing.

Alice in Wonderland (Video vs. Movie)

Although there are a few similarities between the book and the movie, for the most part Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland have major contrasting elements in plot and characters.Like all of Walt Disney's films, Alice and Wonderland's plot seems to be driven through each musical piece. The musical numbers almost seem to replace the more detailed plot and content in the novel. The complex plot in the novel includes a talking mouse who conducts a caucus race,and a Dutchess with an infant who turns to a baby pig. The movie clearly removes this detailed content and deals more with a broader turn of events topped with this muscial element. However, the film contains the basic elements within Carroll's novel. Throughout the course of the film, the audience observes the unpunctual rabbit, the river of tears, the Chesshire Cat, the Mad Hatter and March Hare, and lastly the infamous Queen of Hearts.
Below is a clip from Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland that aids in explaining the musical element which is absent from Carroll's novel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLxCMSIOIbg

Alice in Wonderland

In class this week, our discussion has been centered entirely around fantasy stories. The Russel Text adds to our lectures by listing the various types of fantasy stories and naming the hidden rules of the fantasy writers. One such rule states that children demand that their fantasy story not be stolen from them at the conclusion of the tale. Surprisingly, Alice in Wonderland represents a major contradiction of this law that is weighed so heavily with this partiular age sector. Not only is the fantasy aspect of the story instantly removed when Alice realizes that her adventures in Wonderland result from a dream, but Carroll reminds his readers throughout the entire course of the story that Alice is in a deep sleep.

For example, Carroll suggests on the first page of his story that Alice is drifting to sleep. " So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid.)" Immediately after, Alice envisions a talking rabbit who speeds past her complaining of his unpunctual behavior. What else can be concluded from these opening sentences that Alice is a product of her own dream?

Another way that Carroll seems to scream to his readers that Alice's adventurous journey results from a dream occurs when Alice happens upon the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. When a curious Alice approaches the couple she notices a strange sight that sits between the Hatter and the Hare: a noctural Dormouse who has difficulty staying awake. Is Carroll attempting to relate this sleeping rodent to our protagonist? It is difficult not to wonder whether our author is suggesting that Alice is no different from the mouse: fast asleep and a victim of his own imagination.

Lastly, it is hard not to consider whether Alice's loss of memory is a result of her unconsious state. Alice is constantly found forgetting her most basic knowledge. " Who in the world am I?..... Four times five is twelve....London is the capital Paris."

Little is known of why Lewis Carroll was directly went against the wishes of the children audience. It is interesting, however, to analyze the matter and wonder why the author was so bold in his attempts.

Top Ten Children's Literature Through the Years

BBC's Online Network suggests in their online article entitled Education the Books Children are Reading (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/293337.stm) that children's interests and desires have the potential to change significantly over a series of decades.

Top 10 Books for 12-year-olds in 1971

• Little Women by Louisa M Alcott


• Black Beauty by Anna Sewell


• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson


• The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis


• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte


• Heidi by Johanna Spyri


• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens


• The Secret Seven by Ian Serraillier


• Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Top 10 books for 12-year-old children in the '90's

• Point Horror by various authors


• Sweet Valley series by Francine Pascal


• Babysitter's Club by Ann M. Martin


• Matilda by Road Dahl


• The Witches by Road Dahl


• The Twits by Road Dahl


• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Road Dahl


• Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend


• What Katy Did series Susan Coolidge

Top 10 books for 12-year-old boys in the '90's

• The BFG by Road Dahl


• The Witches by Road Dahl


• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Road Dahl


• Point Horror series by various authors


• Adrian Mole series by Sue Townsend


• Asterix series by Rene Goscinny


• Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton


• The Twits by Road Dahl


• The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

The article states that "children are reading more books than their parents in the 70's" and it also suggests that children are reading nonfictional types of literature like the morning paper. This is thought to be the cause of the modernization of the literature being read which undoubedly calls for the expanding of the child's mind. It can be inferred that these nonfiction reads are driving children to more current literature. Although the stories are fictional, it cannot be argued that stories like The Babysitter's Club series, and Jurassic Park are taken place in the present

Disney's Enchanted

Disney's Enchanted, is a light-hearted and adorable fim that was released in November of 2008. The movie stands as a representation of how fairy tales are viewed in our society today. The film also answers the question that many adult audiences ask when reading their favorite fairytales: " Could these characters function in our world today?

The film comprises of an all-star cast which includes James Marsden, Julie Andrews (narrarating voice), Susan Sarandon, Patrick Dempsey, and Amy Adams who stars as our princess. The movie features a fairy tale princess and prince who are to be married, but before they can exchange vows the princess is pushed into a well by a wicked witch that carries her to a foreign land that does not guarantee happy endings: New York City. Princess Giselle must learn how to function in this unknown and frightening place until her prince journeys to save her. However, before his arrival she discovers the true meaning of love when she is swept off her feet by a New York City business man.

Princess Giselle and Prince Edward are true representations of stereotypical fairy tale characters. Giselle is kind, generous, sweet, and is a friend to all creatures. Prince Edward is charming, handsome, and is only concerned with the well being of his princess. The two are to be married, but they lack a true love. The couple hardly knows one another, and they are to be married only because of their status in society. However, charming attributes are not enough to help them to function in the real world. Prince Edward jumps over screaching taxi cabs and honking buses to venture to save his "love", and Giselle does not even know the meaning of a date when she arrives in New York City. In reality, the couple is viewed as clueless. Nevertheless, the film is magnificent and is a wonderful film for the family. Below is a video clip of Princess Gisselle effortlessly cleaning house "Snow White Style" with a catchy song and the help from her fellow animal friends. Although the scene is one of my absolute favorites of the entire film, it also helps to point out the far-fetched and unrealistic actions found in most of our fairy tales. Our feminist writers might state that the clip helps to support their general thesis that fairy tale females are known for their domestic abilities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KObgs81QyR4

The Three Bears

The Three Little Bears, is a fairy tale that we will not discuss in the classroom this semeter, but it is an adorable tale that could be utilized in Pre-K/Kindergarten classrooms. The story tells of a family of bears:Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear. The family leaves their cozy cottage and journeys in the woods to allow their porridge to cool. When the threesome returns, theyt find that someone has been eating their porridge, lounging in their chairs, and sleeping in their beds. They find at the end of the tale that the culprit is a young girl named Goldilocks .

An inventive method to allow the children to enjoy the tale as well as remember the events chronologically is for the educator to express the fairy tale with a felt board and character cut-outs. The activity would be conducted as follows: The educator would need to purchase a felt board, and apply a cut out of a cozy cottage with three beds, three tables topped with three bowls of porridge, and three chairs. In addition, the instructor would need Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear, and Goldilocks cut-outs. Attached to the back of the figures and would be velcro. As the teacher told the story of the Three Little Bears, he/she would stick the velcoro Goldilocks and the three bears cut-outs on the felt board in relation to what the characters are doing in the tale. (For example, if Goldilocks is sitting in the chairs in the bear's home then the instructor would place the Goldilocks cut- out in the chairs on the felt board.) Other fun activities that correspond to this story are found at the website below.

http://www.first-school.ws/activities/fairytales/3bears.htm

Ever After

The 1998 Cinderella story,Ever After, is one of my favorite films, so I was elated when we reserved time in class to watch the movie. Throughout the film, I found similarities that went along with the Classic Cinderella story and the Catskin tales.

We notice several of the elements from the Classic Cinderella tale as the film progresses. The absent father, a stepmother consumed with evil, Danielle's servitude, the glass slipper, and the beautiful gown are just a few of the elements found in our beloved Cinderella tale.

Danielle's character, on the other hand, reflects the catskin tales. She is witty, resourceful and does not depend on the fairy tale ending. However, we are not only able to see Danielle's passion, but we see our princess accomplish remarkable things with this love. She acts as a tutor to Prince Henry and essentially teaches him to appreciate the world around him. By the end of the movie, the prince is ready to take on his responsibilties as king, a task he was running away from before his relationship with Danielle. The elements of the Catskin tales are also present when Danielle is sold by her stepmother to the older nobleman who is considerably older than Danielle. This is similar to the age difference between the Cinderella in the catskin stories and her incestous father.

Curious George Goes Camping

An elementary instructor must never be without the Curious George tales. These fun stories tells of a tiny chimp named George who discovers that his curiosity always results in disaster. Curious George Goes Camping is certainly no exception as George travels with his owner on his very first camping trip. The tale illustrates the dangers of disobeying those in authority with an innovative approach that reaches children on the most basic level.
The story would be introduced through visualization. I would set up a campfire made from yellow and orange construction paper and place it in the middle of the "story time rug". The children would gather around the "campfire" and arrange themselves in a circle. The remainder of my week would center around Curious George. Activities and worksheets that I would utilize derive from the Curious George website below. These include inventive activities that includes spelling, counting, and math.

http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/cgsite/gamesandfun.shtml

Rainbow Fish Activites

After reading Rainbow Fish aloud to my class, I would attempt to integrate its moral into several activities in my classroom. After explaining the importance of sharing, I would divide my classroom in pairs. Instead of giving each individual child a napkin during snack time, I would allow each pair a napkin. The meaning of the excersize would remain obscure until I announced that we would have goldfish for a snack. (I chose goldfish snack crackers to represent the variety of fishes in the story.) Next, each pair would receive a handful of goldfish on their napkin. This activity would force each member of the class to practice sharing and to even begin to work as a team.

I have always vowed that when I have my own classroom, I will have a fish for a classroom pet. So, obviously after the story is read, it would be the perfect opportunity to purchase my fish. My goal of responsibility, teamwork, and sharing would occur everyday when a group of students would be chosen to feed the fish that day.

Rainbow Fish

Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister, is excellent to include in the Pre-K/Kindergarten curriculum. The story tells of a beautiful fish who learns the benefits of sharing. At the beginning of the tale, we notice that the fish has many shiny scales, and he soon becomes the envy of the entire ocean. When a little blue fish politely asks for one of his scales, rainbow fish denys his school mate's request and yells "Get away from me!" Immediately after, the rainbow fish discoveres that he possesses not one friend. At the end of the story, Rainbow Fish comes to the realization that the only way that he will truly be satisfied is if he gives away his scales to his friends. Rainbow Fish does, indeed, discover that the act of giving wins over more friends that an exterior of stunning scales.

It is no surprise that Pfister incorporates the moral of sharing into her story. It is obvious that her targeted audience (elementary children) struggle with sharing on a daily basis at home and even in the classroom. By reading of Rainbow fish's journey to maturity, elementary students learn that sharing and being kind to their pupils usually results in an abundance of friends. It is never to early to begin to ingrain generousity in our children. It is our job as educators to gain access to this moralistic literature so that we may teach our students virtuous and moral that will guarantee success in their futures.

Ella Enchanted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5_gtIj7L84



In class this week, Mrs. Robinson suggested that after we read the story, Ella Enchanted, we should watch the motion picture released in 2004. She explained that we should recognize that our princess veers away from her strong willed character in the paper back. Not only am I in full agreement with my instructor, but I also noticed that the film and the book were comprised of different story lines.
For example, in the novel Levine is adament about displaying a heartless father with love for only his possessions. However, the films shows us the opposite. Even though the father is not one of the central characters in the movie, he still shows unconditional love towards Ella.
The next series of differences occurs in the second half of the story. For instance, in the film Ella is asked by the current king (Char's uncle) to stab Char in the heart at the stroke of midnight after Hattie eagerly confesses Ella's curse. Ella chains herself to a tree to prevent her wrongdoings. To Ella's disadvantage, Lucinda appears in a cloud of fairy dust, unchains Ella and finally dresses her in an elegant garb for the ball. The actions of Lucinda practically enable our princess to murder the prince. The spell is broken when Ella commands herself not to kill the prince. A further attack is thrown in Char's direction when the king coats his nephew's crown in poison. The creators of the film seem to be so concerned with the elaborate plot that they lose Ella's witty character that we see from the book in the process.
Surprisingly, not a single event listed above from the movie is seen between the pages of the novel. Lucinda does put Ella into beautiful garments for the ball, however, this is after she has transformed herself into a squirrel and a small child to experience the effects of Ella's curse. Ella attends the ball and poses as Princess Lela. Her spell is broken when Ella tells the prince that she will not marry him after the many requests.
The website above is actually one of my favorite scenes of the film. It represents evidence of the embellishments in the plot. Here, we see Ella singing and dancing at the giant wedding celebration. Take a look. :)

Teddy Bear Week

I am constantly thinking of new and inventive ways to incorporate the books that I plan to read in my future classroom into my Pre-K/Kindergarten curriculum. I have organized a Teddy Bear Week in honor of the book, Corduroy.

Teddy Bear Week would obviously begin with the reading of the story, Corduroy. At the beginning of the week, I would bring a teddy bear to the school, and as a class we would all think of a name for our new visitor. Throughout the week the classroom leader would have the responsibility of making sure "Teddy" is safe and comfortable by taking him to lunch and recess and reading to him at storytime. (The leader would be drawn by popcicle sticks with each child's name on each stick at the beginning of each day on this particular week.) At the end of the week, my class would have a Bring Your own Teddy Day. After our lessons for the day, I would have the class share their Teddy's name, and we would eat a picnic outside with our very own "Corduroy's".

Corduroy

The tale of Corduroy by Don Freeman represents my childhood. When I think of the story I cannot help but to remember the aroma of freshly baked cookies and my grandmother's southern drawl as she would read me Corduroy just after our afternoon snack. So, naturally I could not resist discussing Corduroy in my journal.

Corduroy tells of a stuffed bear and his adventures in a department store. The bear lives in a toy department and is never purchased because of a missing button located on his overalls. We follow Corduroy as he attempts to find the lost button in the shopping mall.

Corduroy offers enjoyment for both the child and the parent. Children adore the tale because of its imaginative plot. Children love to explore, imagine, and fantasize, so what better way to intrigue a child by having them read of a talking stuffed animal who goes on a risky adventure. Adults, on the other hand, benefit from the moral Corduroy offers. The young girl in the story does not mind that Corduroy has a missing button and purchases him anyway. This teaches young children that their true friends will accept them for the quality of their character, not for the way that they look. They should not try to change their appearance for the benefit of others as Corduroy did in the story.

The tale of Corduroy is a marvelous story, and it is perfect for "storytime" in all Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hEHdFMexpc

Above is a link of a video that will take you on Corduroy's big adventure. The story of the talking stuffed bear is read aloud.

If you GIve a Mouse a Cookie Activities

http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/if_you_give_a_mouse_a_cookie.html

The link above is a site that has fun and inventive excersizes and activies created for the Preschool and Kindergarten grade levels. The website includes math games, literacy projects, and a "create a snack" activity all centered on the story, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Even though the excersizes on the internet site were originally created for a "family night", the games may also be utilized in the classroom. My three favorite activities were"Create a Snack", "Mouse ABC Tic Tac Toe", and "Cookie Jar Math".

In my Kindergarten classroom, one week out of the year would be designated If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Week.As a teacher, I would utilize several of the activies in my curriculum for the week. At the first of the week, I would actually read the story to my class. Located towards the front of the classroom would be a jar of cookies. Without counting, my students would estimate how many cookies were in the jar.This activity would undoubedly help the children get used to the ideas of estimation and probability. As a treat, each child would receive a cookie from the jar.

"Mouse ABC Tic Tac Toe" and "Cookie Jar Math" would be conducted on different days of the week. The "Mouse ABC Tic Tac Toe" activitiy helps children to identify the sounds of their letters and to recognize the items that begin with the particular letter. The "Cookie Jar Math" activity, on the other hand, helps students to learn the basics and fundamentals of addition and subtraction through visualization. The details of these two activities are found on the website.

Lastly at the end of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Week, I would conduct the "Create a Snack" excersize. The mystery snack would be a mouse cracker made of Ritz crackers (ears), a Town House cracker (face), a chocolate chip (nose). I would add to the mouse's face whiskers by cuting tiny pieces of licorice. I would take students in groups of 5 and have each child help me make these delicious treats! Yum Yum!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff was one of my absolute favorite childhood stories. I have come to learn that the way into a child's heart and mind is through their funny bone, and this book undoubedly embodies that motto. Its humorous illustrations and creative plot line work hand-in-hand to intrigue younger audiences.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie tells of a mouse who is NEVER satisfied. After the cookie is given to the mouse, the rodent is persistant in asking for more favors from his human companion. These "favors" range from a request for a single glass of milk to the demand of the restroom for a rather messy hair trim. It is no surprise, that at the end of the story, that the young boy is found collapsed on the kitchen floor taking a nap surrounded by the messes accumulated throughout the day.
There are several aspects of the story that make for an interesting and entertaining read. Illustrator, Felcia Bond, contributes to this excitement with her amusing illustrations. Children giggle as they see the tiny rodent fly from his "powder puff bed" in his under wear or when the see little hairs swarming around the mouse as he gives himself a "hair trim".
Even though the story is an enjoyable read for all audiences, it must be noted that Numeroff is directing her story for elementary-aged children. It seems that Numeroff is almost allowing the mouse to represent this age child who can never resist pulling on Mama's skirt with a never-ending list of "wants".