The Latino population is growing rapidly in the United States. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the Latino population was an estimated 13% of the total in 2000. As a result, I feel that every library should be equipped with literature that allows students to gain more insight into this culture. Chato and the Party Animals, written by Gary Soto, is a cleverly written and beautifully illustrated story. Because this story contains Spanish language, this book features a glossary as a important reference for readers.
Chato is a "cool" cat who loves to have fun! While having a blast at Chorizo's birthday party, he notices that his good friend Novio Boy seems unhappy. When Chato asks him what's wrong, Chato learns that Novio Boy is indeed sad. Novio Boy does not know much about his past. For example, he doesn't know who his mother is and he doesn't even know when his birthday is. In addition, Novio Boy has never experienced his own birthday party. So, being the kind of friend Chato is, he decides to throw Novio Boy a birthday party. Chato prepares for the festivity by ordering a cake, booking a DJ, creating a catfish pinata, making party food, and inviting friends. When the arrangements and preparations are finalized, Chato and his buddies set out to find his friend. After searching the neighborhood, the trees, and under cars, they begin to think the worst and then decide to head back to Chato's home. Novio Boy finally arrives at his friend's house after going dumpster hopping. They surprise the birthday boy and all enjoy the party until the sun goes down. Novio Boy appreciates what his friend does for him.
I would recommend this book in any school library media center collection. The reader is able to get a better insight into the language and customs of the Latino culture. The authentic illustrations help depict the customs of the Latino experiences. For example, the character's costumes and the rich, vibrant colors resemble the Latino culture. The story's illustrator, Susan Guevara, won the Pura Belpre Award, in 2002 for excellent cultural illustrations. This award
honors Latino authors and illustrators for outstanding work representing Spanish culture. I also enjoyed the theme of friendship that was embedded in the story. This is an excellent multicultural story that I believe children would enjoy reading.
Resource:
http://www.census.gov/
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Two Foolish Cats: by Yoshiko Uchida (a critique)
The Two Foolish Cats, based on a Japanese folktale, is a story about two silly cats who live in the forests of Japan. Field mice and birds are frightened by the cats because they love to hunt these small animals for food. One spring morning the two cats, Big Daizo and Little Suki, could not find the mice and were not quick enough to catch fish in the stream. After arguing, the two animals finally discovered two rice cakes nearby. However, there was a slight problem- the rice cakes were not of equal size. While the animals continued to argue and scuffle over who should get the bigger cake, the field mice and the birds cheered them on and called them greedy and stubborn, hoping they would eat each other. Finally, a badger came out from the forest and advised them to have the wise old monkey settle their dispute. Big Daizo and Little Suki agreed and ventured through the forest to locate him. When they finally found the old monkey sitting in a tree, they told him their dilemma. The wise old monkey said he knew how to solve their problem and went inside his house. He brought out a small scale and quickly found that the rice cakes were not of equal weight. So, the monkey began to take a bites of both rice cakes to make them equal, but instead had soon eaten both rice cakes. The old monkey informed the cats that he had stopped their arguing because the food was equally gone. The cats felt foolish and the blue jays relayed the story to the other animals in the forest. After the animals snickered at the two silly cats, Big Daizo and Little Suki went back into the forest and never squabbled again.
I enjoyed reading the humorous Japanese story. The story was simplistic, but entertaining. I was quickly drawn in the story because I wanted to find out what would become of the two foolish cats. I feel Uchida cleverly got her point across about the consequences of being greedy. I did, however, find it puzzling that the field mice were terrified of the cats, but yet was around them quite often throughout the book. I thought this aspect of the book was contradicting. This is the first book I have read by this author.
Yoshiko Uchida, a Japanese-American author, has written several books. These include The Best Bad Thing, The Birthday Visitor, The Bracelet, The Happiest Ending, The Invisible Thread, A Jar of Dreams, Journey Home, The Magic Purse, Picture Bride, Samurai of Gold Hill, Rooster Who Understood Japanese, The Dancing Kettle and Other Japanese Folk Tales, Sea of Gold, The Wise Old Woman, and The Terrible Leak. Yoshiko Uchida died in 1992.
Resource:
http://www.biblio.com/author_biographies/2107284/Yoshiko_Uchida.html
I enjoyed reading the humorous Japanese story. The story was simplistic, but entertaining. I was quickly drawn in the story because I wanted to find out what would become of the two foolish cats. I feel Uchida cleverly got her point across about the consequences of being greedy. I did, however, find it puzzling that the field mice were terrified of the cats, but yet was around them quite often throughout the book. I thought this aspect of the book was contradicting. This is the first book I have read by this author.
Yoshiko Uchida, a Japanese-American author, has written several books. These include The Best Bad Thing, The Birthday Visitor, The Bracelet, The Happiest Ending, The Invisible Thread, A Jar of Dreams, Journey Home, The Magic Purse, Picture Bride, Samurai of Gold Hill, Rooster Who Understood Japanese, The Dancing Kettle and Other Japanese Folk Tales, Sea of Gold, The Wise Old Woman, and The Terrible Leak. Yoshiko Uchida died in 1992.
Resource:
http://www.biblio.com/author_biographies/2107284/Yoshiko_Uchida.html
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Noah's Ark: by Jerry Pinkney (a critique)
Jerry Pinkney, author and illustrator, received a Caldecott Honor Award in 2003 for his work, Noah's Ark. This book retells the biblical story found in the book of Genesis. In this story God told Noah that He would bring a flood upon the earth because He was not pleased with the evilness of humankind. Noah was a faithful servant to the Lord and obeyed His commands. God gave Noah instructions that included building a large ark made of cypress wood and filling it with two creatures of every kind, bringing enough food for the animals and Noah and his family. God made Noah a promise that he would keep his family and those animals safe. While Noah built the ark, the people questioned Noah. After Noah, his family, and the animals were safe on the ark, the rain came for forty days and forty nights and flooded the earth. After the rain ended and the water levels dropped, Noah sent a dove to find out if the land was dry. The dove returned with an olive branch and Noah knew there was dry land. Noah and his family praised God and cared for the earth. God assured that He would never flood the earth again and sent a rainbow as His promise.
The illustrations in this story are absolutely exquisite and very unique. His illustrations proved to be distinguished because he received a Caldecott Honor Award for his work. Pinkney used a combination of watercolors, colored pencils, and pencils to create his pictures. I admire Pinkney's attention to detail in his illustrations. In addition, the contrasting bright and subtle color combinations that were used throughout the book were phenomenal . The method in which he drew the winds, the waves, and the rain truly made the book come to life. He did an excellent job of helping make the illustrations tell the story.
Jerry Pinkney is a well-known artist and has illustrated over one hundred children's books. Some of his other works include The Moon Over Star, Little Red Riding Hood, The Old African, God Bless The Child, The Nightingale, In for Winter, Out for Spring, Journeys with Elijah, John Henry, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, The Little Match Girl, Goin' Someplace Special, Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me, The Hired Hand, The Ugly Duckling, and Sunday Outing.
Resource:
http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html
The illustrations in this story are absolutely exquisite and very unique. His illustrations proved to be distinguished because he received a Caldecott Honor Award for his work. Pinkney used a combination of watercolors, colored pencils, and pencils to create his pictures. I admire Pinkney's attention to detail in his illustrations. In addition, the contrasting bright and subtle color combinations that were used throughout the book were phenomenal . The method in which he drew the winds, the waves, and the rain truly made the book come to life. He did an excellent job of helping make the illustrations tell the story.
Jerry Pinkney is a well-known artist and has illustrated over one hundred children's books. Some of his other works include The Moon Over Star, Little Red Riding Hood, The Old African, God Bless The Child, The Nightingale, In for Winter, Out for Spring, Journeys with Elijah, John Henry, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, The Little Match Girl, Goin' Someplace Special, Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me, The Hired Hand, The Ugly Duckling, and Sunday Outing.
Resource:
http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Polar Express: Similarities and Differences in Book and Movie
The Polar Express, written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, is a very popular children's picture story. This book was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1986 because of the exquisite and distinctive illustrations. The book tells about a story of skeptical young boy who boards a train on Christmas Eve and travels on a magical adventure to the North Pole. As a result of the experience, he receives the first gift of Christmas from Santa and then finds himself always truly believing in the magic of Christmas.
This award-winning feature film, released in 2004, starred well-known actor Tom Hanks and was directed by Robert Zemeckis. The movie was comparable to the children's book. The brilliant illustrations in the book greatly resembled many of the background scenes in the movie. I found the computer animations were a very interesting choice which truly brought the book to life. In addition, many of the characters in the movie paralleled many characters found in the book. The young boy, the mother and father, Sarah, the conductor, the elves, and of course Santa were featured in both the book and the movie. There was a small amount of dialogue embedded in the book. However, nearly all of the dialogue that appeared in the book was used throughout the film. Furthermore, the main idea, along with many of the same events, were evident in both versions of the story. For example, in both forms, the young boy was unable to sleep on Christmas Eve and was uncertain about the magic of the holiday. In the middle of the night, he heard a loud screeching sound outside and discovered a long train in front of his house. The boy ran outside and met the conductor who informed him the train, The Polar Express, was heading to the North Pole. The boy boarded the train and immediately noticed other children on board. In both the book and movie, the children received hot chocolate while on board the train. After riding though wildernesses, mountains, and hills, they arrived at the luminous North Pole packed with numerous elves. Once there, Santa chose the young boy to obtain the first gift of Christmas. He asked for a silver bell from Santa's sleigh and he granted the boy's request. While back on the train the children asked to see the silver bell, but the boy quickly discovered he had lost the bell due to a hole in his pocket and was unfortunately too late to search for it. The young boy arrived back home and then awoke on Christmas morning to open a present from Santa that contained the silver bell from Santa's sleigh. While the young boy's parents did not hear the sound of the shaken bell, both the boy and his sister heard the magical sound.
While the book and the movie had many similar features, there were many differences as well. The one hour and forty minute feature film added many scenes that were just not found in the rather short children's book. For instance, there were more events at the beginning of the movie. In the movie, for example, the inquisitive young boy searches the word 'North Pole' in the encyclopedia. This scene did not occur in the book. Another difference I discovered toward the beginning of the movie was when the boy hesitated going on The Polar Express. In the book, however, the boy did not hesitate going aboard. Moreover, in the movie, the young boy encountered many more adventures on the train and at the North Pole. At one point, for instance, the young boy found himself on top of the train talking to a rather strange traveler. Another noteworthy difference were the train tickets. In the movie, the tickets were a very big part of the film. In the book, on the other hand, the tickets were not ever mentioned. Also, there was naturally more dialogue throught the movie, especially among the conductor and the children. Furthermore, there were two central characters on the train, a young girl and a young boy named Billy, that appeared in the movie, but were not in Chris Van Allsburg's book.
I personally did not enjoy the movie as much as I thought I would and was disappointed because I usually love Christmas movies. I really enjoyed Allsburg's simplistic version better. I found the movie to be too long in places, especially on the way to the North Pole, and as a result, found myself really struggling to focus on what exactly was happening. I also thought some of the scenes were somewhat bizarre, especially the entire scene of when the young boy meets the strange man on the top of the train. I did, however, enjoy the scenery and the animation. It truly is amazing what can be done with the use of technology!
This award-winning feature film, released in 2004, starred well-known actor Tom Hanks and was directed by Robert Zemeckis. The movie was comparable to the children's book. The brilliant illustrations in the book greatly resembled many of the background scenes in the movie. I found the computer animations were a very interesting choice which truly brought the book to life. In addition, many of the characters in the movie paralleled many characters found in the book. The young boy, the mother and father, Sarah, the conductor, the elves, and of course Santa were featured in both the book and the movie. There was a small amount of dialogue embedded in the book. However, nearly all of the dialogue that appeared in the book was used throughout the film. Furthermore, the main idea, along with many of the same events, were evident in both versions of the story. For example, in both forms, the young boy was unable to sleep on Christmas Eve and was uncertain about the magic of the holiday. In the middle of the night, he heard a loud screeching sound outside and discovered a long train in front of his house. The boy ran outside and met the conductor who informed him the train, The Polar Express, was heading to the North Pole. The boy boarded the train and immediately noticed other children on board. In both the book and movie, the children received hot chocolate while on board the train. After riding though wildernesses, mountains, and hills, they arrived at the luminous North Pole packed with numerous elves. Once there, Santa chose the young boy to obtain the first gift of Christmas. He asked for a silver bell from Santa's sleigh and he granted the boy's request. While back on the train the children asked to see the silver bell, but the boy quickly discovered he had lost the bell due to a hole in his pocket and was unfortunately too late to search for it. The young boy arrived back home and then awoke on Christmas morning to open a present from Santa that contained the silver bell from Santa's sleigh. While the young boy's parents did not hear the sound of the shaken bell, both the boy and his sister heard the magical sound.
While the book and the movie had many similar features, there were many differences as well. The one hour and forty minute feature film added many scenes that were just not found in the rather short children's book. For instance, there were more events at the beginning of the movie. In the movie, for example, the inquisitive young boy searches the word 'North Pole' in the encyclopedia. This scene did not occur in the book. Another difference I discovered toward the beginning of the movie was when the boy hesitated going on The Polar Express. In the book, however, the boy did not hesitate going aboard. Moreover, in the movie, the young boy encountered many more adventures on the train and at the North Pole. At one point, for instance, the young boy found himself on top of the train talking to a rather strange traveler. Another noteworthy difference were the train tickets. In the movie, the tickets were a very big part of the film. In the book, on the other hand, the tickets were not ever mentioned. Also, there was naturally more dialogue throught the movie, especially among the conductor and the children. Furthermore, there were two central characters on the train, a young girl and a young boy named Billy, that appeared in the movie, but were not in Chris Van Allsburg's book.
I personally did not enjoy the movie as much as I thought I would and was disappointed because I usually love Christmas movies. I really enjoyed Allsburg's simplistic version better. I found the movie to be too long in places, especially on the way to the North Pole, and as a result, found myself really struggling to focus on what exactly was happening. I also thought some of the scenes were somewhat bizarre, especially the entire scene of when the young boy meets the strange man on the top of the train. I did, however, enjoy the scenery and the animation. It truly is amazing what can be done with the use of technology!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Charlotte's Web: Similarities and Differences in Book and Movie
Charlotte's Web, written by E.B. White, is a warm-hearted, classic children's novel that received a Newbery Honor Award in 1953. True friendship and loyalty is the central theme throughout the entire story. The movie, although recently released in 2006, proved to mostly stay true to the memorable and popular book.
After reading and watching Charlotte's Web, I discovered many similarities in both the book and the movie. The characters in the story remained the same as in the book. Fern, Mr. and Mrs. Arable, Avery, Homer and Edith Zuckerman, Lurvy, Henry Fussy, Dr. Dorian, modest Wilbur, loyal Charlotte, obnoxious Templeton, the sheep, the geese, and the cows all appeared in the movie and possessed many of the same character traits. In addition, much of the dialogue between the characters were very similar. I did note, however, there was a good deal of added dialogue among the barn animals, especially between the cows, in the movie that did not appear in the book.
Furthermore, the majority of the events embedded in the movie were also found in the book. For example, both book and movie began with Fern preventing her father, Mr. Arable, from killing the runt pig and then promising to take care of the animal whom she named, Wilbur. In addition, when Wilbur got too bundlesome to take care of, Fern's family sent Wilbur to live nearby in Uncle Homer's barn, where Fern frequently visited Wilbur. In both forms of the story, Wilbur was not thrilled to be in the new barn when he first arrived and felt like a stranger. However, Charlotte, a grey spider, noticed Wilbur and befriended him. After Wilbur discovered that his chances of survival were minimal and he would not see snowfall, Charlotte promised him she would devise a plan that would save his life and indeed she succeeded with a little help from the rat Templeton. Templeton helped Charlotte unrelentingly by scurrying around trying to locate words Charlotte could use. By cleverly working and weaving 'SOME PIG,' 'TERRIFIC,' 'RADIANT,' and 'HUMBLE' in her web in an effort to describe Wilbur, Wilbur not only gained the Zuckermans' attention, but also the townspeople's attention as well. They were all amazed at the miraculous signs from the web. In both the book and movie, the people never understood how the words appeared in the spider's web. Although Mr. Zuckerman decided to enter Wilbur at the County Fair, an enormous pig named Uncle won the blue ribbon. However, because Wilbur was admired by so many people, he was honored with a medal of appreciation. Toward the end, before Charlotte died, she completed her masterpiece filled with 514 eggs. Because of Charlotte, Wilbur got to experience his first snowfall. He, in turn, faithfully watched Charlotte's little sack for weeks upon weeks. Finally, springtime arrived and tiny spiders came out of the sack. All of Charlotte's children floated away except for three little ones, whom they named as Joy, Aranea, and Nellie. Wilbur pledged his friendship year after year to Charlotte's children and grandchildren, but they never took the place of his beloved friend in his heart.
While there were numerous similarities between the book and the movie, I detected several small differences as well. For example, a minor variation from the book and the movie was where the story took place. While the book never mentioned a particular setting, the movie created a specific setting, Somerset County. Another difference I found at the beginning of the movie was when Fern sneaked Wilbur in her shirt and then took him to school. This particular scene was not in the book. Furthermore, in the book Mr. Zuckerman bought Wilbur from Fern for six dollars. This, however, was not even mentioned in the movie. Additionally, Wilbur's escape when he first arrives at the barn is told differently in the book and movie. In the book, the goose told Wilbur that a board was loose on the fence and that is how the pig escaped. In the movie, on the other hand, Wilbur tried several times and finally succeeded at knocking the fence over without any help from the other barn animals. Moreover, in the book the old sheep told Wilbur about him being killed. In the movie, though, Templeton was the one who told Wilbur about his fate.
Even though there were differences in the book and movie, I truly enjoyed reading and watching Charlotte's Web. The story's theme of true friendship and Charlotte's unique qualities of loyalty and selflessness are to be admired and enjoyed by children and adults for years to come.
After reading and watching Charlotte's Web, I discovered many similarities in both the book and the movie. The characters in the story remained the same as in the book. Fern, Mr. and Mrs. Arable, Avery, Homer and Edith Zuckerman, Lurvy, Henry Fussy, Dr. Dorian, modest Wilbur, loyal Charlotte, obnoxious Templeton, the sheep, the geese, and the cows all appeared in the movie and possessed many of the same character traits. In addition, much of the dialogue between the characters were very similar. I did note, however, there was a good deal of added dialogue among the barn animals, especially between the cows, in the movie that did not appear in the book.
Furthermore, the majority of the events embedded in the movie were also found in the book. For example, both book and movie began with Fern preventing her father, Mr. Arable, from killing the runt pig and then promising to take care of the animal whom she named, Wilbur. In addition, when Wilbur got too bundlesome to take care of, Fern's family sent Wilbur to live nearby in Uncle Homer's barn, where Fern frequently visited Wilbur. In both forms of the story, Wilbur was not thrilled to be in the new barn when he first arrived and felt like a stranger. However, Charlotte, a grey spider, noticed Wilbur and befriended him. After Wilbur discovered that his chances of survival were minimal and he would not see snowfall, Charlotte promised him she would devise a plan that would save his life and indeed she succeeded with a little help from the rat Templeton. Templeton helped Charlotte unrelentingly by scurrying around trying to locate words Charlotte could use. By cleverly working and weaving 'SOME PIG,' 'TERRIFIC,' 'RADIANT,' and 'HUMBLE' in her web in an effort to describe Wilbur, Wilbur not only gained the Zuckermans' attention, but also the townspeople's attention as well. They were all amazed at the miraculous signs from the web. In both the book and movie, the people never understood how the words appeared in the spider's web. Although Mr. Zuckerman decided to enter Wilbur at the County Fair, an enormous pig named Uncle won the blue ribbon. However, because Wilbur was admired by so many people, he was honored with a medal of appreciation. Toward the end, before Charlotte died, she completed her masterpiece filled with 514 eggs. Because of Charlotte, Wilbur got to experience his first snowfall. He, in turn, faithfully watched Charlotte's little sack for weeks upon weeks. Finally, springtime arrived and tiny spiders came out of the sack. All of Charlotte's children floated away except for three little ones, whom they named as Joy, Aranea, and Nellie. Wilbur pledged his friendship year after year to Charlotte's children and grandchildren, but they never took the place of his beloved friend in his heart.
While there were numerous similarities between the book and the movie, I detected several small differences as well. For example, a minor variation from the book and the movie was where the story took place. While the book never mentioned a particular setting, the movie created a specific setting, Somerset County. Another difference I found at the beginning of the movie was when Fern sneaked Wilbur in her shirt and then took him to school. This particular scene was not in the book. Furthermore, in the book Mr. Zuckerman bought Wilbur from Fern for six dollars. This, however, was not even mentioned in the movie. Additionally, Wilbur's escape when he first arrives at the barn is told differently in the book and movie. In the book, the goose told Wilbur that a board was loose on the fence and that is how the pig escaped. In the movie, on the other hand, Wilbur tried several times and finally succeeded at knocking the fence over without any help from the other barn animals. Moreover, in the book the old sheep told Wilbur about him being killed. In the movie, though, Templeton was the one who told Wilbur about his fate.
Even though there were differences in the book and movie, I truly enjoyed reading and watching Charlotte's Web. The story's theme of true friendship and Charlotte's unique qualities of loyalty and selflessness are to be admired and enjoyed by children and adults for years to come.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Holes: Similarities and Differences in Book and Movie
Holes, written by Louis Sachar, was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1999. The main character, Stanley Yelnats, had a difficult time with life in general. Stanley was overweight, which contributed to many altercations with the school bully Derrick Dunne. Stanley's parents were poor because his dad was an unlucky inventor and his family blamed their years of misfortune on a curse caused by Stanley's great-great grandfather's broken promise to a gypsy. To make matters worse, one afternoon after school Stanley got arrested by the police when they assumed he stole a pair of shoes from a homeless shelter. Stanely was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, which, of course, he blamed on his ancestor. In court, Stanley was given a harsh choice. He could either go to jail or attend Camp Green Lake, a juvenile correctional facility. Stanley chose Camp Green Lake, which actually proved to be no lake at all- just endless miles of desert with minimal plant life and wildlife except for a few oak trees, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and yellow-spotted lizards. Camp Green Lake's main purpose was to have the boys dig a hole each day that were five feet deep and five feet across as punishment, the warden claimed, to build stronger character.
A hundred years earlier, however, Green Lake was actually a lake surrounded by a nice town. However, one day Sam, a popular African American onion man, kissed Miss Katherine Barlow, a white school teacher. The people in the town burned the school. Katherine Barlow ran to report to the sheriff what was happening , but instead discovered he wanted a kiss from her and threatened to hang Sam. Katherine then slapped the sheriff and ran to tell Sam what was going to happen to him. After they made it halfway across the lake in his boat, Sam was shot. It didn't rain again after that evening. Three days later, Katherine Barlow, grief-stricken, shot the sheriff, kissed him with her bright red lipstick, and for the next several years was known as the bandit "Kissin Kate Barlow." Stanley's family also told him a story about his great grandfather, also named Stanley Yelnats, who lost his entire fortune when he was robbed by the well-known outlaw.
For weeks upon weeks, Stanley dug his holes in the hot, blazing sun along with Group D's obnoxious members, Squid, Armpit, Magnet, Zigzag, and X-Ray. Zero was a member of Group D also, but he was different. Through the experience, Zero and Stanley, became quite good friends, who stuck up for one another throughout the story. One day Stanley came across a lipstick tube with the initials KB, which was when he finally started putting the pieces of the puzzle together. The warden made the boys dig the holes because she and her cronies, Mr. Sir and Mr. Pendanski, among others were hunting for the treasure. After Stanley and his friend, Zero, escaped from "camp" for a few days, they went back to dig one last hole to finally locate the buried treasure that belonged to Stanley's great grandfather many years before.
Towards the end of the book, after two girls testify to the fact that Stanley was still at school trying to retrieve a notebook that was thrown in the toilet by Derrick when the shoes were stolen, Stanley's attorney came for Stanley. Zero also accompanied Stanley and the attorney because the facilitators at the camp destroyed Zero's records. Therefore, they didn't have any evidence to keep him. The Attorney General shut down Camp Green Lake to transform it into a Girl Scout Camp, Stanley's father finally formulated a new product to alleviate the problem of foot odor, and it finally rained again at Green Lake. Stanley used the money to buy a new house for his parents and Zero successfully used his part to hire private detectives to locate his long, lost mother.
After reading and watching Holes, I found the popular book to be very similar to the Disney movie, which was released in 2003. The majority of the characters in the movie were identical to the characters in the book. The director of the movie did a fantastic job of making the majority of the characters resemble the characters' descriptions in the book. For example, in the book, Stanley described the warden as tall and red-headed with many freckles. The warden, played by Sigourney Weaver, met this description. Zigzag was another character Stanley distinctively described as having wild and frizzy blonde hair. In the movie, Zigzag's character had wild hair.
I also found the movie utilized the description of Camp Green Lake to make it resemble the descriptions found in the book. The endless miles of desert, the mountains in the distance, and the countless holes helped me develop a better picture of what the camp actually looked like. In addition, much of the dialogue and the events in the movie was in order of how it appeared in the book: the bus ride to the camp, the flashbacks, Stanley taking the blame for the stolen sunflower seeds, and Mr. Sir getting scratched by the warden with her rattlesnake venom were just a few of the events that were almost identical to those found in the book.
On the other hand, I detected some differences in the book and the movie. The biggest difference I observed was in the physical characteristics of Stanley. In the book, Stanley was overweight and was bullied at school by Derrick Dunne. In fact, Stanley got released from camp because of the fact two girls saw him coming out of the boy's bathroom to retrieve a notebook from the toilet that was put there by the bully, Derrick. The character that played Stanley in the movie, however, was slim and nothing was ever mentioned about him being bullied at school. In my opinion, this was a critical difference because Stanley's awkward appearance and low self-esteem played a big part throughout the book.
Another difference I noted between the book and the movie was when Miss Katherine Barlow left the sheriff to go and find Sam. In the book, Katherine finds Sam, tells him what is going to happen to him, and they make it halfway across the lake before he gets shot. In the movie, however, Katherine doesn't get a chance to tell Sam what will happen to him because Sam is already out on the lake.
Furthermore, there is a slight difference in the event where Stanley decides to take Mr. Sir's truck to look for Zero. In the book, Mr. Sir only runs alongside the truck before Stanley drives the truck into a hole. However, in the movie, Mr. Sir runs alongside the truck and falls in a hole himself before Stanley drives in the hole. I also observed the differences in the warden's vehicle. In the book, the warden drove a truck, but in the movie, she drove a classic white car. Finally, in the book, Kissin Kate Barlow died when a yellow-spotted lizard jumped on her ankle and bit her. In the movie, however, Kate Barlow actually put the lizard on her arm for the lizard to bite.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and then watching Holes. I found that the movie stayed very close to the book, with only a few differences.
A hundred years earlier, however, Green Lake was actually a lake surrounded by a nice town. However, one day Sam, a popular African American onion man, kissed Miss Katherine Barlow, a white school teacher. The people in the town burned the school. Katherine Barlow ran to report to the sheriff what was happening , but instead discovered he wanted a kiss from her and threatened to hang Sam. Katherine then slapped the sheriff and ran to tell Sam what was going to happen to him. After they made it halfway across the lake in his boat, Sam was shot. It didn't rain again after that evening. Three days later, Katherine Barlow, grief-stricken, shot the sheriff, kissed him with her bright red lipstick, and for the next several years was known as the bandit "Kissin Kate Barlow." Stanley's family also told him a story about his great grandfather, also named Stanley Yelnats, who lost his entire fortune when he was robbed by the well-known outlaw.
For weeks upon weeks, Stanley dug his holes in the hot, blazing sun along with Group D's obnoxious members, Squid, Armpit, Magnet, Zigzag, and X-Ray. Zero was a member of Group D also, but he was different. Through the experience, Zero and Stanley, became quite good friends, who stuck up for one another throughout the story. One day Stanley came across a lipstick tube with the initials KB, which was when he finally started putting the pieces of the puzzle together. The warden made the boys dig the holes because she and her cronies, Mr. Sir and Mr. Pendanski, among others were hunting for the treasure. After Stanley and his friend, Zero, escaped from "camp" for a few days, they went back to dig one last hole to finally locate the buried treasure that belonged to Stanley's great grandfather many years before.
Towards the end of the book, after two girls testify to the fact that Stanley was still at school trying to retrieve a notebook that was thrown in the toilet by Derrick when the shoes were stolen, Stanley's attorney came for Stanley. Zero also accompanied Stanley and the attorney because the facilitators at the camp destroyed Zero's records. Therefore, they didn't have any evidence to keep him. The Attorney General shut down Camp Green Lake to transform it into a Girl Scout Camp, Stanley's father finally formulated a new product to alleviate the problem of foot odor, and it finally rained again at Green Lake. Stanley used the money to buy a new house for his parents and Zero successfully used his part to hire private detectives to locate his long, lost mother.
After reading and watching Holes, I found the popular book to be very similar to the Disney movie, which was released in 2003. The majority of the characters in the movie were identical to the characters in the book. The director of the movie did a fantastic job of making the majority of the characters resemble the characters' descriptions in the book. For example, in the book, Stanley described the warden as tall and red-headed with many freckles. The warden, played by Sigourney Weaver, met this description. Zigzag was another character Stanley distinctively described as having wild and frizzy blonde hair. In the movie, Zigzag's character had wild hair.
I also found the movie utilized the description of Camp Green Lake to make it resemble the descriptions found in the book. The endless miles of desert, the mountains in the distance, and the countless holes helped me develop a better picture of what the camp actually looked like. In addition, much of the dialogue and the events in the movie was in order of how it appeared in the book: the bus ride to the camp, the flashbacks, Stanley taking the blame for the stolen sunflower seeds, and Mr. Sir getting scratched by the warden with her rattlesnake venom were just a few of the events that were almost identical to those found in the book.
On the other hand, I detected some differences in the book and the movie. The biggest difference I observed was in the physical characteristics of Stanley. In the book, Stanley was overweight and was bullied at school by Derrick Dunne. In fact, Stanley got released from camp because of the fact two girls saw him coming out of the boy's bathroom to retrieve a notebook from the toilet that was put there by the bully, Derrick. The character that played Stanley in the movie, however, was slim and nothing was ever mentioned about him being bullied at school. In my opinion, this was a critical difference because Stanley's awkward appearance and low self-esteem played a big part throughout the book.
Another difference I noted between the book and the movie was when Miss Katherine Barlow left the sheriff to go and find Sam. In the book, Katherine finds Sam, tells him what is going to happen to him, and they make it halfway across the lake before he gets shot. In the movie, however, Katherine doesn't get a chance to tell Sam what will happen to him because Sam is already out on the lake.
Furthermore, there is a slight difference in the event where Stanley decides to take Mr. Sir's truck to look for Zero. In the book, Mr. Sir only runs alongside the truck before Stanley drives the truck into a hole. However, in the movie, Mr. Sir runs alongside the truck and falls in a hole himself before Stanley drives in the hole. I also observed the differences in the warden's vehicle. In the book, the warden drove a truck, but in the movie, she drove a classic white car. Finally, in the book, Kissin Kate Barlow died when a yellow-spotted lizard jumped on her ankle and bit her. In the movie, however, Kate Barlow actually put the lizard on her arm for the lizard to bite.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and then watching Holes. I found that the movie stayed very close to the book, with only a few differences.
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