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Yes, I realize it sounds shocking to have videos listed in the same breath as books --- almost sacrilegious to some!

Let me tell you a story ...

As most parents, I have never talked baby talk to my children (I reserve that for the dog! I have to spoil something!). Therefore, I tend to stay away from talking baby talk to my children with respect to books, movies, music, etc. as well. During goof off time, my girls listen to books on tape that are normally considered way above their level. This book will be listened to over and over again. My girls had listened to Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott read by Ronald Pickup from HighBridge Classics. After they had heard this book on tape several times (10? 12? times), I allowed them to watch the made-for-TV Ivanhoe version and, then, the Ivanhoe where Elizabeth Taylor plays Rebecca. Throughout the Elizabeth Taylor Ivanhoe, periodic and numerous exclamations from the girls followed --- "Na uh .... that didn't happen", "No way --- the black knight was Richard the Lion Hearted NOT Ivanhoe!" "Where's Friar Tuck?", etc. All through this movie they were making loud and aggitated complaints about the inaccuracy of the movie. After the Elizabeth Taylor version, I heard an extensive, emphatically whispered discussion on the couch. When asked what the problem was, the girls replied in unison, "Mama, they should have called this movie Ivanhoe --- ish!"

Reading a book and/or listening to an unabridged version on cassette tape several times and then watching a video of it, helps to develop judgment, criticism, and discussion!

Some discussion questions, after video watching, can be ---

• How is the movie differant from the book?
• Are there character differences? (like the Elizabeth Taylor Ivanhoe for example)
• Are there timeframe differences? (Branaugh's most recent Shakespeare play demonstrates this notion)
• Were some incidents in the book left out of the movie? Which ones? Why do you think this occurred?
• Does the movie reflect a pushing of worldviews prevalent at a certain time? (the 1960s movie Zulu and the 1980s version of Robin Hood are good examples. However, I DO NOT recommend exposing any family to the 1980s Robin Hood! I don't care how wonderful the special effects are!)
• Are these differences due to economics? (Would it be too expensive to actually re-enact the book?)
• Are the differences due to older special effects? (the BBC video series for the Chronicles of Narnia is a good example)
• Was the video better than the book? (This can be the case in some of the Victorian era books set to a movie framework. The Victorian era, while it had many good points had terrible weaknesses. One such weakness --- government schools were being pushed!)