The Book Thief: Death be Afraid

I unexpectedly fell in love during my rush to watch all the new movies before Oscar night. The movie was The Book Thief, which I expected to be good - but depressing - yet I came out of it feeling like I'd found a gem. I fell in love with the characters, the cast, and the story, but mostly with the lyricism of the narration. I will buy this one on DVD - a rare act these days - but I want an old-school physical copy to live on my shelf, among my other favorites: Out of Africa, A River Runs Through It, Ordinary People, and about 25 more which, I just realized, are mostly book adaptations.  

I never thought about having a movie "type," but there it is...it turns out I love movies adapted from books when the movie really uses choice quotes and artfully conveys the beauty of the words. There are a lot that don't make it. I hope that the author, Markus Zusak, and the screenplay adaptor Michael Petroni, know that they've succeeded together in this challenge, despite the few Oscar nominations (which says more about the tastes of the Academy than about the quality of this film) and some snarky reviews on RogerEbert.com. 

I also love movies with metaphysical themes, so there is also a match there to some degree. The Book Thief is based on the international bestselling novel of the same name, about a girl brought from Russia by her mother to be fostered by a German couple.  The author chooses Death himself to narrate the story, but turns the concept of death upside down, making it ruthless yet curious, bewildered, and somewhat afraid of humans, especially brave ones like Liesel, our heroine. Through her life's challenges during WWII and beyond, Liesel learns to embrace the beauty and power of words as a way to survive, soothe, heal and ultimately, live well into old age before Death can meet her.

I haven't yet received my copy of the book (yes, I also buy "real books", not downloads) but I can't wait to look up one of the voiceovers toward the end that beautifully captured Liesel's perspective and writing. It paints a vivid and apropos picture of the sweet musical father and harsh mother who'd adopted her, and goes something like this (in my mind, anyway):

"On a street called Heaven, there was a man with the heart of an accordion, and a woman cloaked in thunder...." 

A few other favorites: 

"Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like rain.” 

"It's always been the same. The excitement and rush to war. I met so many young men over the years who have thought they were running at their enemy, when the truth was, they were running to me." -Narrator/Death

“If only she could be so oblivious again, to feel such love without knowing it, mistaking it for laughter. ” 

1. "I am haunted by humans."

   (Death, the last line of the novel, p. 550)

The Book Thief released this week on DVD and Blue Ray.  See clips, reviews, and enter to win a free copy of the DVD from the talented young blogger Kimmy West on her excellent Page to Premiere blog!   

Oh, and for those of you who did find this subject matter just too bleak for words, you will find sympathy and hilarity in this "reading" by Mark on his blog Mark Reads, which starts out Part 10,

The Book Thief

 featuring

 what the f*+k

Watch the official trailer:

SHOOTINGS INSPIRE SEARCH FOR BETTER ENTERTAINMENT CHOICES FOR KIDS

As at least two tragic mass shootings occurred over the past few weeks, we are left wondering "why" and how these young men become so twisted. While the world points at violence in films like The Dark Knight Rises, we know of course that issues with family, friends, education, healthcare and society also play into people gone very wrong.

One wonders what can be done at an early age to instill in our children the proper respect for others' lives and opinions? How can we build confidence in kids as a buffer against life's emotional insults and injuries, and how can we give them better tools to process it all? While there's no quick fix, I really believe in the power of art and music as a positive tool for therapy and change. And, even if it won't prevent a madman, it can help us to take a more positive POV and heal our angst.

Elizabeth Thoman, a pioneering leader in the U.S. media literacy field, wrote "The time has come to break the circle of blame and start building a movement for a caring culture" on her Center for Media Literacy blog, where she also wrote "There is no one solution to the problem of media violence, nor will we ever totally eradicate violence from our lives or from the media. But there are many steps that each of us can take to reduce the amount and the impact of violent images in our lives and in the lives of our children. These individual acts, along with the acts of others, will add up to widespread social change. We have come to believe that every single soda can we pick up is one small step in saving the environment—isn't our cultural environ-ment equally important?"

Indeed, start small, with young children. The next time you have the opportunity to choose entertainment for children, avoid the proliferation of "Brat-Pop" and open a child's world with music of quality and age-appropriate messages that also builds self-esteem.

"Easy to sing, and engaging for the children, are elements that I think are most often required for the young audience, so that they can join in and feel good about it." -- Bobby Susser, producer

MUSIC:

We touched on film and DVD in our last post, so looking more closely at the music front, there are a handful of positive kids music artists out there like Tim Battersby, Hap Palmer, and producer/songwriter Bobby Susser. Susser stresses the importance of music as a confidence-building tool, noting that children are proud to be able to learn and repeat a song, so the simpler, the better for those under 10! Recently he shared the final process behind his new album WO! saying, "When I visited a few schools, to test the songs as I usually do, I was getting immediate feedback, having fun, and making up songs and faces with the kids. When it came to "The Wo Wo Song" I had the melody and the lyrics to the first verse. It was an inviting sing along with "Everybody get ready, we're all gonna sing together." It was nice, and simple...a hit. Easy to sing, and engaging for the children, are elements that I think are most often required for the young audience, so that they can join in and feel good about it."

Here is a starter playlist for the kids in your life, for any time of day. If you don't have children, then you might consider donating positive music to your local school or library...it goes a long way in your community, providing repeated listens by grateful little ears!

Play:
Bobby Susser: Award-winning singer/songwriter offers gentle albums on foundational topics like Respect & Confidence, Better Together, Wo! and 9 more! A favorite collection of teachers & librarians!

Relax:
Lia Scallon: First Little Angels on Earth contains 2 CDs, and the story of five brave little angels, who undertake a Grand Adventure, to visit beautiful planet Earth. With an "all ages" meditation on Disc 2.

Dance:
Richard Maddox: Pianist and accompanist to dancers, he offers various CDs that tell stories and encourage expressive dance and movement, perhaps a great fit for kids who can't find the right words to share their feelings.

Feel:
Little Souls Productions An adorable DVD to aid emotional intelligence and well-being. The sisters who founded Little Soul Productions offer a DVD that actively engages children in the learning process and fun yoga, saying "they will experience a deeper understanding of their own authenticity while strengthening their emotional and spiritual muscles!"

Dream:
Tron Syversen: The newest U.S. release, SACRED DREAMS, is the perfect nap and bedtime music for children. Angelic vocal humming by Elin Lokken is comfortingly maternal against lush instrumentals lulling one into the deep Alpha state. The album was also made to enhance creative visualization in the waking-sleep state, a good concept for older children to learn and for aiding in creative endeavors.

Image (c) Beth Hilton.

ENTERTAINING KIDS: 3 FUN IDEAS FOR A SMART SUMMER

Keeping kids entertained this summer can go far beyond camp, the beach or the playground. It's also about teaching them to make positive choices, with entertainment that will gently expand your children’s understanding of the world and develop good character in a truly memorable way. Young children are especially precocious and require all the skills of parenting to help them not just with normal fun activities, but by “edu-taining” them as well.

Start fresh this summer, scheduling an event each month to balance healthy activity with passive entertainment, building upon our top choices. For instance, you might hold a Sing Along Show & Dance with WO! for the younger ones, or, introduce the book club concept by reading the book “The Borrowers” before watching the “Arrietty” film adaptation on DVD. And, of course, Brave further fuels the archery trend that started with The Hunger Games, so the older kids might enjoy a local family archery class; they are offered for free in L.A.'s Balboa Park on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Read on for more about our top 3 choices to entertain and edutain your children of various ages in the summer of 2012:

WO!
That their names sound similar is pure coincidence, but Bobby Susser may well be the Dr. Seuss of children's songs. Bobby has just released his 25th album WO! and it's a sure to keep your children singing throughout the summer. With 12 songs, Bobby's new album demonstrates that "Any time of day, there is always a song to sing."

Award-winning Bobby Susser, a songwriter, record producer and singer has given us children's songs that are fun and easy-to-learn for children Pre-K and up, while also enjoyable to parents and grandparents! The songs -- especially The Wo Wo Song, Smiling Face, and Oooh Good Morning – gently introduce the foundations of rock ‘n’ roll, and will keep your children laughing, singing, dancing and, above, all, having fun. The Bobby Susser collection of albums teach children about exercise, good health habits, animals and changing seasons. They explain concepts about world peace, feelings and why we are “better together.” But, more than that, they also try to instill in children values about home and family, brotherhood, patriotism, respect and confidence. Find links to buy WO! and eleven other top kids albums on Bobby Susser's site, while also exploring lyrics and activities for parents and teachers. Access the lyrics and activities to produce your own family talent show, gently building your child's confidence.(www.BobbySusser.com)


The Secret World of Arrietty
Children love to watch DVDs over and over, and The Secret World of Arrietty is a sweet film for older children that is a step above the cookie-cutter storylines and visuals often released for children. A Japanese-animated fantasy film, this movie is based on English author Mary Norton’s novel “The Borrowers,” which (in 2007) was selected by judges of the CILIP Carnegie Medal for children's literature as one of the ten most important children's novels of the past 70 years. The directorial debut of animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi, he is the youngest director of a Studio Ghibli film. Now available on DVD, the movie was released by Walt Disney Pictures in the USA in early 2012. The film, which grossed more than $145 million worldwide, has been praised by critics as “a gentle and entrancing tale” (Steve Rose of The Guardian), and “likely a perennial favorite among children” (Christoph Mark of The Daily Yomiuri). Parents will likely recognize the U.S.-dub version’s voices by Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett and David Hendrie among others.


Brave
This heavily-promoted 3-D animated movie produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures, promises to be a summer highlight, due for airing in June 2012. It is a fantasy-adventure film set in Scotland and is the first fairy tale by Pixar. It tells the story of a skilled archer, Merida, who asks a witch for help but is cursed instead. To lift the curse, she must learn what true bravery means. It is like to appeal to both boys and girls much like Tangled, with a balance of adventure and youthful romance. The movie is scheduled to make its European debut at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June. At that time, Disney Interactive Studios will release a video game based on the film for Play Station 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC and Nintendo DS, offering additional summer entertainment options for older children.