Kids Blog

Okay, so we’ve decided it’s high time we did a round-up of the latest DVDs. Need something to watch once school is finished? Try one of the DVDs below!

Kung fu panda 2
“Po the Panda is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five. But Po’s new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu! Po must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins in order to able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed…” (We found this review on the Library Catalogue)

Cars 2
“Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship on the road from Radiator Springs to exciting new places when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours, and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage!” (We found this review on the back cover)

Phineas and Ferb : the movie. Across the 2nd dimension
“When Phineas, Ferb, and Perry follow Dr. Doofenshmirtz through his ‘Otherdimensionator,’ they find themselves in an alternate universe where a second, truly evil Dr. Doof rules over his Tristate Area with an army of iron-fisted robots. To save his friends from certain doom, Perry makes the ultimate sacrifice by revealing his secret identity as Agent P. Phineas and Ferb escape, meet their 2nd dimension selves, and begin their own mission to rescue Perry” (We found this review on the Library Catalogue)

Star Wars. The padawan menace
“Tour guide Master Yoda leads a group of rambunctious Jedi younglings through Senate chambers when he senses a disturbance in the Force. Summoned to help save the Republic, he discovers that one of the younglings, Ian, has secretly boarded his ship– Meanwhile, C-3PO and R2-D2 are put in charge of the boisterous group and find themselves in over their heads. As the evil Sith prepare to wreak havoc, it’s up to Yoda and the Droids to ensure that their young charges aren’t torn to bricks” (We found this review on the Library Catalogue)

E.B. is going to be the next Easter Bunny (and he can pop candy out of his bottom!). But he is not ready to take over from his dad, so he heads to Hollywood to be a drummer in a rock ‘n’ roll band. When he is hit by a car driven by Fred (who just happens to love Easter), they learn how to work together to be what they really want to be. A funny movie for the whole family.

The creator of The Muppets stars in this video that shows you how to make puppets out of stuff you have lying around the house, potatoes, socks, envelopes…How cool is that!

For more Muppet mayhem these holidays there are some great Muppet craft books, or you could watch Muppet DVDs (Films and the original TV series).

The three best things in life: Books (0bviously), Biscuits and Music. Reading books is the best way to pass the time, eating biscuits is the best way to pass the time and survive without fading away, and music is like the cherry on top. Music turns an ordinary experience into an extraordinary experience. Imagine how dull a film would be without the soundtrack. Does your life have a good soundtrack? The simple way to add music to your life would be to turn the radio on or the CD player or maybe watch some c4. But, what is the most interesting way to add music to your life? MAKE MUSIC YOURSELF.

John Crossingham has created a book to help you. Learn to Speak Music shows you how to become a musician, and honestly, it’s not hard. This book walks you through each step from learning an instrument to putting on performances and promoting your band. There are chapters featuring: Making Music (choosing instruments, learning to play), Forming a Band (finding members, choosing a name), Writing Lyrics and Music (song patterns, inspiration), Playing Live (covering costs, what gear you need, keeping your cool), Recording Your Music (Hi Fi vs. Lo Fi, basic recording gear) and Spreading the Word (How to make Do-It-Yourself band T-shirts, eye-catching posters).

You may be thinking ‘isn’t this a bit much for a kid?’ no way! Don’t underestimate yourself. You don’t have to be an expert to make music and have fun performing it. Lots of famous bands started out with very young members. Have you heard of: Kings of Leon, The Jonas Brothers, Radiohead, Paramore, Hanson, The Go Go’s, Napalm Death, The Runaways, Def Leppard, The Jackson 5, Kate Bush, Lil Wayne, Shonen Knife? Or New Zealand bands Shihad, Bressa Creting Cake, Ladieswear Landscapi, Bandicoot, TFF, Die! Die! Die!? All these bands have or had members that were still at school and there are many, many more.

Another cool book that will help you get rolling towards rock stardom is The Girls Guide To Rocking by Jessica Hopper. I recommend this even if you are not a girl. It is really in-depth and has interesting appendices to inspire you. If you need some audio-visual motivation check out Girls Rock! Some of the girls on this DVD can really scream.

Now, one other thing, you must cross your heart promise that if you do start a band you will let me know. I will be your biggest fan and I will bring biscuits.

Are you a fan of the Inkheart books by Cornelia Funke? Did you see it at the movies? Well, you might be interested to know that the library has now got Inkheart on DVD. You can reserve it now!

Other new DVDs include Me, Eloise, based on the Eloise books by Kay Thompson; The Big Aquarium, a documentary about an aquarium in America; and the complete Jane and the Dragon collection.

For more new DVDs and CDs visit the My Library Children’s Sound and Vision page.

If you really like dragons and want to see them in action, all of these films are available through the library. You can reserve them for free on your child’s card. All you have to do is pay $0.50c to borrow them.

Pete’s Dragon: This is a musical dragon film! Pete befriends a dragon named Elliot who is invisible to everyone but him.

The Neverending Story: Fantasia is about to be overwhelmed by the Nothing. Luck dragon Falkor helps save it.

Mulan: In this animated movie, a young girl takes her invalid father’s place in the army. She has a small dragon as an ally.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Features a brief appearance by Norbert the baby dragon.

Shrek: Shrek rescues Princess Fiona from a tower guarded by a large purplish dragon.

Spirited Away: Japanese animated movie in which 10-year-old Chihiro enters a strange world. She is befriended by Haku, a dragon who shape-shifts into a boy.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Features Harry’s encounter with a dragon as the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Eragon: Film version of Christopher Paolini’s novel.

Jack Bruno, a Las Vegas taxi driver, finds himself on an adventure when a brother and sister suddenly appear in his cab. They seem to have amazing powers, being able to stop trucks without getting hurt and moving objects around with their minds, and he realises that they are going to get him into lots of trouble! He seeks help from a famous UFO expert, Dr Friedman and together they manage to get the children to their destination, Witch Mountain, where their spaceship has been taken. His taxi isn’t quite the same by the end of the adventure, which includes being chased and, at times, captured by the military, fighting off the evil Siphon sent to distroy the children and generally trying to avoid everyone wanting to catch the 2 alien children. Race to Witch Mountain is full of adventures and funny too. 4 stars

But wait, there’s more new stuff! We’ve got some interesting new DVDs and books on CD you might like to know about, from a documentary about humpback whales, through yet another Bob the Builder DVD (always a favourite), to the movie City of Ember (which is based on the book by Jeanne DuPrau). There are also books on CD by Jacqueline Wilson (The Mum-Minder), Penelope Lively (The Whispering Knights) and the last Artemis Fowl book (Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer), plus much more! Just visit the My Library page!

Monsters vs Aliens is a great movie, with heroes and heroines that look rather frightening to the average person but who become a team to save the world from alien invasion. Imagine if you stepped on a blob that talked! 4 stars

Welcome to the new kids blog! We’ll be posting heaps of interesting stuff, like what’s on for kids, great books, and gross facts. There will be lots of other interesting stuff like reviews, cool internet links, online games, and links into KidsCat.

We’ll be posting new entries all the time, so keep checking back to find out what’s changed. In the meantime check out Fraggle Rock, one of my favourite cartoons ever! Here are some other great cartoons you might not know about: Duck Tales, The Muppet Show, and Tom and Jerry.