February Book and Movie Report

Hand that Rocks the Cradle by Nathaniel Bluedorn

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson contains a novella (I Am Legend) and a bunch of short stories. When I first started reading it I thought I might have nightmares from the vampires but I persevered and after the first few scenes the attacks are not as frightening. Many of the stories were a bit more physically violent than I usually read, and certainly not appropriate for children, but they were often intelligent. The novella, by the way, is very different from the recent movie.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Ted Lawson is the tale of his experiences as one of the pilots sent to bomb Tokyo on the Dolittle Raid after Pearl Harbor was bombed. It was enthralling and I tore through the book in two days. A young man (though one old enough to engage in conversations of the reality of war) would thoroughly enjoy this book as a part of a history study of WWII. It was written during the war, so the Japanese and Germans are identified plainly and bluntly as enemies of all Americans. The Chinese and many missionaries in China are repeatedly praised. It's been made into a movie, but I haven't seen it.

The Swiss Family Robinson (Signet Classics)  by J. D. Wyss is, of course, the story of a family shipwrecked on an island and forced to survive in relative paradise but isolation for over ten years. I was amazed at how quickly I read and how interested I was to see what would happen next because the writing itself was a bit ponderous. Though their knowledge of natural history and "modern" (early 1800s) industrial techniques vastly improves their quality of life, a good bit of it is not really accurate. It should also be noted that this is some sort of enchanted island that contains kangaroos, penguins, lions, tigers, ostriches, and elephants, among other animals. It may also be disturbing to contemporary readers that upon nearly ever encounter with a newly discovered animal, they shoot one or two.

A Wonder-Book for Boys and Girls  by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a collection of classic myths retold for children. They were wonderful and I'm considering reading them with the kids next year. I'm currently reading the second volume, Tanglewood Tales.

We also saw a few movies recently that were interesting enough for me to want to share.

Food, Inc. - We actually watched this in January. It's not a objective documentary, but a movie with an agenda. I can't say whether all they claim is true. (I'd like to know what some of our friends with big commercial farms think.) If even a part of it is true, though, it should change how you think about food. We already eat very few processed foods, try to have a large garden and raise our own eggs, but this movie made me want to do even more. It's available to watch instantly at Netflix.

The Karate Kid (the new movie) was surprisingly good. We enjoyed it immensely. Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan were fun to watch as a team. I loved some of young Smith's expressions. I have to admit I couldn't help thinking about my children facing bullies and how complicated and difficult that can be. Hopefully they'll be much older before we have to deal with it. There was also one scene where the two children kiss. (They're only twelve.) It didn't seem crucial to the plot and I think the movie would have been better without it.

Babies - Have you seen this movie? I loved watching these babies grew up and was fascinated by what was shown. It's also not an objective documentary. In my case, it generated more questions about how other cultures raise children than it answered. I am also sure I would never let them come and film my children or my house! The babies are adorable and many of their facial expressions are universal. Even Kansas Dad seemed to enjoy the bits and pieces he saw as he was being productive around the house while I held the sick baby and watched. This one is also available to watch instantly on Netflix.

In Case You Want to Try Some Veggies

We've been watching Veggie Tales: Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving and it's fine. Nothing too amazing, but not too bad. Here on the Range, we are firm fans of Veggies. First Son himself has pre-bought a few of the recent videos. We simply must own them all. I've resigned myself to the fact.

Not every family is a Veggie family, of course. I'm sure there are some families that just want to own one or two Veggie videos. If so, you might be wondering which are worthwhile. Here's a list of our picks:

Lyle the Kindly Viking is Kansas Dad's favorite. It's a fun little story of sharing. The first half, Omelet, is hilarious if you know Shakespeare's play Hamlet at all. The Lyle story is designed around the music of Gilbert & Sullivan and is a delight. Even the silly song is full of references that will bring joy to any adult watching.

Gideon Tuba Warrior is my favorite. The story of George Mueller, a man who trusted God for everything is amazing. The silly song is hilarious. Gideon's story is told with a marching band, slushies and flashlights. Believe me, it works. Kurt Heinecke is amazing.

Sumo Of The Opera may be First Son's favorite, though he would never pick just one. This story is particularly good at helping First Son deal with his frustration when he can't get something perfect the first time. Even he will spout, "Perseverance is when you keep on keeping on." The telling of the story of St. Patrick is truly one of the finest moments in VeggieTales. You can watch it for yourself here.

Madame Blueberry is a classic. Every family can learn a little about real contentment and happiness from Madame Blueberry's trip to the Stuff-Mart. We even love listening to the song until the credits end.

We can't forget LarryBoy, of course, everyone's favorite plunger-headed hero. The best of the bunch is LarryBoy and the Bad Apple. In it, LarryBoy actually saves the day and everyone learns about temptation as well as some tactics for fighting it.

Josh and the Big Wall and Rack, Shack and Benny are also wonderful. They are classic VeggieTales.

We enjoyed both Veggie movies, especially First Son. Honestly, the Pirate Movie soundtrack is one of the best Veggie products. (I'm not alone on this. Recently, the Big Idea Store had all CDs and DVDs half price and this CD sold out first. I know. I tried to buy extras to give as gifts.)

Another great CD is A Very Veggie Christmas. Kansas Dad and I have enjoyed this one for years, long before we had children. We've always planned to host a Christmas party and serve every Polish dish named in this song. Someday we'll get around to it. Maybe when the kids are older and ready to help make some of the recipes.

There are so many other wonderful Veggie movies, but I have to draw the line somewhere. Please feel free to comment if your family likes something else the best.

If you are interested in buying any Veggie DVDs or CDs, watch the advertisements for local Christian stores. Ours often has at least one in every "doorbuster" sale for $5.

While it's true Kansas Dad and I have eventually tired of watching most of the videos, we are continually thankful our kids have chosen Veggies as their characters of choice. Most of the other ones out there (and we're familiar with most of them) are quite grating on adult ears. The Veggies are always including little jokes and asides purely for the parents in the room.