[BOOK REVIEW] Petunia's Christmas by Roger Duvoisin

Title:  Petunia's Christmas

Author:  Roger Duvoisin


Genre: Animal /  Christmas / Drama


Year Published: 1952


Year Read: 2013


Series: Petunia

Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Threat of Death)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

After reading Roger Duvoisin’s classic children’s book “Petunia,” I was dying to read more of everyone’s famous good-hearted goose!  So, I had just recently picked up another one of Roger Duvoisin’s “Petunia” books called “Petunia’s Christmas” and I enjoyed it just as much as the first book!

The book starts off with Petunia meeting a handsome gander named Charles on a neighboring farm called Windy Farm and she soon discovers that Charles will be eaten by the farmer and his wife on Christmas day.  So, Petunia tries to figure out a way to get Charles out of this horrifying predicament.

After reading “Petunia,” I was excited to check out the sequel “Petunia’s Christmas” and I was not disappointed with the results!  Roger Duvoisin had done a brilliant job at writing this story as the story is both heartwarming and intense at the same time. I loved the fact that Petunia is a bit more mature in this book than she was in the first book and I loved the fact that Petunia was willing to do anything to save Charles from being eaten on Christmas Day. It really showed how caring and determined Petunia really is and I just felt so much emotion for her character.  Roger Duvoisin’s illustrations are simplistic yet colorful to look at as it brings a unique tone to the story.  I loved the way that Petunia and Charles are drawn, as they look like simpler versions of gooses and ganders, but there is much detail in their feathers and their wings that it made them look halfway realistic.  I also loved the way that the trees were being drawn during the winter scenes as they look realistic and gave the forest scenes more depth.

Parents should know that the scenes where Charles is being threatened of being eaten by the farmer and his wife might scare smaller children.  Even though these scenes are not too graphic in detail and the story concentrates more on Petunia’s attempts to help Charles, parents might want to read over this book first to see if their children can handle this sensitive subject.

Overall, “Petunia’s Christmas” is a fantastic story about the importance of love and knowing the true meaning of Christmas that many children will enjoy for many years!  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the subject of Charles possibly being eaten on Christmas Day might scare smaller children.

 

[BOOK REVIEW] Jack and the Beanstalk by Eric Metaxas

Title:  Jack and the Beanstalk

Author:  Eric Metaxas

Artist:  Edward Sorel


Genre: Fantasy / Folktale / Drama


Year Published: 1991


Year Read: 1993


Series: We All Have Tales

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Rude Behavior and Intense Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 
 

Let me just say, that “Jack and the Beanstalk” was the first Rabbit Ears story I have seen and it helped introduce me to the series I have come to love so much over the years! “Jack and the Beanstalk” is an ancient English fairy tale that is given a hilarious boot from Michael Palin's humorous narration, David A. Stewart's jazzy and mystic music and Edward Sorel's scratchy yet beautiful illustrations and it will definitely be an instant treat for many children around the world!

Now, I have mentioned before that this was the first Rabbit Ears story I have seen, so what made this story truly memorable in my eyes? Well, for one thing, Michael Palin's narration was a treat to listen to as his narration is extremely hilarious, especially when he is voicing Jack's mother and the ogre's wife as his voice is high pitched and that truly made listening to Jack's mother and the ogre's wife's voices more irresistible to listen to. In contrast, Michael Palin provides a deep and booming voice when he is voicing the ogre, which is extremely effective in providing intensity to the scenes with the ogre. Edward Sorel's illustrations are extremely scratchy yet beautiful at the same time as they beautifully capture the rich scenery of the luscious green forests and the colorfulness of the ogre's garden. I also loved the illustrations of Jack and the ogre themselves as they truly stand out from the other characters as Jack has big blue eyes that indicates his innocence and he wears a red shirt with blue pants while the ogre is extremely huge and he wears a blue shirt with pink pants, while capturing the true essence of medieval times. David A. Stewart's music was so fantastic that I was literally mesmerized by the beat of the music. David A. Stewart's music was really catchy and mystic that it provided a dramatic tension to the story and it truly made this story dramatic and I also loved the theme song at the end called “Jack Had a Dream” which was extremely catchy, so I would definitely recommend you listen to this song! Eric Metaxas's writing is truly witty and dramatic at the same time and I loved the little crude humor he incorporated into this story which included this line:

“He [the ogre] burped very, very loudly sending such an awful stench through the room that Jack thought he would faint dead right then and there in the oven and be discovered.”

This is like the most graphic yet hilarious description about a burp that I have ever read!

Parents should know that the ogre might scare young children especially when he threatened to eat Jack a couple of times. Parents might want to reassure their children that ogres do not exist in real life and this tale is simply a fairy tale.

Overall, “Jack and the Beanstalk” is a true classic fairy tale that every child will easily enjoy for many years! I would recommend this video to children ages five and up since scenes with the ogre might scare smaller children.

[BOOK REVIEW] The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

Title:  The Velveteen Rabbit

Author:  Margery Williams

Artist:  David Jorgensen

Genre:  Fantasy / Toys / Drama


Year Published:  1985


Year Read: 2010


Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Minor Rude Behavior)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

 “The Velveteen Rabbit” is Rabbit Ears’ first classic story that is based off of Margery Williams’ popular tale and it is about how a toy rabbit learns the true meaning of being real. With Meryl Streep’s tender narration, George Winston’s soft music and David Jorgensen’s beautiful illustrations, “The Velveteen Rabbit” is an instant classic that children will watch over and over again.

What made this video truly memorable was Meryl Streep’s tender and soothing narration. Meryl Streep gives the story a very subtle mood by narrating in a graceful and soft-spoken tone that many children will be mesmerized by her narration. Meryl Streep has also done a brilliant job at expressing the various emotions that each of the characters experience throughout the story. The scene where I think that Meryl Streep’s narration stood out the most was the scene where the real rabbits tell the Velveteen Rabbit that he is not real and the Velveteen Rabbit begins to cry and Meryl Streep actually sounds like she is about to cry in this scene which truly brought out the realism of the situation in this scene. George Winston’s piano solo music is extremely beautiful and engaging, as his music is both happy and sorrowful, depending on the scene. The scene where I think that George Winston’s musical abilities truly shine was the scene where one of the real rabbits was dancing in front of the Velveteen Rabbit and George Winston plays the piano in such a dramatic and fast paced tone that I found myself loving every second of that scene. The video’s true highlight is David Jorgensen’s illustrations as they are extremely beautiful and captivating. David Jorgensen makes all the characters look extremely realistic, which gives the story a sense of realism and the images that stood out the most to me were the images of the real rabbits, as they look realistic and beautiful.

“The Velveteen Rabbit” is a beautiful story about knowing the importance of true love and children will easily relate to this story as they will feel sympathy for the Velveteen Rabbit trying to find the true meaning of being real. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since small children might be upset at the fact that the Velveteen Rabbit feels upset when he realizes he is not like the other real rabbits.

[BOOK REVIEW] The Elephant's Child by Rudyard Kipling

Title:  The Elephant's Child

Author:  Rudyard Kipling

Artist:  Tim Raglin


Genre: Animal / Drama / Humor / Bullying


Year Published: 1986


Year Read: 2007


Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 8+ (Some Violence and Bullying)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

“The Elephant’s Child” is the first “Just so” story introduced in the Rabbit Ears Storybook Classics series and is easily one of Rabbit Ears’ finest videos since it won a Grammy Award in the late 80s. Jack Nicholson’s silky narration, along with Bobby McFerrin’s harmonic music and Tim Raglin’s colorful illustrations makes “The Elephant’s Child” a worthwhile treat for the whole family to enjoy.

Jack Nicholson’s narration is extremely silk and sarcastic as he narrates an Elephant’s Child’s efforts to find out what the crocodile has for dinner. Jack Nicholson’s best vocal performance would have to be for the Elephant’s Child and the Bi-Colored-Python-Rock Snake. With the Elephant’s Child, Jack Nicholson uses a high pitched and childlike voice to reinforce the adolescence of the Elephant’s Child’s nature and with the Bi-Colored-Python-Rock-Snake, Jack Nicholson makes a snake sound each time he reaches a word that contains the s-syllable. Bobby McFerrin’s music is lovely as he makes harmonic sounds using his voice and his ability to create various sounds from his mouth to make music. Bobby McFerrin’s music creates a mesmerizing atmosphere to the story as his voice sounds like it is so far off the distance. Tim Raglin’s illustrations are brilliant and colorful, especially of the forest where the Elephant’s Child lives in as the trees are green and pink. The illustrations that stood out the most was the illustration of the Elephant’s Child having no trunk as his nose looks like a little stub on his face.

Parents should know that there is quite a bit of violence on this video, mainly of the Elephant’s Child being spanked throughout the video. There is also a bit of violence when the Elephant’s Child encounters the crocodile, but you probably can guess what is going to happen without me spoiling the ending for you. Parents should reassure their children that violence is not always the answer to solve your problems and you should not spank your child just because he or she is curious about the world. Just try to explain to your child about the trials of the world in terms simple enough for your child to understand.

The Elephant’s Child” is a great piece of work from Rabbit Ears Productions and it surely has enough humor and action that will satisfy any child for many years to come. I would recommend this video to children ages eight and up due to some advanced vocabulary that younger children might not understand and some violence that might worry some small children.