The Hobbit.

So far I have loved getting lost in the pages of The Hobbit. The language that is used to captivate the reader is wonderful and very descriptive. My imagination paints the pictures as the scene changes, and I can almost put myself right into the story. Bilbo Baggins is, of course, my favorite character. He is extremely likable, honorable and has a desire to please people. I love how laid back and relaxed the hobbit creatures seem to be. They have nothing but time. The qualities that Bilbo portrays, are what make up a classic children's literature protagonist. He is heroic, but does not let that change him, he is small in stature and kind at heart in all his actions. Like Gandalf exclaimed in the beginning of the novel, there is much more to Bilbo than what meets the eye!

Dress Shopping.

Today was a big day in a girl's life for me. Today i went wedding dress shopping. As a little girl growing up in Texas, with my Barbie dolls, dress up clothes, and Disney movies, I always have imagined what my dress would someday look like. Truly, the day was wonderful, and getting to try on these beautiful flowing white dresses was such a wonderful experience. Fairy tales play a huge role in how a girl looks at her wedding day. In class, as we read Cinderella and Ella Enchanted, you kind of get lost in the thought of this perfect romance, perfect guy, and of course the perfect dress.

Well I did find the perfect dress for me. It was nothing like the one I had dreamed of, I thought I would end up with a huge ball gown like the one Cinderella or Belle wore in Disney movies. But, it will be perfect for my wedding day, and add to my fairy tale!

test day.

today was a test day,
last night was a bad night to play.
i should have, would have, could have,
studied more with my friend Trav.

today was a test day,
and you know what they say,
dont waste away the week before,
or else your grade might be quite poor.

but what am i supposed to do now,
i must sit and wait for my result, somehow,
with high anticipation,
i remember the fun i had last night in college station!

even though today was a test day,
last night was a fun night anyway.

The Red Pony.

The Red Pony is divided into four different stories, all centering around one main character, Jody. I picked this book out specifically, because I remember it to be one of my favorites from when I was in grade school. The first book starts out with a happy beginning. Jody had just received a new pony from his dad, and with the help of his ranch hand Billy, Jody learns how to take care of it and to train it. When the horse falls ill, Billy goes to desperate measures to try and save the horse from death. Eventually the horse runs away and is found dead with vultures preying on it. The second story introduces a new character, Gitano, a Mexican man who claims to have grown up on Jody's ranch. Gitano sparks Jody's interest in exploring the Mountains. Book 3 is a tragic story of another horse death. Jody is once again promised a cult from the stomach of a horse that the family already owns. Complications during the pregnancy causes Billy to kill the colt in order to save the mother's life. Jody's grandfather comes to visit in the last book, and Jody is filled with more wonder about exploration. His grandfather has many stories about his own crossing of the Great Plains, and Jody listens with wide eyes. The novel ends with his grandfather explaining that it was not the exploration that was important, that is was being able to be a leader.

Although this book has many tragic stories, I think I really liked it for the character of Jody. He is an emotional child full of wonder as well as very inquisitive. As a child I think that I was a lot like him, and I could relate in that way.

Book 7: The Red Pony
Author: John Steinbeck
Picture Book?: No - Chapter book
Posting Date: March 27, 2008

Unconventional Education.

There is a movie coming out that is a true life documentary. The stars of this movie is a family of 9 kids with a mother and father. When the parents were first married they decided to go about educating their children in a unconventional way. After their first child was born, the parents bought a van and were on their way. Through the births of their nine children, the family developed a new way of education. The children learned through experience, they traveled from beach to beach surfing as a family and exploring their world. After seeing the trailer for this upcoming movie, I asked myself "Is this a better way for children to learn?" Truly I do not know the answer, whether kids learn from a teacher in a classroom as a strict curriculum through massive textbooks, is the right way is not for me to say. Because, honestly I do see the importance of growing in knowledge through experience, something that reading a book just cannot teach you. Either way, the nine kids in this movie all grew up to be successful and strong individuals in society, which does say a lot about this method of education!

Thoughts on Stevenson.

We have been reading a lot of poetry in class lately, and I have noticed a trend within most of these poems... they are not specifically meant for just children. Even though they are in a book titled "A Child's Anthology of Poetry", they can connect with adults just as much, if not more as they can with children. One of my favorite poets so far is Robert Louis Stevenson. He not only writes his poems specifically for children, in simple language, straight forward, and no metaphorical meanings hidden; he writes them as though from a child's viewpoint. He is not writing as an adult looking into a child's life, he writes with the imagination and energy of a child. This is intriguing to me, and I appreciate his thoughtful ideas in bringing the simplicity back to children's poetry!

Enchanted.

Tonight I had time to sit down and enjoy a movie I had rented called 'Enchanted". It has just been released in video, and the reviews for it were wonderful! I was pleasantly surprised by the modern twist on a classic love story. This Cinderella story combined the cartoon world with the human world, with wonderful music, humorous dialogue, and a surprise ending. A divorce lawyer from New York ends up saving a princess from the underground cartoon world with a 'true loves kiss'. It was a creative movie and I would recommend it to anyone!