Media Matters

 Book by Sid Fleishman. This is a historical gold rush adventure that could be enjoyed by the whole family, particularly in its full cast audio form. It reminded me a lot of Kenneth Oppel’s Airborn audiobook.

This 2024 movie is a romantic comedy centered around the 1969 moon landing. Although it has a historical basis, it also has a strong fictional component. The romance is charming and the theme of propagandizing through the media is quite relevant for our time. Note: there are a handful of expletives 

 Nonfiction religious book by Lili DeHoyos Anderson. This was a fascinating book, laying out a definition of telestial, terrestrial, and celestial behaviors and attitudes and how those attitudes and behaviors affect personal development and family dynamics. The author is a marriage and family therapist, and she gave eye-opening real life examples to illustrate her doctrinal points. A lot of food for thought and potential for discussion in this book! Note: I listened to the audiobook and it was good.

 Picture book by Guojing. This is a wordless picture book about a woman patiently building a relationship with a stray dog. The illustrations are gorgeous and do a marvelous job of telling this heartwarming story.

Picture book by Vashti Harrison. This picture book is about a young girl shedding fat-shaming labels and recognizing who she really is. It is beautifully written and illustrated!

 2019 movie. Based on a true story of a black activist woman and the local KKK president forming an unlikely friendship. It is historically eye-opening in its depiction of racial tensions and the KKK, and heartwarming  as it shows people helping each other. Note: there are some mild profanities, an intense scene of gunfire where no one is injured but the woman being shot at is clearly terrified, and a scene where two men threaten to rape a woman.

 Picture book by Jeff Mack. Pretty clever for a book with only one word! Funny surprise ending too.