Word up! When Max's brothers Benjamin and Karl—who collect stamps and coins, respectively—won't share with Max, he decides to start his own collection, snipping words from newspapers and magazines: little words, big words, words of favorite colors, and cool words he finds in the dictionary such as “slithered.” Narrated by T.R. Knight (Grey's Anatomy), this winsomely animated adaptation of the 2006 picture book written by Kate Banks and illustrated by Boris Kulikov sparkles, thanks to clever and inventive depictions of Max's cherished cut-out words, which not only colorfully dance across the screen but often convey the meaning as well (in the “H” of “hugs,” for example, the middle bar of the letter depicts a pair of arms hugging). Of course, Max's collection eventually attracts his brothers' attention, and Max ultimately shares his words as the trio build an exciting story together about a little brown worm being chased by a hungry green alligator. A 2008 ALSC Notable Children's Video selection, Max's Words—backed by a bouncy musical score by Jerry Hunt—features a “read-along” option with words highlighted in yellow as they are spoken. A wonderful and innovative celebration of the building blocks of human language, this is highly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)
Max's Words
(2007) 10 min. DVD: $59.95, VHS: $60 (study guide included). Weston Woods Studios. PPR. Closed captioned. ISBN: 0-545-04285-2 (dvd), 0-545-04287-1 (vhs). Volume 23, Issue 4
Max's Words
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