A couple years ago, I read
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick on my own. I remember it being a charming story of a young boy living on his own in a train station. The boy winds all the clocks in the station, and becomes obsessed with finding/stealing mechanical parts in order to restore an automaton. The book contains wonderful black and white illustrations that not only go along with the written story, but also tell parts of the story. Last month, my girls' pre-school teacher started reading this book to the class. We decided to pick it up again at home to follow along, so both my older son and I could engage in conversations with the girls about the book - and we could all enjoy the magic together!
The book has been a jumping off point for so many fun projects at school, many of which have spilled over to home. These have included: black and white drawings, playing with wind-up toys, and tinkering with clocks.
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| Clara tinkering with a clock |
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| She wants to become an horologist! |
Old movies also play a role in the book, and one day the father of one of my girls' classmates came to show the kids an old projector and they watched a film on the wall. Magic also plays a role in the film with the main boy, Hugo, learning sleight-of-hand tricks in order to obtain the parts he needs for his automaton. I'm excited for the kids to learn a few tricks of their own!
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| Getting ready to watch an old film |
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| Watching a film on a sheet on the wall |
