“101 Movies To See Before You Grow Up” has sold over 60,000 copies since it was published. It is currently on sale at all Scholastic Book Fairs in the USA.
The book published October 19, 2015. It’s on sale on Amazon.com, and at all Barnes and Noble stores nationwide as well as at BarnesandNoble.com.
It’s here! The cover art for my book, “101 Movies To See Before You Grow Up.” Isn’t it sweet?
I must admit, I squealed like a teenage girl when I saw it! What do you think? I absolutely love the color combination, the design, and the characters the art department selected for it — I think it’s simply stunning. One detail that can’t be appreciated in the photo above is that the title “101 Movies” will be in gold foil. What I love most about a book like this is it’s keep-sake quality.
I’m also thrilled that so far I have been able to count on key people to help me with this book project. Sharon Waxman, CEO and Founder of TheWrap.com, has been an invaluable inspiration and an exceptional friend to me over our 30-year friendship.
Nell Minow is the Movie Mom, and I have followed her film recommendations for many years. She graciously agreed to help me put together the list of movies for the book. The Movie Mom and her depth of knowledge as a film critic were essential for me to lean on during this daunting process. Listen to the Movie Mom Friday mornings on KYXY 96.5 FM on the Jeff Showgram in San Diego.
You already know the story about how I got this book deal. Here’s what you’ll find on this page. Besides giving you updates on the progress of “101 Movies,” I will also be sharing some interesting information about each of the films I’ve been writing about. There are so many interesting facts, backstories, and anecdotes that I’ve uncovered while doing the research for these movies, that they all just don’t fit on the pages of this children’s book. It seems like such a waste to not share them with you because I think you will find some of this stuff fascinating.
Here are some tidbits I’ve uncovered doing the research for each of these 101 Movies. I hope that all of these fun facts, and others that will be in the book, will add to you and your kids’ movie-watching experience — especially if you’ll be seeing some of these films for the second, third, fourth… you get the idea.
I’ll start posting more information about the book as I get closer to turning in my final manuscript — which should be around March. In the meantime, keep watching movies with your kids, and I hope you’ll want to learn more about films from my future book. Enjoy!
“101 Movies to See Before You Grow Up” Walter Foster Jr. Coming October 1, 2015.
The Parent Trap (1961) One of my absolute favorite films growing up! Remember Hayley Mills in the original movie playing the part of twins? Since computer generated trickery wasn’t around in the 1960s, the British actress had a double who would briefly stand in her place in certain shots. The double would be filmed from the back while Mills spoke to her. 
The Brave Little Toaster (1987) Jennifer Aniston and Harry Conick Junior are some of the voice actors in this film. John Lasseter almost made this his first CGI (computer generated imagery) movie except that Disney, his employer at the time, thought he was nuts for wanting to do this instead of using the traditional hand-drawn animation. He was let go from Disney, but found the job that would transform the world of animated movies for ever! Read the “Did You Know” section in the book under “Star Wars” to learn about the rest of Lasseter’s story.
Homeward Bound (1993) Sure, Michael J. Fox provides a great voice in this movie, but it’s the animals that really deserve more attention. Especially since the stunts in the film are performed by real trained animals!
The Princes and the Frog (2009) I have new-found respect for John Lasseter. After taking on Disney, he became the head of the whole kit and caboodle — Disney and Pixar. After CGI movies like Toy Story became the norm, Disney and other studios got rid of their traditional hand-drawn animation departments. The executives even wanted to get rid of their desks, sketch pads, and pencils — the same ones used for The Lion King, etc. To make The Princes and the Frog, Lasseter decided to do it with hand-drawn animation. He had all the previous Disney artists located and offered them jobs. Of course, other major studios followed his lead.
My book is available for pre-purchase (Prime) on Amazon. Get it here!
The book is also listed in the Quarto Kids catalog!
