I've read and have directed this wonderful play by Aurand Harris. It's the classic tale of a little girl who is forced to accept her grandfather's death. However, she learns a valuable lesson when she runs into the woods and meets a dancing bear. The bear's life also seems to be running out of time, but he resolves to teach his dances to a "little bear" so that a part of him will live on. The little girl realizes the lesson and learns that her grandfather has left a little of himself with her. A great read and a wonderful way for children to learn about the immortality of man.

When I was younger, about 6 or 7, I saw this play performed at my local theatre, and I fell in love with it. Aurand Harris was a friend of the founder of this theatre, and I remember one summer we performed plays only written by Mr. Harris. He passed away a while ago, but as described in this book, memories of good people(or Arkansas bears) make them live on forever in the hearts of those closest to them, and such is certainly the case with Aurand. This play was one of the reasons I got into theatre, and a reminder of why I stay in it. It's a shame that more people haven't heard of this story, but I'm glad to be the one to tell you: it's a good one; read it.

The Magician's Nephew is a great start for Chronicles of Narnia. Two children, Digory and Polly, get rings from Digory's uncle. He gives them rings which give them the power to travel to different worlds and travel home again. They travel to lots of different worlds and have many different adventures. In one of the worlds they find an evil queen called Jadis who follows them back home. Polly and Digory take the queen to a different world where they meet a lion called Aslan and many different talking animals. Digory and Polly then have to go and get an apple to protect Narnia from the queen. Digory takes one apple back home to his dying mother. When Digory gives the apple to his mother she is cured. Digory buried the apple core and magic rings in his backyard. You will have to read the book to find out what happens. This book is one of the best books I have ever read. It makes you feel like you are in the adventures with the characters. I would recommend this book to anybody that can read. This adventure-fantasy is for people of all ages. I like the way it leads into the next book.

The Magician's Nephew takes place in London, a very long ago. During that time lives a girl named Polly Plumber. She lives in row housing, and one day when she is in the garden, a grubby faced boy peers over the fence next door. Polly could tell that the boy had been crying which explains his dirty face. The boy tells her his name is Digory Kirke, and Polly laughed and made a few jokes, and he tells her that he is from a high-class area and he is required to come to this rotten place. He told Polly that his dad is in India, his mother is sick, and his uncle is mad. Digory explains that his Uncle Andrew is very odd, talks of strange things, and hears strange noises coming from his secret room at night. Very soon they begin to build a friendship. From then on, they went on several adventures because his crazy Uncle Andrew and his powerful rings, one including to Narnia. They meet several characters in each place they visit. In Narnia they they meet the Lion, and from him they learn many lessons about life, and they build a very strong relationship with eachother. I would recommend this book for anyone, any age, who likes adventure and fantasy. This book is very detailed, and creative. The characters are very real, especally Polly. Polly is very adventurous, like me. She never backs down on anything. Polly seems like a great person, and like any other child in that time period this book took place. If you like this book, than I deffinitly recommend reading the next book #2 in The Chronicels of Narnia, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. You'll love both!!

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis is a wonderful beginning to The Chronicles of Narnia. Two children, Digory and Polly, are given a great gift by Digory's uncle. He gives them rings which give them the power to travel to different worlds and travel home again. They travel to many different worlds and have many different adventures. I one of the worlds they find an evil queenwho follows them back home. Polly and Digory take the the queen to a different world where they meet a kion called Aslan and many different talking animals. Digory takes a silver apple back home to his dying mother. When Digory gives the apple to his mother and she is miraculously cured. Digory plants the apple core and magic rings in his backyard. You will have to read the rest of this magical adventure to find out where the magic appears next. This book is one of the most wonderful and magical books I have ever read. Lewis's imagination really keeps the books alive. It makes you feel you are sharing the adventures right along with the characters. I would recommend this book to anybody because it is so fascinating. This adventure-fantasy is for people of all ages. It makes you want to keep on reading to find out what happens to the characters. There is a lot of suspense and it is very absorbing. I love the way it leads into the next book of The Chronicles. It makes you want to read all the other books that follow.

Disappointing. Only a small portion of the book is devoted to plays that children can perform themselves. The handful of plays in this section provide a good example of the multiculturism fad in kids' books these days. The plays are identified as coming from several different countries. But this supposedly diverse group of plays is uniformly unentertaining, with little or no educational content.

This collection provides a good mix of large and small group plays, including The Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It might not be great theater, but it gave the elementary school kids I was working with a chance to perform a familiar story without a million rehearsals. The lines are manageable and the kids weren't put off by having to learn long speeches.