Chronicles of Narnia

A final post on the classic books in the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, now that I've listened to each of them...

I recently finished The Silver Chair, read by Jeremy Northam, which by the way, was my least favorite book in the series (the foreshadowing is way too obvious in this one) and The Last Battle, read by Patrick Stewart (think Star Trek).

Taken as a whole, The Chronicles of Narnia is an epic adventure, a children's classic, and a thinly-veiled nod to the Christian faith. Some of the individual books stand well on their own, particularly The Horse and His Boy (my personal favorite, read superbly by Alex Jennings), and to a lesser degree, Prince Caspian, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

It was sometimes distracting, sometimes disappointing, and sometimes refreshing to hear each book read by a different actor. Alex Jennings and Michael York (of Austin Powers fame!) were my favorite narrators, each providing rich characterizations for the story's many characters.

All the books should be easily available from your public library in either CD or digital download

The Chronicles of Narnia

Never having read all the books before, I have been slowly working my way through The Chronicles of Narnia on digital audio downloads. It's interesting that Harper Audio has chosen a different reader for each title I've heard.

Because they are classic tales that most kid-lit aficionados have already read, I just have a few brief comments on Books 3 and 5. (I listened to Prince Caspian , Book 4, out of order to coincide with the movie release!) I am adhering to the chronological order of the books, which does not necessarily coincide with their written order or their published order! Confusing, at best

Lewis, C.S. 1954. The Horse and His Boy. Read by Alex Jennings. Harper Audio.

The Horse and His Boy is my favorite of The Chronicles of Narnia. It's shorter than some of the other books (about 4 hours) and it has all the hallmarks of a great adventure story - believable characters, constant action, a hint of mystery, a quest, tension, and lastly, human (and equine!) frailties that add to, rather than detract from the characters. Although written in the aftermath of WWII during the Cold War, the story line is surprisingly relevant. The main human characters, the orphaned Shasta, and the warrior princess, Aravis, from the "North" and "Calormen," respectively, are surprisingly representative of stereotypes from today's ideological war between "East" and "West." Refreshingly, in The Horse and His Boy, the two sides come to understand and appreciate one another. Alex Jennings is a superb reader.

Lewis, C.S. 1952. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Read by Derek Jacobi. Harper Audio.

After The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, this is the most obviously religious book of Lewis' Chronicles, linking Aslan, the god of Narnia, to Jesus of the Christian faith. This certainly does not detract from the story, however, it may render it less appealing to those of different or no faiths. After listening to this maritime adventure, it's easy to guess that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader might have been an inspiration for Clive Barker's, epic Abarat adventures. (I wish there were more!) After Alex Jennings, the voice of Derek Jacobi is somewhat of a disappointment, particularly his grating rendition of the fearless mouse, Reepicheep. Nevertheless, all of Lewis' books are classic tales of adventure and righteousness.

National Poetry Month

It's National Poetry Month and there are so many new poetry books out there! Here's a few - some new, some old ...

The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes (2009 Jump at the Sun)

With only one line of verse per double-spread painting, this book is E.B. Lewis' visual interpretation of Langston Hughes' famous poem. Simply beautiful!

Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars by Douglas Florian (2007 Harcourt)

Each double-spread entry in Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars is a whimsical, yet factual description of a planet or other member of the cosmos, accompanied by a whimsical, yet realistic painting. Take Venus for instance,

"Scalding-hot surface,
Nine hundred degrees.
Nothing can live there,
No creatures,
No trees.
Poisonous clouds
Of acid above.
Why was it name for
the goddess of love?"

The accompanying painting, done with "gouache, collage, and rubber stamps on primed brown paper bags," contains an appropriately colored Venus with landmarks, red hearts, the statue of Venus, and a small question mark.
Each painting is equally delightful, and many have cutouts, previewing previous or following pages.

Visually attractive, entertaining, and informative...what more can one possibly ask from a book of poetry?

OR, if you prefer a fantastical, fictional take on the cosmos, try former Children's Poet Laureate, Jack Prelutsky's new book, The Swamps of Sleethe: Poems from Beyond the Solar System.

Last year's Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat (2008 Jabberwocky) is a treat because it includes a CD of poems read, in most cases, by their authors.

Also from last year, Birds on a Wire: A Renga 'Round the Town, by J. Patrick Lewis and Paul B. Janeczko (2008 Wordsong), an introduction to an ancient Japanese poetry form that isn't haiku, and because it requires a partner or two, is much more fun!

There's something for everyone in National Poetry Month!

Prince Caspian

I have to admit that I’ve never read C.S. Lewis’, Prince Caspian. With the movie coming out in a few months, I made good use of my commuting time to listen to a download of the book on my MP3. After listening to the audio-book version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, read by Michael York, it took me a chapter to get used to Lynn Redgrave’s voice reading Prince Caspian. After the first chapter or two, however, she had me hooked. The award-winning, English-born, Ms. Redgrave, did a fine job in creating voices for the many characters in Prince Caspian, particularly, Reepicheep, the prideful rabbit warrior. I thoroughly enjoyed the audio-book, and I’m looking forward to the movie. One downside of audio-books – you don’t know the spelling of unfamiliar character names and places. (I had to look up the spelling of Reepicheep at http://www.narniafans.com/) An upside – I know how to pronounce them!