"The Hare and the Tortoise: and Other Fables of La Fontaine"

The Hare and the Tortoise: and Other Fables of La Fontaine
Written by: Ranjit Bolt
Illustrated by: Giselle Potter
Published by: Barefoot Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2006
ISBN: 1-905236-54-9
Genre(s): Picture Book, Traditional Literature
Reading Level: Grade 3
Activity Level: Grades 1 & 4

Summary: This book is a collection of fables for children that teach them about morals they should learn. There are traditional ones such as “The Tortoise and the Hare” and newer fables such as “The Heron,” The Miller’s Donkey,” and “The Wolf and the Watchdog.” Each fable has its own great message, such as patience, not being vain, not judging others, working hard, and other values to which children should be exposed. This collection of fables should be present in every classroom as it provides a look into an element of literature that children need as well as good values that can even help teachers in classroom management.

Response: I really like that this book incorporates not only traditional fables, but also many new ones, which I had not heard. I think fables are very important for children because they teach them a lesson and yet they are not explicit in their morals, so children do not feel as though they are being preached to about rules by the teacher, but are more suddenly building their knowledge of right and wrong and how to be a good person.

The illustrations in this work are rather good. They are not as superbly detailed as some other illustrators’ works, but they are rather realistic and what the animals and people in the illustrations are. Each illustration in this book is a double-page spread and each has a beautifully-colored background in a soothing color for the illustrations related to the fable on those pages.

Teaching Connections: This book would be great to read sections of to first graders. There is always a moral in a fable, so the students could learn a lot from hearing these stories. Then, the students could work in groups to think of a moral that they might want to write about and work in conjunction with a fourth grade class, who would help them write their stories. Then, the first graders could illustrate them.

This book could also be read to a fourth grade class to introduce them to fables, since that is something about which they must learn in that grade. Then, the students, having heard the plethora of stories in this book, could be charged with writing their own fable and also helping the first graders with theirs.

What Students Learn: From this book and these activities children learn morals, about fables, increase their writing skills, and area able to work with one another and with those of varying ages throughout their school.

Image Retrieved From: http://www.ape2zebra.com/images/thumbs/barefoot/Hare_Tortoise_lg_cvr.gif.

"Rapunzel"

Rapunzel
Retold and illustrated by: Paul O. Zelinsky, hand lettering by John Stevens
Published by: Dutton Children’s Books in NY in 1997
ISBN: 0-525-45607-4
Genre(s): Picture Book, Traditional Literature

Reading Level: Grade 4
Activity Level: Grades 2, 4
Award: Caldecott Award Winner in 1998

Summary: This book is a retelling of the story of Rapunzel. While pregnant, Rapunzel’s mother feels she will die if she does not eat of the rapunzel in the sorceress’ garden which she can see from a window in her home. Therefore, her husband goes to pick some for her, but comes into contact with the sorceress while in her garden and, due to his immense love for his wife, he agrees that, in exchange for the rapunzel, (and the life of his wife), he will give her their child once it is born. Upon that time, the sorceress appears to take the child, whom she names Rapunzel. She treats her well, but when she is twelve years old, the sorceress locks Rapunzel in a high tower and she is the only one who climbs her hair to see her. Eventually, a young prince comes buy and falls in love after hearing Rapunzel singing to the birds and, after watching what the sorceress did to get to the top of the tower, he climbs up to see Rapunzel. He proposes and they marry and spend many evenings together. One day the Rapunzel mentions to the sorceress that her dress is fitting too tightly and the sorceress realizes what has happened, cuts Rapunzel’s hair, and banishes her and she gives birth to her twins, alone. When the prince comes to visit that night, he finds the sorceress in the tower and not Rapunzel (he was able to climb up the tower because she let down the hair she had cut) and the sorceress says what has happened and he falls, astonished, to the ground and loses his eyesight. While he is walking through the woods, he hears Rapunzel’s singing again and when her tears of joy at seeing him again meet his eyes, his sight is restored and they walk to the nearest city, which happens to be the place over which he is prince, and live happily ever after.

Response: I really enjoyed reading this book. It was an interesting take on the traditional tale of Rapunzel. This author shaped his version of the tale from the Grimm’s two original versions as well as a few older versions with similar content. (The author’s note about the history of this story gives a plethora of information about the story’s origin as well as some ways it has changed through history.)

One of the main reasons I picked up this book, I must say, was because of the gorgeous illustrations! (This book won the 1998 Caldecott Medal, and for good reason!) The paintings in this book are absolutely fantastic! Included in the illustrations are single- and double-page spreads, column pictures, and one and a half pages spreads. They are done in such remarkable detail that one has to look very closely in some of them to see the hidden animals and to distinguish that these illustrations are not photographs. Mr. Zelinsky’s illustrations are reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance period and are wonderful representations of this artistic period.

Teaching Connections: This book could be read to a second grade class after the teacher reads a more traditional version of the tale and the students could work on Venn Diagrams to compare and contrast those stories (and illustrations).

A fourth grade teacher could use this book in her classroom in several ways. She could read it and implement the vocabulary, discussion questions, and extension activities outlined in this lesson plan on teacher vision, which is great.

She could also read a more traditional version of this tale to her class before reading this one and have the students pass the books around the classroom while writing a response about the similarities and differences in the folk/fairy tales so that they could practice their writing skills.

She could also use this book in a lesson about folk/fairy tales, which is in the NC fourth grade curriculum. After learning about these tales and hearing several, the students could be placed into groups where they have to create their own tale, write a script, and act it out in front of the class. (This would be in a month-long unit about folk and fairy tales.)

What Students Learn: From this book and these activities, students learn about the history of folk and fairy tales, gain an increased vocabulary, learn to compare and contrast and otherwise analyze text, and increase their writing and communication skills.

Image Retrieved From: http://www.valdosta.edu/~vllindqu/rapunzel.gif.

"Medio Pollito / Half-Chicken"

Medio Pollito / Half-Chicken
Written by: Alma Flor Ada
Illustrated by: Kim Howard
Published by: Delacorte Press in NY in 1995
ISBN: 0-385-32044-2
Genre(s): Picture Book, Traditional Literature (Multicultural Work)
Reading Level: Grade 3
Activity Level: Grades 2 & 4

Summary: This is a book about a chicken born with “only one wing, one leg, one eye, and half as many feathers as the other chicks” (p. 6). The other animals, who, through gossip, quickly found out about him, began to call him “Half-Chicken.” When he overheard the swallows saying that “Not even at the court of the viceroy in Mexico City is there anyone so unique,” (p. 10) he decided to find out for himself. He set out for the City and along the way, he helped a stream by removing some branches from blocking it, a small fire continue burning by fanning it with his wing, and the wind become detangled from some bushes, and after each good deed, the stream, the fire, and the wind asked him to say, but he repeated that he was on his way to see the viceroy and could not remain with them (thus, the repetitive nature of this story.) When he arrives at the viceroy’s residence, someone tells him to go in the back way through the kitchen and the cook throws him in the pot of stew. Since he was so nice to the water, it spills over the pot and since he was so nice to the fire, it goes out so it does not burn him, and because he was so kind to the wind, it carries him home that night. And the moral of the story is: we all have our special gifts, being unique is good, and we should be kind to those around us. Also, the author writes this tale about weather vanes having one leg and turning the way their “friend” the wind blows.

Response: I love that this is a dual language book because it can be understood by the two main groups of students in one’s classroom—English- and Spanish-speaking, which is very important. Reading this book in the way I detailed below ensures that both these groups understand and are engaged in the lesson.

All of the illustrations in this book are double-page spreads of vibrant colors. They look as though they have been painted and then the illustrator used a tool to scratch off some of the color, which gives the work a very interesting texture.

Teaching Connections: A teacher could read this book to her second grade class in Spanish and then ask them what they think happened on each page. Then, she could read each page in English and see if they were correct. Then, she could tell students about folk tales and the class could discuss the main idea behind this story—helping one another and accepting our uniqueness.

In a fourth grade classroom a teacher could read each page in Spanish, ask her students what they think happened, and then read the page on English. Then, she could teach about folktales, have children explore this website and then have them write a story that explains why something is the way that it is.

What Students Learn: From this book and the activities children increase their bilingual skills and folk tales. They also learn a little about Mexico, about helping one another and being unique, and gain better writing skills.

Image Retrieved From: http://www.randomhouse.com/images/dyn/cover/?source=9780440413608&height=300&maxwidth=170.

"Front Porch Tales and North Country Whoppers"

Front Porch Tales and North Country Whoppers
Written and illustrated by: Tomie dePaola
Published by: G. P. Putnam's sons in NY in 2007
ISBN: 978-0-399-24756-5
Genre: Picture Book, Traditional Literature
Reading Level: Grade 4
Activity Level: Grades 2, 4

Summary: This is a book that contains a collection of folk tales from several of the New England states. The work is divided into the seasons and contains several folk tales from each season in every section. These are tales that have happened to the author, or just ones that he had heard told. Several of the stories in the book begin with truths about the occurrences in the story. For example, the last story in the book is about the dividing line between Vermont and New Hampshire, so the story begins with some background information about the conflict so as to give readers a context for the story. This work gives an interesting representation of states in the area that could not have been accomplished were it not written in this style!

Response: I really like the idea behind this book. I think that it is a very good book for talking about the seasons and that it teaches its readers a little about the people of the New England states, their weather, and how they think. In terms of the somewhat strange vocabulary that is used in this book, I also appreciate the glossary in the back of the book!

The illustrations in this book are somewhat cartoon-like. Each person in the pictures has a very distinct face shape and most everyone has the same stature. The clothes and the settings are what changes throughout the book. Since the book is divided into seasonal sections, at the beginning of each new section, there is a full two-page spread of illustrations representing that season. Then, on the subsequent pages there are illustrations that surround the words to help illustrate the stories. Also, in each seasonal section, there is a "cartoon strip" detailing something humorous that happened or could happen in the New England states in that season.

Teaching Connections: With second graders a teacher could read a tale to her class and could project the book from a document scanner/projector (or make copies for her class if it does not violate copyright laws) and have them either call out spelling "mistakes" to her or circle and correct them on their own, so that they can learn about the differences in dialects and how to still attain meaning from print, even that which is different from the traditional.

With a fourth grade class this book could be used to introduce them to the concept of folk tales, which, in North Carolina, they are supposed to learn about during that year of school. The teacher could read several of these to her class each day and encourage her students to find these on their own as well. Each student could find a book or take notes on a story they hear from their family that qualifies as a folk tale, and recite and discuss this with his class.

What Students Learn: From this book and the provided lessons students can learn about folk tales, gain vocabulary while also gaining knowledge about regional dialects, as well as be able to determine what constitutes a folk tale.

Image Retrieved From: http://img2.libreriauniversitaria.it/BUS/300/754/9780399247545.jpg

Raisel's Riddle

Raisel's Riddle
Written by: Erica Silverman
Illustrated by: Susan Gaber
Published by Douglas & McIntyre Ltd. in Canada in 1999
Genre: Traditional Literature
Ages: grades 3-5
(This is a multicultural work.)

Summary: This work is about a young Jewish girl who is very close to her grandfather and learns much from him during his life. After his passing, she has little inheritance and goes home-to-home in search of work, finally arriving at a home where the reluctant cook offers her a job working in the kitchen; she accepts. Eventually, she falls in love with the rabbi's son when she meets him at a traditional Jewish party where all the invitees dress as famous people who surrounded Queen Esther during her lifetime. (Raisel is dressed as the queen in the story.) She tells this young man a riddle one night that her grandfather once told her about learning and the rabbi's son is so intrigued by it (and her) that he searches for her after the party.

Response: I loved this book! It was so refreshing to finally read a Cinderella tale where the girl wins the boy because of her intelligence! Raisel's Riddle is:
"What's more precious than rubies, more lasting than gold?
What can never be trades, stolen, or sold?
What comes with great effort and takes time, but then--
Once yours, will serve you again and again?" (page 31)
The answer?.....LEARNING!
This book is great for teachers or future teachers. It makes me want to frame that riddle and hang it in my future classroom!

This story is somewhat different than Cinderella, although there are some similarities. Raisel does have a change in her life where she is forced to find a job in a place where she is not appreciated and she does get the chance to meet a prince-like figure and my magic is transformed into a radiant beauty with a horse-drawn carriage before her. However, she is of Jewish descent and does not go to a ball, but instead goes to a traditional celebration of Jewish Queen Esther, like whom she is dressed. And, she does not fall in love with a prince, but instead, the rabbi's son!

One of my favorite things about this book is the modesty and consideration of others Raisel has. Her modesty is shown not only in the text (when she hears that the prince is looking for the girl who told him the riddle, she does not automatically assume it's her riddle, "Raisel's heart fluttered. Could it be me?") (page 29), but is also depicted in the illustrations. When her clothes first change into those of the Queen and then when she arrives at the ball her face looks as though she is in disbelief and wonder that everyone could be so stuck by her. Furthermore, her consideration of other is depicted in the text when she returns from the party and remembers that she did not do the dishes before she left. Sensing that this will anger the cook, she uses her third wish to rapidly clean the kitchen to please the cook. She could have chosen to save the wish for herself, but she did not so choose.

The illustrations in this work are wonderful! Each of them would likely be considered a two-page spread, but the words are always on the side of one half of one page with a white background. The illustrations are filled with rich colors and are extremely well detailed. One of my favorite illustrations is on pages 21-22 and is a close-up of Raisel in her lovely gown with her jewels and her crown. She looks so elegant and unassuming in that illustration. Another of my favorite illustrations is the final one in the book on pages 31-32. I love this picture because it shows the couple when the rabbi's son proposes. He is dressed in a brown suit and she is in her kitchen uniform with her apron and it reminds me that dreams can come true. I also really like this particular illustrations because Susan Gaber painted yellow roses on top of her picture of the couple. It really is beautiful!

Teaching Connections: With this work, teachers could also use the idea for an I-Poem for two voices. (See post entitled Moss Gown for format.)

Teachers could also use this book as the springboard for a multicultural study beginning with the study of Judaism. A class could research Jewish names, the Jewish Talmud, the Jewish holiday of Purim, which contain the party surrounding Queen Esther, and other Jewish traditions.

(Image retrieved from http://www.judaism.com/gif-bk/35128.gif on 4 April 2008)

Moss Gown

Moss Gown
Written by: William H. Hooks
Illustrated by: Donald Carrick
Published by Clarion Books in NY in 1987
Genre: Traditional Literature
Ages: Grades3-5

Summary: Moss Gown is about a young woman who lives on a traditional Southern Plantation. Her father is growing old and wishes to make plans for his daughters for their future. He says that the amount to which they each prove their love for him will determine the amount of his land they will inherit. The author makes it obvious to the reader that Moss Gown loves her father the most and the feeling is mutual, but her father does not understand her replay of "more than meat loves salt" and he gives the plantation to his two eldest daughters who subsequently throw Moss Gown out of the house (and later on, also their father). Moss Gown is forced to walk through the woods on her way to find a place to work. There she finds a "green-eyed witch woman" weaving a magical gown of moss that will turn gossamer each evening she wears it "as long as the Morning Star does shine." Moss Gown finds a job working in the kitchen of the house of the Young Master whom she subsequently falls in love with at a Southern Ball. Eventually, her father finds her and she is able to explain (through a meat-filled meal without salt) just how important salt is to meat.

Response: I really enjoyed this work! I have been interested in learning more about the South since I first watched "Gone With the Wind" years ago. (I loved that so much I also had to read the book!) This work is a great twist on the traditional Cinderella story and contains many elements of Southern Charm including a Ball and gentlemanly man with whom Moss Gown falls in love.

This book has many similarities and differences within it regarding the traditional Perault/Disney version of Cinderella to which we are all most familiar. There is a fairy godmother type person who gives the girl a dress and their is a time limit which she can spend with the gentleman, but there is also an underlying story about her father who loves her dearly, and the feeling is mutual, but who misunderstands her choice of terms of endearment, which leads to her subsequent departure from the plantation.

The illustrations in this book are very well-done. The only three double-page spreads are on the beginnings of the four settings of the work: the part set at the plantation, the part set in the woods, the part in the kitchen at Young Master's house, and the part at the wedding; all other pictures are single-page spreads. Nearly all of the illustrations have many lines to create depth in the ornate costumes the characters wear. The colors used by the illustrator are mostly muted, but contain great depth. In each illustration, costumes and backgrounds are just different enough on the color wheel to keep the interest of readers.

Teaching Connections: I believe that the idea we used in class was the best idea that could be used with this book. Writing an I-poem for two voices helps readers link similar works and determine their similarities and differences in ways different from just creating Venn Diagrams. Although, it would be extremely helpful to have students create a Venn Diagram first in order to solidify their ideas and give them a visual aid to help them create their own I-Poem. An I-Poem guide might be necessary in order to help students begin to understand the concept, however, teachers should encourage them to change any part of the form they wish. Click here to view Dr. Frye's I-Poem format.

Students could also draw their own illustrations with the words in this book.

(Image retrieved from: http://www.lilypadbooks.com/scstore/graphics/MossGown.jpg on 4 April 2008)

"Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China"

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
Translated by: Ed Young
Illustrated by: Ed Young
Published in 1989 Penguin Putnam Books in NY
Genre: Traditional Tale--Folk Tale, Animal Tale (Multicultural Work)
Ages: Grades K-2
Award: Caldecott Medal Winner (1990)

Summary: This red-riding hood tale is quite different from the one most Americans are familiar with. In this tale three children are left home alone when their mother leaves to visit their grandmother one night. The wolf outside hears of her departure and decides to play a trick on the young girls. He poses as their grandmother, their "Po Po," and, of course, they believe that that is who he is. They allow him into their home, but one girl spots his hairy face despite the darkness. The girls plan a trick for the wolf by telling him that he will live forever if he just picks ginko nuts from a tall ginko tree in their yard and, because the wolf cannot climb, the girls climb the tree and then attempt to raise him to the top in a basket because the nuts only work if one picks them oneself. Eventually, the wolf dies from a fall in the basket that the girls planned for their own survival.

Response: I was really amazed at the similarities between the story I am familiar with and this one, especially considering that they were written in such completely different cultures. The illustrations in this work are very interesting and actually won the Caldecott Medal in 1990 for most distinguished picture book. I would consider this artist's renderings impressionistic because the lines in this work are not well-defined. In these watercolor illustrations, everything is very "fuzzy." The colors are blended together and not stark. All but two pages in this work are double-pages spreads and many of them are sectioned works, which are a favorite type of mine! There exists much color in this work, which is muted somewhat by the blending the author uses.

One illustration that I found very interesting was on pages 11-12. To depict and emphasize the wolf's hairy face that one of the girls noticed, Mr. Young painted the wolf's face with blue, green, orange, and yellow. I believe this was a very creative way to emphasize this and it certainly did catch my attention!

Another interesting thing I noticed about the illustration on page 24 is that when the girls are letting go of the rope, there are only five hands in the picture, not six. I wonder if the author did this intentionally, and if so, why, or if he simply failed to realize his mistake.

Everytime I read one of these stories, I hope that the children will realize that the wolf is not their grandmother before they let her into the house! However, this never seems to be the case. At least they do think of a very creative way to get rid of the wolf by themeselves before he hurts (or eats) them!

I thought the girl's idea of the ginko tree was very creative! It made me wonder what ages these children were. Obviously, they were old enough to be left alone. I also wondered why they did not go with their mother to visit their grandmother. Obviously, that would not have given the opportunity for the story, but one would think that they would want to visit their grandmother on her birthday!

Teaching Connections: Obviously, one thing a teacher could do with this work would be to do a Venn Diagram comparing the original story and this one. A teacher could even do a shaped Venn Diagram like the one mentioned with The Little Red Hen.

Another suggestions is to, after having read both of these stories, have students write their own red riding hood story from another country and illustrate it, possibly in sections the way Ed Young did this book.

I think this work teaches a great lesson to children that they need to be sure of who they let into their homes, not because it could be a wolf, but because bad things can happen from simple mishaps of mistaking one person from another. I think when reading this book to young children that it is important to stress the point of safety and I believe that this book offers that opportunity.

(Image retrieved from http://www.valdosta.edu/%7Erltowns/LON_PO_PO.jpg on 4 April 2008)

"The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza)"

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza)
Retold by: Philemon Sturges
Illustrated by: Amy Walrod
Published in 1999 by Scholastic, Inc. in NY
Genre: Traditional Literature: Post-Modern Tale, Fable
Ages: Grades K-2

Summary: In this modern version of the traditional tale of The Little Red Hen, the hen is hungry again after she finishes her bread and decides she wants a pizza. She is missing some ingredients, so she has to go to the store, but she cannot get any of her friends to go with her. When she returns to make the pizza, she asks again if anyone will help, but they all refuse. When the pizza comes out of the oven, she realizes that it is huge and she will need some others to help her eat it, so she asks her friends to join her and they accept. Unlike in the traditional tale, she does let them eat with her, but when she asked if the would help her with the dishes, they did!

Response: It was nice to have a better ending to the story than to the traditional tale. I always felt a little sorry for the animals who did not get to eat the bread even though they got what they deserved since they did not help the hen. Still, I was surprised that the animals helped her with the dishes in the end! It teaches the lesson that give and take is a big part of the world and we should help one another.

There are many similarities and differences between this book and the original. The hen is present in both, and her friends never seem to want to help, but are always ready to eat. Some differences include: the food the hen is making, the humor in the book with the addition of "and...some other stuff" on many pages when the author does not want to list everything the hen bought or did, the illustrations, and the animals that her friends are.

The illustrations in this work are cut-paper collage. Amy Walrod does a wonderful job making her illustrations look 3-D bu layering the pieces of paper. She uses many different colors to make her illustrations very interesting. She also utilizes a vast amount of detail work that makes readers want to remain on the page long after the words have been read. She takes the time to put colorful lids on jars, spokes on wheels, and words on jars. She even makes the main character look unique. I had to look at the book carefully several times before I found that the little red hen only has eyelashes on her right eye! Her picture is throughout this work numerous times and yet I had to really look carefully to find these small details! Many of these illustrations are double-page spreads that create a great flow through the work.

The text in this book creates suspense because on one page it will ask the audience to ponder how the animals will respond to the little red hen's request for help. This is also very interesting at the end of the book, when the answer has always been that the others will not help and they decide to take part in finally helping the hen. I think that will really stay in the memories of students because of the surprising ending!

Teaching Connections: I think that the project we are doing for my World Literature for Children class would also be a great idea to do with children. Teachers could use a traditional fairytale and a modern version of it, make the shape of something in each book, and use those pictures as the Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the two stories. (Please refer to the picture in the above post.)

(Image retrieved from http://www.toysandbooks.com/Fall99/LittleRedHenMakesPizza2.jpg on 4 April 2008)

"The Little Red Hen"

The Little Red Hen
Edited by: Diane Muldrow
Illustrated by: J. P. Miller
Published in by in 1990 by Random House in NY
Genre: Traditional Literature--Animal Tale, Fable
Age: Grades K-2

Summary: The little red hen finds a grain of wheat and decides to plant and harvest it. She asks all of her friends if they will help her in each of the processes in making and harvesting the wheat and they all reject her invitation. Once the wheat is harvested, she decides to make a loaf of bread and again asks each of her friends if they will assist her, but again they refuse. Once all of the work is done and the bread comes out of the oven, she asks who will help her eat the bread and then everyone wants to partake of the food. She decides that since they have not helped her at all with the process of growing the wheat or making the bread that they should not be able to eat it, so she dines alone.

Response: I remember reading this book when I was little. It taught me that if I want the rewards for something I need to help with the process of getting to the reward as well. I think that children need to understand that things we receive in life come after hard work. This book teaches, since it is a fable, that we should help one another to be friendly and because it will make us feel good to have helped. The bread would have tasted a lot better to the hen than it would have to the others because she worked so hard for what she got out of that little grain of wheat. The rewards we get, though we should not focus on the reward, but rather the act of helping, are much sweeter when we have assisted others and we should not be rewarded for not helping others. The other animals we just having fun and relaxing while the hen worked in the hot sun to plant and reap the wheat for her bread. They were not even doing anything to help themselves! I believe that the lesson that this book teaches is very beneficial to young children.

The illustrations in this book are very lively, colorful, and realistic (in a personified way). The lines are well-defined and their is a good mixture of single and double-page spreads in this work to make the story flow well. The last page of the work shows has no words, but shows the hen in bad reading a book and looking very happy with her decision to not share her food since she did not receive any help from her friends in cultivating and harvesting her wheat.

Teaching Connections: Teachers could have students write about how they think the animals felt at the end of the book when the hen told then they could not have any bread because they did not help. Also, ask students to decide if they believe the hen's actions were just or unjust and explain why or why not.

(Image retrieved from http://www.pureimaginationtoys.com/prod_images_large/4BECF4FA-A155-30BF-DD39D36FA1037242.jpg on 4 April 2008)

"Swamp Angel"

Swamp Angel
Written by: Anne Isaacs
Illustrated by: Paul O. Zelinsky
Published in 1994 by Puffin Books in NY
Genre: Traditional Literature--Tall Tale
Ages: Grades K-2
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book

Summary: This book is about an extremely tall young lady named Angelica Longrider, or Swamp Angel. She is of a quite unusual size for a human and is very confident in her abilities. One day she decides to sign up in a contest to win the prize for killing a bear that has tormented her town for years named Thundering Tarnation. Everyone says that getting rid of this bear is man's work, but the men find out how intelligent and strong this bear is and soon Swamp Angel is the only one left to fight the bear. She struggles through many trials and tribulations, but she ultimately defeats the bear--by accident!

Response: I did not quite know what to expect from this book when I first picked it up, but I was happily surprised that it was a feminist approach to heroism. I liked the book because it showed a girl as a hero to her town. Normally men get these exciting roles in books, but this time the fame went to a girl heroine!

All three types of characters that are traditionally found in this type of literature are present in this work. Swamp Angel is the hero (heroine), Thundering Tarnation is the rival, and a tree is the helper.

Most of the pictures in this work are double page spreads of watercolor and many of them are oval-shaped. Every picture has remarkable color. They are well-defined, yet of medium tone, except that the sky in each picture and anything in black shine through with amazing depth and clarity. All of the pictures are set within a border that resembles a tree trunk to reiterate that this story takes place in the forest. Forest settings are said to depict wild and dangerous things, and Thundering Tarnation certainly is that!

There exist a lot of very humorous aspect to this story, which make it very interesting. Swamp Angel's size is one of those humorous qualities as is the community though that waiting until she was two years old to build her first log cabin was a long time to wait, and having her pick up a raincloud and move it over a burning house to stifle the flame. She even used a tornado to help lasso Thundering Tarnation and drank an entire lake full of water when the bear was fighting with her! The character's names in this work are also quite humorous. Angelica receives the name of "Swamp Angel" because she rescued several wagons from Dejection Swamp and one woman called her an angel for her assistance. Thundering Tarnation gets his name from the words commonly used when he was spotted in the town.

There are several great similes in this work that stood out to me. Two of my favorites are: "To this day, stories about Swamp Angel spring up like sunflowers along the wagon trail" (5) and "Swamp Angel...swung the twister around like a giant lasso in the heavens" (16). Great similies make a reader see the image the author is trying to convey in one's mind. I certainly believe that Anne Isaacs accomplishes this with her similies!

The very end of the story seems to me to make it a little like a Pourquoi Tale because it says that Swamp angel took her bear pelt to Montana and it became the Shortgrass Prairie and that one can still see the imprint the bear made when she threw him into the sky. as a constellation. Because it seems to explain these things, I think this work might also be considered a Pourquoi Tale.

Teaching Connections: A great thing to do with this book is to bring in more traditional stories where the main characters are male heroes and compare and contrast those stories to this one. I believe that children will be able to easily identify numerous characteristics within this book that are similar and some that are unique as well. I think it is important to encourage the girls in the the class as well as the boys and give them literary examples of how they are heroes too!

A teacher could also use this book as an example of great similes in a language arts lesson.

Other teaching ideas are offered on Anne Isaac's website.

(Image retrieved from http://annettelamb.com/library/s/swamp_angel.jpg on 4 April 2008)

"The Greatest Treasure"

The Greatest Treasure
Written by: DEMI
Illustrated by: DEMI
Published by: Scholastic Press in NY in 1998
Genre: Traditional Literature (folklore) (Multicultural Work)
Ages: grades K-2

Summary: This story parallels two Chinese men named Pang and Li. Pang is a wealthy man who loves to count his money, but has little time to spend with his children because of it. Li is a carefree poor man who plays the flute and enjoys time with his family dancing. One day Pang loses count of his money because of all the flute playing and decides to give Li something that will occupy his time so he will play the flute less often--a bag full of gold coins. The trick does work because Li becomes so preoccupied with counting, recounting, and finding a hiding place for his gold that several days pass without him being able to play the flute and be merry with his family. Soon, he realizes what has happened to his life and decides to give the money back to Pang with a special gift of his own handmade flutes for Pang's entire family. In the end, both families are much happier with their flute-playing than with the money.

Response: This book is great for teaching about the Chinese culture as well as about money. The Chinese culture is well-represented in this book by the proverbs taught throughout. They include: "With money you are a dragon, without it you are a worm" (3), "He who had heaven in his heart is never poor" (17), and "Gold and silver have their price, but peace and happiness are priceless" (24). Even without the cultural connection to China, these proverbs are good morals for children to understand. Money is important in our world, but to some people like Pang, it has become too important and has taken over people's lives. Children should come to understand that that situation is wrong. The first proverb teaches that money makes one mean, the second teaches that what is in one's heart matters more than what is in one's pocket, and the third teaches that no amount of money can buy peace or happiness. What great lessons for children!

This book also teaches much about Chinese culture through the illustrations. DEMI uses circles on every page in which to place his illustrations. My thought is that the circle represents the world and that, because readers are learning about the Chinese and those are the only figures in the pictures, the circles represent the "Chinese world." The illustrator used Chinese inks and brushes to create his work. Due to this, there exists little to no texture in the work. In order to place the art in a book, it "was reproduced using four-color separations and then overprinted with gold." Utilizing more than one type of illustration,, such as is the case here, is called mixing media. All the characters in this story is wearing traditional Chinese clothing in vibrant colors. The characters also wear traditional Chinese hats and don wild hairstyles. The illustrations are very detailed although the characters are relatively small in each illustration.

Teaching Connections: A great activity for students in coordination with this book is to have them form groups and research parables from other cultures, ie Japanese, Russian, etc. Then have them present a story to the class that revolves around those parables.

Teachers could also ask students to think of parables that we have in our culture and then have a class discussion about what they mean. Learning from one another about parts of our own culture is always great!

(Image retrieved from http://www.childrensbooksforparents.com/books/0590313398.jpg 19 April 2008)

"The Animal Hedge"

The Animal Hedge
Written by: Paul Fleischman
Illustrated by: Lydia Dabcovich
Published by: E.P.Duncan, Inc. in NY in 1983 (newly illustrated edition in 2003)
Genre: Traditional Literature (animal folktale)
Ages: grades K-3

Summary: In this work, a farmer is forced to sell his farm and animals due to a drought. He misses his animals terribly at his new home, but notices one day that one of the hedges at his house resembles and cow. The farmer then gets the idea to recreate his favorite farm animals within his hedge. Furthermore, when his sons grow older and cannot decide what careers to embark upon, the farmer, who knows his sons very well, creates images of each son's future job within the hedge and all are pleased with the careers they begin. Because of the son's wonderful jobs, at the end of the story they are able to buy the farmer something he has missed for many years--farm animals.

Response: I though this book was remarkably creative. Amid one of the most difficult times in the farmer's life, he was able to find happiness in something other than living on a farm. I believe this sends a great message to students. When all of the doors one thought were open to them seem to close, there is always one door standing wide open and full of opportunities for those who simply take that leap of faith. The Animal Hedge would be a great book to read to or with students struggling with difficult events in their lives.

This theme of perseverance and survival seems to flow through many of Paul Fleischman's works. In Mind's Eye, a paralysed teenager learns to cope with her disability, in Lost, a young girl learns how to survive in the woods for several days, and in Finzel the Farsighted, Finzel learns that his weak eyesight does not hinder his ability to catch the man who robbed him. I believe that this survival theme is very important for children. If they learn at an early age to make the best of their situations and take everything "with a grain of salt" they will have much less stress in their lives and be much better able to handle life's difficult situations they are prone to encounter. In this way, the farmer in The Animal Hedge is a great role model for children.

The thin line pencil/pen illustrations in this book are quite unique in themselves. Other than black and white, the only color used is green. The illustrator uses green for the hedge and grass, of course, but also fro the farmer's stockings and shoes, bags, articles of clothing, and other small items throughout the book. Amazingly, this is not distracting to the reader because the color is used only to enhance the illustrations, not to make anything overtly look out of place. The backgrounds are all white, which makes the simple color jump off the page. Throughout the book, the illustrator uses single and double pages spreads equally to convey her message. I do like these illustrations, but am also interested to see what the new book's illustrations look like for The Animal Hedge.

Teaching Connections: As a response to this book, teachers can have students write about a struggle they have faced in their lives and how they dealt with it. They can assess whether their method was positive or negative and discuss how they feel about the farmer's reaction to losing his farm and livelihood.

Students could also think of the job they want in the future and illustrate that using pencil/pen, drawing this item in a hedge, and choosing only one color to add interest to their drawing.

(Image retrieved from http://www.wiredforwords.com/COVERS/theanimalhedge.jpg on 19 April 2008)