"I left New York in May. I had a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, and forty dollars, which I had saved from selling magazine subscriptions. I also had some flint and steel, which I had bought at a Chinese store in the city. The man had showed me how to use it. He had also given me a little purse to put it in, and some tinder to catch the sparks." 13 year-old Sam Gribley came to life for many young minds like mine through the imagination and pen of author Jean Craighead George, in the pages of My Side of the Mountain. I was mesmerized as a young boy and still re-read it every several years as an adult... my favorite work of fiction of all time!
Published in 1959, it was made into a movie in 1969. I've deliberately never watched it. I like my mind's version the best. I have viewed the book's scenes in vivid detail with my mind's eye for over 30 years. I don't feel the need to watch someone else's version on the screen. Settled.
Or... is it?
Within the last year, I gave my 9 year-old son a copy of the book. An avid reader, he devoured it in less than a day. He's read it multiple times. It's now a favorite of his, as well. Great!
But, herein lies the dilemma... he's also a media addict. He is aware of the movie version and is begging to watch it. I say, no. Let the classic children's novel stand alone. My wife does not understand my stance. She says the movie is likely a wholesome one, so why deny him the chance to see it? But, its not about wholesomeness. Its about whether or not we even need a movie when we have such a classic children's novel?
Any opinions? Does my stance make sense, or am I damaging my children with my parental weirdness?
ADDENDUM 5/17/10: Dylan and I had a discussion about how things looked in each of our mental versions of the book. His descriptions were very different than mine. Thus, he decided to skip watching the movie, after all. But, I'm still interested in your opinion.
