The Olympics and Performance Enhancing Drugs

I saw a little of the ice dancing last night during the Olympic television coverage. Some of the outlandish costumes got me to thinking about a book I read as a child. It wasn't about skating but I loved the funny outfits the main characters wore. One was a small, mustachioed guy with wings on his helmet. The other was a very large, blue and white striped pants wearing guy with long, read pony tails. You may recognize these two as Asterix and Obelix.

 

“Asterix at the Olympic Games” 

By René Goscinny

Illustrated by Albert Uderzo

For Ages 5 – 10

• “Asterix at the Olympic Games” is fun comic book style storytelling filled with puns, wordplay, and silliness kids will enjoy, combined with social satire for adult interests. Rated 3 (silly, wordplay, adult satire, translation)

I read “Asterix the Gaul” when I was a kid. I always enjoyed the puns, wordplay, and character names. They were fun comic book style adventures. Asterix’s adventure at the Olympics was one of my favorites.

Originally published in France during the 1960s, Asterix’s adventures were covered in more than 30 graphic novels. They’ve been translated pretty well from French to English and are enjoyable adventures for children. However, adults are the true audience. Goscinny wove political and social satire throughout the stories — much of it is still relevant today. “Asterix at the Olympic Games,” is almost prophetic in touching on performance enhancing drugs long before the modern scandals.

“Asterix at the Olympic Games” finds the Romans near Vitalstatistix’s village excited that Glueteus Maximus is going to compete at the Greek Olympics. Much to the Roman’s chagrin the Gauls want in on the fun. Trying to gain any advantage they can, all the men in the village take Panoramix’s magic potion and head to Greece. The Greeks learn about the magic potion and threaten to disqualify the Gauls, which forces Asterix to enter on his own and without the aid of the magic potion.

Will Asterix win gold or will the Greeks and Romans reign supreme. Well, if I tell you that I’ll spoil the ending. So go out and read it yourself. It will put a smile on your face.

The Olympics and Mt. Olympus

As you know, I have been thinking about and watching the Olympics. That's why world peace and cupcakes were on my mind the other night... but I digress. The Olympics combined with the theatrical release of Percy Jackson Lightning Thief brought another book to mind, "Young Zeus."

“Young Zeus”
By G. Brian Karas
For ages 4 – 9

• A playful story about Zeus’ childhood leading up to his ascension to the crown. Fans of Greek mythology, “Percy Jackson,” and homeschoolers will find it entertaining and educational. Rated 3.5 (humor, adventure, some dark subject matter)

Are you interested in how things begin? Brian Karas is, which is why he decided to write about young Zeus. The story of how Zeus’ mom hid baby Zeus on the island of Crete, in the care of the enchanted goat, Amaltheia, has been told before. However, there isn’t much written about what happened between being a baby and Zeus taking the throne of the gods.

“Young Zeus” is Karas’ take on Zeus’ childhood leading up to and including overthrowing his father, Cronus, and freeing his brothers and sisters. Unlike most accounts of Zeus, this story presents him as a likeable young boy who just wants to “play with his brothers and sisters,” something to which many kids can releate.

Upon being rescued, Zeus’ brothers and sisters begin arguing about who should take over, but it is Zeus who uses his brain to banish the remaining titans from Mount Olympus and thus earn the leadership position — and finally get playtime with his siblings.

Light dialogue and playful illustrations keep the mood humorous, even when discussing underworld banishment, war, and being eaten by a dragon. The energetic storytelling keeps the story from getting mired in the intricacies of Greek mythology and concentrates on the story of a child who just wants someone with whom to play.

Fans of Greek mythology, “Percy Jackson,” and homeschoolers, will find “Young Zeus” entertaining, enlightening, and educational.

The Olympics and World Peace

The Winter Olympics are here. Well, actually they're in Vancouver, but you know what I mean. During these two weeks the world comes together and everyone seems to get along. It doesn't matter what your race, color, or nationality is the Olympics bring everyone together in a kind of titular brotherhood. All the talk of peace, happiness, and competition brought a few books to mind. Today's is "Paulie Pastrami Achieves World Peace."

“Paulie Pastrami Achieves World Peace”

By James Proimos

For Ages 3 – 8

• “Paulie Pastrami Achieves World Peace” is a simplified look at how to behave in the world. It’s a great lesson for youngsters, but may rub cynical adults the wrong way. Rated 3.5 (fun, good lesson)

“Paulie Pastrami Achieves World Peace” is a simplified look at how to behave in the world. It’s a great lesson for youngsters, but may rub cynical adults the wrong way. Paulie is a young boy with a big dream. He wants to spread peace so he starts small. He is kind to animals, he reads to trees, and he apologizes to his sister. But when he discovers that everyone likes cupcakes Paulie discovers a secret — the secret to world peace. And thus begins his world tour — Furniture World, Tire World, Mattress World and so on. By the end of the day everyone is happy and peaceful and Paulie’s parents feel blessed to have such a wonderful child. As well they should.

The cartoony illustrations add to the fun romp through Paulie’s effort to spread world peace. The fact that Paulie is not perfect means all children can relate. Since his simple acts seem to have a big impact, maybe this tale will infect a few children with the notion that world peace is possible. It’s a great lesson and a great thought.

Change is Coming: Making changes for better reviews and easier reading

I have been listening to your suggestions to make Chapter One Book Reviews work better for you. So now I am making a few upgrades to my system that should provide a better product for you.

• Although Times is a standard typeface and one of the more legible in print, the Internet does not behave the same as the printed page. Therefore I will be changing the entries to a san serif font — probably stick with Helvetica — to make them easier to read online.

• You'll notice on my next review that the entry begins with a very short review synopsis. This should make things quick and easy for you. 

• Each review will also include a number rating system. You will be able to find this number directly after the review synopsis. The ratings will be 1 – 5 with 5 being the best and 1 being the worst. A couple keywords will also be included to provide information as to why the score was given. (ex. 3 - peril, language)

• A more in depth review will follow the short stuff for those interested in learning more about the book.

I have some more ideas I would like to implement and will continue to work on those in the coming months. Thank you. - McGeath

What are your Favorite Childhood Books?

What were your favorite books as a child? Which ones stick out in your memory? Why? Share your memories and thoughts, but please limit to no more than five books. Thank you.


I'll get things started. The books that stick out most in my memory are, : "Nothing at All," "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel," "My Book about Me," "A Bear Called Paddington," "Choose Your Own Adventure Books."

"Nothing at All" - I don't remember who the author is for this book and I know that it is out of print. This simple book has a very soothing rythym and repetitive nature to help children learn and recognize words. We used to read this one before bed.


"Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel" - Virginia Lee Burton's classic story about a guy and his best friend, their adventures, accomplishments and pride in your work. Still love this book.

"A Bear Called Paddington" - Michael Bond introduced us to a bear from darkest Peru. Paddington also happened to be my first stuffed bear, so I had a special affinity for paddinton stories.


"My Book About Me" - As I got a little older and could read and write on my own, Dr. Seuss's "My Book About Me" became a favorite. Just fill in the blanks and you have a story that is all about the most interesting topic... you.



"Choose Your Own Adventure" - R. A. Montgomery wrote a series of books that put middle readers in charge of  the stroy. Think of it as the predecessor to interactive stories online.


What are your favorites? You can also take part in this on the Facebook fan page for Chapter One Reviews, Twitter (Chapter1Reviews), or http://chapterone.gather.com/.

Acting Up? Try "Acting Out."

There is no doubt that all the snow and cold is beginning to put a damper on things. Kids are at home driving parents nuts. The general noise level is approaching all time highs and everyone is a little edgy. Okay, maybe your home isn't quite that bad, but the more snow days you have the closer this scene is to becoming a reality. Kids begin acting up and the amount of guff parents will put up with dwindles. So we look for things to break the monotony. We look for activities. This made me remember a book I read last year. It's perfect for good readers. It's also perfect for families looking for something to do during all the snow days. When your children begin acting up, see if you can redirect them to act out.

"Acting Out'

By Sharon Creech, Patricia MacLachlan, Susan Cooper, Katherine Paterson, Richard Peck,

and Avi

For Ages 8 – 12
"Acting Out" is a fun way to introduce children to theater, reading with emotion and several authors new authors. Rated 5 (humor, variety, content)

Six Newberry award-winning authors come together in "Acting Out" to provide six very entertaining one act plays. This book is a great way to introduce young readers to the world of theatre and reading with emotion. It also turns out to be a smart way to introduce children to new authors.

The authors began the process of writing their one act plays by choosing a single word. The inspirational words for "Acting Out" were "dollop," "hoodwink," "Justin," "knuckleball," "panhandle," and "raven." Each play includes young characters and most are humorous.
My personal favorite is Creech's satire on the publishig world. It foolows a young Edgar Allen Poe as he attemps to sell his famous poem, "The Raven." My children preferred "The Dollop," Susan Cooper's morality play about overdeveloment which included a talking rock. Patricia MacLachlan adds some humor to detention with "The Bad Room." "The Billionaire and the Bird" is Katherine Patterson's twist on a fairytale. Richard Peck's "Effigy in the Outhouse," follows schoolboys trying to scare a spooky substitute. Avi plays tricks with words in "Not Seeing is Beleiving."

Each author offers notes on staging, character development and production hints. This book is perfect for homeschoolsers, classrooms, and families looking for activities and fun educational opportunities. It also works well as a casual read for intersted children.

Snow Day! Story Time for a Winter's Day

It's been snowing here on and off for a couple days. Nothing compared to what the mid-Atlantic states have seen this past week, but snowing none-the-less. All the snow brought a couple books to mind: "Here Comes Jack Frost" and "Snowflake Bentley."

"Here Comes Jack Frost"

By Kazuno Kohara

For ages 3 – 8

The holidays are over and Jack Frost is here. Many children get tied, bored and a little depressed by the grey of winter. In “Here Comes Jack Frost” a lonely boy is befriended by Jack Frost and learns to appreciate the winter. They pirouette on skates across the pond, sled down the hill and build snowmen versions of themselves. The boy forgets that he is bored by winter and enjoys the fun the season has to offer. Jack can stay and play as long as the boy never mentions anything warm, which isn’t a problem until the boy notices the first bud of spring. Not to worry, Jack promises to return next year.

Kohara illustrates the tale with white silhouettes. The hard, crisp edges pop from the crystal blue backgrounds adding an enchanted wintry ambience. "Here Comes Jack Frost" is a great selection for a wintery, snow day, story time.

"Snowflake Bentley"

By Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Illustrated by Mary Azarian

For ages 3 – 8

Published in the winter of 1998, and winner of the 1999 Caldecott medal, "Snowflake Bentley" is the biography of a self-taught scientist who photographed thousands of snowflakes so that he could study the unique individually snowflake formations.

The book shows Bentley's fascination with snowflakes and ice crystals beginning from a young age. He was determined to share his belief that they were little miracles by capturing them on film and sharing the formations with everyone. Few people understood his passion, but his patience and determination helped him develop the technique for microphotography which allow the camera to capture ice crystals' hexagonal shapes. He also proved that no two snowflakes are alike. 

Martin is very lyrical in telling Bentley's story, which is very fitting to the beauty and artistry of Bentley's photography. The text has several sidebars with interesting bits of information about Bentley and his techniques. Azarian's woodcut illustrations use bold black lines to anchor the images and provide a visual contrast to the delicate snowflake patterns. Tinted with watercolors the illustrations offer a heartwarming feel to the story.

The cherry on top of this sundae are three of Bentley's black and white photographs of snowflakes. The inclusion of his remarkable photography helps children and parents alike better understand his artistry.