Educational Media Reviews Online

Tamara Lynch joined the National Film Board in 1972. In 1986 she was named children's producer in Studio G, the NFB's educational studio (which was eventually amalgamated with the NFB Animation Studio to become Animation, Children, Interactive, or ACI). She has produced over 40 titles to date.

Tamara has also produced several films for Talespinners, a collection featuring children's stories from different cultural communities. Her Talespinners credits include Christopher Changes His Name as well as Christopher, Please Clean Up Your Room!

Our young protagonist, Christopher is a talented and well rounded young man. His only problem is that he has a knack for being very messy. His parents refuse to go into his room and his friends have nightmares when they sleep over. His sneakers smell, the fish bowl in his room stinks, and his room looks like a tornado hit it. While some readers may skirm at the plot hatched by an inventive cockroach and fish to get Christopher to clean his room, it works. Tamara Lynch's current production aptly illustrates what many parents go through today with their young siblings.

Told in an animated and colorful fashion, the viewer sees the condition of Christopher's room and the response of his pet fish and a visiting cockroach. The room is so filthy that even the cockroach can't stand it. So they wait for Christopher to fall asleep and with the help of some other visiting cockroaches, Christopher realizes that a clean room is a room without cheesy smelling socks, a fungi grown sandwich behind the door, a smelly fish bowl and smelly sneakers. I would advise parents to prepare their children when reading this story. While it teaches cleanliness and the need for personal hygiene, many children may run from the thought of being awakened at night by a room full of cockroaches shaping themselves on the bedroom wall with the message: CHRISTOPHER, TIDY UP YOUR ROOM NOW. Recommended