Bibliography
Ketteman, Helen. 1997. Bubba and the Cowboy Prince: A Fractured Texas Tale. Ill. by James Warhola. Scholastic Press, New York. ISBN 0590255061
Plot Summary
This is a Cinderella story set in Texas. A rancher named Bubba has to do all the chores for his wicked step daddy and stepbrothers. They get invited to a ball where Miss Lurleen, the prettiest and richest lady, is looking for a companion. Bubba gets to go with the help of his fairy godcow. The story ends with Miss Lurleen and Bubba getting married, and the step dad and brothers throwing chicken fits.
Critical Analysis
Throughout the book, details along with the illustrations represent the characters to be good or bad. For example, it states, "…Bubba worked from sunup to sundown doing the chores of three ranch hands. Bubba never complained though," this shows his character is hardworking and kind. Ketteman describes the step daddy as wicked and the stepbrothers as hateful, lazy, and bossy.
The plot is based on a Cinderella story with a lot of Texas symbols. The theme is the same as any Cinderella story, where the good overcomes the bad.
The style is repeated throughout with old Texas twang that really comes to life when read aloud. Some examples are: bonked the bejeebers out of his bean; downright purty; and gitting them doggies along.
The illustrations went along great with the text. It showed many details that represented Texas, like cacti and armadillos to name a few. It says that the step daddy and stepbrothers threw chicken fits and my first graders got a good idea after looking at the illustration as to what that meant.
Review Excerpt(s)
Children's Literature
"The paintings are brightly colored and fanciful, with wonderful perplexed expressions on the rest of the cattle when the fairy godcow shows up. Great fun and a wonderful twist on the Cinderella story."
School Library Journal Review
" This is a fun-filled story with more hyperbole than a Christmas turkey has stuffing."
Connections
*Read this book and other versions of Cinderella, such as Rufferella or Dinorella and compare and contrast the characters and settings.
*Have students do the readers theater script by Dr. Vardell, to improve reading fluency. The students would absolutely love it!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
And the Green Grass Grew All Around: Folk Poetry From Everyone
Bibliography
Schwartz, Alvin. 1992. And the Green Grass Grew All Around: Folk Poetry From Everyone. Ill. by Sue Truesdell, New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0060227583
Plot Summary
This book is a compiled of group of folk poetry broken down into chapters based on subjects. There is everything from poems to songs to chants, riddles, and clapping games.
Critical Analysis
The rhymes and chants really come to life when read aloud. It has a table of contents, which is helpful, and it has source notes throughout which help the reader understand the background behind some of the poetry.
The end of the book has the sources to show where Schwartz found each piece in his book. The jumping rope and clapping chants really stand out. They have simple characters that do silly acts. For example, on page 98, in
"Miss Lucy had a baby
She named him Tiny Tim,
She put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water,
He ate up all the soap.
He tried to eat the bathtub,
But it wouldn’t go down his throat…"
The rhythmic pattern is fun to read aloud over and over again.
The illustrations in this book are done in black and white with exaggerated characters to help keep with the fun theme of the folklores.
Review Excerpt(s)
Children's Literature
"Perhaps the best collection of folk rhymes I have seen, this award-winning compilation covers many childhood favorites, such as "Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro?" and "Here comes the bride/Big, fat, and wide." Young readers and their parents and teachers can have fun reading the ones they know and learning new ones. Most importantly, we can all come to appreciate how much these rhymes are a part of our history and will hopefully become a part of our future."
Connections
*Read many of the folklores from this book and let students share the versions they know.
*Put folklores on an overhead and do choral readings.
Schwartz, Alvin. 1992. And the Green Grass Grew All Around: Folk Poetry From Everyone. Ill. by Sue Truesdell, New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0060227583
Plot Summary
This book is a compiled of group of folk poetry broken down into chapters based on subjects. There is everything from poems to songs to chants, riddles, and clapping games.
Critical Analysis
The rhymes and chants really come to life when read aloud. It has a table of contents, which is helpful, and it has source notes throughout which help the reader understand the background behind some of the poetry.
The end of the book has the sources to show where Schwartz found each piece in his book. The jumping rope and clapping chants really stand out. They have simple characters that do silly acts. For example, on page 98, in
"Miss Lucy had a baby
She named him Tiny Tim,
She put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water,
He ate up all the soap.
He tried to eat the bathtub,
But it wouldn’t go down his throat…"
The rhythmic pattern is fun to read aloud over and over again.
The illustrations in this book are done in black and white with exaggerated characters to help keep with the fun theme of the folklores.
Review Excerpt(s)
Children's Literature
"Perhaps the best collection of folk rhymes I have seen, this award-winning compilation covers many childhood favorites, such as "Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro?" and "Here comes the bride/Big, fat, and wide." Young readers and their parents and teachers can have fun reading the ones they know and learning new ones. Most importantly, we can all come to appreciate how much these rhymes are a part of our history and will hopefully become a part of our future."
Connections
*Read many of the folklores from this book and let students share the versions they know.
*Put folklores on an overhead and do choral readings.
The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush
Bibliography
DePaola, Tomie, Retold. 1988. The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. Ill. by Tomie DePaola. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0590447068
Plot Summary
This is a legend of how the beautiful flower, the Indian paintbrush, came to be. Little Gopher is told by the Shaman that he has a different calling than the other boys in the tribe. One night he has a dream vision where he is told he will be a painter to help people remember his people forever and he will paint a picture that is like the pure colors from the sunset. He draws great pictures of hunts and deeds of his tribe, but cannot find the pure colors. Years later, Gopher wakes up to find paintbrushes with these pure colors up on the hill. He uses them to paint a beautiful picture and leaves the paintbrushes there. The next day and every spring the hill is full of beautifully colored plants. So the people call him, He-Who-Brought-Sunset-To-The-Earth.
Critical Analysis
The setting is quickly established on the plains. The main character, Little Gopher, represents a good person who is stays true to his tribe and what the wise shaman tells him. He waits patiently until his dream vision comes to him.
The plot is very logical as Little Gopher begins as a young boy and grows to be a young man. He has a quest to make his dream vision come true. It says, " he never gave up trying." The solution in his dream vision give him the tools he needed because he was faithful to his people. This represents the theme that if you are true then good things will come to you.
The style includes the supernatural that comes to him in a dream vision.
The illustrations are good representations of Indian tribes. Also. The beautifully bright colors of the sunset help bring out the beauty of the story.
Review Excerpt(s)
School Library Journal Review
"The humanity expressed in this story illustrates the value of perseverance, and of endurance of effort that will bring its reward. DePaola's softly rounded shapes and his hero's diminutive stature, downcast eyes, and sober mien breathe attitudes of acceptance, of quiet waiting, of diligent persistence."
Connections
*Read other legends and have the students try and create a story with a theme from one of them.
*Read many books written and illustrated by Tomie DePaola and discuss his characteristics of writing and illustrating. Also visit his website: http://tomie.com/
DePaola, Tomie, Retold. 1988. The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. Ill. by Tomie DePaola. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0590447068
Plot Summary
This is a legend of how the beautiful flower, the Indian paintbrush, came to be. Little Gopher is told by the Shaman that he has a different calling than the other boys in the tribe. One night he has a dream vision where he is told he will be a painter to help people remember his people forever and he will paint a picture that is like the pure colors from the sunset. He draws great pictures of hunts and deeds of his tribe, but cannot find the pure colors. Years later, Gopher wakes up to find paintbrushes with these pure colors up on the hill. He uses them to paint a beautiful picture and leaves the paintbrushes there. The next day and every spring the hill is full of beautifully colored plants. So the people call him, He-Who-Brought-Sunset-To-The-Earth.
Critical Analysis
The setting is quickly established on the plains. The main character, Little Gopher, represents a good person who is stays true to his tribe and what the wise shaman tells him. He waits patiently until his dream vision comes to him.
The plot is very logical as Little Gopher begins as a young boy and grows to be a young man. He has a quest to make his dream vision come true. It says, " he never gave up trying." The solution in his dream vision give him the tools he needed because he was faithful to his people. This represents the theme that if you are true then good things will come to you.
The style includes the supernatural that comes to him in a dream vision.
The illustrations are good representations of Indian tribes. Also. The beautifully bright colors of the sunset help bring out the beauty of the story.
Review Excerpt(s)
School Library Journal Review
"The humanity expressed in this story illustrates the value of perseverance, and of endurance of effort that will bring its reward. DePaola's softly rounded shapes and his hero's diminutive stature, downcast eyes, and sober mien breathe attitudes of acceptance, of quiet waiting, of diligent persistence."
Connections
*Read other legends and have the students try and create a story with a theme from one of them.
*Read many books written and illustrated by Tomie DePaola and discuss his characteristics of writing and illustrating. Also visit his website: http://tomie.com/
Friday, September 14, 2007
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Bibliography
Willems, Mo. 2003. DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS. Ill. by Mo Willems. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 078681988x
Plot Summary
In this very funny picture book, a bus driver has to leave and asks you (the reader) to watch things and not to let the pigeon drive the bus. The pigeon asks first, and then begins to beg, plead, bribe, and even throw a fit to get to drive the bus. Finally, the bus driver returns and thanks you (the reader) for not letting the pigeon drive the bus. The story ends with an illustration of the pigeon thinking about driving a big red truck.
Critical Analysis
Mo Willems does a fantastic job of supporting the text with simple yet expressive illustrations. He really gets the reader involved in the story. He uses simple crayons to represent the emotions the pigeon goes through. Willems utilizes speech bubbles and large text to help readers relate to the character. Young children and parents alike will especially relate to the temper-tantrum the pigeon has when trying to get his way.
Review Excerpt(s)
Publishers Weekly
"Readers will likely find satisfaction in this whimsical show of emotions and, perhaps, a bit of self-recognition."
Kirkus Reviews
"Readers of all ages will nod with recognition of his helplessness and frustration."
Connections
*Read this book and have students write a story using speech bubbles and/or enlarged text to represent thinking or emotions.
*Read aloud with the class and show them how to attend to the punctuation, and read with intonation.
Willems, Mo. 2003. DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS. Ill. by Mo Willems. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 078681988x
Plot Summary
In this very funny picture book, a bus driver has to leave and asks you (the reader) to watch things and not to let the pigeon drive the bus. The pigeon asks first, and then begins to beg, plead, bribe, and even throw a fit to get to drive the bus. Finally, the bus driver returns and thanks you (the reader) for not letting the pigeon drive the bus. The story ends with an illustration of the pigeon thinking about driving a big red truck.
Critical Analysis
Mo Willems does a fantastic job of supporting the text with simple yet expressive illustrations. He really gets the reader involved in the story. He uses simple crayons to represent the emotions the pigeon goes through. Willems utilizes speech bubbles and large text to help readers relate to the character. Young children and parents alike will especially relate to the temper-tantrum the pigeon has when trying to get his way.
Review Excerpt(s)
Publishers Weekly
"Readers will likely find satisfaction in this whimsical show of emotions and, perhaps, a bit of self-recognition."
Kirkus Reviews
"Readers of all ages will nod with recognition of his helplessness and frustration."
Connections
*Read this book and have students write a story using speech bubbles and/or enlarged text to represent thinking or emotions.
*Read aloud with the class and show them how to attend to the punctuation, and read with intonation.
My Friend Rabbit
Bibliography
Rohmann, Eric. 2002. MY FRIEND RABBIT. Ill. by Eric Rohmann. Brookfield. Connecticut: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 0761315357
Plot Summary
This picture book is about two friends, a rabbit and a mouse, as told by the mouse. Rabbit is always getting into some kind of trouble, but mouse stays true to his friend, no matter what. Rabbit is always trying to solve the problem but things always seen to work against him.
Critical Analysis
This is a book with very little text, yet says a lot about friendship. The illustrations really carry the story and rabbits big ideas. Rhomann uses bright colors framed with a broad black outline to help bring the story to life. The detailed illustrations help the reader focus on the different characters feelings. He stretches his illustrations across two pages and at one point he even changes the layout of the book to go vertically.
Review Excerpt(s)
Children's Literature - Susie Wilde:
"Thankfully, messages are buried in this book which accents humor instead of moral. But the pictures and words provide comfort for children viewed as troublesome, and offer a strong argument for sticking with colorful, unique playmates."
School Library Journal: "The double-page, hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines are magnificent, and children will enjoy the comically expressive pictures of the animals before and after their attempt to extract the plane."
Connections
* Invite the students to write about a time when everything went wrong no matter what they did.
*Read other books about friendship.
*After reading the book have students rewrite the story from the rabbits perspective.
Rohmann, Eric. 2002. MY FRIEND RABBIT. Ill. by Eric Rohmann. Brookfield. Connecticut: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 0761315357
Plot Summary
This picture book is about two friends, a rabbit and a mouse, as told by the mouse. Rabbit is always getting into some kind of trouble, but mouse stays true to his friend, no matter what. Rabbit is always trying to solve the problem but things always seen to work against him.
Critical Analysis
This is a book with very little text, yet says a lot about friendship. The illustrations really carry the story and rabbits big ideas. Rhomann uses bright colors framed with a broad black outline to help bring the story to life. The detailed illustrations help the reader focus on the different characters feelings. He stretches his illustrations across two pages and at one point he even changes the layout of the book to go vertically.
Review Excerpt(s)
Children's Literature - Susie Wilde:
"Thankfully, messages are buried in this book which accents humor instead of moral. But the pictures and words provide comfort for children viewed as troublesome, and offer a strong argument for sticking with colorful, unique playmates."
School Library Journal: "The double-page, hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines are magnificent, and children will enjoy the comically expressive pictures of the animals before and after their attempt to extract the plane."
Connections
* Invite the students to write about a time when everything went wrong no matter what they did.
*Read other books about friendship.
*After reading the book have students rewrite the story from the rabbits perspective.
Side by Side: Five Favorate Picture-Book Teams go to Work
Bibliography
Marcus, Leonard S. 2001. SIDE BY SIDE: FIVE FAVORITE PICTURE BOOK TEAMS GO TO WORK. Ill. By Leonard Marcus. New York: Walker and Company. ISBN 0802787797
Plot Summary
In this book, Leonard Marcus describes five separate stories and the process of how teams of authors and illustrators created picture books. Each team he describes in details how they met to develop and/or collaborate in their own distinct way. This book really went into detail to explain how authors and illustrators had to work together to create books.
Critical Analysis
This was a great book for representing the process of making picture books. The notes and sketches in the book really showed how many steps are involved for not only the authors, but also the illustrators. By the examples of different teams we can see how the authors and illustrators collaborate in various ways to create wonderful picture books.
Review Excerpts (s)
Review in Publishers Weekly
"Readers snared by their interest in the teams behind favorites such as the Magic School Bus series and The Stinky Cheese Man will appreciate the insights into the inner workings of bookmaking, and may well end up appreciating the books more for the energy and ingenuity it takes to create them."
Review in School Library Journal
"Many of the titles described will be familiar to readers. However, even those who have not seen some of the featured books will be engaged by the creativity and cooperation exhibited here."-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Connections
*This book really gives you an insight on how much work and collaboration is involved in making picture books.
*Read this book to your class, or a chapter about a particular team (depending on the age group). Then pair them up and have one write the text and one illustrate.
Marcus, Leonard S. 2001. SIDE BY SIDE: FIVE FAVORITE PICTURE BOOK TEAMS GO TO WORK. Ill. By Leonard Marcus. New York: Walker and Company. ISBN 0802787797
Plot Summary
In this book, Leonard Marcus describes five separate stories and the process of how teams of authors and illustrators created picture books. Each team he describes in details how they met to develop and/or collaborate in their own distinct way. This book really went into detail to explain how authors and illustrators had to work together to create books.
Critical Analysis
This was a great book for representing the process of making picture books. The notes and sketches in the book really showed how many steps are involved for not only the authors, but also the illustrators. By the examples of different teams we can see how the authors and illustrators collaborate in various ways to create wonderful picture books.
Review Excerpts (s)
Review in Publishers Weekly
"Readers snared by their interest in the teams behind favorites such as the Magic School Bus series and The Stinky Cheese Man will appreciate the insights into the inner workings of bookmaking, and may well end up appreciating the books more for the energy and ingenuity it takes to create them."
Review in School Library Journal
"Many of the titles described will be familiar to readers. However, even those who have not seen some of the featured books will be engaged by the creativity and cooperation exhibited here."-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Connections
*This book really gives you an insight on how much work and collaboration is involved in making picture books.
*Read this book to your class, or a chapter about a particular team (depending on the age group). Then pair them up and have one write the text and one illustrate.
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