Children's literature week four

Additional Supplement

underline : 書名 英文沒有抖抖線

Presidential Medal of Freedom

is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with the comparable Congressional Gold Medal—the highest civilian award of the United States. It recognizes those people who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors". The award is not limited to U.S. citizens and, while it is a civilian award, it can also be awarded to military personnel and worn on the uniform.

It was established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy, superseding the Medal of Freedom that was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 to honor civilian service during World War II.

A. A. Milne

was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work. Milne served in both World Wars, joining the British Army in World War I, and was a captain of the British Home Guard in World War II.

Winnie the Pooh

is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne also included a poem about the bear in the children's verse book When We Were Very Young (1924) and many more in Now We Are Six (1927). All four volumes were illustrated by E. H. Shepard.

The Pooh stories have been translated into many languages, including Alexander Lenard's Latin translation, Winnie ille Pu, which was first published in 1958, and, in 1960, became the only Latin book ever to have been featured on The New York Times Best Seller list.

--Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic, other supernatural phenomena, and some imaginative creatures as a primary plot element, theme, or setting.

Charlotte's Web

--E.B. White 人道主義者

It is not often that someone comes along who is true friend and a good writer.--from Charlotte's Web

--Pulitzer Prize

is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of American (Hungarian-born) Joseph Pulitzer who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher, and is administered by Columbia University in New York City. Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories. In twenty of the categories, each winner receives a certificate and a US$10,000 cash award. The winner in the public service category of the journalism competition is awarded a gold medal.

-- Charlotte's Web with Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan

Charlotte's Web, stuart little, and The Trumpet of the Swan have captured the hearts of millions of readers. For the first time, they are all together in one volume.

Charlotte's Web tells the story of a young girl named Fern who loves a little pig named Wilbur—and of Wilbur's dear friend Charlotte, a beautiful grey spider who lives with Wilbur in the barn. Their story of friendship and truth is heartwarming and timeless.

Stuart Little

is a 1999 American live-action/CGI animated film directed by Rob Minkoff. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by E. B. White. It combines live action and computer animation. The screenplay was written by M. Night Shyamalan and Greg Brooker. The plot bears little resemblance to that of the book, as only some of the characters and one or two minor plot elements are the same. The movie's sequel more closely resembles the original novel. This movie is Minkoff's first live-action movie.

Characters of Charlotte's Web

Wilbur is a rambunctious pig, the runt of his litter. He is often strongly emotional.

Charlotte A. Cavatica, or simply Charlotte, is a spider who befriends Wilbur. In some passages, she is the heroine of the story.

John Arable: Wilbur's first owner.

Fern Arable, John's daughter, who adopts Wilbur in his infancy, and later visits him. 

She is the only human in the story capable of understanding nonhuman conversation.

Templeton is a rat who helps Charlotte and Wilbur only when offered food. He serves as a somewhat caustic, self-serving comic relief to the plot.

Homer Zuckerman is Fern’s uncle who keeps Wilbur in his barn. He has a wife, Edith, and an assistant named Lurvy.

Vocabulary

mock: make fun of

mocking

meaning: make fun of

example: Behind the mocking laughter lurks a growing sense of unease.

astro: pertaining to stars or celestial

astronomer

meaning: an expert in astronomy

example: He is an astronomer.

astronomy

meaning: the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth's atmosphere.

The Hunger Games

is a trilogy of young adult dystopian novels written by American novelist Suzanne Collins. The series is set in The Hunger Games universe, and follows young characters Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

The novels in the trilogy are titled The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay (2010). The novels have all been developed into films, with the film adaptation of Mockingjay split into two parts. The first two books in the series were both New York Times best sellers, and Mockingjay topped all US bestseller lists upon its release. By the time the film adaptation of The Hunger Games was released in 2012, the publisher had reported over 26 million Hunger Games trilogy books in print, including movie tie-in books.

Book Discussion

p.164

Why did you do all this for me? he asked. I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.

p.41e

Charlotte is fierce, brutal, scheming, bloodthirsty—every thing I don’t like.

I would like to treasure the friendship.

To the fairest

Apple of discord- is a reference to the Golden Apple of Discord (Greek: μῆλον τῆς Ἔριδος) which, according to Greek mythology, the goddess Eris (Gr. Ἔρις, "Strife") tossed in the midst of the feast of the gods at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis as a prize of beauty, thus sparking a vanity-fueled dispute among Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite that eventually led to the Trojan War for the complete story, see The Judgement of Paris). Thus, "apple of discord" is used to signify the core, kernel, or crux of an argument, or a small matter that could lead to a bigger dispute.

Mirror, Mirror: Does 'Fairest' Mean Most Beautiful Or Most White?

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?

We all recognize the mantra of Snow White's evil stepmother. But what, exactly, is she asking? In the Grimm Brothers' German original, she asks who's the most beautiful in the land. But in English, it's a little more complicated.  

idiomatic expressions

An idiom (also called idiomatic expression) is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning conventionally understood by native speakers. This meaning is different from the literal meaning of the idiom's individual elements. In other words, idioms don't mean exactly what the words say. They have, however, hidden meaning.

Examples

"Kick the bucket"

"Spill the beans"

Anne of Green Gables

is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a children's novel since the mid-twentieth century. It recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who had intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in Prince Edward Island. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.

Video  

James Bond and the Queen London 2012 performance