children’s literature | The Hanslick Girls

July 13, 2020

Surface Preparation: Jennifer Muro, Thomas Krajewski, & Gretel Lusky’s “Primer”

“This has to be the first summer in forever without a major superhero movie,” said Eleanor, panting in the dry heat of July.

Dania nodded. “Well, how do you expect to release a superhero movie when no one can go to the movies?”

They were sitting out on the stoop in front of the house, the shadow of the building falling in front of their feet. Even under the shade, they fanned themselves. It was a slow summer day, the kind where a trip to an air-conditioned cineplex, to watch the latest batch of digitally costumed hunks punch things, wouldn’t have been amiss. But with the drive-ins needing the twilight to be seen, there were no heroes to shield them from the midday heat.

December 2, 2019

Join The Triumph: PBS’s “Arthur’s Perfect Christmas” Soundtrack

“What’s your favorite holiday movie?” asked Dania, as she tacked a paper snowman to the wall.

“Hm, I’d have to think about it,” Gwen demurred. So many good options to pick from. “The best Christmas films are the ones you watch when you’re younger. They’re family oriented. So should I account for that person bias when picking?”

“No, bias it up,” Dania replied. “Anyone can say, like Home Alone, I’m talking about personal favorites.”

May 20, 2019

Follow The Leader: Universal Animation’s “Curious George”

Gwen barely remembered the Curious George movie. She remembered that she had seen it back in 2006, certainly. She had seen the two sequels, both direct-to-DVD fare that Hazel had enjoyed. She was tangentially aware of the TV show the film had spawned, and did recall the brief resurgence in bookstores of the original H.A. and Margaret Rey books, following the high-profile adaptation.

It was unexpected, then, that her adoration for the film would suddenly come flooding back into her when she rewatched it with Eleanor and Dania. The film –– a hypersaturated romp through the kindest iteration of New York imaginable –– never concerned itself with the ludicrous nature of its own plot, instead making the smart choice to focus energy on the titular monkey, and his friend Ted (the books’ “Man In The Yellow Hat”).

March 11, 2019

Feeling Spotty: Dodie Smith’s “The Hundred And One Dalmatians” and “The Starlight Barking”

It was relatively quiet in the apartment –– nothing but the tapping of keys as Gwen worked on her laptop, and the papery flutter of Eleanor turning pages in her book –– when the door to Dania’s room suddenly burst open. She stood, holding a copy of The Starlight Barking in one hand, and gripping the door frame with white knuckles.

Gwen looked up, and immediately grinned in anticipation. This face, this exact reaction, was precisely the reason why she had suggested the pair of books to her friends in the first place. While Eleanor hadn’t quite delivered, the expression now frozen to Dania’s face was more than enough.”

“So? How was it?” Eleanor asked, lazily.

Tag / children’s literature