Video Sunday: 90-Second Newbery Edition

About a week ago the 90-Second Newbery premiered at New York Public Library (PW did a nice write-up of it here) and the afternoon was a stellar success.  My Lit Salon went over so I didn’t have a chance to see much of it, but fortunately James Kennedy, who created the darn thing, did me a favor and curated some of the best little videos of the year.

First off, what may well be my favorite video.  Claymation has always done the 90-Second Newbery proud.  Now they’re all the prouder with a Claymation version of Steve Sheinkin’s Bomb: The Race To Build–And Steal–The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Jennings Mergenthal of Tacoma, WA.

Extra points for the Tom Lehrer at the end.

Then it’s Ramona And Her Father done as a musical by the kids at Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development.  I felt very proud that as an adult I could identify all but two of the tunes they were singing.

How about that father doing The Snake?  Kid’s got moves!  Plus this had the advantage of making me want to read that book again.

But why watch just one?  In today’s economy a story about a dad losing his job has special significance.  This Ramona And Her Father is done as a James Bond movie by a different set of kids at Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development.

What’s particularly interesting to me is that both Ramonas used very similar stock images of suburban houses between their shots.  I also love that in this one they decided to pay attention to the details and put the driver on the British side of the car.

I love too clever teenagers.  So this ominous foreshadowing ridden version of Bridge To Terabithia by Rochester Community Television in Rochester, NY appeals to the 15-year-old in me.

And finally . . . MORE stop animation!  This time it’s the Atwater’s Mr. Popper’s Penguins courtesy of Girl Scout Troop 2539 from Urbana, IL.

I told you I had a weakness for that stuff.

For our off-topic video, this has nothing to do with 90-Second Newbery and everything to do with House of Cards.  It’s the Sesame Street parody.  Seemed fitting in an odd way.  We’re all about the homages today.

Filed under: Videos