Books Unbound - Reading and Writing Programs
Celebrate the love of reading and writing with this rich array of short films - many of them based on folktales, books, and poems! These dynamic films inspired by the written and spoken word will excite your students to discover the transformative power of literature and language. For grades 1-8.
All films are official selections from the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, and all programs include an introduction and post-screening discussion led by one of our trained media educators. Curriculum aligned with Illinois State Board of Education Learning Standards is also provided to teachers prior to the day of screening.
Flexible scheduling throughout the day - come to us or let us come to you! For details about screenings at Facets Multi-Media, click here. For details about screenings at your location, click here. For more information, contact Doug Newton at fldtrips@facets.org or (773) 281-9075 ext. 3009.
Programs Available:
Eleanor's Secret
Grades 1-3 (Ages 5-8)
90-minute program includes media education
Click here for print-friendly PDF
Watch your favorite characters from classic children’s books leap from the pages in this lovingly animated feature! Young Nat's favorite auntie has left him her beloved library – but he s a struggling reader. Looking to help his family save their fixer-upper, Nat offers up the collection to a disreputable book dealer, only to find that the library is magical. Having discovered his friends Alice in Wonderland, the Ogre, and Peter Pan, Nat must find the secret to keeping them alive for others, too. Find out why the love of reading can give your imagination wings. Featuring the voice of Jeanne Moreau!
Read It, See It
Grades 1-3 (Ages 5-8)
95-minute program includes media education
Click here for print-friendly PDF
The Happy Duckling (England)
Stopping by Woods On a Snowy Evening (USA)
The Young Detectives: "World of the Imagination" (Norway)
Max's Words (USA)
The Little Boy and the Beast (Germany)
Hungarian Folk Tales: "The Golden Calf" (Hungary)
The North Star (USA)
John Lithgow enlivens the timeless lyric poem of the Owl and the Pussycat who journey to find happiness. Susan Sarandon makes us feel the crunch of snow as she reads Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods On a Snowy Evening," and Tim Curry opens up the magic of the night sky as he narrates "The North Star." Meanwhile, pages in Dad's imagination have come to life - and it's up to the Young Detectives to help find the lost writer. Dive into the pages of this collection of storytime favorites!
Folktales from Faraway Lands
Grades 1-3 (Ages 5-8)
95-minute program includes media education
Click here for print-friendly PDF
The Happy Duckling (England)
The Cunning Tailor and the Young Man (Iran)
Hungarian Folk Tales: "The Wee King" (Hungary)
Polish Fairy Tales: "The Golden Apple Tree" (Poland)
Hajar's Wedding (Iran)
The Mouse with a Mouth (Belgium/France/Hungary)
What do folktales tell us about different traditions? Sisters and best friends team up to achieve their goals in a Russian tale animated with fabric. A friendly creature tries to follow a schoolboy home in an inventive pop-up book come to life. The littlest mouse is the biggest storyteller in the forest. "Happily ever after" can take many forms, so set aside some Once Upon a Time for your students to visit these new and exciting places!
Tales with Tails
Grades 4-5 (Ages 8-10)
95-minute program includes media education
Click here for print-friendly PDF
Wallace's Lists (USA)
Tyger (Brazil)
Do Unto Otters (A Book About Manners) (USA)
The Lost Thing (Australia)
The Gruffalo (England)
What can a plucky mouse tell us about bravery? In the 2010 "Best of the Fest" award-winner based on author Julia Donaldson's book The Gruffalo, an all-star cast of narrators, including Helena Bonham Carter, John Hurt, Robbie Coletrane, and Tom Wilkinson, brings us the story of a great imposter who is also a great improviser. Plus, the powerful animated film Tyger springs to the screen from the favorite William Blake poem. And 2010 short film animation award-winner The Lost Thing (book by author Shaun Tan) rounds out the program of creatures great and small with tall tales to tell.
It's the Write Time 
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14+)
90-minute program includes media education
Click here for print-friendly PDF
The Human Voice (USA)
The Wolf Turned Shepherd (Israel)
Rhymes and Rubbish (Finland)
The Squirrel and the Swallow (Netherlands)
Coast Warning (Russia)
Bottle (USA)
Onion Skin (Canada)
The Blizzard (Russia)
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (USA)
Witness the power of the written and spoken word as it transforms lives in these short films. Oral historian Studs Terkel recounts an experience where the voice of a child saved the day. When Joe expresses his feelings for Kaitlyn through a handwritten letter rather than a text or an email, she doesn’t know what to make of this quaint method of communication! An avid bookworm is swept away into a book-filled world where texts come to life. Celebrate the magic of imagination and communication.
