Not that we are biased -- okay, we are biased -- these "childrens' books" are some of the best writing for a universal audience to hit the bookstores in a long long time. They are full of vivid characters, well structured plot, clever tricks and twists, and a whole host of wonderful and even therapeutic ideas for children of any age who have ever felt alone in the world, or different from others. And, they're a barrel of fun. Don't settle for JUST the movie or JUST the toys -- the real magic is in the books and the work of a great story teller. Whether you're looking for escape into another world, a good scare on a chilly night, or some of the sweetest (and strangest) characters anywhere -- these are the books you'll treasure. It's been a long time since there was a commercial hit that had this much real value to it -- we're as anxious for the next book as everybody else! Let us also tell you that even though the first book in the series (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [or Philosopher's Stone]) is about an 11-year old boy and is a very mild and child-like introduction to Harry's magical world, by the time you get to the third book and beyond, (The Prisoner of Azkaban), Harry is past puberty and the books have some of the scariest passages and scenes we've ever read -- bar none. We've heard stories from college kids who have nightmares after reading the Azkaban book -- so be forewarned. These are not the kind of "kiddy" books you may have imagined. These are real good vs. evil stories where not all the battles are won by the good guys -- even though we suspect the final war will be. Like the best "fairy tales," some of these story pieces tell readers about evil in the world and it is real Evil. And the Good is just as real -- giving as much hope and promise as any real Good always does. The term "childrens' book" may be misleading to some who think all this fuss is about some "Pollyanna" or "Pat the Bunny" story -- and those are lovely books. But this is "children's" only in so far as the title character starts out as a child, and has to learn all the lessons of childhood in public and in print. As Harry grows up, so do his feelings, his choices, his responsibilities, and his abilities. -- and his challenges. He must understand and deal with his parents' death, their murderer, a vast complexity of history and intertwined relationships, and the squabbles between adolescent best friends. All in all, the world built (and still being built) by J. K. Rowling is fascinating, and a bright and welcomed addition to the fantasy life and the collective consciouness of the reading public. It's been a long time since this sort of originality and creativity found its way to us (as it did with the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books, the Star Wars movies, and the C.S. Lewis- Chronicles of Narnia books....) and we are very grateful for both the great writing and the great story-telling. These books were classics the moment they were written down. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do. *one additional suggestion -- try reading these books out loud -- to each other, to children and grand children, or to neighborhoods full of children. The language is snappy, funny, and rolls well off the tongue, so take this opportunity to share a great story -- and then discuss it with your kids. Try and figure out what will happen next.... Try and piece together the clues.... Talk about the different characters and whether they are good, or bad or some combineation of both..... Talk about what you might have done in a similar situation.... Talk about what you might do next if it were you instead of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, or one of the Professors.... Take every opportunity to get to know your children and to let them get to know you. |
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| Harry Potter: Literary Tips for Developing/Young Readers & Their Families If you've read our "About Purciful's & Policies page, or been a long time customer here at Purciful's, then you already know that Dr. Jim Whitlark, one of Purciful's owners, has been a professor of fantasy and religious literature at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas for many years. Lynn Whitlark, co-owner and manager of Purciful's has written childrens' stories for use in therapeutic situations with children in crisis, as well as a variety of essays on uses of metaphor and developmental psychology in literature. We hope this article is helpful as the children and beginning readers in your life are making their way into the world of Harry Potter (and other literature.) | |
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| Tips for Buying Harry Potter Gifts --For the Uninitiated If you are looking for a wizard-themed gift for some young Harry Potter fan and you don't know the books yourself, the toys listed on these pages all stick with the Harry Potter theme for imaginative play. Click into this link for lots of useful information about the characters and kinds of creatures in the Harry Potter series of books! | |
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| Harry Potter: Snuggly Hagrid Soft Toy from Gund! Hagrid, the loveable and ever-diligent grounds-keeper from Hogwart's School of Witchcraft & Wizardry! GIANT hands, GIANT boots, mountains of mangled hair.... your basic GIANT on all counts! Surface Washable, 12 inches. | |
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| Harry Potter: THE SORTING HAT (and puppet) is HERE!!!!!!!! If you are a Harry Potter fan -- and who isn't? -- you know this has to be the cutest hat they've come up with. In fact, it may be the cutest of all the wizarding hats we've seen. In tatters and patches with blanket stitching to hold it together, this hat is not only for your head -- but for your hand, too. IT'S ALSO A PUPPET! Some of the tatters and patches form the eyes and mouth of the oversized hat so that it can talk and see where it's going -- a magical hat if ever there was one. The hat is made to be oversized for a child -- just like the hat in the books -- so don't be surprised if it slips down on their forehead just a bit. In the books, it is supposed to completely cover their eyes and talk to them inside the dark brim! Made of good sturdy fabric, with flexible form insde to make the face more animated.... | |
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| Harry Potter: Movie Version of the Sorting Hat by Elope The hat is made to be oversized for a child -- just like the hat in the books -- so don't be surprised if it slips down on their forehead just a bit. In the books, it is supposed to completely cover their eyes and talk to them inside the dark brim! This hat should fit most adults comfortably. | |
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| Harry Potter: STUDENT WIZARD HATS are HERE! If your student is an up and coming Hogwart's student wizard or witch, then this is the top of the line in must-haves for the new school year! | |
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| Harry Potter: Hogwarts' Student Everyday School Hat by Elope | |
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| Harry Potter: Prof. Dumbledore's Wizard Hat by elope Yet another of Dumbledore's fashion trends -- the up-brimmed wizard's hat! In lush greens with just the slightest touch of purple -- the perfect hat for winter, in Rowling's favorite wizarding colors. A great hat for the above average wizard! | |
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| Harry Potter: Prof. McGonnagal's Hat from Elope Sized to fit either adults or children. | |
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| Harry Potter: Prof. McGonagall's Witch Hat by Elope Prof. McGonagall is sometimes the archetypal witch -- and a lot more powerful than she lets on.... Here is McGonagall's more traditional hat -- the stuff great silhouettes are made of. Heavyweight black fabric in a permanantly well-worn and comfortable look. | |
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| Harry Potter: Madame Hooch's Hat from Elope Sized to fit either adults or children. | |
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| Harry Potter: Prof. Flitwick's Hat by Elope Sized to fit either adults or children. | |
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| Harry Potter: Gryffindor Hat and Scarf from Elope Hats Undoubtedly the most requested Harry Potter gift short of the sorting hat -- here is the Gryffindor House colors hat and scarf for every young wizard! The Hogwarts Coat of Arms is on both the hat and the scarf -- (the cap will fit either adults or older children -- and be a bit loose on smaller children....) Made of 100% acrylic. Very soft, and washable! | |
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| Harry Potter Quidditch Goggles by Elope The newest addition to Harry's Quidditch uniform (see the Prisoner of Azkaban movie for details....) Goggles are adjustable for all quidditch players, guaranteed to keep the freezing, driving rain out of their eyes as they fly across the Quidditch Pitch in inclement weather. (Also excellent for helping them spot on-coming dementors!) Excellent quality (as all of Elope's Harry Potter hats, ties, accessories and glasses!) | |
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| Harry Potter's Glasses - Complete with Spellotape! But these round glasses are the spitting image of Harry's -- right down to the Spellotape wrapped around the nose bridge. The gold and black HP logo is on the side of the frame -- wear them in good wizarding spirits! | |
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| Harry Potter: Movie Version of Harry's Glasses by Elope Hats Here are Harry Potter's famous round glasses -- in the metal frames he wears in the movie (as opposed to the black plastic ones patterned after the Mary GranPre drawings from the books....) | |
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| Harry Potter: Prof. McGonogal's Glasses by Elope Prof. McGonogal's small, rectangular half glasses -- made to be worn low on the nose (a bit like Santa's spectacles). Perfect for the Harry Potter fan who fancies cats (or professors that turn into cats)! | |
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| Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) by J.K. Rowling Hardcover from Scholastic Press -- the first in the Harry Potter Series. 309 pages. First published in 1998. Illustrations by Mary GrandPre. Just as good as you think it will be! Harry Potter: Literary Tips for Developing/Young Readers & Their Families | |
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| Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) by J. K. Rowling Hardcover from Scholastic Press -- the second in the Harry Potter Series. 341 pages. First published in 1999. Illustrations by Mary GrandPre. Further adventures -- and an introduction to the real villian of the Harry Potter stories. Harry Potter: Literary Tips for Developing/Young Readers & Their Families | |
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| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) by J. K. Rowling Hardcover from Scholastic Press -- the third in the Harry Potter Series. 435 pages. First published in 1999. Illustrations by Mary GrandPre Fun, scary, and full of surprises! Harry Potter: Literary Tips for Developing/Young Readers & Their Families | |
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| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) by J. K. Rowling Hardcover from Scholastic Press -- the fourth in the Harry Potter Series. 734 pages. First published in 2000. Illustrations by Mary GrandPre Frightful scare at the beginning -- and another at the end! And the middle is pretty scary, too. Harry Potter: Literary Tips for Developing/Young Readers & Their Families | |
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| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J. K. Rowling Hardcover from Scholastic Press -- the fifth in the Harry Potter Series. 896 pages. First published June 21 2003. Illustrations by Mary GrandPre (If the cover illustration looks darker... there's probably a reason....) Pre-orders only until June 21, 2003. Harry Potter: Literary Tips for Developing/Young Readers & Their Families | |
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| Help Your Child Create Their Own Magic Wand! Make your own do-it-yourself wand kit for the Harry Potter fans in your family and circle of friends! Click into this link for some simple how-to's for personalized wand making! Mr. Olivander would be proud. | |
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| Wizards & Witches & Magical Dolls, Toys & Puppets! If you are looking for a wizard-themed gift for some young Harry Potter fan and you don't know the books or film yourself, the toys listed on this page all stick with the Harry Potter theme for imaginative play. Here are some useful guidelines for gift shopping: * Wizards and witches are characters throughout all the Harry Potter books; * The head of the Hogwarts School where Harry goes is named Dumbledore and is very old with a long white beard and half-moon shaped spectacles; * The head of Gryffindor, Harry's house (dormitory) at Hogwarts, is a witch from Scotland named Minerva McGonogal; * Harry's owl Hedwig is a Snowy Owl; * Harry's best friends, Ron and Hermione have pets -- Hermione acquires a "ginger" (orange) cat in the third book, while Ron has a pet rat called Scabbers in the first three books, and a tiny miniature owl called Pig in the fourth book; * Unicorns live in the forest on the school grounds; * Giant spiders live in the forest on the school grounds; * Fairies live in the bushes in the Hogwarts School gardens at the time of the Christmas Ball; * Gnomes live in the yard and garden at Ron's house, resulting in the occasional need for "de-gnoming" the garden....; * Harry's friend, Hagrid the Gamekeeper has a baby dragon called Norbert in the first book; * In the fourth book, the tournement includes 4 magical dragons of different colors: black, green, red, and blue. (In addition to the magical items listed below, you will find a whole section of HARRY POTTER GIFTS in the links on the left margin of this page.) Tips for Buying Harry Potter Gifts --For the Uninitiated Petite Dragons -- Dante & Cordelia in 8-inch Size! Dante & Cordelia -- 14" (not counting tail....) of MONSTROUS DRAGON Small Sea Serpent / Dragon Puppet by Folkmanis Dragon (as in fire insurance) Puppet by Folkmanis Baby Dragon Puppet by Folkmanis Snowy Owl Puppet (to Carry Your Mail....) -- by Folkmanis GREAT HORNED OWL Puppet from Folkmanis Barn Owl Puppet by Folkmanis Flower Fairy Finger Puppet by Folkmanis Snow Fairy Finger Puppet by Folkmanis Sugar Plum Fairy Finger Puppet by Folkmanis Rose Fairy Finger Puppet from Folkmanis | |
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| Harry Potter Licensed Pillows and Throws! Harry Potter Throw Blankets | |
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| MAGICAL THEMED GAMES AND TOYS (Not Harry-Potter) Great toys and games with a magical theme! Whether for the wizardly minded, those of the witchy persuasion, or just for a late night sleepover with all the lights out -- these games are buzzing with magic! Curious Bonz - Building Sets by Curious Toys | |
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| Wizard/Witch's Hat with Dragon by Elope (adult size) | |
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| Wizard/Witch's Hat with Dragon by Elope (kid sized) | |
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| Harry Potter Hogwartz Castle Building Cards from Klutz Because Hogwarts castle looms so large in the imagination of fans all over the world, Klutz made the new Building Cards set bigger than its predescessors — and packaged it with over 275 cards. Sturdy slot-to-slot construction means there is no need for glue or nails and the cards can be taken apart and reassembled over and over again. The instructions feature assembly hints, step-by-step illustrations and directions so simple even a Muggle could follow them. Also comes with a custom-molded Harry Potter figurine. | |
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