Best this month
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax
This delightful animated film is an uplifting celebration of trees and their contribution to our quality of life. Directed by Chris Renaud, it is based on the 1971 children’s book by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, who said The Lorax was one of his favorites. In the town of Thneedville, artificial trees are the norm. Flip a switch and they change colors for the season. But when 12-year-old Ted visits Audrey, a girl he has a crush on, she tells him that more than anything she wants a real tree. With a little help from his grandmother, Ted ventures into the barren wilderness outside town to find one. He meets a recluse called the Once-ler who has a secret and a story to tell before giving Ted what he wants. One of the most interesting characters is the Lorax, who
calls himself the guardian of the trees—he tries to warn the Once-ler about the dangers of greed and destroying forests. After watching this family film and listening to the closing musical num- ber, “Let It Grow,” parents and children may want to find ways to become guardians of the trees in their neighborhoods (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, PG).
The Art of Faith: A Guide to Understanding Christian Images
Moody Cow Learns Compassion
The Brussats pub- lish the website www. SpiritualityandPractice. com where you can find more information about the items reviewed in this column.
Moody Cow is called a wimp because he gets upset when his friend feeds a live cricket to a snake. After he has a nightmare about the incident, his grandfather helps him see his experience of empathy with the cricket as a good thing. They purchase a bag of crick- ets, take them to a place where there is food and water, and release them with the words: “May you be happy.” Then they close the day with one more act of liberation that results in feelings of joy and fulfillment for all. This is a top-drawer chil-
dren’s book by Kerry Lee MacLean on the important spiritual practice of compas- sion (Wisdom Publications,
www.wisdompubs.org).
42 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
Judith Couchman, an art history teacher, has come up with a creative and engaging way to appreciate Christian art. Her primary mission is to share the meanings of symbols in paintings, but there is also a secondary agenda: “to enhance faith, heighten worship, and perhaps cultivate a few armchair art historians.” She points out that Christian art didn’t begin with great fanfare but developed slowly. With skill and enthusi- asm, she hunts down the mean- ings in art depicting the miracles of Jesus, the cross, angels, saints, flowers, trees, animals, colors,
objects and the church year. Here are a few of her observations: The violet that grows close to the ground has been seen as a symbol of humility in many paintings. Early believ- ers saw in the strawberry an emblem of the Virgin Mary. Throughout sacred art eras, the heart was seen as the resting place of love, joy, courage and sorrow (Paraclete Press,
www.paracletepress.com).
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