LOST AND
FOUND By: Oliver Jeffers 4 Stars DVD:
5 Stars (Favorites!)
Like many of
the entertainment forms, I found LOST AND
FOUND at my local library. The movie was the first thing I noticed. The
cover was brightly colored with the simple picture of a penguin and boy
floating in an umbrella. It was too much for me to ignore. Who said you can’t
judge something by the cover? When the cover stated it was based on a picture
book by Oliver Jeffers, I had obtained it as well as the sequel, UP AND DOWN. 
I watched
the movie with a few choice little ones; one of which always chose to follow
the movie along with the picture book. I am sure it will sound familiar to some
of you that even when an entertaining movie is on everyone still has other
electronics out. As if the one activity is simply not enough to allow your full
attention. That was not the case with this movie. Like the book, it is a story
of few words causing everyone to pay closer attention. The kids were compelled
by the movie and were completely lost in the story of friendship.
LOST AND FOUND is a story of a penguin that appears
on a boy’s doorstep. The boy, thinking the penguin is lost, tries to find out
where he comes from and return him to his rightful home. This leads to a trip
to the South Pole. Over the course of the story the boy realizes the penguin
was actually just lonely and a close friendship evolves.
The reason I
gave the movie more stars (and added it as one of my favorites) was based on
the fact that you get more of the story and relationship of the characters. You
see how the boy wants to do the right thing, yet he doesn’t seem overly
friendly to the penguin. The penguin is just one of those characters you can’t
help but adore. In fact, this movie was so adorable I could barely stand it. Even
the little ones seemed to feel emotions for the characters friendship that make
the story endearing to all of us. Add in the brilliant colors and simplicity
(yet detail within its simplicity), I just couldn’t help but be completely
entranced within the story.
I had to
read other books by Oliver Jeffers as I was enthralled with his story-telling
ways. I haven’t read all of them, but below is a list of a few
favorites.
THE
INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY 5
Stars
What
literary person wouldn’t love the idea of books increasing our knowledge? Plus,
the illustrations are amazing! Many of the pages illustrate pages of other books
as the background. Other times there are random words, letters, maps and
numbers strewn about. Then when you get to the end there is a bite mark on the
corner of the book as if the boy had taken a chunk out of the exact one you are
reading. Brilliant.
HOW TO CATCH
A STAR 4.5 Stars
The
illustrations are still good, but not quite as creative as THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY. The ending of the story is just to
perfect to not love the entire book.
