readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
4.0
Well-written biography for kids about Walt Disney's life. Chapters are divided up by covering a number of years in Disney's life. Additional photographs are included, as well as discussion questions and author's bibliography.
tayloramirab's review against another edition
Brief Review:
This book is a children's biography. I really enjoyed this book. I've always loved Walt Disney and already knew quite a bit about him, but I was curious about what they would put in a biography about him that is for children. I was surprised to find out so much new information that I never knew, and the pictures help to see Walt's personality even more. I think kids will enjoy finding out about this history of some of their favorite movies and characters. It would be fun to see how they react to finding out that some of these classic films were so close to never even happening. I wish the book would have gone into more detail on the actual animation and movie making process. Although that could probably be another book in itself, I was sometimes confused when they were describing the process.
Content areas:
This would be an interesting book to use in a history lesson. This is a good book if you are looking for an influential person from the 20th century. There are many examples from this book that could be used to show the impacts of WWI and WWII on the daily lives in America. Walt was born at the dawn of the 20th century in 1901, and died in 1966. More changes happened over that time than you could imagine, you could take a look at how far the world, technology, and everything else has changed over those years.
Comprehension questions:
1: Where did Walt first get the idea for 'Flowers and Trees', and what is signifiant about the film?
Answer: When Walt was in fourth grade his teacher asked the class to draw a vase of flowers that were sitting on his desk. Walt drew all the flowers with faces and arms, and that was the inspiration that stayed with him until the cartoon was produced. It is significant because it was the first cartoon in full color, and won Walt his first Academy Award.
2: How did Walt Disney studios help the army during WWII?
Answer: The army took over a large portion of the studios. An important airplane manufacturing plant was near, and the army has to protect it. Camouflage was draped over buildings, offices became barraks, and even antiaircraft guns were set up.
3: Where did Walt Disney get the name for his first amusement park, Disneyland?
Answer: It was the name of his first TV program that premiered on ABC. That TV show helped fund the park, and each week Walt would go on talking about the parks progress.
4: Walt Disney is remembered for many things such as his movies, theme parks, and of course Mickey Mouse. But what did Walt really want to be remembered for?
Answer: He wanted to be remembered for more than entertainment, he wanted to impact society. He started a school for the creative and preforming arts. California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) has educated more than 15,000 students and is one of the top art schools in the world.
Wonders:
1: Walt Disney had two young daughters when he started to develop cartoons into feature films. Which films were their favorites?
2: If Walt had been alive to see it, what would he have thought of Walt Disney World? Would he have liked Disney World or Disneyland more?
3: Disneyland welcomed its one-millionth guest just one week after opening. How many guests has Disneyland welcomed today?
This book is a children's biography. I really enjoyed this book. I've always loved Walt Disney and already knew quite a bit about him, but I was curious about what they would put in a biography about him that is for children. I was surprised to find out so much new information that I never knew, and the pictures help to see Walt's personality even more. I think kids will enjoy finding out about this history of some of their favorite movies and characters. It would be fun to see how they react to finding out that some of these classic films were so close to never even happening. I wish the book would have gone into more detail on the actual animation and movie making process. Although that could probably be another book in itself, I was sometimes confused when they were describing the process.
Content areas:
This would be an interesting book to use in a history lesson. This is a good book if you are looking for an influential person from the 20th century. There are many examples from this book that could be used to show the impacts of WWI and WWII on the daily lives in America. Walt was born at the dawn of the 20th century in 1901, and died in 1966. More changes happened over that time than you could imagine, you could take a look at how far the world, technology, and everything else has changed over those years.
Comprehension questions:
1: Where did Walt first get the idea for 'Flowers and Trees', and what is signifiant about the film?
Answer: When Walt was in fourth grade his teacher asked the class to draw a vase of flowers that were sitting on his desk. Walt drew all the flowers with faces and arms, and that was the inspiration that stayed with him until the cartoon was produced. It is significant because it was the first cartoon in full color, and won Walt his first Academy Award.
2: How did Walt Disney studios help the army during WWII?
Answer: The army took over a large portion of the studios. An important airplane manufacturing plant was near, and the army has to protect it. Camouflage was draped over buildings, offices became barraks, and even antiaircraft guns were set up.
3: Where did Walt Disney get the name for his first amusement park, Disneyland?
Answer: It was the name of his first TV program that premiered on ABC. That TV show helped fund the park, and each week Walt would go on talking about the parks progress.
4: Walt Disney is remembered for many things such as his movies, theme parks, and of course Mickey Mouse. But what did Walt really want to be remembered for?
Answer: He wanted to be remembered for more than entertainment, he wanted to impact society. He started a school for the creative and preforming arts. California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) has educated more than 15,000 students and is one of the top art schools in the world.
Wonders:
1: Walt Disney had two young daughters when he started to develop cartoons into feature films. Which films were their favorites?
2: If Walt had been alive to see it, what would he have thought of Walt Disney World? Would he have liked Disney World or Disneyland more?
3: Disneyland welcomed its one-millionth guest just one week after opening. How many guests has Disneyland welcomed today?
msecor's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book!! It was very interesting and offered great insight not only into Walt Disney's life but also into what life was like at the time. It was also inspiring to read about all the things Walt Disney went through before he became successful as the Walt Disney we know and love today.
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