The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I recently heard a rumor that The Invention of Hugo Cabret, written and illustrated by Brian Selznik and winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal, was going to be made into a movie! I rushed home to do some research and low and behold found out that it was true - this book really is going to be made into a movie. A movie directed by Martin Scorsese and in 3D - a first for this extraordinary director.

I know that this blog is all about the books that I share with Emmy, but I must "push her to the side" and tell you how much I - the Mommy - LOVE this book. I still remember picking this book up in the bookstore. It looked so intriguing. As I flipped through the pages, I literally fell in love. AMAZING!

Here's a snynopsis:

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together...in The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

The story is told in 526 pages with 300 of them in pictures! The Invention of Hugo Cabret is not exactly a novel, and it’s not quite a picture book, and it’s not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all these things. If you haven't experienced this book yet, you must get your hands on it and quick. It is a one-of-a-kind!!!!

Click here to watch the opening sequence of drawings in the book.

Another reason to be so excited for this upcoming movie...Ben Kingsley!!!! He plays Georges Melies (a famous filmmaker who worked from the 1890s through the 1920s. He made the world’s first science fiction movie called A Trip to the Moon).

I will end this post with a quote from Sir Kingsley:

"The movie Hugo Cabret examines the early days of cinema through the eyes of a child. You know how Martin Scorsese is devoted to cinema and its evolution. We go right back to those first flickering images, so it's about memory, it's about childhood, it's about invention. It's a very, very beautiful film."

Actor Ben Kingsley

Winnie-the-Pooh

Celebrate with Emmy and me the birthday of A. A. Milne!

Born in London on January 18, 1882, Milne is perhaps the greatest children's storyteller of all time. His most notable works are about a lovable bear named Winnie-the-Pooh. Pooh was first introduced to the world in 1924 with the publication of a book of verses titled When We Were Very Young. The 38th verse in the book, "Teddy Bear," was Pooh's first appearance. Bringing this adorable bear to life through illustration was the very talented Ernest Shepard.

A bear, however hard he tries,

Grows tubby without exercise.

Our teddy Bear is short and fat,

Which is not to be wondered at.

But do you think it worries him

To know that he is far from slim?

No, just the other way about -

He's proud of being short and stout.

Following this first book of verses came Winnie the Pooh (1926), Now We Are Six (1927) and The House on Pooh Corner (1928).

A. A. Milne was inspired to write the Pooh stories after watching his son Christopher Robin playing with his stuffed animals. Milne's books continue to delight me and it is my hope that they will do the same for Emmy. She is already in love with all of the characters who live in The Hundred Acre Wood and delights in their antics. She giggles at Pooh's tummy whenever it rumbles and that happens quite often! She can be heard announcing that "there is a rumbly in my tumbly!" whenever she is feeling like a little smackerel of something good to eat!

Continuing our love for poetry, Emmy and I have been reciting this poem quite often (from the

book When We Were Very Young).

Tiddly Pom

(Tiddly Pom)

The more it goes

(Tiddly Pom)

The more it goes

(Tiddly Pom)

On snowing.

And nobody knows

(Tiddly Pom)

How cold my toes

(Tiddly Pom)

How cold my toes

(Tiddly Pom)

Are growing.

And we've been listening to the songs Return to Pooh Corner by Kenny Loggins and Winnie the Pooh written by the Sherman Brothers.

I am bubbling with excitement about the upcoming Winnie the Pooh movie premiering in July of 2011. Having watched many episodes of My Friends Tigger and Pooh with Emmy, I am looking forward to seeing the characters once again portrayed as they were in the film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) through classic hand-drawn animation. The new film will feature the vocal talents of Jim Cummings as Pooh and Tigger, Peter Cullen as Eeyore, Tom Kenny as Rabbit, Craig Ferguson as Owl and John Cleese as the narrator. Here's a look at the trailer for the film (Emmy and I both love the featured song Somewhere Only We Know by Keane).

"Sometimes Winnie-the-Pooh likes a game of some sort when he comes downstairs, and sometimes he likes to sit quietly in front of the fire and listen to a story. This evening...

“What about a story?” said Christopher Robin.

“What about a

story?” I said.

“Could you very sweetly tell Winnie-the-Pooh one?”

“I suppose I could,” I said. “What sort of stories does he like?”

“About himself. Because he’s that sort of Bear.”

~Winnie the Pooh Chapter One: In Which~

Now off you go to enjoy your own story about Winnie-the-Pooh with your favorite little one!