Summer of the Monkeys

This evening the children and I watched Summer of the Monkeys. We borrowed this fantastic movie from Netflix. If you haven't checked out Netflix I highly recommend it. Just this past month, they reduced my monthly fee by 2.00 a month, but I still get the same great service. I can borrow up to 3 movies at a time. They come in my mailbox. I send them back in nifty prepaid envelopes after we have watched them. There aren't any time limits. And the thing I like best is it is a great way for me to access family movies and documentaries that we would otherwise not be able to see. But enough of that.

Tonight we watched Summer of the Monkeys, a 1998 movie that is rated G and has Wilford Brimley in it. Summer of the Monkeys the movie, is based on a book by Wilson Rawls. This movie is set in the 1800's on the prairies of Canada. The circus train has a wreck and four monkeys run away when their trainer is hurt. Meanwhile a young boy is turning into a man and trying to find a way to come up with $75.00 to purchase a horse. This story is a cross between Little House on the Prarie: Christmas at Plum Creek and Where the Red Fern Grows. (Of course, Wilson Rawls is the writer of Where the Red Fern Grows, so perhaps that explains part of the similarity. In my research, I have come across reference that the book is much, much better than the movie. (Summer of the Monkeys)

In the course of this tale, we watch a young lad grow to be a man and we learn how perseverance can pay off. We also are reminded that we can only hold our children so tightly, they must spread their wings and fly. This was a great story and full of wonderful messages. I highly recommend it!