M 7/31/26 M 7/31/26

Peter Pan

Book

Peter Pan (originally titled Peter and Wendy) by J. M. Barrie was originally published in 1911 and was the successor to the much acclaimed play Peter Pan, the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up from 1904, also by J. M. Barrie. Since its publication, it has never been out of print and has been adapted hundreds of times throughout different forms of media to include plays, TV shows, movies, board games, spinoff books, theme park attractions, and a peanut butter brand.

Before Peter Pan was introduced in his own novel in 1911, he first appeared in the 1902 story called the Little White Bird in a section of the book called Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Audiences loved the character of Peter Pan so much that it inspired Barrie to write the play as well as for publishers to publish the chapter of Peter Pan in Kensington Garden on its own as a short story. Most individuals though will be familiar with the original novel or at least aspects of it.

Peter Pan follows a girl named Wendy Darling, who is on the cusp of growing up much to her dismay. One night a little boy flies into the nursery room in search of his shadow. When Wendy presents the shadow to him and helps him sew it back on, he repays her and her brothers by teaching them to fly and taking them to the far-off island of Neverland. It is here, surrounded by a vast tropical wilderness, mermaids, fairies, pirates and lost boys, that Wendy realizes that it might not be so terrible to grow up after all, especially when confronted with the obstinance of the ever-youthful Peter Pan who is the embodiment of unadulterated childhood, complete with all of its ups and downs.

Movie

As stated previously, there are many adaptations of Peter Pan, however, the one that we will be recommending today is the 2003 adaptation of Peter Pan by Universal Pictures. This adaptation is mostly faithful to the plot of the book, specifically when it comes to the theme of growing up. This particular adaptation leans wonderfully into the sincerity of the story rather than focusing solely on the whimsical adventures that Peter Pan and the Lost Boys get up to whilst Wendy and her brothers are on the island. Not only is the storytelling particularly well done, the acting and set design create a particularly rich environment for the story. It is a perfect cozy movie to watch with the family, full of both adventure and heartfelt sincerity when it comes to the characters and situations that they find themselves in. Other adaptations that might be suitable depending on the age of the audience would be Disney’s 1953 Peter Pan or the 1954 musical stage adaptation of Peter Pan, starring Mary Martin.

Rating

Surprisingly enough Peter Pan is a shockingly dark novel in comparison to its most popular 1953 Disney film adaptation or the 2003 adaptation. Throughout the story, Peter is shown to be callously violent particularly when it comes to the pirates which he fights merely for fun. Peter is depicted as having a very short memory, forgetting his enemies almost as quickly as he kills them, treating the entire act of battle more as a whimsical pastime than any serious danger. He has completely forgotten that he is the one responsible for cutting off Captain Hook's hand and feeding it to the crocodile, who now endlessly pursues Captain Hook, hoping to devour the rest of him. It is also stated after Peter has killed Hook that he almost instantly forgets that he ever existed at all. This is contrasted with Captain Hook's almost single-minded hatred for Peter. There was also a line that indicates that Peter kills his own Lost Boys when they begin to grow up, as it is stated he is the only one who has actually stopped growing up and is forever a child. Although this is never actually seen to happen in the book, it is indicated that Peter “thins them out” as they get too old.

Peter is also grievously wounded during a confrontation with Captain Hook at the mermaid lagoon where he is gouged by Hook,s… well… hook, and believes he will drown on the rock because he does not have the strength to fly away.

With these aspects in mind, I would rate the book of Peter Pan somewhere between PG and PG-13. Many children will most likely not be old enough to understand some of the implications of the story as they read, however, older children are more likely to understand the dark implications that the story presents to them. The movie will be receiving a PG rating as this is the rating originally given it. Also, it should be noted that this movie removes some of the darker more callous aspects of Peter's character, instead adopting a more traditional fun-loving Peter that many today are familiar with.

Movie Night Treat

*Deviled Ships*

Deviled Ships are a wonderful treat to start learning how to cook with boiling water. It is a perfect snack to introduce slightly more mature children into the kitchen and show them how to begin cooking on the stove top. Deviled eggs are an incredibly popular dish throughout the United States and are perfect as a swash buckling snack with the simple addition of a cheese sail and a small paper pirate flag.

Ingredients

Eggs

Water

Mayonnaise of your choosing

Mustard of your choosing

Pickle relish or preferred relish

Sliced cheese of your choosing

Tooth Pics

A pot large enough to fit your desired amount of eggs plus enough room for water to reach a gentle boil.

A bowl large enough to fit eggs

1) Place eggs in a pot and fill with water till the eggs are covered by half an inch to an inch of water. Set the water on the stove top and bring to a gentle boil. Once the water begins to boil, turn the heat off and put a lid on top of the pot, letting the eggs remain in the hot water for 10 minutes.

2) Once the eggs have been in the bath for the allotted amount of time, add ice and water to a fresh bowl. Carefully with tongs remove the eggs from the boiling water and place them into the ice bath.

3) Let the eggs sit in the ice bath for a few minutes before removing the eggs from the water and taking off the shell. To remove the shell gently crack the egg on a hard surface all the way around and begin to pick off the pieces of the shell. Sometimes this is extremely easy and the shell comes off in large smooth chunks. Other times, it can be extremely difficult coming off in small chunks and breaking the skin of the egg underneath. If this happens, know that you did nothing wrong. It is simply the gamble of boiling eggs.

4) Once the shells have been removed, cut the eggs in half, long ways and move the yellow yolks into a bowl. Place the whites of the eggs aside; these will be our “ships” once the yolk mix is made.

5) In the bowl with the yolks, gradually mix your mayonnaise, mustard and relish to taste and consistency. The taste will vary depending on how you like to make it. I prefer my deviled eggs made with slightly more relish. The consistency should not be overly runny and similar to cake frosting.
6) Once the mix is made, fill the white of the egg’s cavity with the yellow mixture. This can be done with a spoon or a piping bag. If with a piping bag, simply take a small Ziploc bag and fill it half of the way full with your yolk mixture. Cut a small hole in one of the corners of the bag and squeeze the bag with the back firmly twisted and pinched off so as to prevent the yolk mixture from coming out the back.

7) Cut a slice of cheese into a square piece approximately 1 inch by 2 inches, and thread both ends through a skewer 9or tooth pick to create a ship's sail.

8) It may also be fun to add a small paper flag on the top - whatever Jolly Roger you find most enjoyable.

M 7/31/26 M 7/31/26

Alice in Wonderland

Book

Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is a whimsical novel and can be enjoyed by children and adults of all ages. This charming little novel was originally published in 1865 and follows the adventures of a little girl named Alice who falls asleep and dreams that she follows a white rabbit down into a magical world called Wonderland. During her adventure, she encounters a myriad of people and places that don’t make any sense. Things like cats that talk, mad hatters who sit at a never-ending tea party, mock turtles, walruses, dodos, queens obsessed with cherry tarts and living decks of cards. Throughout her journey she realizes how scary and silly it can be if the world did not follow any kind of order and anything could be and do whatever it wanted.

The novel is remarkably short, standing at only 116 pages and is perfect for a fun family adventure. Reading this book together as a family can present an interesting opportunity for a variety of talking points. With older children, it could be interesting to discuss what a world without rules could look like and what the consequences of such a place might be, as throughout the story, Alice is faced with a similar idea and is put face-to-face with the consequences of such a desire. With younger children, it could be an opportunity to explore and discuss how the imagination can be used for fun as well as give us endless opportunities to create things out of the ordinary with only our minds.

Movie

Alice in Wonderland has been adopted hundreds of times with the first adaptation dating all the way back to 1903. However, the recommended adaptation that we will be talking about today is the classic 1951 Alice in Wonderland produced by Walt Disney. This charming movie is bright, cheerful, enthusiastic, bizarre, and fits the basic plot of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Alice falls down the rabbit hole and afterwards is confronted with a myriad of strange and bizarre people and events that culminates in a trial to determine who stole the Queens of Hearts’ tarts, resulting in Alice waking up when she is piled on by a deck of cards. This being said though, it is the recommended version of the story to accompany the book, there are a myriad of other adaptations which can be chosen from that may be more entertaining to you and your family. There are longer adaptations, newer adaptations, far more bizarre adaptations, and some adaptations that do not follow the events of the book whatsoever. It should be noted though that most of these adaptations are entertaining, but some of them may be considered far scarier than others, such as the 1933 version by Paramount Pictures known for its disturbing choice of make-up and costumes. The visuals give the movie a bizarre, almost frightening look at Wonderland. The 2010 Tim Burton adaptation follows an adult Alice as she returns to Wonderland; it is more inspired by the continued poetry of Lewis Carroll than Alice in Wonderland or Alice Through the Looking Glass (the sequel to Alice in Wonderland).

Rating

Though the book may contain some slightly disturbing aspects, such as a queen who insists on running around cutting people’s heads off whenever they displease her, an instance where a baby turns into a pig, and Alice being chased by a butcher, it is not a particularly scary book. Most of the time Alice never seems to be afraid of anything that is happening, though she is confused and upset to the point of tears by things not being as they should. The 1951 movie removes many of these more uncomfortably bizarre scenes creating an even more child friendly adaptation of the story. For that reason, the book and the movie (the movie originally being rated G) will be given a rating of G, as it is appropriate for all audiences.

Movie Night Treat

* Bread and Butterflies *

It is always fun to make treats to eat while you watch a movie. It creates a fun way to bring the story to life, as well as a way to teach young children how to begin preparing food for themselves. This simple treat is easily accomplished by children of all ages, and is simple, delicious, and can be modified in a variety of ways to accommodate food preferences.

Though Bread and Butterflies do not appear in the novel by Lewis Carroll, they do appear in the Disney adaptation and are wonderfully adorable and simple to make in real life.

Ingredients

Favorite kind of sliced bread

Butter

Your favorite flavor of jam, honey, or nut butter

Marshmallows (medium or large)

Any small garnish such as raisins, other dried fruit, chocolate chips, or seeds

Toothpicks

Two butter knives

1) Gather ingredients and let the butter come to room temperature before use.

2) Toast two slices of bread per person and butter as soon as they come out of the toaster to ensure that the butter melts. If the butter is too cold it will not spread nicely on the toast. (It is essential that you do not use too much butter as this will completely saturate the bread and prevent the toast from staying upright later on). Once the toast is buttered place on a cooling rack so that sweat of the bread does not accumulate between the plate and the toast.
3) Once the toast has completely cooled, spread your choice of jam, honey, or a thin coat of nut butter (peanut butter weighs more than jam or honey would and if you would like to attempt the gravity defying stunt of the butterfly wings keep this in mind).

4) Take three medium size marshmallows or two large marshmallows and split them halfway down the middle.

5) Spread the marshmallows apart and place the toast (Jam sides together) into the crack of the marshmallow (please note that this is not the most stable of treats and will be greatly benefited by the implementation of a toothpick to prop up the wings. If you are making this treat with young children, the toothpick is not advised). If the butterfly wings are too heavy to sandwich between the marshmallows, instead lay the butterfly wings down flat on the plate with marshmallows aligned between the two slices.
6) Chocolate chips, raisins, seeds, or any other small edible decoration may be used to create the eyes. These can be attached by placing a small amount of your jam onto the back of the decoration and placing them on the face of the butterfly. If the wings will not be gravity defying, they may also be decorated with any of the small treats to give the wings a pattern.

Enjoy the movie!