The holidays are upon us, a time of family, giving, quiet reflection and ... the shameless Hollywood exploitation of picture books. Quick, clear your mind of images of Mike Myers' Cat or Jim Carrey's Grinch; you'll only soil the grey matter. Instead I offer you a YouTube-inspired Advent Calendar for you and all the young children you happen to know.
These animated picture book adaptations are fun and sophisticated. What's more, they are true to the original text. Most were developed by Weston Woods Studios and many are available through the Scholastic Video Collection which I strongly encourage you to buy.* A goodly number were produced in the great Czech animation studio under the direction of Gene Deitch. Enjoy one a day until Christmas or save them for a slow January Saturday. Oh, and don't forget to pick up each of these classic picture books the next time you're at your local library.
December 1st
Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins, 1968
December 2nd
Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, 1969
December 3rd
The Foolish Frog by Pete Seeger from Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book, 2000; also published on its own in 1973.
December 4rth
Changes, Changes by Pat Hutchins, 1971
December 5th
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, 1989
December 6th
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, 1947
December 7th
Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann, 1993
December 8th
Bill Martin Jr. reading his book Brown Bear, what do you see? published 1983
December 9th
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, 1960
December 10th
Dr. De Soto by William Steig, 1982
December 11th
Happy Birthday Moon by Frank Asch, 1984
December 12th
Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss, 1965
December 13th
There Was An old Lady by Simms Taback, 1997
December 14th
Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman, 2001
December 15th
The Zax by Dr. Seuss in The Sneetches and Other Stories, 1961
December 16th
Mercer Meyer telling his story There's An Alligator Under My Bed published 1987
December 17th
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight by Jane Yolen, 2000
December 18th
How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food by Jane Yolen, 2005
December 19th
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, 1963
December 20th
The Caterpillar and the Pollywog by Jack Kent, 1892
December 21st
Pete's A Pizza by William Steig, 1998
December 22nd
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, 1955
December 23rd
A Picture for Harold's Room by Crockett Johnson, 1955
December 24th
Harold's Fairy Tale by Crockett Johnson, 1956
Bonus holiday offer
These three Hans Christian Andersen adaptations used to appear on TV all the time in the 1970s. I remember them distinctly from my childhood. The subject matter is heavy, so make sure you watch them first before you decide whether or not to share them with a child.
The Selfish Giant
The Little Match Girl
The Happy Prince
And here's a final link that is definitely fun but I know it would frighten my four-year old. Slightly older kids will definitely enjoy the shivers.
What's Under my Bed? by James Stevenson, 1980
_____________
*Not a paid advertisement. The Scholastic Collection has far more videos than are linked to here.
These animated picture book adaptations are fun and sophisticated. What's more, they are true to the original text. Most were developed by Weston Woods Studios and many are available through the Scholastic Video Collection which I strongly encourage you to buy.* A goodly number were produced in the great Czech animation studio under the direction of Gene Deitch. Enjoy one a day until Christmas or save them for a slow January Saturday. Oh, and don't forget to pick up each of these classic picture books the next time you're at your local library.
December 1st
Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins, 1968
December 2nd
Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, 1969
December 3rd
The Foolish Frog by Pete Seeger from Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book, 2000; also published on its own in 1973.
December 4rth
Changes, Changes by Pat Hutchins, 1971
December 5th
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, 1989
December 6th
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, 1947
December 7th
Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann, 1993
December 8th
Bill Martin Jr. reading his book Brown Bear, what do you see? published 1983
December 9th
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, 1960
December 10th
Dr. De Soto by William Steig, 1982
December 11th
Happy Birthday Moon by Frank Asch, 1984
December 12th
Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss, 1965
December 13th
There Was An old Lady by Simms Taback, 1997
December 14th
Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman, 2001
December 15th
The Zax by Dr. Seuss in The Sneetches and Other Stories, 1961
December 16th
Mercer Meyer telling his story There's An Alligator Under My Bed published 1987
December 17th
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight by Jane Yolen, 2000
December 18th
How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food by Jane Yolen, 2005
December 19th
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, 1963
December 20th
The Caterpillar and the Pollywog by Jack Kent, 1892
December 21st
Pete's A Pizza by William Steig, 1998
December 22nd
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, 1955
December 23rd
A Picture for Harold's Room by Crockett Johnson, 1955
December 24th
Harold's Fairy Tale by Crockett Johnson, 1956
Bonus holiday offer
These three Hans Christian Andersen adaptations used to appear on TV all the time in the 1970s. I remember them distinctly from my childhood. The subject matter is heavy, so make sure you watch them first before you decide whether or not to share them with a child.
The Selfish Giant
The Little Match Girl
The Happy Prince
And here's a final link that is definitely fun but I know it would frighten my four-year old. Slightly older kids will definitely enjoy the shivers.
What's Under my Bed? by James Stevenson, 1980
_____________
*Not a paid advertisement. The Scholastic Collection has far more videos than are linked to here.
