Mandarin Hip Hop - Textbook 1
Book
Series of Chinese textbooks for English speakers. It consists of four levels with a total of 80...
Mandarin Hip Hop - textbook 2
Book
Series of Chinese textbooks for English speakers. It consists of four levels with a total of 80...
Kiss Daddy Goodbye (1981)
4.0
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Movie
Two children who have psychic powers use them to avenge the death of their father, who was murdered...
Andrew Bujalski recommended Little Fugitive (2006) in Movies (curated)
Every heart a doorway
8.0
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Book
What happens after children have disappeared into the wardrobe, down the rabbit hole and into wells....
Baby Learning Objects - by readpad
Education and Book
App
Suitable for 2 to 8 years old children, through this product, you can let your baby know many life...
Village of the Damned (1960)
7.3
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Movie
In the English village of Midwich, the blonde-haired, glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity...
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Children of Hare Hill in Books
Dec 17, 2018
Set in the National Trust owned gardens in Cheshire, Scott McKenzie writes about the loss of a parent from the perspective of young children. <i>The Children of Hare Hill </i>deals with the grief and confusion of those too young to fully comprehend the impact a death has upon the remaining family members. Charlotte, aged 8, and Ben, aged 5, lost their father two years ago and now it is time to say goodbye.
McKenzie sets the story in Hare Hill Gardens, a place he loves to visit with his own children. It is here that the two protagonists are scattering their father’s ashes. Around the gardens are thirteen wooden hares that visitors are encouraged to find, something that the children enjoyed doing with their father numerous times. After their difficult task, Charlotte and Ben fall asleep in the walled garden and, on waking, discover the secret of Hare Hill.
Although still in the same place they fell asleep, Charlotte and Ben are now in a magical version of the gardens where the hares are real animals that have been turned into wooden statues. In order to release them from the spell they have to complete several tricky quests. From riddles to number puzzles the children rely on each other’s knowledge and strengths to save the hares and discover who is waiting for them at the end.
When thinking about magical lands we tend to expect witches and wizards, broomsticks and complicated spells, however that is not the case in <i>The Children of Hare Hill</i>. The tasks that befall the siblings are ones that can be solved by “normal” children with the help of their memories of their father. It is an interesting concept and a beautiful way of remembering the life of a loved one.
It is not clear who the target audience is for this novel. Presumably the ages of the characters and the shortness of the story (166 pages) are more inclined to the younger reader, however the narrative and language suggests otherwise. A child of Charlotte’s age is unlikely to read books containing words such as “serendipitous”, “reminisced” and “crescendo”. Scott McKenzie is such an intellectual writer with a beautiful way with words, yet it backfires when targeted at children.
Putting the target audience issue aside, <i>The Children of Hare Hill</i> is a delightful short story that manages to evoke many emotions in the reader. The sadness that comes with reading about death is overshadowed by the bravery of the siblings, their love for one another and the fun they have solving the riddles and tasks as they race around the gardens. Instead of dwelling on the negative feelings the characters are inevitably feeling, McKenzie focuses on happy memories, making what could have been a heart-wrenching story into a heart warming one instead.
Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated The Captive (2014) in Movies
Jul 28, 2018
Doodle Sounds for iPad
Education and Entertainment
App
This is a drawing app for kids that plays cute sounds. It makes lots of different sounds when you...