When it comes to superheroes books and young readers the options can be somewhat limited. Capstone does do a bang up job on their books, but for the most part they are geared to children that can already read. For ages 3 and up we found some great, one would almost say super books that will engage, educate and entertain them. From Downtown Bookworks, The Big Book of Superpowers and The Big Book of Girl Power are two oversized books whose bright, vivid colors will attract kids, while their content will keep kids glued in for a number of reasons. These are all DC heroes and this is a great chance for kids to get a primer on them, especially since these characters do not have consistent appearances in an all age monthly comic book.
Our oldest son just turned 7and is knee deep in a world of darts. He’s got a couple of dart guns and jumped like a cat when a pickle is placed behind him when he found out we were reviewing the Dart Zone Enforcer Motorized Belt Blaster. Aside from being a mouthful of a title, this dart gun looks impressive and manages to do so in a compact form that’s very durable.
So, I’ve only seen one Harry Potter film and that was the release from 2002, The Chamber of Secrets. As an adult watching it, having never read the book I was impressed, but not enough to read the books or see any more films from the characters. Flash forward 14 years and the prequel to the Harry Potter stories is out. But is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them OK for kids?
Well, let’s start out by saying that it is a very good film. I knew nothing about the plot and that fact served me quite well as the magic, beasts and characters came into their own. The only thing that I knew about the Harry Potter universe is that a muggle is a non-magical being and that the bulk of the previous Potter films had a kid-centered family focus.
As a review, I don’t mean that as a pejorative, it’s just that from what I saw in Secrets it was aimed at children. The true power of the Potter-Universe hadn’t been discovered at that point. After that film I know that they got more inventive, a little darker at times and much more popular. It only makes sense, as the characters in the film got older, so did their fan base.
So, is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them OK for kids?
There are elements of the film that will be great for 8 year old children. However, on the whole, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is fine for 10 year olds and in some cases 9 year old. It’s rated PG-13 and is really on the soft side of that rating. The film is such a soft PG-13 one wonders if the producers asked for it so that audiences wouldn’t think that it was too soft. To this point: it’s worth noting what worldwide audiences have their ‘official’ age recommendations as. ‘G’ in Japan, Netherlands 9 and 12 in the UK/Canada and elsewhere.
Our 7 year old would’ve been too bothered by some of the action sequences which are fraught with tension. For parents there isn’t any discernible instance of bad language. The lead character, Newt does say ‘bugger’ a couple of times. However, that’s only offensive if you’re in the UK and even then mildly so in the British colloquial vocabulary.
If our oldest were 9, I would’ve stopped watching Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and immediately gone home and gotten him. For that age (given proper adult supervision…..) this is a great film, jammed with humor, good/bad decisions, plus a couple solid references to Hogwarts.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is Harry Potter without the kid-centric title figure. The content in the film is A-Ok with ages 10 and up, as well as adults-who are willing to grade the film on a curve. Take the middle school and upper elementary kids, they’ll love this film and you’ll be the cool parent, just possibly enough o make them forgive you for the dreck that you thought they would’ve liked. This one is the real family deal.
An Excessive Alphabet, Avalanches of As to Zillions of Zs looks familiar and that’s OK. It’s written by Judi Barrett, with illustrations by Ron Barrett, the team behind the children’s classic, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Even if you’ve never read that book there is a comfort food quality in An Excessive Alphabet that makes readers feel that everything is going to be alright.
Our kids are in the Star Wars sweet spot. (Note: I may use that phrase for the next 20 years) No, really, they both are in love with the idea and the fantasy that these classic characters bring alive. Star Wars, Creatures, Ships & Droids, a poster-a-page book is as simple, direct and enjoyable as a book can be to a kid who is between 6 and 11.
This post is brought to you by Let’s Play, an initiative by Dr Pepper Snapple Group that provides kids and families with the tools, places and inspiration to make active play a daily priority by building and improving playgrounds and donating sports equipment to groups in need. I’m a Let’s Play Ambassador and was compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.
It’s a nice playground and kids that play on it might never know that it was built in 6 hours. The playground at the John D. Milner Athletic Complex in East Point, GA is now open to entertain kids as they run, jump, play, socialize and get their sillies out. Parents know that the last phrase is important for kids because it takes a combination of physical exercise and mental stimulation to make play as great as it can be.
Growing up in the south I don’t know too much about hockey. While living in a cold environment isn’t mandatory towards playing or enjoying the sport it does seem to thicken up your blood that allows one to tolerate icy environs. I understand how hockey can be a fun game to watch, it’s just that I don’t understand the game. My First Book of Hockey from Sports Illustrated Kids is not intended for adults.
Yo-Kai Watch, if you’re in elementary school you know the deal. You can discover mischievous Yo-Kai, those invisible ghosts/beings that cause mayhem in the world around us. Think Billy’s “Not-Me” character from The Family Circus, update it for today’s audiences and you’ve got an idea of why kids enjoy the show. On October 15, for one showing only you can catch Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie Event in movie theaters.
To give you an idea of its popularity, when Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie Event was shown in Japan it broke advance ticket sales records and was the number one film in 2015. Yo-Kai Watch and the phenomenon surrounding it is kind of a big deal. In the film Nate, Jibanyan and Whisper need to travel back in time to get his Yo-Kai Watch. However, odds are all you have to is mention Yo-Kai Watch Movie to any kid 5-9 and they’ll be in the car waiting for you.
Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie Event will show at 11 AM at your local time. Please check here for complete theater locations and to confirm that your theater is on the same schedule. Attendees will have a chance to win a limited-edition Hovernyan Yo-Motion Yo-Kai Medal while supplies last. The film is not technically rated per the United States system, but is suitable for families and children. It has a running time of 95 minutes. Check the Fathom Events link for specific theaters near you, as well as, show times.
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