Here’s a clip from the 150th Episode, in which T.Q., uh, kinda geeks out. Chloë tolerates it . . . mostly. To be fair, there’s a moment later in the show when it’s HER turn to get animated about a question that’s just for her.
150th Episode Mailbag!!!
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We’ve reached 150 Episodes!! We can hardly believe it and are celebrating by answering questions from YOU. Find out what kind of hate mail we’ve been getting, what happens to poor Chloë when Mom starts geeking out about the Silmarillion, which Taylor Swift songs are our favorites, and a lot more!
The format of the show has been evolving over the summer. The audience has really grown and we’ve been experimenting with ways to help us all have more fun reading great books for kids. Going forward, episodes will come out when they are needed and ready rather than every Monday. This means it will be easier to do a short episode about a current event, or take time to work on a show that needs lots of time and research. The audio versions of the show will have extra segments about book news, what we’re reading as a family, and announcements about events and what friends of the show are up to. Segments of the show that work well as YouTube videos will be published to our channel, as people seem to be enjoying those over there. Be sure to subscribe to our channel here:
149 – The Voice of Rohan
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Howard Shore carefully brought the text of The Lord of the Rings to life in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, choosing instruments and melodies that the people of Middle-Earth could have created for themselves. No theme shows this better than the one that speaks for the people of Rohan, from the clever selection of a Hardanger Fiddle to the rhythmic elements that evoke the beloved horses of the Rohirrim.
Also in this episode, congratulations to Jonathan Emmett, Adam S. Smith, and Stieven Van der Poorten. Their book The Tyrannosaur’s Feathers is now an award winner!
Friend of the show Tom the Tale Teller will perform a ghost story on Halloween — go see him if you are near the Midlands of England!
Find out why co-host Chloë had to say sorry to her teacher, and hear what mini-host Phoebe thinks of her very first comic book.
148 – The Voice of The Shire
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Just two episodes to go before our 150th Episode celebration! This time you’ll hear:
– A tribute to James Earl Jones, who had a bigger impact on children’s literacy than you might realize!
– What we are reading now. Chloë is enjoying The Misadventures of Max Crumbly and T.Q. is cracking open a comic book for the first time in years with The Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Married with Children.
– How composer Howard Shore adapted the text of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, carefully choosing instruments and crafting a melody to create a musical voice for the Hobbits and The Shire in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy.
There are videos for two show segments:
Activity: Explore Musical Storytelling
This activity could be done in a music class or a literature class. Have students select a piece of music composed for a film which they feel effectively interprets the plot or characters of a piece of literature. Students should research the instrumentation of the piece and form theories about why the composer selected certain instruments to do certain jobs in the song. Encourage students to consider as many elements as possible. Is the song accurate to the setting of the story? Does the rhythm match anything that is happening with the plot or characters? Are there any diagetic elements to the music? Have students share their findings with one another through essays, discussion, or presentations.
James Earl Jones
I wanted to add to the many voices thanking James Earl Jones for a life well spent bringing wonderful stories to life for so many people. He’s best known for his Shakespeare performances and his film career, but many of you may not have known about the huge impact he had in getting Sesame Street launched back in 1969. He also delivered one of the all-time best performances on Reading Rainbow.
Happy Birthday, Peter Rabbit!
On September 4 I picked up my little one from preschool and told her that it was Peter Rabbit’s birthday. She had a genius response: “we need to make him a cake and have a party.”
I’M IN!!!
147 – Tolkien About Music
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This is the first episode in a series about how Howard Shore’s film score for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy drew directly on the text of the book, supporting the story at all times.
There’s also a bit of show business to attend to, including some great conversations I’ve been having with listeners, our upcoming 150th episode, and whether or not listeners prefer a regular release schedule on a certain day or a looser schedule that puts out episodes when they feel relevant.
There’s a video version of the section of the show about Tolkien that you can watch here:
In this episode, I reference some musical experiments that I did based on Tolkien’s lyrics. I carefully reading the text of The Hobbit and tried to come up with musical arrangements that matched the text as closely as possible. You can listen to these experiments and download free sheet music here:
146 – Snow Much Drama
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The drama around Snow White, the troubled remake of Disney’s 1937 masterpiece, is unfortunate because it really was unnecessary! Just a little bit of familiarity with the folktale published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 could have spared the filmmakers (and some outspoken actors) a lot of time and trouble. Also in this episode, you get your last chance to ask show hosts anything! We’ll be having a mailbag party for our 150th episode.
There is also a video version of my thoughts on the Snow White drama, which are included in this episode:
I also had the pleasant surprise of seeing the new trailer for War of the Rohirrim, an upcoming film based on the legend outlined in the appendix to The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Here’s my reaction to that:
145 – Film Review: Harold and The Purple Crayon
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I predicted that the film adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson would focus too much on adults at the expense of telling a story for children. It looks like I was right.
And shockingly . . . I’m about to make the case that Deadpool and Wolverine is more of a film for the children (well, for the inner children of adults) than the adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon, because it centers the kinds of themes and adventures that kids actually care about, instead of focusing on a bunch of adult nonsense. I really did not expect to talk about Deadpool on a show about children’s literature, but there it is. I also didn’t expect to veer into the territory of beauty standards and cosmetic procedures, but it came up in a surprising and somewhat uncomfortable way.
144 – The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Quantum Theatre
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Co-hosts T.Q. Townsend and Chloë Townsend (and the rest of the family) saw a very funny musical production of The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck put on by Quantum Theatre at Bradgate Park in Leicestershire. This was NOT a show that was just for kids. Parents were laughing just as much as the children, and the creative use of minimal costumes and props gave the play the familiar feel of the kind of acting that children naturally do.
One thing we forgot to mention in the review is how awesome the programs were! Usually play programs just have the synopsis and cast and such, but this one had a lot of interesting information for the kids to read as well as a bunch of fun activities to keep them occupied while they waited for the show to start. Never thought I’d review a play program, but I am pleased to have that as a first.
Catch future performances before the tour is over! Book tickets at www.quantumtheatre.co.uk.
Learn more about Bradgate Park in Leicestershire at bradgatepark.org.