Literature comes alive

We recently finished reading both Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. They were the abridged versions which hit the highlights. I normally don't like abridged versions, but in Huck Finn's case I was grateful. I do NOT like to read dialect. It slows me down too much.

I've been using these literature choices as our read-aloud bedtime stories. In order to deal with having to read the dialect, I had to call up my roots, my family, my kin. I relaxed my mouth and just let the drawl flow. It worked! (Then I had trouble getting back to my regular accent!)

As per usual, J was inspired to illustrate the newest books in a word-play cartoon. Below is a little soybean and a fish with new identities:



If you remember the story of Tom Sawyer, it begins with Tom and Huck witnessing a murder in the graveyard. Injun Joe and Muff Potter were supposed to be digging up a body for Dr. Robinson. Muff was three sheets to the wind. Injun Joe picked an argument with the Dr. and threatened to kill him. Muff tried to intervene, he got knocked down in the scuffle and Joe killed the doctor with Muff's knife. It was very exciting.

Since they were the next group of important characters introduced, they, too, have been given new identities:

Now, the next time you read Tom Sawyer, you'll have new images for your mind's eye!

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea--a review

After the fiasco that was the Five Little Peppers, we moved on to Jules Verne. Now THIS was more like it! I had never read this story nor seen the movie. Definitely fun and exciting. This story inspired much more from the "Resting and Reading" time in the early hours.

Recently, J has become the "Scissor King." A year ago it was awkward for him to wield the scissors. Lately he has become an example of precision. After reading 20,000 Leagues, he spent about an hour cutting out characters and props from the story. He drew with minute detail and then took his safety scissors and left not one piece of unnecessary paper attached to his drawings. It was impressive.

I suggested he draw an under-the-sea background for his cutouts. He incorporated elements from the story like the coral graveyard (lower right hand corner) and the ghost ship. If you want to see these amazing intricacies, click on the picture. He wanted me to point out to you that "Ned, the harpooner" was sticking his harpoon into the squid's eye. (Should I give this a PG rating for graphic violence?)

Apparently J did a rough draft drawing of the characters beforehand. He said these were too difficult to cut out so he made the ones you see above.

In the picture below you see a diver and the Nautilus. Below that is a cup with "N" on it (we couldn't tell if it was for "Nautilus" or "Nemo"). All the way to the right is the professor thinking about the shark attack. On the bottom is Ned attacking the steward with the other two trying to stop him. Then, above them the same group is depicted as their initials. Bet you never thought to do that before!

The following is work that was inspired by the other Jules Verne book we read, Journey to the Center of the Earth. At one point in the book, the men were crossing a vast sea. All of a sudden, two giant reptiles rose near them and began to battle. One was an icthyosaurus, and the other was plesiosaurus. The battle was exciting and terrifying at the same time. Here's how J responded to the scene:

Ah, the mind of a seven-year-old.

Five Little Peppers--a review

I have a huge backlog of posts that I'm preparing. I'll try to send them a little at a time so they aren't overwhelming. J produces paper faster than anything I've ever seen!

If you remember my Curriculum Outline, I said that we were going to work through certain children's literature titles at the rate of one a month. We're using them as the bedtime stories. We've already completed Peter Pan, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. I kind of sped through this book as there was quite a bit of lamenting and gnashing of teeth. I hit the highlights of the plot and got it over with. I read it as a child and now I recall that I sort of went through it quickly then, too. I don't recommend it.

J, always inspired in the early morning hours, gave his one and only interpretation of the story:

I have to say the picture was more interesting than the actual book. So, my advice is to look at the picture--and skip the book.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, however, was MUCH more interesting. I'll post about that next.