Modern Monday -- Just Being Audrey

Margaret Cardillo, author; Julia Denos, illustrator
Balzer + Bray, an imprint of Harper Collins, 2011

I discovered this picture book on the newly arrived shelf at our local library and I snatched it up, read it once and now it's on my "must-have" list. I love Denos' illustrations, and the simple story really captures the greatness of Audrey Hepburn. I've long loved this classic actress for her style, her quirky mannerisms, and her fantastic movies. One of my favorites is Charade with Cary Grant. I recently purchased a book for "grown-ups" called Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson.

The story begins with a ten-year-old Audrey who dreams of becoming a ballerina. It describes how she and her family survived WW II in Europe and how following the war she and her mother moved to London where Audrey traded her dreams of dancing for the reality of being an actress. The illustrations capture Miss Hepburn's classic look--her hair, her expressions, and some of her most notable acting roles (Funny Face, Sabrina, My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany's and more) and the costumes that defined them.

Here's a short trailer for the book with even more illustrations!

And because it's just not right to pay tribute to Audrey Hepburn through a children's book without a glimpse into the real life wonder, here's the original trailer for Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Stay Gold, Ponyboy.

The Outsiders, Francis Ford Coppola, 1983

Coppola's film is based on S.E. Hinton's classic book, first published in 1967. I read the book before I saw the movie, as it should be. I was in 5th grade. I still remember where I was when I finished the final pages. Sitting in the van outside my aunt and uncle's house. We were gathered for some event, a holiday meal perhaps. I had to compose myself before I could go inside because I was crying so hard--the kind of cry where tears splash down on the neck and there aren't enough tissues to really mop up the sorrow.

I watched this film again on New Year's this year and I was reminded of the power behind both the film and the book. The all-star nature of the cast is almost unbelievable: Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, and Tom Cruise and I'd nearly forgotten Diane Lane as Cherry Valance.


As an English teacher I usually touch on some Robert Frost poetry in my American Literature class and I'm always impressed when students recognize "Nothing Gold Can Stay" and make the connection between The Outsiders (whether film or book) and the poem.

Nothing Gold Can Stay
by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

I believe it was S.E. Hinton who really kicked off the era of "young adult literature." If you've not read the book or seen the movie, though I find that hard to believe, it's about a group of kids, "greasers," who are from "the wrong side of the tracks" in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They constantly clash with the Socs, the preppy kids in town. It has all the 60s good stuff like drive-in movies and rumbles. Great nicknames like Ponyboy, Two Bit, and Sodapop. And then there's Johnny. Everyone loves Johnny. Without saying too much more, I'll just add that it's a tragic, yet feel-good drama that reminds us all of the power of friendship, resilience, and the challenges life throws at us.

The Heroic and Spooky Adventures of America's Favorite Floppy-Eared Mutt

A novelization by Allison Thomas

from the original screenplay by Joe Camp

American Broadcasting Company Merchandising, Inc 1975

Back in the day, my parents had Lassie. In my day, I had Benji. You just have to love those celebrity dogs. For some reason I was all about reading the book after seeing the movie, but it's the movie I really remember. I loved that scruffy dog, Benji. I remember the old abandoned house and how he hooked up with his "girlfriend" Tiffany. Other than than that the plot escapes me.

Here's an online summary about the 1974 film:

Benji tells the story of a stray dog who lives in a small Texas town where he has befriended many local people, each of whom calls him by a different name. He gets plenty of food and attention whenever he visits with one of his acquaintances. He meets another stray dog, a diminutive white female with long fluffy hair, and the two dogs form a bond. When two children whom Benji loves are kidnapped and held for ransom, the dogs try to help, and Benji seeks out friendly human beings to assist him in freeing the children.

These are a few pics from the book insert.

Goonies Never Say Die.

The Goonies, Amblin Entertainment & Warner Brothers Pictures, 1985

I've been having terrific luck at the gym on weekends. With TV-equipped treadmills, I tend to watch all sorts of gems I might never even know was on. I remember seeing The Goonies for the first time when I was in 6th grade. It was a sort of group date deal that involved all the boys sitting a few rows behind us at Curt's Theatre and throwing popcorn at the girls. All VERY exciting. My love of the movie wasn't limited to that experience and soon The Goonies became an iconic film for 80s kids like me. When I think of The Goonies I think of... slick shoes, the truffle shuffle, a mini statue of David, Baby Ruth, Hey, you guys! Each of these things represents a key moment in the film.

Everyone loves an underdog and this film was about a whole group of them--kids who call themselves the Goonies. The main characters, Mikey and Brandon Walsh, are brothers whose family is preparing to move because developers want to build a golf course in the place of their neighborhood -- unless enough money is raised to stop it.

When Mikey stumbles upon a treasure map of the famed "One-Eyed" Willy's hidden fortune, Mikey, Brandon, and their friends, Chunk, Mouth, Andy, Stef and Data set out on a quest to find the treasure in hopes of saving their neighborhood.

Following the directions on the map leads the kids to an old house used by the Fratelli gang where they keep "Sloth," the disfigured Fratelli brother chained in the basement.

Narrowly escaping capture by the Fratellis, the kids find an underground passage and the search is on for the treasure and a way to save their homes.

At one point the kids have a chance to be rescued by rich kid, Troy, whose father is behind the golf course project. Frightened and tired, they are ready to give up until Mikey rouses the gang with an inspiring speech.

"Don't you realize? The next time you see sky, it'll be over another town. The next time you take a test, it'll be in some other school. Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what's right for them. Because it's their time. Their time! Up there! Down here, it's our time. It's our time down here. That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket. "

What follows is a series of booby traps, clues, water slides, and even an instance of "walking the plank." Of course, it all works out in the end.

Such a Deer.

Bambi, Walt Disney Productions, 1941
from Bambi Gets Lost, text by Albert G. Miller,
Random House, 1972

I don't really remember seeing Bambi (1942--they rereleased some of these classics in the 70s. ) in the theatre but my mom said I hated it. HATED it. It made me cry all the way home. I was very upset, very sad and fairly inconsolable. At a slightly older age I felt the same about E. T.. I guess I was not a fan of a "good cry" when I was a kiddo.

Still, how can one NOT love this little guy? I mean, that picture of him sleeping is frameworthy. In this Wonderful World of Reading Disney book, Bambi goes out to play with Thumper, who knows more and is introducing him to the wonders of the forest. They promise to stay close to home but end up getting lost. I think my life long mental image of possums is based on an illustration from this book.

Even the end papers of this book are adorable.

I love that line "your eyesight is punk."
Of course I selected the picture because
it is wonderful of Thumper and I LOVE Flower.

A Film Worth Recommending!

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 2008

Dr. Seuss, Random House, 1954

Over Christmas break, I watched a handful of children's films and Horton Hears a Who! was one of them. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I am not a big Jim Carrey fan, but I wasn't distracted by the voices and found myself seeing the characters as the characters they were meant to be. I loved the teen angst the directors brought to young Jo-Jo and the way the Whos were portrayed in general. The film didn't really alter the picture book, much. Instead it just blew it up for closer inspection. The kangaroo was exactly as I pictured her in the book, but her baby was a bit softer and less willing to follow her mother's nastiness. A few new characters were invented for the film, but their roles were still minor and didn't create any distraction from the true message of the film/book. I love, love, love, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) so it was fun to get a glimpe of an animated Whoville, once again.

Escape to Witch Mountain

This has to be one of my favorite childhood films. Escape to Witch Mountain is a 1975 Disney film based on a book by Alexander Key (book cover images below). I am guessing I saw the film on TV on the Wonderful World of Disney TV program that ran opposite 60 minutes so it was always a battle with my parents to be allowed to watch "our show." This was back when we had to turn the antenna on the top of the house to tune in one of our four main TV channels.

I read Key's book AFTER seeing the film and right now I really can't remember the book or any of its differences from the film.

Tony and Tia Castaway with Winkie and Mr. O'Day

Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and Tia (Kim Richards) are orphaned children who are placed in a juvenile center after their foster mother Mrs. Malone dies. They possess paranormal abilities. Tia can communicate using only her mind; she does this to speak to Tony and to animals and unlock doors with her mind.

One of the best scenes is when the kids are presented a puppet playset and Tony is able to make them work using his music. Using his harmonica he can access his powers of telekinesis and it both entertains them and saves them when they are locked up in the jail and he distracts the officer by creating a dancing coat rack that frightens the man into a corner.


Pictured here is Tia's "star case" with its hidden map the kids just discovered. They've been suppressing memories about their past and Tia begins to remember an Uncle Bene and a shipwreck of some kind. She remembers being rescued and that other people drowned. They use the map to flee the baddies who are chasing them for their powers and Mr. O'Day (Eddie Albert) is instrumental in helping them get there. One of the main bad guys is devilishly familiar now that I've seen all the James Bond films--Donald Pleasance plays Mr. Deranian.

Interesting fact I learned while creating this post:
Kim Richards is Paris Hilton's aunt.

In 2009, a new version of the film will release. I am not sure how I feel about this. Certainly it will NOT be as good as the beloved favorite from my youth. Heck, the beloved favorite seen today isn't as good as it was in my youth. Things rarely are. But I really did enjoy watching the 1975 version about a week ago at the gym. I barely noticed all the exercise I was getting while running on the treadmill. I was too captivated by the film as it aired on TCM. I didn't stick around to watch the sequel Return from Witch Mountain which introduces new bad guys--notably Bette Davis and Christopher Lee. I am guessing I will watch this 2009 movie when it makes its way to DVD.

Race to Witch Mountain (2009)

How Pablo, The Penguin Who Hated the Cold, Warmed a Heart

Walt Disney Studios, illustrator, Simon & Schuster, 1946

Meet Pablo the Penguin. An Antarctic penguin, living in an Eskimo-style igloo from the other end of the world, whose major motivation was to find warmth. This little book is the result of a little film made by Walt Disney in the 40s.

The telling of Pablo's story took place in The Three Caballeros, released Feb. 3, 1945. Like most Disney features of the 1940s, this wasn't a true feature, but consisted of several unrelated segments, of which Pablo starred in one.

Unlike other such features, however, this one had a tenuous plot thread tying it together, in which the caballeros of the title (Donald Duck, José Carioca and Panchito Pistoles) had an adventure together and unrelated tales, without which the story wouldn't have been nearly long enough to stand as a feature, got told as they did so. One of them introduced Donald to a recurring pestiferous antagonist, The Aracuan bird. Another was about an Argentine boy and his winged burro. Pablo's, inserted as a movie Donald watched, was titled The Cold-Blooded Penguin.

Rather than being acted out the regular way, this segment used only voice-over narration to accompany the animation. Thus, Pablo didn't speak, so nobody did his voice. The narrator was character actor none other than, Sterling Holloway.

The character of Chilly Willy, more or less a clone of Pablo, was later created by Walter Lantz of Woody Woodpecker fame.

Info taken and somewhat modified from Toonopedia.
Read the full article here.

The Little Golden Book version of this story was written by Robert Edmunds. It had alternating black and white and color pictures and much more text than the version I grew up knowing. I had a copy of The Penguin That Hated the Cold which was a board book produced in the 1970s as part of the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Reading series.

All of this matters, at least a little, because about a week ago in our staff lounge Deb, our art teacher, was part of a discussion on beloved children's books and she mentioned a story about a penguin who wanted to be warm. She thought his name was Pablo. And instantly I knew. She told a story about how her sisters fought over the book and her middle sister won. Yes, even at 60, these books matter!

On the way back to class, another colleague suggested we try to find the book and so this celebration of Pablo began. I immediately ordered a copy of the book I had as a child but then we figured out that she probably had the Little Golden Book since that was the series we were discussing when she had her Pablo moment. So, to be safe, we ordered both. The look on her face when we presented her with her choice of books yesterday was priceless.


The Penguin That Hated the Cold,
adapted by Barbara Brenner,
Random House, 1973

This video cuts off the intro, but the other one can't be embedded. If you'd like to see the bits with Donald Duck at the very beginning click here.