Picture Books - As seen on DVD

Oh where, oh where has the time gone. No matter where it went, gladly it has given way to spring weather. Although, I haven’t posted about books of late, be assured we have not lost interest or in my case passion about the written word. Some may call my passion a bit over the top, but I like knowing we have a home that you literally cannot step into any room without being able to pick up a book. Why even in the bathrooms you will find a bucket of books or even a step stool with hidden storage just waiting to fulfill your bookish desires. Most of course are of the children’s literature genre, but getting in touch with your inner child is a good thing.

Even though books are great, we also like our quality shows as well. PBS has been putting quality kids programming together for some time and I have just been loving their Jane Austen series over these last few months. But, wait we also have spent a buck or two or three on DVD’s besides books. I’m not a big fan of commercial television especially for kids. So, whenever I get a chance I pick up a DVD or two of entertainment like VeggieTales, Little Einsteins, or Angelina Ballerina. Some great finds of late include The Little Polar Bear (2003) based on the book by Hans De Beer and the recent purchase of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories (1995) based on the classics by Eric Carle. (I use the word classic in the sense that Carle’s books have on many levels in my opinion reached that status.)

My wee one loves pretty much all books, but it is fun to sit with her and watch Carle’s books unfold on screen word for word as she has heard them from us and also can pretty much recite on her own. Oh, I still think the book version is the best, but when looking for a quick change of pace or in our case this week working on removing a splinter from the wee one’s hand, the DVD version is quite mesmerizing for her. There are many books that have gone to DVD, but some like Stellaluna have deviated from the original text. This isn’t bad and can actual be a good teaching tool in comparing and contrasting story versions. Some books that have been put to DVD include the text viewing as an option. Great for early readers or if you have special needs children.

So, where am I going with this post? Don’t know. Have spring fever. Enjoy a book or watch it unfold on screen. Either way have a great day. Oh, and many of these DVD's are available at the library for check out.