The gentle narratives and highlighted subtitles make these great learn-to-read stories.
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The default on this latest DVD in the Scholastic Storybook Treasures series is set for subtitles--you have to click them off to watch without them--which suggests that the folks at Weston Woods who produce the series are realizing that their niche isn't to reading replacement, but reading enhancement. Subtitles appear in a bland color but then words are highlighted in a bright yellow or light blue as they're spoken, which gives beginning readers a real sense of correlation between the sound of the word and its signifier.
This collection features four children's books adapted for film, plus two bonus stories.
Chrysanthemum (1991) begins with the birth of a little girl mouse whose given a distinctive name by her parents. We see her grow and grow into that name, delighting in it until it comes time for her to go to school. Then it's like an episode of "Mean Girls," as the others poke fun of her name because it's too long and she's named after a flower rather than a relative. Each day Chrysanthemum endures the taunts and the teasing, she comes home feeling more dejected. It's only when a pregnant music teacher comes to class that Chrysanthemum learns her name isn't so bad after all. The teacher also has a long first name that's derived from a flower (Delphinium) and she likes Chrysanthemum so much for a name that she's thinking of giving that name to her baby. Naturally, the other girls back off of their criticism. But writer-illustrator Kevin Henkes has a habit of not letting any malefactor get off Scott-free. In this story, which is narrated by Meryl Streep, the only person who messes up in the school play is the mouse who tormented Chrysanthemum the most, and the whole while she's onstage, embarrassed, Chrysanthemum giggles and revels in the moment as she dances circles around her. This might not be the kind of behavior that some parents would want their children to mimic, but then again it's probably every kid's secret wish to have the bully or tormenter get his or her come-uppance. The illustrations are drawn in a whimsical style not too far removed from the Angelina Ballerina series, with bright colors and Impressionistic watercolor backgrounds. This one will appeal mostly to girls in the 1-6 age range.
Owen (1993) has a similar come-uppance at the end, but it's more subtle. In this one, little Owen mouse loves his ratty little yellow blanket that he calls "Fuzzy," but his parents launch into wean-him-from-it mode after a neighbor comments across the fence that he's too big to be hanging onto a blanket like that. "Haven't you heard of the blanket fairy?" she whispers to Owen's mom, and so they try the neighbor's idea. When that doesn't work, "Haven't you heard of the vinegar trick?" produces another attempt with the same disappointing results. But by the end, Owen's mom comes up with her own brilliant idea, and makes little handkerchiefs out of the blanket so Owen can carry one every day. "And Mrs. Tweezers doesn't say a thing," reads the last line, because the neighbor carries a hankie herself. A little nyah-nyah twist, which is typical of Henkes. As with the first story, the colors are bright and the backgrounds and furniture have color patches here and there. Again, because of the gentle subject matter and the emphasis on parents and habits, I can see this appealing mostly to girls in the target age bracket, though they'll surely be grossed out when they see Owen playing in the toilet (and so will parents). Sarah Jessica Parker narrates.
A Weekend with Wendell (1986) is the third Henkes story, this time narrated by Mary Beth Hurt. This one will have broader appeal, because it involves a scamp of a boy mouse who comes to stay the weekend at the home of a girl mouse because his parents are away. It's a favor from one set of parents to the other, and quiet little Sophie gets quietly bullied by the visiting Wendell, who bosses her around and always insists on setting the rules for the games they play. He even squirts whipped cream on her head and toothpaste on the mirror. But in her inspired moment of revenge, Sophie asks him to go outside with her and play fire chief. Naturally, with whipped cream on her head, she's the one who grabs the hose. And she douses poor Wendell. Then he asks if he can have a turn, and it soon leads to the two of them playing in the hose, getting soaked. Naturally, when it comes time for him to finally leave, after a week of asking her parents "When is Owen going to go home," Sophie has a change of heart.
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