J.R.R. Tolkien for Kids: His Life and Writings, with 21 Activities

by Simonetta Carr

Overview

People never get tired of J. R. R. Tolkien. His stories have continued to fascinate generations in a way that few books ever could. Most of this is due to his exceptional ability to lead his readers into fantastic and captivating worlds that are believable and relatable. J. R. R. Tolkien for Kids takes young readers through the exciting life of the man who opened a window into new worlds and helps kids discover what made him see them. Readers will explore the personal experiences and subjects that inspired Tolkien's stories and learn how he influenced later writers. The activities reveal more about with his experiences: writing techniques, art projects, map-making, kite-building, and making marmalade. Readers will also become acquainted with the places and times in which Tolkien lived, including twentieth-century South Africa, England, and other European countries to discover who Tolkien was, not only as a writer, but also as a soldier, researcher, teacher, friend, husband, and father.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641603492
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/03/2021
Series:	Chicago Review Press For Kids Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
Lexile:	1110L (what's this?)
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	Up to 3 Years

About the Author

Simonetta Carr is the author of Michelangelo for Kids, Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt for Kids, Ancient Romans and Their Neighbors, and the award-winning Christian Biographies for Young Readers series.

Table of Contents

Time Line
 
1: From African Deserts to a Lost Paradise
            How Small Can You Write?
Turn a Blade of Grass into a Whistle
Create an Elegant Handwriting Style
Make a Shadowy Dragon Come Alive
2: Changes and Heartbreaks
Build a Kite
Create a Rebus
What If?
3: Undergraduate
            Make a Batch of Marmalade
            Rewrite an Ancient Tale
4: Wartime
            Invent a New Code
Make a Soldier’s Staple Food
Press Flowers
5: Lost Tales Found
Paint an Enchanted Winter Forest
Write a Letter from Father Christmas
6: There Lived a Hobbit
Write a Short Book Review
Draw a Map for a Story
Make Mushroom Toast
7: The Lord of the Rings
            Grow a Little Garden
            Create Your Version of the Necklace of Girion
Join the Chorus of Middle-earth
            Turns Your Friends into Heroes
8: Success and Retirement
Epilogue: Tolkien’s Legacy
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Resources to Explore
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
 

Editorial Reviews

"A succinct, well-organized overview of Tolkien’s life and times.” —Booklist

"Well written, informative, and engaging." — Redeemed Reader

"…a great resource for Tolkien fans new and old." — Cracking the Cover

"A good resource for young readers who want an introduction to the man remembered for ‘opening the door to a seemingly infinite world that others can explore." — WORLD Magazine

"A fantastic book for the whole family. It is full of history, the trials, and joys in Tolkien's life, writing inspiration, and Middle Earth." — The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

From the Publisher

2021-06-02
A lifeless life of the great philologist and creator of “secondary worlds.”

With eye-dulling granularity Carr turns Tolkien’s story into a recitation of family members and religious conversions, childhood and later experiences of debatable significance, academic colleagues and obscurely named literary clubs, changes of address, and sound-bite quotes. It all passes steadily into and out of view, leaving readers only the very briefest of plot summaries and bare glimpses of the uncommon complexity of his imagined languages and worlds or the immense range of literary and cultural traditions on which he drew. Eschewing nuance of any sort, the author also offers no comments about his sometimes-fustian writing style and likewise leaves the sexist and racist themes in his fantasies unexamined. The illustrations mix more film stills and recent art into the period photos than examples of Tolkien’s own lively paintings or drawings, and the assorted set of enrichment activities runs to such uninviting projects as making mushroom toast or writing a book review. The backmatter also seems catch as catch can, as the lists of resources include audiobooks but no visual media despite all those stills and leave out the separate editions of most of Tolkien’s shorter books.

Unenticing as an invitation to explore either Middle Earth or the mind behind it. (glossary, timeline, endnotes, index) (Biography. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews