Three Little Pigs

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wiesner, D. The Three Pigs. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001.

ISBN 0618007016

2. PLOT SUMMARY

We all know the story of the three little pigs; “Three pigs… Straw, sticks, bricks…Huffs and puffs…”. The story always goes the same, but who says it has to? In this light hearted retelling of the classic tale, the three little pigs escape the big bad wolf to a literature playground of sorts where they meet new friends. The pigs and friends explore other stories and end up back in the original, giving the typical tale a little twist.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Though I greatly enjoyed the humor and contrast to the original story, what really made me fall in love with this story was the art work. Wiesner’s clever use of traditional illustrations mixed with realistic drawings really set this version apart from others in my mind. His transition from the very typical story into the imaginative new world for the pigs brings in great opportunities for discussion.

Wiesner also creates great dialogue between the pigs and the new characters, even including the reader in the conversation with a direct comment to the reader, “I think…someone’s out there.” I think that anyone who enjoys fairy tales will enjoy the three pigs’ new lease on life!

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

“Hold on to your hat and your home, but let your imagination soar! This masterly picture book will blow you away right along with the three little pigs’ houses. Satisfying both as a story and as an exploration of story, The Three Pigs takes visual narrative to a new level.” – HMHbooks.com

“Even the book's younger readers will understand the distinctive visual code. As the pigs enter the confines of a storybook page, they conform to that book's illustrative style, appearing as nursery-rhyme friezes or comic-book line drawings. When the pigs emerge from the storybook pages into the meta-landscape, they appear photographically clear and crisp, with shadows and three dimensions.”- Publishers Weekly

5. CONNECTIONS

This book would make a great addition to a collection of “three little pig” story variants. Collections like this would be great to help ELAR classes discuss how the stories are similar and how the author chose to diverge from the original story. Other great “three little pig” variants are The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, The Three Little Wolves and The Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas and Helen Oxenbury, and Three Little Pigs by Steven Kellogg.

Swamp Angel

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Isaacs, Anne. Swamp Angel. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1994. Print.

ISBN 0525452710

2. PLOT SUMMARY

When little ol’ Angelica Longrider was born there was little to suggest that this baby girl would grow up to be one of Tennessee’s toughest bear wranglers and best woodswoman. After all, she was barely taller than her mother when she was born and didn’t even build her first log cabin until she was two years old. However, this swamp angel grew up to become quite the settler saving, Thundering Tarnation tracking, brave backwoods bear-skinner. And friends, every one of those stories are true.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This tall tale is chalk full of humor which makes it quite the enjoyable read. Isaacs’ writing is entertaining and playful. She does a great job of incorporating the elements of a tall tale effortlessly into a whimsical story that kids of all ages will enjoy reading and re-telling. She also adds several references that create great talking points throughout the story. While this story is great to read alone, it Isaacs writing in Swamp Angel was made to read aloud.

Zelinsky’s Caldecott Award winning illustrations are so detailed that they could tell the story on their own. Every inch of the artwork is telling a story that the text may not have told. He uses color brilliantly and creates a rich atmosphere for the story using different types of wood as his medium. Because of his elaborate artwork, this tale will continue to be fresh because every time it is read, the reader will notice something new.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

A Caldecott Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A Time magazine Best Book of the Year
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year
Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

"This delightful production deserves a place in all tall tale collections."- School Library Journal

"A perfect introduction to folk tales and storytelling." -Booklist

5. CONNECTIONS

Social Studies teachers will love this book for its references to topics like settlers moving west, the Smoky Mountains, the Shortgrass prairie, and Ursa Major (or the Great Bear). In addition to this being a fun book for Social Studies, it also would be a great book to use as an example of Tall Tales in an ELAR book. It’s a great example book because of the variety of events and places it gives explanations for. Swamp Angel shows that tall tales can include many events, not just one.

A Cloak for the Moon

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kimmel, Eric. A Cloak for the Moon. New York: Holiday House, 2001. Print.

ISBN 0823414930

2. PLOT SUMMARY

After years of gazing at the Moon’s beauty, a tailor by the name of Haskel becomes enthralled with the idea of creating her an exquisite cloak to keep her warm during the cold evenings. As he begins his quest, Haskel runs into a problem. How will he create a suitable garment for a lady whose shape is constantly changing? After questioning this Uncle, a Master tailor, Haskel learns of a mystical thread made of light from his Uncle’s apprentice. Haskel then embarks on a journey to find such a thread. To this day, Haskel can still be seen in the night’s sky, resting alongside his beautiful moon in her exquisite cloak made of light.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This book is such a charming retelling of a mystical tale by Rabbi Nachman. Kimmel’s writing is elegant enough for an older student to enjoy, but basic enough for an early elementary student to enjoy. He writes in a way that lends itself to the story telling fashion of traditional literature. Even as the story is told, without the artwork, his writing inspires wonderful mental imagery. “ As the beam touched the end of the thread, it began to spin. Before Haskel’s astonished eyes, the beam spun itself into thread, the thread wove itself into cloth, and the hem of the garment began to lengthen.”

While the writing of this traditional tale is lovely, the art that accompanies it really makes the story memorable and takes it to a higher level. Krenina does a fabulous job of bringing out the mystic elements of the story while keeping with the traditional style of art. Every page is filled with vivid colors and illustrations that tell a story of their own. Together, these two elements create a delightful experience.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Expertly pacing the story, Kimmel (previously paired with Krenina for The Magic Dreidels ) embroiders his prose with graceful details, writing of "radiant satins [and] silks like colored water." The exotic trappings will lure readers, replacing Haskel's determination to keep his promise as the central theme of the work. Intermittently embellished by borders and spot art featuring delicate flower motifs, Krenina's gouache art effectively depicts the Middle and Far Eastern settings of the tale, as well as its timeless sensibility.- Publisherweekly.com

5. CONNECTIONS

I love the idea of using traditional tales as a way of connecting a student’s current knowledge of a culture to the new knowledge. I believe that A cloak for the Moon would be a great way to introduce either the Jewish religion and culture or that of Middle Eastern cultures. Another collection of Jewish folktales for that would be good in collation with a Jewish culture theme is The Hungry Clothes and Other Jewish Folktales by Peninnah Schram.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Viorst, J. Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1972.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this humorous book, Alexander learns that everyone has bad days, even in Australia. The story follows Alexander during his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day where he experiences everything from biting his lip to learning he has a cavity. In the end he learns that bad days are natural and will happen no matter where or who you are.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I adored the humor that Judith Viorst used throughout her writing of this book. I think that students of all ages will connect to this book because of its universal theme. Everyone has experienced a day like Alexander’s and has learned the lesson that bad days happen to everyone. They are a part of life.

Ray Cruz’s illustrations show the emotion and happening of Alexander’s day perfectly. The lack of color allows the student to more easily insert themselves into the drawings and story. Cruz also does a great job complimenting Viorst’s humor with his art.  

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
 “ The perfect antidote to any adult that claims that childhood is one sweet, blissful, stress free ride of innocence and carefree days.” -The Library Journal Online

5. CONNECTIONS
While I believe that this book is great for all ages, I think it could be fun to use this book in a higher level, even middle school, to talk about or introduce the idea of theme within the text. Because of its humor, I feel like students of all grade levels would enjoy it.

A Birthday Basket for Tia by Pat Mora and Cecily Lang

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mora, Pat, and Cecily Lang. A Birthday Basket For Tía. Simon & Schuster, 1992.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
A Birthday Basket for Tia is a story about a young girl and her way of showing love for her great aunt. The story tells about the girl, Cecilia, and her great aunt’s relationship through a variety of items that Cecilia puts into her tia’s 90^th birthday basket. Each item that is placed into the basket has some special significance for the two. Finially, after much anticipation from Cecilia, her Tia receives the gifts and they celebrate their love and her birthday happily.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Pat Mora does a great job creating a character that is very believable and relatable. The story is very easy to follow and the language is very engaging. The most significant this to comment about the language is the use of both Spanish and English in this picture book. This aspect lends a lot to the cultural element of the book.

I believe that while this story is a great one for students or classrooms have students that share this culture, the story is well written and so relatable that all students will enjoy and relate to Cecilia and her perfect gift search.

Cecily Lang uses very vibrant colors that pair perfectly with the cultural element of the story. I also liked her use of specking the paint in the background because it added a very festive touch.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
"Vibrant, detailed cut-paper illustrations portray family warmth and individuality with verve and panache". -- School Library Journal

"Exemplifies the best of recent multicultural publishing". -- The Horn Book

5. CONNECTIONS
This picture book would be a great addition to any elementary classroom library, regardless of the cultures represented in the classroom.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stead, Philip Christian, and Erin E. Stead. A Sick Day For Amos McGee. Roaring Brook, 2012.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
This is a very touching book about friendship and what it is to be a friend. The story follows an older gentleman, Amos McGee, during his daily job of visiting all of his friends at the Zoo. One day, Amos is too ill to visit his friends so they come to him.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Phillip Stead offers a very well written story about friendship. The story follows a pattern that is beneficial for many young readers. He writes in a way that is very touching and humorous. He uses language that is familiar to students but that, for some early readers, may be somewhat challenging.

I enjoy the inferences that Phillip Stead has woven into his writing. “… run races with the tortoise (who never ever lost)…” I also appreciated that as Stead introduces each of Amos’s “friends”, he includes and activity that the two of them do. This offers the opportunity of great discussion in the classroom.

The colors the Erin Stead includes are very soothing and soft. They are paired perfectly with the drawings and create a very calm environment for the story. She uses watercolor, sketching, texture, and color pencil to create a very appealing overall style.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
This book is a Caldecott Medal winner and winner of the New York Times Book Review “ Best Illustrated Children’s Book” Award

Book List review : “Each scene captures the drama of Amos and the creatures caring for each other..”

School Library Journal boasts: “If you want to give a child a book that will remain with them always (and lead to decades of folks growing up and desperately trying to relocate it with the children’s librarians of the future) this is the one that you want. Marvelous.”

5. CONNECTIONS
This book is a great one to use in a lesson in which you are explaining the mental process or connections that a good reader makes while reading because of the inner dialogue that the book inspires.