Genre 2: Tradional Literature Post 3

Zelinksy, Paul, O.  Rapunzel.  1997.  New York:  Dutton Children’s Book. 

This Caldecott Medal award winning fairy tale is a variant of the traditional Rapunzel story.  The characters differ from the traditional telling a bit, but one will recognize the evil sorceress although she is presented as a mother figure to Rapunzel.  In this story, Rapunzel’s parents give Rapunzel to the sorceress - a condition for the herbs Rapunzel's mother craved during her pregnancy.  The sorceress places Rapunzel in the tower to protect her from the world.  One day it was not the sorceress who request Rapunzel to "let down her hair" – it was the king’s son.

Both the illustrations and the writing makes this book more suitable for an older child.  Zelinksy uses oil paintings to “evoke the portraits, sculpture, architecture, and light-filled landscapes of Renaissance art. The costumes are lavish, the interiors intricate.”1  The inference that Rapunzel is pregnant is achieved through repetition; Zelinsky uses the phrase the "dress growing tight around her waist" to reveal that Rapunzel's mother was pregnant with her and to infer that Rapunzel is pregnant as well.  Another example of repetition is when Rapunzel’s father searches "ten times, twenty times" for a means to access the sorceress’ garden and the prince searches for an entry to the tower a "ten times, twenty times" as well.  Rapunzel is banished to "the wild country" for her sin.  Both the prince and Rapunzel spend a year in the wilderness before they find each other and return home with their two children. The archetypical overtones suggest a purification that must occur before the two can live "a long life, happy and content."

I suggest that you read through this book before you share it with little ones who may be excited to read it due to Disney's Tangled.  Although the illustrations are stunning, Rapunzel is kicked out of the tower because the Sorceress views Rapunzel's pregnancy as a betrayal.  If you have a curious child who asks lots of questions, there may be more to explain than what you may want to.  Luckily my nearly 4 year old is too young to question, so I didn't mind reading this book to her over and over and over...

Notes:

1  Rochman, Hazel. “Rapunzel.” Booklist OnLine. (Nov. 15, 1997).  Accessed June 19, 2011. http://www.booklistonline.com/Rapunzel-Paul-O-Zelinsky/pid=156230.

Genre 2: Tradional Literature Post 2

Kellogg, Steven.  The Three Little Pigs.  1997. Harper Collins Publishers.

Serafina Sow starts a successful traveling waffle business, and she passes it down to her three piglets: Percy, Pete, and Prudence.  As business continues to thrive, each of the piglets builds his/her own house using different building materials:  straw, logs, and bricks, respectively.  One day Tempesto, a wolf, arrives at the waffle stand, "Howdy, Ham. Howdy, Bacon. Howdy, Sausage...butter yourselves and hop on the griddle."  Each pig runs to his/her own home, but that doesn't stop Tempesto from chasing after them.  Not to worry - his plans are spoiled when Serafina returns to help her piglets. 

This modern beastly tale recounts the The Three Little Pigs using stereotyped characters (Tempesto is a biker wolf dressed in a black jacket) and generalized settings (a school).  The plot is simple and direct so children will understand the text.  It is apparent that good triumphs over evil as the wolf "[gives] up crime and [spends] his life as a mellow beach bum...".  Kellogg uses symbolism with the two characters names:  Prudence, the pig that builds her home out of brinks and Tempesto the wolf.  He also employs alliteration through out the book.

Kellogg illustrates his book using inks, watercolors, and acrylics.  The full-page visuals elaborate on the details of the story.  He tends to incorporate signs in many of the illustration which only adds humor to this text.  “Much of the broad humor is carried in the lively, colorful illustrations, though there’s wordplay aplenty in the text and pictures too: Tempesto slides down the chimney, lands on the waffle iron, is blasted with maple syrup, smothered in butter, and turned into a “WOLFFLE.” This image may by a little disturbing for younger children.

An interesting lesson would be having students write their own retelling of traditional literature.  Read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka.  This books tell the basic story from the wolf's perspective.  It could serve as a model for students to retell their own story.

Notes:

Phelan, Carolyn. “The Three Little Pigs.” Booklist OnLine. (Aug. 1997).  Accessed June 19, 2011. http://www.booklistonline.com/The-Three-Little-Pigs-Steven-Kellogg/pid=1735943.

Genre 2: Tradional Literature Post 1

Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac.  Turtle’s race with beaver.  Ill. Aruego, Jose and Ariane Dewey.  2003.  New York:  Dial Books for Young Readers.

Turtle loves her pond:  shallow water, plenty of food, and rocks on which to sun herself.  As the weather becomes cold, turtle goes down to the bottom of her pond to bury herself in the mud for the winter.  While she’s away, Beaver happens into Turtle’s beautiful pond and begins to chop down trees to build a dam and a lodge for the winter.  When Turtle returns, she explains to Beaver that the pond was her home, but she would be willing to share it.  Beaver would not hear of it!  He challenges Turtle to a race; winner gets to stay in the pond.

The plot is a variant of the Tortoise and the Hare retold in the Seneca tradition and remains accurate to the classic tale of wisdom (Turtle) versus strength (Beaver).  As one may expect, the setting is generalized (a lake) and the characters are symbolic - easy for a child to see himself in a similar situation.   Bruchac includes a note where he shares some background of the storytelling traditions of Native Americans.  Interesting information - definitely a place to begin a study of folktales.

The simplicity of the language and syntax is mirrored in the illustrations.  The characters facial expressions add an extra layer of details that children will enjoy.  Aruego and Dewey used pen-and-ink, gouache, and pastels to make the illustrations colorful and vivid.  “…there are plenty of visual cues to the contestants’ emotional states in the illustrators’ bright, flowing scenes.  A natural candidate for reading aloud, and for follow-up discussions, too.”  

This book could be paired up with other retellings that Bruchac has written - such as Racoon's Last Race- to teach a unit on folktales or Native Americans.  He also has written fiction, non-fiction, and poetry the one can use for an author study.

Notes:

Peters, John. “Turtle’s Race with Beaver.” Booklist OnLine. (Sept. 15, 2003).  Accessed June 19, 2011. http://www.booklistonline.com/Turtle-s-Race-with-Beaver-Jose-Aruego/pid=1142940.

Genre 1: Picture Books Post 3

Stead, Philip C. 2010. A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Ill. by Erin Stead. New York: Roaring Book Press. ISBN 9781596434028.

Amos McGee is not your ordinary zoo keeper - he's more of a friend, especially to five animals:  elephant who plays chess with Amos, tortoise who wins every race against Amos, penguin who enjoys Amos' silent company, rhinoceros who relies on Amos for a handkerchief, and owl who isn't afraid of the dark when Amos is with him.  But Mr. McGee wakes up feeling sick one morning and decides to stay home.  To his surprise these five animals who sorely miss him come to his house to look after him.  This endearing picture book shows the benefits of being a sincere friend.

Erin Stead uses woodblock printing, pencil, and muted colors to illustrate this book which helps to create a sense of simplicity throughout the story adding detail and character to the text.  "Wiry, elderly Amos has a kindly Mister Rogers air about him, the animals, while realistically rendered overall, display distinct personalities without uttering a word."¹  Stead's wonderful illustrations won A Sick Day for Amos McGee the Caldecott Medal in 2011.

This picture book would be a great way for students to begin a journal about a time when they were pleasantly surprised by a friend's action like Amos was surprised by his animal friends.  Being in Texas, this fits the types of open-ended essay prompts that tend to be on the TAKS test at the high school level.  What a create way to bring a picture book into a secondary classroom!

Notes

1.  Kitty Flynn, “Caldecott Medal 2011,” The Horn Book, last modified May 2010, http://www.hbook.com/resources/awards/ala/caldecott.asp#rev1.

Genre 1: Picture Book - Post 2

Mora, Pat.  2009.  Gracias Thanks.  Ill by John Parra.  New York:  Lee & Low Books Inc.  ISBN 9781600602580.

This bilingual (Spanish and English) book allows readers to follow an elementary aged boy who is thankful for a variety of things (the sun that wakes him up every morning, the ladybug that landed on his finger, and the music his uncle plays) and people (his Abuelita who secretly gives him a dollar, his little brother who makes him laugh, and his friend, Billy, who shares a book with him).  The characters are primarily Hispanic and the backgrounds are filled with colorful, everyday settings that children will recognize - a house, a beach, a lake, a park, even a school auditorium.  Although the author doesn't establish a storyline,  "the poetic writing"¹ shows a boy who is genuine as he gives thanks for the little things in life.  Mora makes this boy familiar as if he could easily be a neighbor, a classmate, or a family member; this generality adds to the book's appeal.

This book is illustrated by John Parra who is inspired by his Hispanic heritage, and, therefore, appropriate for this book.  "Parra's folk-art-style acrylic illustrations look as though they're painted on wood; the lines and imperfections give the pictures a worn, homey appearance that matches the sweetness of the text and the old-fashioned feel of the setting."²

At the end of the book, Mora writes a note to the reader asking, "What are you thankful for?"³ and lists specific things she's thankful for including "readers like you."⁴  She encourages us to chat "about the large and small pleasures in [our] lives"⁵ and challenges us to "keep the circle of giving thanks, growing."⁶  I say we do just that and ask our children, students, friends, and family members what they are thankful for and maybe have them jot it down to create a book all their own.

Notes:

1.  “Gracias ~ Thanks,” Pat Mora, accessed June 12, 2011, http://www.patmora.com/book_pages/gracias.htm.

2.  Ibid.

3.  Pat  Mora, Gracias Thanks (New York: Lee & Low Books Inc, 2009), last page.

4.  Ibid

5.  Ibid.

6.  Ibid.

Genre 1: Picture Book - Post 1

Potter, Beatrix.  2002.  The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  New York:  Fredrick Warne.  ISBN 0723247706.

This number two bestselling children's book of all time is about Peter, a young rabbit, who despite Mrs. Rabbit's warning to not "go into Mr. McGregor's garden" goes to that garden and experiences a hair raising adventure.  Mr. McGregor, not happy to see a rabbit eating his lettuce, French beans, radishes, and parsley, chases Peter with a rake in hand and tries to capture him with a sieve.  Frightened and alone and nearly ready to give up, Peter finally sees his way out - the gate- and musters the courage to escape from the garden and to run to the security and comfort of home.

Peter's actions are believable-anyone with young children know that although parents warn them to not do something, it is that exact thing that they seem to do first.  The plot flows easily from the exposition to Peter's climatic escape.  The setting of Mr. McGregor's garden that backups up to a wooded area where the rabbits live is relatable in that gardens and rabbits notoriously go together.  Although not a preachy text, this story does show the consequences of not heeding a warning.  There are no other cultural markers that could be considered offensive or stereotypical resulting in a universal, timeless book.

Potter's watercolor images of animals, their habitats, and Mr. and Mrs. McGregor are realistic.  "The charm... has to do with the fact that Beatrix Potter was a naturalist.  She drew realistic animals who just happened to be wearing knickers, breeches, and shiny brass buttons.  Somehow, when you draw a realistic animal wearing clothing, that image is infinitely cuter than howsoever many eyelashes and big brown eyes you might choose to bedeck a critter with." ¹  The illustrations compliment the story and add visual details that are not expressed in the text.  For example, Mr. and Mrs. McGregor have an infant and Peter's sisters where red cloaks while Peter wears a blue jacket.

I don't recall reading this picture book as a girl, but I read it to my three year old daughter who was captivated by Peter's unexpected escapade and asked that I read it to her again!

1.  Elizabeth Bird, “Top 100 Picture Books Poll Results #3--26," School Library Journal (blog), June 12, 2011 (1:30 p.m.), http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2009/04/20/top-100-picture-books-poll-results-30-26/.