Summer movie summary

I usually have big plans about movies I will see at the theater in the summer. My plans usually fail and I end up watching them at home months later. But not this summer. This summer I went to the movies THREE times!

The first one was a definite summer movie:

This one won’t win any awards, but it was fun to watch – and sing along.

The next two were documentaries. I saw both in old-fashioned, classic theaters : the Laurelhurst Theatre and the Academy Theater.

My sister and I saw the Mr. Rogers documentary at the Laurelhurst.

Yesterday, I went to the Academy Theater to see the documentary RBG.

RBG and Mr. Rogers have very different personalities, backgrounds and life histories, but they are both about making a difference in the lives of ordinary people. It won’t surprise you to know I laughed and cried at Won’t You Be My Neighbor.  It might surprise you that I also laughed and cried at RBG.

If you haven’t seen either, I highly recommend both. I think middle schoolers might like both of them

You are special

Mr. Rogers’ song and the feeding of his fish, reminds me of the book Not Norman by Kelly Bennett.

It’s the story of a boy who wanted a cool pet, but got a goldfish instead. eventually, he learns what a great friend Norman the goldfish is.

Along those lines, two new picture books remind us of the beauty of being especially ordinary.

Extraordinary Janei by Hannah Harrison is the tale of a circus dog named Jane, who has no circus talent.

She isn’t strong, graceful, or brave like her family. But the illustrations show us more than the text does. Jane might be ordinary, and she might even be a poor circus dog, but she is an extraordinary friend. 

And so is Sparky from  Sparky!  by Jenny Offill.

It’s the classic sloth as a pet dilemma and very much like the Norman situation. But, in the end Sparky is perfect.